Rock gnome lichen (Gymnoderma lineare)
Taxonomy:
View taxonomy in ITISListing Status: Endangered
Where Listed: WHEREVER FOUND
General Information
The rock gnome lichen is one of two lichens in the United States protected by the Endangered Species Act. Lichens are two organisms, a fungus and alga or cyanobacterium that exist so closely in a symbiotic relationship they are functionally a single organism. The alga or cyanobacterium provides nutrients to the fungus and the fungus in turn provides a protected and secure environment for the alga or cyanobacterium to live. Rock gnome lichen is in the reindeer moss family, actually a family of lichens, not mosses. Rock gnome lichen grows in dense colonies of narrow strap-like lobes that grade from black at the base to blue-gray on the upper surface and white on the lower surface. The rock gnome lichen was placed on the federal threatened and endangered species list, as endangered, in 1995, when there were 32 known populations, all in North Carolina or Tennessee. That number has steadily increased as new populations have been discovered, and today there are 68, 62 of which are in conversation ownership. Being in conservation ownership protects the habitat from development, but the lichen still faces impacts from climate change , outdoor recreation, collection, and habitat degradation from the balsam woolly adelgid.The species historical range included North Carolina, Tennessee. See below for information about where the species is known or believed to occur.
» Range Information
Current Range
Current range maps are only shown within the jurisdictional boundaries of the United States of America. The species may also occur outside this region.
Wherever found
Listing status: Endangered
- States/US Territories in which this population is known to or is believed to occur: Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia
- US Counties in which this population is known to or is believed to occur: View All
- USFWS Refuges in which this population is known to occur:
» Candidate Information
No Candidate information available for this species.
No Candidate Assessments available for this species.
No Candidate Notice of Review Documents currently available for this species.
No Uplisting Documents currently available for this species.
» Federal Register Documents
» Species Status Assessments (SSAs)
No Species Status Assessments (SSA's) are currently available for this species.
No Special Rule Publications currently available for this species.
» Recovery
- Species with Recovery Documents Data Explorer
- Recovery Priority Number: 5
No Delisting Documents currently available for this species.
» Critical Habitat
To learn more about critical habitat please see https://ecos.fws.gov/crithab
» Conservation Plans
No Conservation Plans currently available for this species.
» Petitions
No Petitions currently available for this species.
» Biological Opinions
To see all FWS Issued Biological Opinions please visit the BO Report.
» Life History
Habitat Requirements
The rock gnome lichen is found in the Southern Appalachian Mountains on vertical rock faces either at foggy high elevation areas or in deep gorges in lower elevations, both areas of high humidity. It appears the species needs a moderate amount of light but cannot tolerate too much sun intensity. It does well on generally open sites with a northern exposure that are moist and where the seepage water from the forest soils above only flows during very wet times. The rocks on which this lichen grows are of several types, including igneous, metamorphic, and metasedimentary rocks such as quartz diorite, garnet-rich biotite, muscovite and quartz schist, quarts phyllite, metagraywacke, metaconglomerte, and metakoses containing feldspar and cholrite, amphibole, hornblende, and feldspar gneiss.
Food Habits
Lichens do not have roots that absorb water and nutrients as plants do, but like plants, the alga or cyanobacterium component of lichens produce their own nutrition by photosynthesis, using sunlight to create food from carbon dioxide and water.
Movement / Home Range
When the species was federally listed in 1995, the listing rule recognized extant populations in 10 counties in North Carolina (Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Jackson, Mitchell, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancey) and one county in Tennessee (Sevier). By 2012, the species range expanded to include Burke, Graham, and Macon Counties in North Carolina, Rabun County in Georgia, Greenville County in South Carolina, Carter County in Tennessee, and Smyth County in Virginia. A new county record of rock gnome lichen was observed in Clay County, North Carolina in 2014.
Reproductive Strategy
The primary means of propagation appears to be asexual, with colonies spreading clonally.
» Other Resources
NatureServe Explorer Species Reports-- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.
ITIS Reports-- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.
FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video." +
