United States
£ GBP
The two volumes comprising Microlichens of the Pacific Northwest provide, for the first time in one place, comprehensive illustrated keys to the genera (Volume 1) and species (Volume 2) of microlichens from the Pacific Northwest of North America. Microlichens (crustose lichens and other lichen forms that often require a compound microscope for study) encompass a vast range of forms and contribute greatly to the biodiversity of the region and the world; their species richness is, however, often unrecognized. These volumes will greatly enhance knowledge and appreciation of these fascinating organisms, as they provide a synthesis of what is currently known about their biodiversity, distribution, and abundance in the Pacific Northwest.
Microlichens of the Pacific Northwest, Volume 1: Key to the Genera provides a general introduction to microlichens, generously illustrated keys to the genera, a glossary, and an index. It includes 623 illustrations (mostly colour photographs and a few black-and-white line drawings) and encompasses 253 genera.
While the geographic area covered by the books is the watershed-based boundary of the Pacific Northwestern United States (south of the US-Canadian border, inland to western Montana and northwestern Wyoming, and dipping into northwestern California), the treatments will also be useful in a much broader area of the western U.S. and Canada, as well as the rest of the Northern Hemisphere.
The books are intended largely for use by serious amateurs or professional lichenologists. A compound microscope will be necessary to identify many of the species, although some genera – and even species – can be identified without using a compound microscope. The author invites you to “dig in” – advance your appreciation of microlichen diversity through use of these comprehensive and beautiful books.
