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Glite Dictionary
🌳 Covered with lichens 🍄 Fungus in lichen
lichenized

lichenized

9.9
A fungus that lives with a tiny green partner to make a single growth on rocks and trees
  • adjective
  • /ˈlaɪkəˌnaɪzd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : lichenizado
  • The scientist studied the effects of climate change on lichenized fungi in the forest.

Examples

  • In the ecosystem, lichenized organisms play a crucial role in soil formation.

  • Figure 25. Germination of soredia, lichenized propagules containing both fungal and algal symbionts.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Lichenized forms of algae and fungi can often be found on lichenized surfaces.

Surface Forms

lichenized positive

Morphology

lichenized = lichenize (semi-transparent) = lichen + ize + ed

Formed by regular suffixation from 'lichenize' to produce an adjectival past-participle.

Etymology

The word lichenized also describes a fungus that lives as part of a lichen and comes from lichen (a close partnership of a fungus and a photosynthetic partner) plus -ized, meaning 'in the state of' or 'made into'. So a lichenized fungus is one that is 'living together' with its partner inside a lichen.