Staff/Associates:
Dr Rocio Belinchon
Dr Brian Coppins
Ms Sally Eaton
Dr Christopher Ellis
Mr Paul Harrold
Ms Louise Olley
Dr Rebecca Yahr

Primary Research Themes:
Epiphyte Ecology
Historical Lichenology
Global Change Biology
Taxonomy and Systematics

Recent Research Projects

Lichens are an important and deeply fascinating study group in biology.

> The lichen relationship between fungal partner and photobiont is a model system used to explore the important role of symbiosis in structuring the evolutionary process.

> In ecology, contrasting lichens and their functional traits are used to understand the species response to environmental drivers, and the forces structuring communities.

> Lichens are functionally important in food-webs and nutrient cycles, and are a focal-group in conservation biology. Nevertheless, lichens are the domain of the specialist biologist, and remain less extensively studied than vascular plants.

> As a consequence, basic descriptive taxonomy and biogeography remain fundamentally important in most regions of the world, especially the tropics.

RBGE lichenology includes an internationally-recognised research-programme focussed on the themes of taxonomy and biogeography, ecology and conservation biology.

Our research has special relevance to lichen biodiversity in Scotland.