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6:36 AM
Image of the Day!
It's about time we featured a lichen! Half flora / half fauna, lichens are the incredible fungi that can grow virtually anywhere thanks to their symbiotic algae.
Cladonia cristatella produces spores in these bright red cups and is the primary food source for reindeer (caribou). That's why we're proclaiming C. cristatella the official microbe of Christmas!
Image credit: Marieka Gryzenhout / stereomicroscopy (0.8x)
(from Microbiology and Immunology FB page)