Across the planet’s terrestrial surface lives a layer of organisms that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Lichens and bryophytes are hosts to these cryptobiotic communities that play a critical role in stabilizing soil, preventing erosion, absorbing rainfall, and providing nutrients for the growing plants around them. This hidden life creates a critical miniature forest that serves as an important habitat for tiny animals and forms a “living skin” found throughout the world, from canyon deserts to polar icecaps.
UT Herbarium
Recognitions, September 2
The beginning of September brings; a new artist exhibition at the UT Downtown Gallery; UT Extension names a new interim assistant dean; Haslam College of Business selects a new director of Aerospace and Defense Partnerships; the director of the UT Herbarium is awarded a National Science Foundation grant; a UT doctoral candidate receives the Hazel Taylor Spitze Graduate Fellowship from the College of Education, Health, and Human Science; the inaugural cohort of the Academy for Global Scholars is announced. Continue reading