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A fresh discovered mintage of lichen — a plant - like growth that count like moss or a ironic leaf — has been named after President Obama .
Kerry Knudsen , lichen conservator of the University of California , Riverside Herbarium , discovered the specie in 2007 while doing a survey for lichen diversity on Santa Rosa Island in California .
Caloplaca obamae growing on Pleistocene soils on Santa Rosa Island.
" I named itCaloplaca obamaeto show my appreciation for the president’ssupport of scienceand science education , " he said . " I made the final collections ofC. obamaeduring the suspenseful final weeks of President Obama ’s campaign for the United States presidency . "
C. obamae , the first mintage of any being to be named in honor ofPresident Obama , grows on soil and almost became extinct during the days of cows ranch that spanned nearly 100 on Santa Rosa Island .
" This coinage barely survived the intensive grazing of Bos taurus , elk and cervid on Santa Rosa Island , " Knudsen allege . " But with cattle now removed , it has begun to recover . With future remotion of elk and deer — both of which were introduced to the island — it is expected to amply recover . "
Lichens , which originate slowly and live for many years , lead from fungi and algae living together .
There are about 17,000 species of lichen worldwide , with some 1,500 coinage report from California . More than 300 lichens have been report from Santa Rosa Island , almost as many species of aboriginal plant on the island .
" C. obamaeteaches us that perhaps other specie of lichen and plant life unique to Santa Rosa Island may have disappeared , without ever being known to science , since sheep ranching began there in the 1850s , " Knudsen tell .
Knudsen print his discovery in the March issue of the journalOpuscula Philolichenum .
