What is the role of lichens in nature and human life?

Role in nature:
1. Lichens settle where other plants do not grow and are the pioneers of vegetation.
2. Lichens have a destructive effect on rocks, since in the process of their vital activity, their excretions destroy siliceous and calcareous compounds.
3. They play the role of indicators, since they have the ability to accumulate radioactive substances.
4. A cover of lichens interferes with the heating of the soil.

Role in human life:
1. They are food for deer and some domestic animals.
2. Some species (lichen gyrophora) are eaten.
3. Lichens are used in perfumery and chemical industries.
4. Lichens settled on trees negatively affect the tree itself, as they serve as a haven for harmful insects and impede the respiratory processes in the tree.