| Abstract: | A study carried out on Carboniferous limestone in the north and west of Ireland supports the idea that rock substrate is removed by the direct mechanical action of lichens. An experiment in which the lichen Collema auriforma was subjected to a number of wetting-drying cycles, showed, using scanning electron microscopy, that contraction of the lichen thallus during the drying phase plucked rock fragments from the substrate surface. This process could contribute to the formation of karstic features including solution basins. |
