Lesson plan

Physcia

Physcia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Physciaceae. The widely distributed genus contains about 80 species. The genus is cosmopolitan, and has been extensively studied in various regions in the past several decades, with significant biodiversity in South America identified as a central diversity hotspot. Physcia species are foliose, lichens that grow with a loose to close appressed habit. Their upper surface is typically whitish, pale greenish, green-grey, or dark grey in colour. The thallus colour remains relatively unchanged when moistened. Physcia lichens typically grow on bark, on wood, or rock, although they have occasionally been recorded dwelling on man-made structures. They thrive in nutrient-rich environments and are expanding rapidly in urban areas of the United Kingdom previously affected by SO 2 pollution. The main characteristics that separate Physcia from similar genera in the same order, including Dirinaria, Heterodermia, Hyperphyscia, Kashiwadia, Phaeophyscia, and Pyxine, are the distinct morphology of its (brown and two-celled), its somewhat cylindrical (asexual reproductive structures), and the presence of the chemical atranorin in the upper . Physcia has been divided into sections based on morphological and chemical , such as the presence or absence of on the thallus margins and K+ (yellow) spot test reaction in the cortex.…

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Article summary

Physcia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Physciaceae. The widely distributed genus contains about 80 species. The genus is cosmopolitan, and has been extensively studied in various regions in the past several decades, with significant biodiversity in South America identified as a central diversity hotspot. Physcia species are foliose, lichens that grow with a loose to close appressed habit. Their upper surface is typically whitish, pale greenish, green-grey, or dark grey in colour. The thallus colour remains relatively unchanged when moistened. Physcia lichens typically grow on bark, on wood, or rock, although they have occasionally been recorded dwelling on man-made structures. They thrive in nutrient-rich environments and are expanding rapidly in urban areas of the United Kingdom previously affected by SO 2 pollution. The main characteristics that separate Physcia from similar genera in the same order, including Dirinaria, Heterodermia, Hyperphyscia, Kashiwadia, Phaeophyscia, and Pyxine, are the distinct morphology of its (brown and two-celled), its somewhat cylindrical (asexual reproductive structures), and the presence of the chemical atranorin in the upper . Physcia has been divided into sections based on morphological and chemical , such as the presence or absence of on the thallus margins and K+ (yellow) spot test reaction in the cortex.…

Key claims

  1. date of establishment: 1805 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. publication date: 2012 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of establishment is "1805". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the publication date is "2012". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1360520993

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.