Brain behind Obama lichen speaks of discovery in Thousand Oaks
By Alex Wilson 11/19/2009
A renowned lichen expert who gained worldwide attention by naming a unique species on Santa Rosa Island after President Barack Obama will share his knowledge during a lecture in Thousand Oaks.
University of California, River-side, Herbarium Lichen Curator Kerry Knudsen will discuss lichen biodiversity in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and how more than 300 local species are affected by increased wildfire frequency, air pollution and global climate change.
Knudsen discovered his field of study in a highly unusual way after becoming disabled from his job as a construction worker. He was rejected for a rehabilitation program involving the study of better-known organisms like trees, and luckily stumbled onto some lichens.
“I was really depressed because I was planning on going into botany,” says Knudsen. “I told my two daughters, ‘Today I’m going outside the house. Whether I find lichens or mosses or something else, I’m going to start studying it.’ And I went out in my backyard and, fortunately for me, there were three lichens out there.”
Despite lacking a degree, he’s now devoted to studying the organisms that are a symbiotic combination of algae and fungi, and grow in a multitude of colors. More than 17,000 species have evolved since 500 million years ago, living off moisture and sunshine worldwide. “Now I’ve written over 100 papers and run the herbarium,” says Knudsen.
Before his backyard revelation, Knudsen knew little about lichen, but occasionally noticed them when he saw bright orange varieties on rocks and plants. Now, when he takes people on trails, like Mishe Mokwa near Thousand Oaks, he can point out numerous species.
“In the time from when you start the trailhead to where you get back to where the rock climbers are, there’s probably 40 species of lichen. The normal person maybe would only see the orange one on the bushes. When we take a group through an area like that, they’re always surprised at how much stuff there is around them,” says Knudsen.
Knudsen has named more than 25 species, including one he called Caloplaca obamae while Obama was on the campaign trail and Knudsen was conducting research at Channel Islands National Park. “I started finding the orange lichen growing on soil. Soil habitats are really rare, especially on Santa Rosa Island because they had grazing for over 100 years. Soil lichens on the islands are coming back,” says Knudsen.
He and other island researchers followed the campaign on a radio, and most supported Obama. “In terms of environmental policy and funding, the Bush administration we didn’t think was doing a good job. Jokingly, I said, ‘I’m going to name this lichen after Obama if he wins.’ By the time I was ready to write it up, he had won, so I named it after him.”
He finished his paper while watching Obama’s inauguration, and since it’s the first species named after Obama, reporters in distant places like Poland were interested.
Reactions were positive in the scientific community, but less enthusiastic from others. “Lichenologists overall have been really happy because the organisms themselves aren’t that well known,” says Knudsen. “There were a lot of right-wing bloggers who did a lot of bitching, and some of it was shockingly racist.”
He’s still waiting for a reaction from Obama. “News organizations called the White House, and they didn’t know about it. I’m sure they have now, but I haven’t heard anything back,” says Knudsen.
Knudsen’s lecture is Saturday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m. at the Recreation Area Visitor Center, 401 West Hillcrest Drive.
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