Cladonia stellaris

{{Short description|Species of lichen in the family Cladoniaceae}}

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{{Speciesbox

| image = Cladonia stellaris habito.jpg

| image_caption =

| genus = Cladonia

| species = stellaris

| authority = (Opiz) Pouzar & Vězda (1971)

| synonyms = *Cenomyce stellaris Opiz (1823)

• Cladina stellaris (Opiz) Brodo (1976)

}}

Cladonia stellaris (star-tipped cup lichen{{NGSWG}} or star reindeer lichenhttps://www.biolib.cz/en/taxon/id125078/) is an ecologically important species of cup lichen that forms continuous mats over large areas of the ground in boreal and arctic regions around the circumpolar north. The species is a preferred food source of reindeer and caribou during the winter months,{{cite journal | author =Pegau, R | year = 1969 | title = Effect of reindeer trampling and grazing on lichens | journal = Journal of Range Management | volume = 23 | issue = 2 | pages = 95–97 | jstor = 3896107 | doi = 10.2307/3896107 }}{{cite journal | author = Thomas & Hervieux | year = 1986 | title = The late winter diets of barren-ground caribou in North-Central Canada | journal = Rangifer| volume = 1 | issue = 2 | pages = 305–310 | doi = 10.7557/2.6.2.663 | doi-access = free }}Cichowski, D.B. (1989). Seasonal movements, habitat use, and winter feeding ecology of woodland caribou in west-central British Columbia. MSc. thesis. Univ. B.C., Vancouver, B.C. 143 p. and it has an important role in regulating nutrient cycling and soil microbiological communities.{{cite journal | last1=Stark | first1=Sari | last2=Wardle | first2=David A. | last3=Ohtonen | first3=Rauni | last4=Helle | first4=Timo | last5=Yeates | first5=Gregor W. | title=The effect of reindeer grazing on decomposition, mineralization and soil biota in a dry oligotrophic Scots pine forest | journal=Oikos | volume=90 | issue=2 | pages=301–310 | year=2000 | doi=10.1034/j.1600-0706.2000.900210.x | jstor = 3547140| bibcode=2000Oikos..90..301S }} Like many other lichens, Cladonia stellaris is used by humans directly for its chemical properties, as many of the secondary metabolites are antimicrobial (e.g., Usnic acid), but it also has the unique distinction of being harvested and sold as 'fake trees' for model train displays.Purvis, O.W. (2000). Lichens. Natural History Museum, London, U.K. It is also used as a sound absorber in interior design.{{cite web |url=https://nordgrona.com/reindeer-moss |title=Reindeer moss |website=Nordgröna |access-date=16 August 2022}} The fungal portion of Cladonia stellaris, known as a mycobiont, protects the lichen from lichenivores, superfluous solar radiation, and other kinds of stressors in their ecosystem.Asplund, J., Siegenthaler, A., Gauslaa, Y. (2017) Simulated global warming increases usnic acid but reduces perlatolic acid in the mat-forming terricolous lichen Cladonia stellaris. The Lichenologist, 49, 269-274

Cladonia stellaris is described as mat-forming and fruticose (shrub-like) in appearance, and as terrestrial, terricolous, or epigeic, because it grows on the surface of bare soil or gravel. Like most other lichens, Cladonia stellaris grows slowly, averaging less than 0.5 cm per year under good conditions.Thomson, J.W. (1967). The lichen genus Cladonia in North America. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada.

This species differs from the similar Cladonia rangiferina and Cladonia arbuscula in that it forms much more distinct cushion-shaped patches, and appears to have denser branching when viewed from above.Brodo, I. M., S. D. Sharnoff, and S. Sharnoff (2001). Lichens of North America. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, U.S.A.

After an online vote sponsored by the Canadian Museum of Nature, the star-tipped cup lichen was unofficially crowned Canada’s national lichen.{{Cite web |last=Goodyear |first=Sheena |date=May 26, 2020 |title=Behold the star-tipped reindeer — Canadians' top pick for a national lichen |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-edition-1.5583557/behold-the-star-tipped-reindeer-canadians-top-pick-for-a-national-lichen-1.5585426 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230727122226/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-edition-1.5583557/behold-the-star-tipped-reindeer-canadians-top-pick-for-a-national-lichen-1.5585426 |archive-date=July 27, 2023 |access-date=July 27, 2023 |website=CBC Radio}}