Back Nephroma arcticum CEB Pohjankorvajäkälä Finnish Nephroma arcticum French Norrlandslav Swedish Nephroma arcticum WAR
| Nephroma arcticum | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Peltigerales |
| Family: | Peltigeraceae |
| Genus: | Nephroma |
| Species: | N. arcticum
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| Binomial name | |
| Nephroma arcticum | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
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Nephroma arcticum, the arctic kidney lichen, is a species of foliose (leafy), terricolous (ground-dwelling) lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It has a yellowish-green thallus up to 8 cm (3 in) across made of large lobes, with a dark, tomentose lower surface. It is a tripartite lichen, consisting of a fungus and two photobiont partners: a species of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria (contained within dark, blistered cephalodia), and a species of green alga. First described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, it is one of only two Nephroma species in North America that use green algae as their primary photobiont.
Nephroma arcticum is widely distributed throughout the circumpolar regions of Asia, Europe, and North America, where it grows in semi-open coniferous forests and mountainous birch forests on shaded and moist ground, on moss carpets or on mossy rocks. The species is ecologically significant for its role in nitrogen fixation and as a food source for various animals including reindeer and mountain goats. Alaska Natives have historically used it both as food and traditional medicine. While generally secure across its range, its abundance varies regionally, being common in many arctic and subarctic areas but rare or imperilled in some southern portions of its distribution.
The species has been the subject of extensive research into its photosynthetic characteristics, nitrogen metabolism, and bacterial associations. Studies have revealed several key adaptations of N. arcticum to arctic conditions, including its reflective thallus surface that regulates light exposure and physiological mechanisms that enable photosynthesis during short summer seasons. The species shows considerable variation in its symbiotic relationships, with high genetic diversity among its cyanobacterial partners and the ability to develop separate cyanobacterial growth forms under certain conditions. The lichen's southern distribution limits are determined primarily by biological factors, particularly gastropod grazing of nitrogen-rich cyanobacterial tissues, rather than by temperature tolerance.
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