Reflectance spectra of subarctic lichens between 400 and 2400 nm

We present hyperspectral reflectance measurements for a number of common crustose and fruticose lichens from subarctic Sweden, and describe their common spectral features and principal differences. We confirm previous work that showed the spectrum beyond the water absorption at 1940 urn to be particularly characteristic of crustose lichens, and some previous work on the effect of drying fruticose lichens on their reflectance spectra. We discuss the implications of our data for optimal techniques for discriminating between different lichen species. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.