Major impacts made by lichens in biodeterioration processes

For many years, lichens were considered as being of minor importance in terms of their environmental impact, other than in a few extreme ecosystems and habitats where they provided the dominant vegetational cover. Their role as biological weathering agents in the development of soils was formerly considered in a geological context only, but recent research has shown that these organisms are capable of biodeteriorating stone substrata within a relatively short time-scale. Resumen Durante muchos años, los líquenes no han sido tenidos en cuenta en términos de impacto ambiental, excepto en aquellos hábitats y ecosistemas extremos en donde constituyen la vegetación predominante. Aunque su papel como agentes de alteración en la formación de suelos es conocido desde hace tiempo, éste únicamente era considerado a escala geológica. Sin embargo, recientes investigaciones demuestran que estos organismos son capaces de biodeteriorar sustratos rocosos en una escala de tiempo relativamente corta.