http://gallery.usgs.gov/images/logos/usgs_only.jpg http://gallery.usgs.gov/ en-us OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) http://gallery.usgs.gov/images/USGS.gif http://gallery.usgs.gov/ http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/01_14_2013_n63Uly8KKf_01_14_2013_0 Haleakala silversword, Argyroxyphium sandwicense subsp. macrocephalum, in bloom, with Haleakala Volcano crater in background.

]]> http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/02_10_2012_jne5Iut2GB_02_10_2012_0 In the drier Arizona upland plant communities, pictured here, some species will likely decline with forecasted climate change (such as foothill paloverde, ocotillo and creosote bush) while cacti may well increase in abundance and range.

]]> http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/02_10_2012_jne5Iut2GB_02_10_2012_1 Creosote bush shrublands are one of the driest Sonoran Desert plant communities; the creosote bush and white ratany are the dominant plants; a USGS study showed that their coverage is likely to decrease with forecasted climate change because of less winter precipitation and more aridity.

]]> http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/02_10_2012_jne5Iut2GB_02_10_2012_2 In the semiarid mesquite savanna community, pictured here, perennial grasses and forbs both are likely to decline as annual and winter precipitation decline with forecasted climate change.

]]> http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/07_13_2011_afu2Ylk88R_07_13_2011_0 These rice plants show the difference in growth of rice plants exposed to salt when grown with and without endophytes, which are mutually beneficial microscopic fungi that live in most plants. The plant on the left was colonized with a fungi that made it salt-tolerant, but it wasn't exposed to salt; the plant in the middle was colonized with a fungi that made it more salt-tolerant, and it was exposed to salt; and the plant on the right was the normal rice variety without the fungi and exposed to salt. The difference is dramatic.

]]> http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/05_17_2011_f3Am15Pdc8_05_17_2011_0 This lichen, Lobaria pulmonaria, is found in northern North America, where it is becoming rare in places.  Lichens -- which are often mistaken for moss -- are unusual plant-like organisms that are actually symbioses of fungi, algae and bacteria living together. They usually live on soil, bark, leaves and wood and can live in barren and unwelcoming environments, including the Arctic and in deserts. Lichens produce unique and unusual organic compounds that aid their survival and can have antibiotic, antiviral and other chemotherapeutic activities.  

]]> http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/05_16_2011_rwm8Qdc5OJ_05_16_2011_1 This lichen is Parmelia sulcata, a common species in North America.   Lichens -- which are often mistaken for moss -- are unusual plant-like organisms that are actually symbioses of fungi, algae and bacteria living together. They usually live on soil, bark, leaves and wood and can live in barren and unwelcoming environments, including the Arctic and in deserts. Lichens produce unique and unusual organic compounds that aid their survival and can have antibiotic, antiviral and other chemotherapeutic activities.  

]]> http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/05_16_2011_gkb4FRq11X_05_16_2011_0 Two Cladonia lichen species, C. stellaris and C. rangiferina are pictured here among some blueberry plants in Newfoundland.  Lichens -- which are often mistaken for moss -- are unusual plant-like organisms that are actually symbioses of fungi, algae and bacteria living together. They usually live on soil, bark, leaves and wood and can live in barren and unwelcoming environments, including the Arctic and in deserts. Lichens produce unique and unusual organic compounds that aid their survival and can have antibiotic, antiviral and other chemotherapeutic activities.  

]]> http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/02_14_2011_yDTf83Ivv5_02_14_2011_0 A Western Prairie Fringed Orchid, use to be common in the Great Plains but now it is endangered.

]]> http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/10_06_2010_gLBn16Qed8_10_06_2010_0 http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/08_17_2010_uApc6GF664_08_17_2010_2 http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/08_17_2010_fJa4DQo10W_08_17_2010_0 Planktic Foraminifera collected from a sediment-trap moored in the northern Gulf of Mexico, magnified 255x. Top row: Globigerinoides ruber (d'Orbigny) (pink variety); middle row: G. ruber (pink variety), Globorotalia menardii (Parker, Jones, and Brady), Globigerina digitata (Brady); bottom row: G. ruber (pink variety).

]]> http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/05_03_2010_q74Xpc0ONi_05_03_2010_13 http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/12_11_2009_c28Jb44ayu_12_11_2009_1 http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/06_17_2009_c2Wj04Lyy6_06_17_2009_0 http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/06_17_2009_c2Wj04Lyy6_06_17_2009_1 http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/03_02_2009_c2WJb44ay7_03_02_2009_0 http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/03_02_2009_c2WJb44ay7_03_02_2009_1 http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/03_02_2009_c2WJb44ay7_03_02_2009_2 http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/02_05_2009_x06Ev32Uup_02_05_2009_1 http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/02_05_2009_x06Ev32Uup_02_05_2009_2 http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/02_05_2009_x06Ev32Uup_02_05_2009_3 http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/02_05_2009_x06Ev32Uup_02_05_2009_4 http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/02_05_2009_x06Ev32Uup_02_05_2009_5 http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/02_05_2009_x06Ev32Uup_02_05_2009_6