Lithophilia
As Lithophilie is in the ecology a preference for stones and rocky habitats generally referred to, the corresponding adjective is lithophil . Organisms that occur primarily on stones are referred to as lithophilic. This includes plants, animals and other living things.
Lithophilic organisms
In microbiology as are Lithophile various bacteria , cyanobacteria , archaea , and other microorganisms called who live in the interstices of stony sediments and rocks rocks. These can be detected in the earth's crust up to a few kilometers below the earth's surface using drill cores .
In botany, lithophytes are plants that grow mainly as rock plants on stones; they are also divided into epiliths and petrophytes . The settlement of rocks is usually based on crusty lichens , which dissolve stones and create the basis for moss cushions. Later pioneer plants and colonists such as grasses and striped ferns (asplenium) use the soil that is formed in rock crevices for colonization and form specific crevice communities. Rendzina soil can form on rocks that are not too steep .
In zoology, the term is mainly used for invertebrates, including piebalds , insects and arachnids that often live on and under stones . Some of these species are assigned to the Hypolithal, i.e. the community under stones.
Among the vertebrates, the term is often used for the spawning preferences of fish that lay their eggs on stony ground.