Tree Lungwort

Tree lungwort's underside is covered in tiny pores called cyphellae that look like miniature craters. These aren't damage - they're gas exchange ports that allow the lichen to breathe in the humid, stagnant air of temperate rainforests. Different lichen species have evolved different solutions to the same gas exchange problem.

The cyphellae demonstrate adaptation to specific microenvironments. Tree lungwort doesn't compete in dry, exposed habitats - it's specialized for humid, still conditions where its breathing pores work optimally. The business parallel is niche specialization - companies that optimize deeply for specific conditions rather than trying to compete broadly.