Peter Crittenden

Peter Crittenden is a British lichenologist. His research largely concerns the ecophysiology of lichens. Crittenden is known for using new techniques to study lichens, such as the use of 3D printing and X-ray computed tomography to study lichen structure and development. He served as the senior editor of the scientific journal The Lichenologist from the years 2000–2016; and still serves on the editorial board for the journal Fungal Ecology. Crittenden was the president of the British Lichen Society in 1998–1999, and president of the International Association for Lichenology from 2008 to 2012. He was awarded the Acharius Medal at the 10th International Mycological Congress in Bangkok in 2014, for his lifetime achievements in lichenology.

Biography

Crittenden studied botany at the University of London, where he graduated in 1971. He spent two summer vacation studentships working under the supervision of Peter Wilfred James. For his PhD, he moved to Sheffield to study ecology under David Read, researching the effect of sulphur dioxide pollution on pasture grasses. Crittenden started working with lichens after moving to Canada as a research fellow at McMaster University. With his supervisor Ken Kershaw, he studied the role of lichens in the nitrogen cycle in boreal-arctic ecosystems. Much of his research involved determining nitrogenase activity in the mat-forming lichen Stereocaulon paschale. Crittenden eventually settled into a lectureship at the University of Nottingham in 1981, where he remains and is Leverhulme Emeritus Professor as of 2021.

Editorship

Peter Crittenden was honoured in The Lichenologist Volume 53 (2021) for his long years of service to the journal, the British Lichen Society, and lichenology worldwide. Crittenden's association with the journal began in 1997, and he assumed joint senior editorship in 2000 before becoming sole senior editor. Under Crittenden's editorship, The Lichenologist's academic standing, volume, and modernity increased significantly, along with its international composition of a strong team of associate editors. Crittenden's attention to detail was extraordinary, with each paper personally overseen by him. After a term of some 20 years as Senior Editor, he stands as the longest-serving bearer of that office.

Selected publications

• Crittenden, P.; Porter, Neil (1991). "Lichen-forming fungi: potential sources of novel metabolites". Trends in Biotechnology. 9 (1): 409–414. doi:10.1016/0167-7799(91)90141-4. PMID 1367745.
• Ellis, Christopher J.; Crittenden, Peter D.; Scrimgeour, Charles M.; Ashcroft, Carl (2003). "The natural abundance of 15N in mat-forming lichens". Oecologia. 136 (1): 115–123. doi:10.1007/s00442-003-1201-z. PMID 12695900. S2CID 8630634.
• Ellis, Christopher J.; Crittenden, Peter D.; Scrimgeour, Charles M. (2004). "Soil as a potential source of nitrogen for mat-forming lichens". Canadian Journal of Botany. 82 (1): 145–149. doi:10.1139/b03-144.
• Seymaur, Fabian A.; Crittenden, Peter; Dyer, Paul S. (2005). "Sex in the extremes: lichen-forming fungi". Mycologist. 19 (2): 51–58. doi:10.1017/S0269-915X(05)00201-6 (inactive 31 January 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link)