Tibell was born in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1944.[2] He developed an interest in lichens at a young age after meeting the prominent lichenologist Gunnar Degelius through the Gothenburg Botanical Garden, where they were both members.[3] Degelius mentored Tibell, and recommended to him that he should study the subject at Uppsala University, which he did after moving there in the mid 1960s.[2]
He continued with graduate studies under the supervision of Rolf Santesson after accompanying him on a research excursion to Norway's Varanger Peninsula in 1966.[2] Santesson was Curator of the Herbarium at the Botany Department. He was also the father of Johan Santesson, who knew Tibell through an organic chemistry research group they were both part of. Rolf Santesson, who became Tibell's Ph.D. supervisor and second main mentor,[3] suggested he should study genera of the family Caliciaceae – the pin lichens. Tibell followed his advice and ultimately developed a long career that was largely dedicated to the study of this group. After earning a Ph.D. in 1975, Tibell accepted a position at the Swedish Research Council that he held for many years. In 1978, he started to edit the exsiccata series Caliciales exsiccatae.[5] Tibell was later promoted to Senior Lecturer and ultimately Professor in 2000.[2] As of 2021, he is an Emeritus Professor with the Department of Organismal Biology at Uppsala University.[6]
Recognition
Tibell was awarded the Acharius Medal in 2012. Swedish botanist Mats Wedin noted that another prominent Swedish lichenologist, Erik Acharius (for whom the medal is named), published one of the earliest taxonomic monographs in lichenology also on the subject of calicioid lichens.[3] Tibell had a Festschrift dedicated to him in celebration of his 60th birthday in 2004.[7]
Tibell, Leif (1975). The Caliciales of Boreal North America. Taxonomy, Ecological and Distributional Comparisons With Europe, and Ultrastructural Investigations in Some Species. Symbolae botanicae Upsalienses. Uppsala: Uppsala University. ISBN91-554-0270-4.
Tibell, Leif (1984). A Reappraisal of the Taxonomy of Caliciales. Beihefte zur Nova Hedwigia. Vol. 79. pp. 597–713.
Tibell, Leif (1992). "Crustose lichens as indicators of forest continuity in boreal coniferous forests". Nordic Journal of Botany. 12 (4): 427–450. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.1992.tb01325.x.
Tibell, Leif B. (1994). "Distribution patterns and dispersal strategies of Caliciales". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 116 (3): 159–202. doi:10.1006/bojl.1994.1059.
Tibell, Leif (2000). "A synopsis of crustose calicioid lichens and fungi from mainland Africa and Madagascar". Nordic Journal of Botany. 20 (6): 717–742. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.2000.tb00759.x.
Tibell, Leif; Wedin, Mats (2000). "Mycocaliciales, a new order for nonlichenized calicioid fungi". Mycologia. 92 (3): 577–581. doi:10.2307/3761518.
^ abcdKärnefelt, Ingvar (2009). "Fifty influential lichenologists". In Thell, Arne; Seaward, Mark R. D.; Feuerer, Tassilo (eds.). Diversity of Lichenology – Anniversary Volume. Bibliotheca Lichenologica. Vol. 100. Stuttgart: J. Kramer. pp. 338–339. ISBN978-3-443-58079-7.
^Thor, Goran; Nordin, Anders; Hedberg, Inga, eds. (2004). Contributions to Lichen Taxonomy & Biogeography: Dedicated to Leif Tibell. Symbolae Botanicae Upsalienses. Vol. 34. Uppsala Universitet. pp. 1–499. ISBN978-9155460259.
^Hertel, Hannes; Gärtner, Georg; Lőkös, László (2017). "Forscher an Österreichs Flechtenflora" [Investigators of Austria's lichen flora] (PDF). Stapfia (in German). 104 (2): 1–211 (see pp. 149–150).