0000000000131916
AUTHOR
Pavel ŠKaloud
Untangling the hidden intrathalline microalgal diversity inParmotrema pseudotinctorum:Trebouxia crespoanasp. nov.
AbstractIntrathalline phycobiont diversity was investigated in a rosette-forming lichen,Parmotrema pseudotinctorum, using a combination of Sanger sequencing, 454-pyrosequencing, conventional light and confocal microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. A total of 39 thalli sampled in five Canary Island populations were investigated. Three novel lineages of lichen phycobionts were detected, all being inferred within theTrebouxiaclade G. The most abundant phycobiont lineage, occurring in all lichen populations investigated, is described here asTrebouxia crespoanasp. nov. This species produces spherical to pyriform cells possessing a crenulate chloroplast with lobes elongated at their e…
Biodiversity Patterns and Ecological Preferences of the Photobionts Associated With the Lichen-Forming Genus Parmelia
The worldwide, ecologically relevant lichen-forming genusParmeliacurrently includes 41 accepted species, of which theParmelia sulcatagroup (PSULgp) and theParmelia saxatilisgroup (PSAXgp) have received considerable attention over recent decades; however, phycobiont diversity is poorly known inParmelias. lat. Here, we studied the diversity ofTrebouxiamicroalgae associated with 159 thalli collected from 30 locations, including nineParmeliaspp.:P. barrenoae, P. encryptata, P. ernstiae, P. mayi, P. omphalodes, P. saxatilis, P. serrana, P. submontana, andP. sulcata. The mycobionts were studied by carrying out phylogenetic analyses of the nrITS. Microalgae genetic diversity was examined by using …
Promiscuity in Lichens Follows Clear Rules: Partner Switching in Cladonia Is Regulated by Climatic Factors and Soil Chemistry
Climatic factors, soil chemistry and geography are considered as major factors affecting lichen distribution and diversity. To determine how these factors limit or support the associations between the symbiotic partners, we revise the lichen symbiosis as a network of relationships here. More than one thousand thalli of terricolousCladonialichens were collected at sites with a wide range of soil chemical properties from seven biogeographical regions of Europe. A total of 18 OTUs of the algal genusAsterochlorisand 181 OTUs ofCladoniamycobiont were identified. We displayed all realized pairwise mycobiont–photobiont relationships and performed modularity analysis. It revealed four virtually sep…
Symbiosis between river and dry lands: phycobiont dynamics on river gravel bars
AbstractRiver gravel bars are dynamic and heterogeneous habitats standing on transition between aquatic and terrestrial environment. Periodical flooding, low nutrient content, frost, missing safe sites, drought, and heat on the ground surface significantly influence life in these habitats. Mutualistic symbiosis may be a successful strategy for organisms to survive and to proliferate under harsh conditions. The lichen genus Stereocaulon was selected as a model symbiotic system among the organisms living on river gravel bars. The aim of our work was to determine effect of this dynamic environment on a phycobiont (i.e., green eukaryotic photobiont) community structure. We analysed 147 Stereoca…
Molecular phylogeny and ultrastructure of the lichen microalga Asterochloris mediterranea sp. nov. from Mediterranean and Canary Islands ecosystems
The microalgae of the genus Asterochloris are the preferential phycobionts in Cladonia, Lepraria and Stereocaulon lichens. Recent studies have highlighted the hidden diversity of the genus, even though phycobionts hosting Cladonia spp. in Mediterranean and Canarian ecosystems have been poorly explored. Phylogenetic analyses were made by concatenation of the sequences obtained with a plastid -LSU rDNA- and two nuclear -ITS rDNA and actin- molecular markers of the phycobionts living in several populations of Cladonia convoluta-C. foliacea complex, C. rangiformis and C. cervicornis species widely distributed in these areas in a great variety of substrata and habitats. A new strongly supported …