Phylotypic Characterization of Mycobionts and Photobionts of Rock Tripe Lichen in East Antarctica
1
Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, 1-4-4, Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan
2
Applied Molecular Microbiology Research Group, Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 2-17-2-1, Tsukisamu-higashi, Toyohira Ward, Sapporo 062-8517, Japan
3
National Institute of Polar Research, Research Organization of Information and Systems, 10-3, Midori-cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
4
SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), 10–3, Midori–cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190–8518, Japan
5
Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-4-4, Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Microorganisms 2019, 7(7), 203; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7070203
Received: 13 June 2019
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Revised: 13 July 2019
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Accepted: 16 July 2019
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Published: 18 July 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Diversity in Extreme Environments)
Saxicolous rock ripe lichens that grow on rocks in the East Antarctic fellfields were sampled for phylotypic characterization of its constituent mycobionts (fungi) and photobionts (algae and cyanobacteria). The rock tripe lichen-forming fungal and algal phylotypes were classified under the common lichen-forming genera of ascomycetes, namely, Umbilicaria, and green algae, namely, Trebouxia and Coccomyxa. However, phylotypes of the green algal chloroplasts and the lichen-associated cyanobacteria showed unexpectedly high diversity. The detected chloroplast phylotypes were not fully affiliated with the green algal genera Trebouxia or Coccomyxa. The predominant chloroplast phylotype demonstrated maximum resemblance to Neglectella solitaria, which is neither a known Antarctic species nor a typical lichen photobiont. Another dominant chloroplast phylotype belonged to the atypical Antarctic green algae family. Cyanobacterial phylotypes were dominated by those affiliated with the Microcoleus species rather than the well-known lichen-associates, Nostoc species. The occurrences of these Microcoleus-affiliated cyanobacterial phylotypes were specifically abundant within the Yukidori Valley site, one of the Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPA). The ASPA site, along with another 50 km-distant site, yielded most of the cryptic diversity in the phylotypes of chloroplasts and cyanobacteria, which may contribute to the phenotypic variability within the rock tripe lichen photobionts.
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Keywords:
lichens; symbiosis; mycobionts; photobionts; chloroplasts; cyanobacteria
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MDPI and ACS Style
Faluaburu, M.S.; Nakai, R.; Imura, S.; Naganuma, T. Phylotypic Characterization of Mycobionts and Photobionts of Rock Tripe Lichen in East Antarctica. Microorganisms 2019, 7, 203. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7070203
AMA Style
Faluaburu MS, Nakai R, Imura S, Naganuma T. Phylotypic Characterization of Mycobionts and Photobionts of Rock Tripe Lichen in East Antarctica. Microorganisms. 2019; 7(7):203. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7070203
Chicago/Turabian StyleFaluaburu, Merry Sailonga, Ryosuke Nakai, Satoshi Imura, and Takeshi Naganuma. 2019. "Phylotypic Characterization of Mycobionts and Photobionts of Rock Tripe Lichen in East Antarctica" Microorganisms 7, no. 7: 203. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7070203
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