Trebouxia lynnae sp. nov. (Former Trebouxia sp. TR9): Biology and Biogeography of an Epitome Lichen Symbiotic Microalga
by
, , and
Eva Barreno
1
,
Lucia Muggia
2
,
Salvador Chiva
1,2,
Arantzazu Molins
1,3,
César Bordenave
1,
Francisco García-Breijo
4,5
and
Patricia Moya
1,*
1
Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva (ICBiBE), Departamento de Botánica y Geología, Universitat de València, C/Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjassot, Spain
2
Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 10, 34127 Trieste, Italy
3
Instituto de Investigaciones Agroambientales y de Economía del Agua (INAGEA), Departamento de Biología, Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB), Ctra. Valldemossa Km.7., 07122 Palma de Malllorca, Spain
4
Laboratorio de Anatomía “Julio Iranzo”, Jardín Botánico de la Universitat de València, C/Quart, 81, 46008 València, Spain
5
Departamento de Ecosistemas Agroforestales, ETSIAMN, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 València, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Biology 2022, 11(8), 1196; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11081196
Submission received: 20 June 2022
/
Revised: 29 July 2022
/
Accepted: 6 August 2022
/
Published: 10 August 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Systematics, Taxonomy and Molecular Phylogeny of Cyanobacteria and Algae)
Simple Summary
In this work, we present the formal description of a new species of lichen photobiont (i.e., Trebouxia lynnae) isolated from the lichen Ramalina farinacea. The findings reported here provide an exhaustive characterization of the cellular ultrastructure, physiological traits and genetic and genomic diversity of the new species. Our results contribute to the knowledge of lichen-forming symbiotic green microalgae with their diversity and distribution.
Abstract
Two microalgal species, Trebouxia jamesii and Trebouxia sp. TR9, were detected as the main photobionts coexisting in the thalli of the lichen Ramalina farinacea. Trebouxia sp. TR9 emerged as a new taxon in lichen symbioses and was successfully isolated and propagated in in vitro culture and thoroughly investigated. Several years of research have confirmed the taxon Trebouxia sp. TR9 to be a model/reference organism for studying mycobiont–photobiont association patterns in lichen symbioses. Trebouxia sp. TR9 is the first symbiotic, lichen-forming microalga for which an exhaustive characterization of cellular ultrastructure, physiological traits, genetic and genomic diversity is available. The cellular ultrastructure was studied by light, electron and confocal microscopy; physiological traits were studied as responses to different abiotic stresses. The genetic diversity was previously analyzed at both the nuclear and organelle levels by using chloroplast, mitochondrial, and nuclear genome data, and a multiplicity of phylogenetic analyses were carried out to study its intraspecific diversity at a biogeographical level and its specificity association patterns with the mycobiont. Here, Trebouxia sp. TR9 is formally described by applying an integrative taxonomic approach and is presented to science as Trebouxia lynnae, in honor of Lynn Margulis, who was the primary modern proponent for the significance of symbiosis in evolution. The complete set of analyses that were carried out for its characterization is provided.
