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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Lichen Diversity and Conservation
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Lichen Diversity and Conservation

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Microbe Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2019) | Viewed by 21576

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Michele Piercey-Normore

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Science and the Environment, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Grenfell Campus, Corner Brook, NL A2H 5G4, Canada
Interests: lichen biodiversity and conservation; DNA sequencing; phylogenetics; population genetics; coevolution; lichen secondary metabolites
Dr. André Arsenault

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Canadian Forest Service – Atlantic Forestry Centre, Corner Brook, NL, USA
Interests: environmental science; lichen and bryophyte ecology; disturbance ecology; biogeography; landscape ecology biodiversity and conservation; forest ecology and management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Lichens, which are partnerships between fungi and photosynthetic partners, are named after the fungal partner, which forms the largest component of the lichen thallus and undergoes sexual reproduction. Lichen diversity is represented by the diversity of the lichen-forming fungal species, and adaptation is influenced by ecological and evolutionary mechanisms. Adaptation of species to the changing environment results in the coexistence of species in their natural habitats, forming complex communities. Environmental change through anthropogenic disturbance may exacerbate adaptation to the environment. Adaptation to natural and anthropomorphic change may further influence the geographic distribution of species by opening niches or causing local extirpation. Phenotypic or genetic patterns observed in nature provide knowledge on the distribution of lichens, evolutionary processes, and insights into the development of strategies that may help to maintain lichen diversity. This Special Issue will include topics on the diversity and conservation of lichen-forming fungal species using a variety of approaches (e.g., species, phenotypic, genetic, chemical diversity, or diversity in physiological response) and methods. It may also include strategies for the conservation of rare species, patterns present in rare or common species, or other topics around the diversity and conservation of lichens.

Dr. Michele Piercey-Normore
Dr. André Arsenault
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • lichen
  • fungi
  • diversity
  • conservation
  • evolution
  • symbiosis
  • molecular methods
  • ecological methods
  • dispersal
  • genetics

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1414 KiB  
Article
Crustose Calicioid Lichens and Fungi in Mountain Cloud Forests of Tanzania
by Stella Gilbert Temu, Sanja Tibell, Donatha Damian Tibuhwa and Leif Tibell
Microorganisms 2019, 7(11), 491; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7110491 - 26 Oct 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4162
Abstract
A total of 26 crustose calicioid lichens and fungi were found in Tanzania. Most of them belong to a group of species with wide distributions in cool areas of both hemispheres and occasional occurrence in high mountains at low latitudes. In Tanzania calicioids [...] Read more.
A total of 26 crustose calicioid lichens and fungi were found in Tanzania. Most of them belong to a group of species with wide distributions in cool areas of both hemispheres and occasional occurrence in high mountains at low latitudes. In Tanzania calicioids mainly occur in the middle and upper forest zones and their niches are found on the bark of old trees and on lignum, most of them restricted to mountain cloud forests. Calicioids are rare and often red-listed, and are also bioindicators of long forest continuity. Consequently, they form an important biota in mountain cloud forests and deserve attention in the context of preserving biodiversity and developing conservation policies. One new species, Chaenothecopsis kilimanjaroensis, is described. Chaenotheca hispidula and Pyrgillus cambodiensis are reported as new to Africa and Calicium lenticulare and Chaenothecopsis debilis are reported as new to Tanzania. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichen Diversity and Conservation)
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15 pages, 2584 KiB  
Article
Distribution of Foliicolous Lichen Strigula and Genetic Structure of S. multiformis on Jeju Island, South Korea
by Seung-Yoon Oh, Jung-Jae Woo and Jae-Seoun Hur
Microorganisms 2019, 7(10), 430; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7100430 - 10 Oct 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3924
Abstract
Strigula is a pantropic foliicolous lichen living on the leaf surfaces of evergreen broadleaf plants. In South Korea, Strigula is the only genus of foliicolous lichen recorded from Jeju Island. Several Strigula species have been recorded, but the ecology of Strigula in South [...] Read more.
Strigula is a pantropic foliicolous lichen living on the leaf surfaces of evergreen broadleaf plants. In South Korea, Strigula is the only genus of foliicolous lichen recorded from Jeju Island. Several Strigula species have been recorded, but the ecology of Strigula in South Korea has been largely unexplored. This study examined the distribution and genetic structure of Strigula on Jeju Island. The distribution was surveyed and the influence of environmental factors (e.g., elevation, forest availability, and bioclimate) on the distribution was analyzed using a species distribution modeling analysis. In addition, the genetic variations and differentiation of Strigula multiformis populations were analyzed using two nuclear ribosomal regions. The distribution of Strigula was largely restricted to a small portion of forest on Jeju Island, and the forest availability was the most important factor in the prediction of potential habitats. The genetic diversity and differentiation of the S. multiformis population were found to be high and were divided according to geography. On the other hand, geographic and environmental distance did not explain the population differentiation. Distribution and population genetic analysis suggested that the available habitat and genetic exchange of Strigula on Jeju Island are limited by the lack of available forest in the lowlands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichen Diversity and Conservation)
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17 pages, 1350 KiB  
Article
A Glimpse into Genetic Diversity and Symbiont Interaction Patterns in Lichen Communities from Areas with Different Disturbance Histories in Białowieża Forest, Poland
by Garima Singh, Martin Kukwa, Francesco Dal Grande, Anna Łubek, Jürgen Otte and Imke Schmitt
Microorganisms 2019, 7(9), 335; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7090335 - 9 Sep 2019
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3757
Abstract
Anthropogenic disturbances can have strong impacts on lichen communities, as well as on individual species of lichenized fungi. Traditionally, lichen monitoring studies are based on the presence and abundance of fungal morphospecies. However, the photobionts, as well photobiont mycobiont interactions also contribute to [...] Read more.
Anthropogenic disturbances can have strong impacts on lichen communities, as well as on individual species of lichenized fungi. Traditionally, lichen monitoring studies are based on the presence and abundance of fungal morphospecies. However, the photobionts, as well photobiont mycobiont interactions also contribute to the structure, composition, and resilience of lichen communities. Here we assess the genetic diversity and interaction patterns of algal and fungal partners in lichen communities along an anthropogenic disturbance gradient in Białowieża Forest (Poland). We sampled a total of 224 lichen thalli in a protected, a managed, and a disturbed area of the forest, and sequenced internal transcribed spacer (ITS) ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of both, fungal and algal partners. Sequence clustering using a 97% similarity threshold resulted in 46 fungal and 23 green algal operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Most of the recovered photobiont OTUs (14 out of 23) had no similar hit in the NCBI-BLAST search, suggesting that even in well studied regions, such as central Europe, a lot of photobiont diversity is yet undiscovered. If a mycobiont was present at more than one site, it was typically associated with the same photobiont OTU(s). Generalist species, i.e., taxa that associate with multiple symbiont partners, occurred in all three disturbance regimes, suggesting that such taxa have few limitations in colonizing or persisting in disturbed areas. Trebouxia jamesii associated with 53% of the fungal OTUs, and was generally the most common photobiont OTU in all areas, implying that lichens that associate with this symbiont are not limited by the availability of compatible photobionts in Central European forests, regardless of land use intensity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichen Diversity and Conservation)
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23 pages, 2343 KiB  
Article
Revision of the Lichen Genus Phaeophyscia and Allied Atranorin Absent Taxa (Physciaceae) in South Korea
by Dong Liu and Jae-Seoun Hur
Microorganisms 2019, 7(8), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7080242 - 6 Aug 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4648
Abstract
The genus Phaeophyscia Moberg, which belongs to the family Physciaceae, includes about 50 species, with 17 species reported in South Korea. This genus is characterized by a foliose thallus, Physcia/Pachysporaria-type ascospores, a paraplectenchymatous-type lower cortex, and lacking atranorin. In this [...] Read more.
The genus Phaeophyscia Moberg, which belongs to the family Physciaceae, includes about 50 species, with 17 species reported in South Korea. This genus is characterized by a foliose thallus, Physcia/Pachysporaria-type ascospores, a paraplectenchymatous-type lower cortex, and lacking atranorin. In this study, about 650 specimens of Phaeophyscia aligned with the atranorin-absent groups collected from South Korea were re-examined. The taxonomy of these groups in South Korea requires revision based on the analyses of the morphology, chemistry, and molecular phylogeny. We infer that (1) each genus of the main foliose groups of Physciaceae forms a monophyletic clade, which also supports the separation of Phaeophyscia species with a prosoplectenchymatous lower cortex into the genus Physciella; (2) three atranorin-lacking genera were confirmed in South Korea: Hyperphyscia, Phaeophyscia, and Physciella, including a new combination named Physciella poeltii (Frey) D. Liu and J.S. Hur, and three new records from South Korea of Phaeophyscia hunana, P. leana, and P. sonorae; and (3) four species should be excluded from the lichen flora of South Korea: Hyperphyscia adglutinata, Phaeophyscia endococcina, Phaeophyscia erythrocardia, and Phaeophyscia imbricata. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichen Diversity and Conservation)
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9 pages, 2455 KiB  
Article
Arthonia ulleungdoensis, a New Lichenized Fungus from Ulleung Island, South Korea
by Beeyoung Gun Lee and Jae-Seoun Hur
Microorganisms 2019, 7(7), 205; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7070205 - 19 Jul 2019
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4079
Abstract
Arthonia ulleungdoensis Lee & Hur is described as a new lichen species from South Korea. The new species is distinguishable from Arthonia ruana A. Massal. by its large, rounded and non-punctiform apothecia, taller apothecial section, asci with fewer spores, and larger and permanently [...] Read more.
Arthonia ulleungdoensis Lee & Hur is described as a new lichen species from South Korea. The new species is distinguishable from Arthonia ruana A. Massal. by its large, rounded and non-punctiform apothecia, taller apothecial section, asci with fewer spores, and larger and permanently colorless spores. Molecular analyses employing mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU) and RNA polymerase subunit II (RPB2) sequences strongly support Arthonia ulleungdoensis as a distinct species in the genus Arthonia. Overall, 22 Arthonia species are currently recorded in South Korea. A surrogate key is provided to assist in the identification of all 10 taxa of Arthonia/Arthothelium with muriform spores in Northeast Asia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichen Diversity and Conservation)
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