Article
Mycology
Martin Kukwa, Pamela Rodriguez-Flakus, Andre Aptroot, Adam Flakus
Summary: This article describes two new species of Astrothelium, namely Astrothelium chulumanense and Astrothelium isidiatum, which are found in the Yungas forest in the Bolivian Andes. Astrothelium chulumanense is characterized by concolorous pseudostromata, partially immersed perithecia with an elevated upper portion covered in orange pigment, fused ostioles, absence of lichexanthone (but thallus UV+ orange-yellow), clear hamathecium, 8-spored asci with amyloid, and large, muriform ascospores with median septa. Astrothelium isidiatum is only known in a sterile state, producing isidia that develop in groups on areoles and resemble soralia when broken off. Both species belong to the Astrothelium s.str. according to the phylogenetic analysis. The production of isidia is reported for the first time in Astrothelium and the family Trypetheliaceae.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Nathan A. M. Chrismas, Ro Allen, Anita L. Hollingsworth, Joe D. Taylor, Michael Cunliffe
Summary: Lichens are known symbiosis between fungi and photobionts, recent studies suggest that they may contain additional photobionts to enhance their ecological fitness. Marine lichens, living in unique ecosystems compared to terrestrial ones, remain understudied. The marine lichen Lichina pygmaea has been found to host a variety of cyanobacteria and algae, potentially aiding its survival in fluctuating intertidal conditions.
JOURNAL OF THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Rundong Liu, Wonyong Kim, Jaycee Augusto Paguirigan, Min-Hye Jeong, Jae-Seoun Hur
Summary: Despite the fascinating biology of lichens, the lack of genetic tools manipulating mycobiont has hindered studies on genetic mechanisms underpinning lichen biology. By establishing an Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT) system for genetic transformation of a mycobiont isolated from Cladonia macilenta, researchers identified optimal ATMT conditions and found that most transformants had a single copy T-DNA insertion, highlighting the feasibility of using ATMT for genetic studies in lichens.
Article
Biology
Francesco Dal Grande, Veronique Jamilloux, Nathalie Choisne, Anjuli Calchera, Gregor Rolshausen, Malte Petersen, Meike Schulz, Maria A. Nilsson, Imke Schmitt
Summary: Transposable elements (DNA sequences that can 'jump' in the genome) may play important roles in adaptive evolution of fungi, impacting genome diversification. This study reveals climate-specific distribution of transposable element insertions in a lichen-forming fungus. It contributes to expanding our understanding of transposable element content and evolution in fungi.
Article
Mycology
Patrick Jung, Karen Baumann, Dina Emrich, Michael Schermer, Kai-Uwe Eckhardt, Gerald Jandl, Peter Leinweber, Felix Harion, Andreas Wruck, Martin Grube, Burkhard Buedel, Michael Lakatos
Summary: This study investigates the mutualistic-parasitic continuum dynamics between an orange lichen and a lichenicolous fungus, revealing the impact of the fungus infection on the lichen, including changes in photosynthetic activity, surface roughness, and inhibition of parietin synthesis. This study provides a new level of understanding of interactions within lichens.
Article
Biology
Qiuxia Yang, Jason Hollinger, Steven D. Leavitt, Xinli Wei
Summary: This study reports two new species and two new records of the lichen-forming fungal genus Peltula in China, and provides comprehensive analysis of their external morphology, anatomy, and molecular systematics to support species delimitation. The results contribute to the knowledge of species diversity and geographical distributions of Peltula species in China.
Article
Plant Sciences
Josef Hafellner, Martin Grube
Summary: This article describes two new species of Arthonia that are parasites of Lecanora polytropa. They differ in pathogenicity and appearance, with one species being widely distributed in the Alps, Europe and North America, while the other species is found in a limited number of locations.
Article
Biology
Javier Etayo, Ma Eugenia Lopez de Silanes
Summary: This study in the surroundings of Albarracin mountains revealed the presence of seven species of lichens (including two lichenicolous species) and 18 lichenicolous fungi. Nineteen of these species were recorded for the first time in Teruel province and eleven in Aragon. Notably, the Feltgeniomyces luxemburgensis, with only three previous records worldwide, was identified as a first Iberian record.
NACC-NOVA ACTA CIENTIFICA COMPOSTELANA BIOLOXIA
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Josef P. Halda, Jung-Jae Woo, Dong Liu, Soon-Ok Oh, Yogesh Joshi, Jae-Seoun Hur
Summary: This study describes a new species of lichen, Jejulea byssolomoides, from Jeju Island, Korea, and provides its characteristics and phylogenetic position. The new taxon is closely related to Byssoloma in the family Pilocarpaceae.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Theo Llewellyn, Reuben W. Nowell, Andre Aptroot, Marina Temina, Thomas A. K. Prescott, Timothy G. Barraclough, Ester Gaya
Summary: Fungi produce a large number of secondary metabolites that affect their interactions with other organisms and the environment. Understanding the genes involved in metabolite synthesis is important for studying fungal evolution and adaptation. By using metagenomic sequencing, researchers identified unique transporter genes in a diverse order of lichens that may explain the abundance and ubiquity of UV-protectant secondary metabolites in these lichens. The results highlight the significance of metagenomics in studying the secondary metabolism of non-model fungi like lichens.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Roman Tuerk, Franz Berger, Andrea Berger, Michael Berger, Rainer Cezanne, Christian Dolnik, Marion Eichler, Johann Peter Gruber, Hagen Gruenberg, Josef Hafellner, Johanna Kluessendorf, Patrik Neumann, Volker Otte, Matthias Schultz, Norbert Stapper, Holger Thues, Dietmar Teuber, Lilith Weber
Summary: This article presents the list of lichens and lichenicolous fungi determined during the 2019 BLAM excursion to Lungau biosphere reserve, along with their substrates. The high number of detected taxa indicates the significance of Lungau as a refuge for endangered lichen taxa in Europe. New species to Austria and Salzburg province are also reported.
Article
Microbiology
Lourdes Morillas, Javier Roales, Cristina Cruz, Silvana Munzi
Summary: The study investigated the effects of climate change and N deposition on dryland lichens, finding that reduced watering negatively impacted lichen vitality, while N addition unexpectedly helped lichens cope with high temperature stress. Long-term exposure to N addition contributed to acclimation to higher N availability.
Article
Plant Sciences
Eugenia E. Muchnik, Andrei Tsurykau, Volker Otte, Othmar Breuss, Julia Gerasimova, Diana A. Cherepenina
Summary: This article presents records of various species of lichenized and lichenicolous fungi, including some new species. It also provides a brief description of the characteristics and geographic distribution of these species.
Article
Mycology
Piotr Osyczka, Anna Lenart-Boron, Piotr Boron, Kaja Rola
Summary: Lichens demonstrate strong selectivity in choosing their algal partners, with the biological properties of the photobiont significantly affecting their habitat requirements. The flexibility in photobiont choice expands the ecological range of lichens and may serve as an important adaptive strategy for colonization of extreme habitats. The presence of specific algae in lichen species is influenced by habitat type and levels of soil pollution, with potential alternative photosynthetic partners like Trebouxia adapting well to metal pollution.
Article
Microbiology
Garima Singh, Anjuli Calchera, Dominik Merges, Henrique Valim, Juergen Otte, Imke Schmitt, Francesco Dal Grande
Summary: This research identified the putative biosynthetic gene cluster of the bioactive natural product gyrophoric acid in lichen-forming fungi using long-read sequencing and bioinformatic approach. The study revealed that the gene organization and composition of gyrophoric acid clusters are promiscuous within different species, with only a few conserved genes across the nine species.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
William B. Sanders, Asuncion de los Rios
Summary: The minute crustose thalli of foliicolous lichen-forming fungi with unicellular green algal partners were examined using SEM-BSE imaging. The thalli were found to have different anatomies compared to previous studies on foliicolous Gomphillaceae, with a mostly continuous layer of mycobiont hyphae on the upper surface and the absence of a covering layer in Byssoloma leucoblepharum. The prothallus of the lecanoralean taxa examined was derived from hyphae continuous with either the upper or lower surface of the thallus, suggesting different developmental origins among lichen-forming fungi.
Review
Plant Sciences
Gregor Pichler, Lucia Muggia, Fabio Candotto Carniel, Martin Grube, Ilse Kranner
Summary: Lichens are unique fungal symbioses that can form a new structure together with photosynthetic partners. The signals involved in the transition from a free-living state to a symbiotic state, called lichenization, and the maintenance of the symbiosis are not well understood. This study synthesizes existing knowledge into a concept of signaling involved in lichenization, including five stages: pre-contact, contact, envelopment, incorporation, and differentiation. Compounds such as fungal lectins and algal cyclic peptides may initiate early contact, while phytohormone signaling, antioxidant protection, and carbon exchange are important throughout all stages.
Article
Ecology
Javier Ortiz-Rivero, Isaac Garrido-Benavent, Starri Heiomarsson, Asuncion de los Rios
Summary: Cryptogamic covers, such as bryophytes and lichens, are the first visible colonizers of deglaciated areas in polar tundra regions. In this study, we analyzed the influence of bryophyte covers dominated by different lineages on the diversity and composition of bacterial and fungal communities, as well as the abiotic attributes of soils in the southern part of the Highlands of Iceland. Our findings indicate that the composition of cryptogamic covers affects soil microbial communities and abiotic attributes, which is valuable for predicting the biotic responses of polar ecosystems to future climate change.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
David J. Eldridge, Emilio Guirado, Peter B. Reich, Raul Ochoa-Hueso, Miguel Berdugo, Tadeo Saez-Sandino, Jose L. Blanco-Pastor, Leho Tedersoo, Cesar Plaza, Jingyi Ding, Wei Sun, Steven Mamet, Haiying Cui, Ji-Zheng He, Hang-Wei Hu, Blessing Sokoya, Sebastian Abades, Fernando Alfaro, Adebola R. Bamigboye, Felipe Bastida, Asuncion de los Rios, Jorge Duran, Juan J. Gaitan, Carlos A. Guerra, Tine Grebenc, Javier G. Illan, Yu-Rong Liu, Thulani P. Makhalanyane, Max Mallen-Cooper, Marco A. Molina-Montenegro, Jose L. Moreno, Tina U. Nahberger, Gabriel F. Penaloza-Bojaca, Sergio Pico, Ana Rey, Alexandra Rodriguez, Christina Siebe, Alberto L. Teixido, Cristian Torres-Diaz, Pankaj Trivedi, Juntao Wang, Ling Wang, Jianyong Wang, Tianxue Yang, Eli Zaady, Xiaobing Zhou, Xin-Quan Zhou, Guiyao Zhou, Shengen Liu, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
Summary: A global survey of soil attributes reveals that mosses play a crucial role in carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, and plant pathogen control. This comprehensive field study demonstrates that soil mosses contribute to soil biodiversity and function across different environments worldwide.
Article
Plant Sciences
Patricia Abril-Urias, Virginia Ruiz-Ferrer, Javier Cabrera, Rocio Olmo, Ana Claudia Silva, Fernando Evaristo Diaz-Manzano, Jose Dominguez-Figueroa, Angela Martinez-Gomez, Almudena Gomez-Rojas, Miguel Angel Moreno-Risueno, Carmen Fenoll, Carolina Escobar
Summary: Cysts and root-knot nematodes induce specialized feeding cells, syncytia and giant cells, respectively, within plant roots. The formation of these feeding sites involves different processes and signaling pathways, but both are related to the plant hormone auxin. However, there is limited information on the molecular differences and similarities between the formation of these feeding sites and the auxin-responsive genes involved.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Patricia Moya, Isaac Garrido-Benavent, Salvador Chiva, Sergio Perez-Ortega, Miguel Blazquez, Tamara Pazos, Tarek Hamel, Leena Myllys, Tor Tonsberg, Per-Anders Esseen, Pedro Carrasco, Eva Barreno
Summary: This study analyzed 120 samples of R. farinacea to unravel its evolutionary history. The results revealed that R. farinacea and its close relatives originated during relatively recent geological times and expanded their range to higher latitudes. However, it remains uncertain whether the species originated exclusively from the Macaronesian archipelagos or also from the Mediterranean Basin.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Isaac Garrido-Benavent, Robert A. Blanchette, Asuncion de los Rios
Summary: Fungi are the most diverse group of eukaryotic organisms in the Antarctic continent and nearby archipelagos, dominating communities in various habitats. This study focused on identifying and understanding the phylogenetic relationships of deadly fungal species Galerina in Antarctica. Through molecular sequencing and analysis, it was found that the Antarctic specimens belonged to sub-cosmopolitan species, with closely related genetic lineages in northern Europe and North America. These species may also host Antarctic-endemic lineages, with populations originating in the Pleistocene timeframe, aligning with the colonization of other Antarctic plant and fungal communities.
Article
Ecology
Sergio Perez-Ortega, Miguel Verdu, Isaac Garrido-Benavent, Sonia Rabasa, T. G. Allan Green, Leopoldo G. Sancho, Asuncion de los Rios
Summary: Networks of interactions between lichen-forming fungi and their photosynthetic partners in lichen communities in continental Antarctica along a latitudinal transect show high specialization and modularity, with no significant changes along the latitudinal gradient. Future research should investigate whether these patterns are widespread in lichen communities in regions with milder climates and on different substrates.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Josef Hafellner, Martin Grube
Summary: This article describes two new species of Arthonia that are parasites of Lecanora polytropa. They differ in pathogenicity and appearance, with one species being widely distributed in the Alps, Europe and North America, while the other species is found in a limited number of locations.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Isaac Garrido-Benavent, Asuncion de los Rios, Jano Nunez-Zapata, Rudiger Ortiz-Alvarez, Matthias Schultz, Sergio Perez-Ortega
Summary: This study used a comprehensive dataset and genetic analysis to investigate the species boundaries, evolutionary relationships, and geographic distribution of the genus Lichina. The results identified four species in the genus, with L. pygmaea, L. confinis, and the newly described L. canariensis found in the Northern Hemisphere and L. intermedia restricted to the Southern Hemisphere. The genetic diversity of L. intermedia was much higher than the other species, suggesting species-level lineages within this species.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mar Villar-dePablo, Carmen Ascaso, Esther Rodriguez-Perez, Marta Urizal, Jacek Wierzchos, Sergio Perez-Ortega, Asuncion de los Rios
Summary: This study tested the effectiveness of biocide-based treatments on microbial colonization of a dolostone quarry in both short and long-term using a dual analytical strategy. The results showed that the effects of biocides on different microbial taxa varied and were related to their recolonization abilities. The study highlights the importance of combining metabarcoding and microscopy techniques to analyze treatment effects and design effective strategies for preventing biodeterioration.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Lina K. K. Muehlbauer, Giorgio Zavattoni, Risto Virtanen, Martin Grube, Bettina Weber, Adam Thomas Clark
Summary: The importance of microclimate conditions in ecological research is increasingly recognized. Measuring microclimate variability requires a large number of sensors that can sample across small and large scales, which calls for cost-effective sensor networks.
ECOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS AND EVIDENCE
(2023)
Letter
Plant Sciences
David L. Hawksworth, Martin Grube
Article
Mycology
Patrick Jung, Karen Baumann, Dina Emrich, Michael Schermer, Kai-Uwe Eckhardt, Gerald Jandl, Peter Leinweber, Felix Harion, Andreas Wruck, Martin Grube, Burkhard Buedel, Michael Lakatos
Summary: This study investigates the mutualistic-parasitic continuum dynamics between an orange lichen and a lichenicolous fungus, revealing the impact of the fungus infection on the lichen, including changes in photosynthetic activity, surface roughness, and inhibition of parietin synthesis. This study provides a new level of understanding of interactions within lichens.
