132 research outputs found
2: Species on Lecanora s. l., Rhizoplaca and Squamarina
Abstract A study on the taxonomy, morphology and anatomy of the lichenicolous species of the genus Cercidospora (Dothideales, incertae sedis) growing on lichens of the genera Lecanora (Lecanoraceae), specifically of the L. polytropa group and the L. saxicola group (i.e. L. muralis sensu auct. group, Protoparmeliopsis spp.), Rhizoplaca (Lecanoraceae) and Squamarina (Stereocaulaceae) is presented. The following species are proposed as new: Cercidospora barrenoana on Rhizoplaca peltata, and C. melanophthalmae on Rhizoplaca melanophthalma. C. stenotropae is proposed provisionally; this fungus grows on Lecanora stenotropa and other taxa of the L. polytropa group. A key for the species of the genus Cercidospora treated is provided
Iron localization in Acarospora colonizing schist on Signy Island
A small, inconspicuous lichen, Acarospora cf. badiofusca, was discovered colonizing ironstained
quartz mica schists on the lower slope of Manhaul Rock, a recently exposed nunatak on the McLeod
Glacier, Signy Island, South Orkney Islands. Thallus colour ranged from rust on exposed rock surfaces to
paler orange and green in shaded crevices. This study addressed the hypothesis that colour reflects element
localization, and considered substance localization within lichen tissues and responses to stress. Electron
microprobe analysis of specimens confirmed that Fe is localized principally in the outer rust-coloured part
of the cortex, confirming that the colour reflects Fe localization. Oxalates, widely reported as contributing
to tolerance mechanisms to environmental stress, were not detected using X-ray diffraction. The upper
thallus surface consisted of sub-micron particulate phases containing Fe, Al and O, suggesting mixed oxide/
hydroxide phases are present and play a role in photoprotection
Diversity and Functional Traits of Lichens in Ultramafic Areas: A Literature Based Worldwide Analysis Integrated by Field Data at the Regional Scale
While higher plant communities found on ultramafics are known to display peculiar characteristics, the distinguishability of any peculiarity in lichen communities is still a matter of contention. Other biotic or abiotic factors, rather than substrate chemistry, may contribute to differences in species composition reported for lichens on adjacent ultramafic and non-ultramafic areas. This work examines the lichen biota of ultramafics, at global and regional scales, with reference to species-specific functional traits. An updated world list of lichens on ultramafic substrates was analyzed to verify potential relationships between diversity and functional traits of lichens in different Köppen–Geiger climate zones. Moreover, a survey of diversity and functional traits in saxicolous communities on ultramafic and non-ultramafic substrates was conducted in Valle d’Aosta (North-West Italy) to verify whether a relationship can be detected between substrate and functional traits that cannot be explained by other environmental factors related to altitude. Analyses (unweighted pair group mean average clustering, canonical correspondence analysis, similarity-difference-replacement simplex approach) of global lichen diversity on ultramafic substrates (2314 reports of 881 taxa from 43 areas) displayed a zonal species distribution in different climate zones rather than an azonal distribution driven by the shared substrate. Accordingly, variations in the frequency of functional attributes reflected reported adaptations to the climate conditions of the different geographic areas. At the regional scale, higher similarity and lower species replacement were detected at each altitude, independent from the substrate, suggesting that altitude-related climate factors prevail over putative substrate–factors in driving community assemblages. In conclusion, data do not reveal peculiarities in lichen diversity or the frequency of functional traits in ultramafic areas
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A multigene phylogenetic synthesis for the class Lecanoromycetes (Ascomycota): 1307 fungi representing 1139 infrageneric taxa, 317 genera and 66 families
The Lecanoromycetes is the largest class of lichenized Fungi, and one of the most species-rich classes in the
kingdom. Here we provide a multigene phylogenetic synthesis (using three ribosomal RNA-coding and two
protein-coding genes) of the Lecanoromycetes based on 642 newly generated and 3329 publicly available
sequences representing 1139 taxa, 317 genera, 66 families, 17 orders and five subclasses (four currently
recognized: Acarosporomycetidae, Lecanoromycetidae, Ostropomycetidae, Umbilicariomycetidae; and one provisionarily recognized, ‘Candelariomycetidae’). Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses on four
multigene datasets assembled using a cumulative supermatrix approach with a progressively higher
number of species and missing data (5-gene, 5 + 4-gene, 5 + 4 + 3-gene and 5 + 4 + 3 + 2-gene datasets)
show that the current classification includes non-monophyletic taxa at various ranks, which need to be
recircumscribed and require revisionary treatments based on denser taxon sampling and more loci. Two
newly circumscribed orders (Arctomiales and Hymeneliales in the Ostropomycetidae) and three families
(Ramboldiaceae and Psilolechiaceae in the Lecanorales, and Strangosporaceae in the Lecanoromycetes
inc. sed.) are introduced. The potential resurrection of the families Eigleraceae and Lopadiaceae is considered
here to alleviate phylogenetic and classification disparities. An overview of the photobionts associated
with the main fungal lineages in the Lecanoromycetes based on available published records is provided. A
revised schematic classification at the family level in the phylogenetic context of widely accepted and
newly revealed relationships across Lecanoromycetes is included. The cumulative addition of taxa with
an increasing amount of missing data (i.e., a cumulative supermatrix approach, starting with taxa for which
sequences were available for all five targeted genes and ending with the addition of taxa for which only two
genes have been sequenced) revealed relatively stable relationships for many families and orders.
However, the increasing number of taxa without the addition of more loci also resulted in an expected substantial
loss of phylogenetic resolving power and support (especially for deep phylogenetic relationships),
potentially including the misplacements of several taxa. Future phylogenetic analyses should include
additional single copy protein-coding markers in order to improve the tree of the Lecanoromycetes. As part
of this study, a new module (‘‘Hypha’’) of the freely available Mesquite software was developed to compare
and display the internodal support values derived from this cumulative supermatrix approach.Keywords: Classification, Multi-gene phylogeny, Lichenized fungi, Systematics, Cumulative supermatrix, Lecanoromycete
Contributions to a revision of Cercidospora (Dothideales), 2: Species on Lecanora s. l., Rhizoplaca and Squamarina
A study on the taxonomy, morphology and anatomy of the lichenicolous species of the genus Cercidospora (Dothideales, incertae sedis) growing on lichens of the genera Lecanora (Lecanoraceae), specifically of the L. polytropa group and the L. saxicola group (i.e. L. muralis sensu auct. group, Protoparmeliopsis spp.), Rhizoplaca (Lecanoraceae) and Squamarina (Stereocaulaceae) is presented. The following species are proposed as new: Cercidospora barrenoana on Rhizoplaca peltata, and C. melanophthalmae on Rhizoplaca melanophthalma. C. stenotropae is proposed provisionally; this fungus grows on Lecanora stenotropa and other taxa of the L. polytropa group. A key for the species of the genus Cercidospora treated is provided. Key words – Ascomycota – lichenicolous fungi – lichenized fung
Sagenidiopsis, a new genus of byssoid lichenized fungi
The genus Sagenidiopsis gen. nov. of uncertain family in the order Opegraphales is erected for a byssoid lichen which occurs in the cool temperate rainforests of the Macpherson Range of eastern Australia, S. merrotsii sp. nov. The genus is characterized by its byssoid thallus and bitunicate asci which have no amyloid structures apparent in the tholus. A byssoid thallus is without taxonomic significance at the family level, but is an ecological key character
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