What Do the First 597 Global Fungal Red List Assessments Tell Us about the Threat Status of Fungi?

Fungal species are not immune to the threats facing animals and plants and are thus also prone to extinction. Yet, until 2015, fungi were nearly absent on the IUCN Red List. Recent efforts to identify fungal species under threat have significantly increased the number of published fungal assessments. The 597 species of fungi published in the 2022-1 IUCN Red List update (21 July 2022) are the basis for the first global review of the extinction risk of fungi and the threats they face. Nearly 50% of the assessed species are threatened, with 10% NT and 9% DD. For regions with a larger number of assessments (i.e., Europe, North America, and South America), subanalyses are provided. Data for lichenized and nonlichenized fungi are also summarized separately. Habitat loss/degradation followed by climate change, invasive species, and pollution are the primary identified threats. Bias in the data is discussed along with knowledge gaps. Suggested actions to address these gaps are provided along with a discussion of the use of assessments to facilitate on-the-ground conservation efforts. A research agenda for conservation mycology to assist in the assessment process and implementation of effective species/habitat management is presented

Disentangling Lecania

This thesis focuses on phylogenetic, taxonomic, ecological, and conservation aspects of the crustose lichen genus Lecania (Ramalinaceae, lichenized Ascomycota). Lecania has previously been defined on basis of relatively few morphological characters, and the genus had never been treated in molecular phylogenies. The molecular phylogeny of the genus is inferred from DNA sequences. Twenty-five species traditionally placed in Lecania are included in the study along with 21 species from closely related genera. Lecania is a polyphyletic genus. A well-supported monophyletic group containing 16 Lecania species, including the type species L. fuscella is discovered, i.e. Lecania s. str. Nine species formerly included in Lecania do not belong in the genus. A new species, L. belgica, is described. The relationships of a group of morphologically similar Lecania species, i.e. the L. cyrtella group are investigated using morphological and molecular methods. Haplotype network and phylogenetic analyses indicate that the included species, as conceived in the morphological examinations, all are monophyletic. Two new species, L. leprosa and L. madida, are described, L. proteiformis is resurrected from synonymy, and the known range of L. prasinoides is greatly expanded. The type species Lecania fuscella has become endangered in many countries. Twelve localities in Sweden where the species had been found historically are investigated, but L. fuscella is only recovered in one locality. The species composition in these 12 localities, 58 old and 5 new collections with L. fuscella is determined and analyzed. The vegetation community differs between the old and the new collections, and between the locality where the species is recovered and those where it is not. Lecania fuscella has not been able to adapt to environmental changes and now only appears in a specific type of vegetation community. The phylogenetic diversity of the species is calculated, but does not reflect the species’ evolutionary potential

Disentangling Lecania

This thesis focuses on phylogenetic, taxonomic, ecological, and conservation aspects of the crustose lichen genus Lecania (Ramalinaceae, lichenized Ascomycota). Lecania has previously been defined on basis of relatively few morphological characters, and the genus had never been treated in molecular phylogenies. The molecular phylogeny of the genus is inferred from DNA sequences. Twenty-five species traditionally placed in Lecania are included in the study along with 21 species from closely related genera. Lecania is a polyphyletic genus. A well-supported monophyletic group containing 16 Lecania species, including the type species L. fuscella is discovered, i.e. Lecania s. str. Nine species formerly included in Lecania do not belong in the genus. A new species, L. belgica, is described. The relationships of a group of morphologically similar Lecania species, i.e. the L. cyrtella group are investigated using morphological and molecular methods. Haplotype network and phylogenetic analyses indicate that the included species, as conceived in the morphological examinations, all are monophyletic. Two new species, L. leprosa and L. madida, are described, L. proteiformis is resurrected from synonymy, and the known range of L. prasinoides is greatly expanded. The type species Lecania fuscella has become endangered in many countries. Twelve localities in Sweden where the species had been found historically are investigated, but L. fuscella is only recovered in one locality. The species composition in these 12 localities, 58 old and 5 new collections with L. fuscella is determined and analyzed. The vegetation community differs between the old and the new collections, and between the locality where the species is recovered and those where it is not. Lecania fuscella has not been able to adapt to environmental changes and now only appears in a specific type of vegetation community. The phylogenetic diversity of the species is calculated, but does not reflect the species’ evolutionary potential

Disentangling Lecania

This thesis focuses on phylogenetic, taxonomic, ecological, and conservation aspects of the crustose lichen genus Lecania (Ramalinaceae, lichenized Ascomycota). Lecania has previously been defined on basis of relatively few morphological characters, and the genus had never been treated in molecular phylogenies. The molecular phylogeny of the genus is inferred from DNA sequences. Twenty-five species traditionally placed in Lecania are included in the study along with 21 species from closely related genera. Lecania is a polyphyletic genus. A well-supported monophyletic group containing 16 Lecania species, including the type species L. fuscella is discovered, i.e. Lecania s. str. Nine species formerly included in Lecania do not belong in the genus. A new species, L. belgica, is described. The relationships of a group of morphologically similar Lecania species, i.e. the L. cyrtella group are investigated using morphological and molecular methods. Haplotype network and phylogenetic analyses indicate that the included species, as conceived in the morphological examinations, all are monophyletic. Two new species, L. leprosa and L. madida, are described, L. proteiformis is resurrected from synonymy, and the known range of L. prasinoides is greatly expanded. The type species Lecania fuscella has become endangered in many countries. Twelve localities in Sweden where the species had been found historically are investigated, but L. fuscella is only recovered in one locality. The species composition in these 12 localities, 58 old and 5 new collections with L. fuscella is determined and analyzed. The vegetation community differs between the old and the new collections, and between the locality where the species is recovered and those where it is not. Lecania fuscella has not been able to adapt to environmental changes and now only appears in a specific type of vegetation community. The phylogenetic diversity of the species is calculated, but does not reflect the species’ evolutionary potential

Xylopsora canopeorum (Umbilicariaceae), a new lichen species from the canopy of Sequoia sempervirens

Xylopsora canopeorum Timdal, Reese Næsborg & Bendiksby is described as a new species occupying the crowns of large Sequoia sempervirens trees in California, USA. The new species is supported by morphology, anatomy, secondary chemistry and DNA sequence data. While similar in external appearance to X. friesii, it is distinguished by forming smaller, partly coralloid squamules, by the occurrence of soralia and, in some specimens, by the presence of thamnolic acid in addition to friesiic acid in the thallus. Molecular phylogenetic results are based on nuclear (ITS and LSU) as well as mitochondrial (SSU) ribosomal DNA sequence alignments. Phylogenetic hypotheses obtained using Bayesian Inference, Maximum Likelihood and Maximum Parsimony all support X. canopeorum as a distinct evolutionary lineage belonging to the X. caradocensis–X. friesii clade

Tree genotypes affect rock lichens and understory plants: examples of trophic-independent interactions

International audienceGenetic variation in foundation tree species can strongly influence communities of trophic-dependent organisms, such as herbivorous insects, pollinators, and mycorrhizal fungi. However, the extent and manner in which this variation results in unexpected interactions that reach trophic-independent organisms remains poorly understood, even though these interactions are essential to understanding complex ecosystems. In pinyon–juniper woodland at Sunset Crater (Arizona, USA), we studied pinyon (Pinus edulis) that were either resistant or susceptible to stem-boring moths (Dioryctria albovittella). Moth herbivory alters the architecture of susceptible trees, thereby modifying the microhabitat beneath their crowns. We tested the hypothesis that this interaction between herbivore and tree genotype extends to affect trophic-independent communities of saxicolous (i.e., growing on rocks) lichens and bryophytes and vascular plants beneath their crowns. Under 30 pairs of moth-resistant and moth-susceptible trees, we estimated percent cover of lichens, bryophytes, and vascular plants. We also quantified the cover of leaf litter and rocks as well as light availability. Four major findings emerged. (1) Compared to moth-resistant trees, which exhibited monopodial architecture, the microhabitat under the shrub-like susceptible trees was 60% darker and had 21% more litter resulting in 68% less rock exposure. (2) Susceptible trees had 56% and 87% less cover, 42% and 80% less richness, and 38% and 92% less diversity of saxicolous and plant communities, respectively, compared to resistant trees. (3) Both saxicolous and plant species accumulated at a slower rate beneath susceptible trees, suggesting an environment that might inhibit colonization and/or growth. (4) Both saxicolous and plant communities were negatively affected by the habitat provided by susceptible trees. The results suggest that herbivory of moth-susceptible trees generated litter at high enough rates to reduce rock substrate availability, thereby suppressing the saxicolous communities. However, our results did not provide a causal pathway explaining the suppression of vascular plants. Nonetheless, the cascading effects of genetic variation in pinyon appear to extend beyond trophic-dependent moths to include trophic-independent saxicolous and vascular plant communities that are affected by specific tree–herbivore interactions that modify the local environment. We suggest that such genetically based interactions are common in nature and contribute to the evolution of complex communities