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Diversity
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Recent Studies of Lichenized Fungi and Holobiomes
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Recent Studies of Lichenized Fungi and Holobiomes

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbial Diversity and Culture Collections".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 6861

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Patricia Moya

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Fac. CC. Biológicas, Dpto Botánica, Universitat de València, C/ Dr. Moliner, 50. 46100-Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
2. ICBIBE: Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva; Parque Científico - Entrada lateral, Carrer del Catedrátic José Beltrán Martinez, 2, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain
Interests: microalgae; mycobiont; symbiosis; Trebouxia
Dr. Pradeep K. Divakar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacognosia y Botánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: biodiversity; DNA barcoding; biomonitoring; molecular systematics; metagenomics; evolutionary biology; lichenized fungi
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Lichens are complex systems individualized from cyclical symbiotic associations which represent one of the most paradigmatic examples of ecologically-obligate, mutualistic associations between organisms belonging to several taxonomically and phylogenetically distinct lineages. Lichenization is a very successful lifestyle with ca. 27% of all known fungi, representing more than 19409 species forming lichens. They occupy ca. 8% of the planet surface and inhabit extreme environments including cold and hot deserts and also areas with high saline stress such as the intertidal zone of most oceans.

Thus, lichens are composed of a lichenized fungus, or mycobiont, and an internal population of photosynthetic organisms, or photobionts, which may be green microalgae (phycobionts) and/or cyanobacteria (cyanobionts). Moreover, in addition to the main myco- and photobionts, additional fungal and green algal/cyanobacterial species, as well as non-photosynthetic bacteria, are often associated with lichen thalli. The set of different fungi co-occurring within or on lichen thalli –the so called “lichen mycobiome” can be made up of lichenicolous and endolichenic fungi, which may be (a)symptomatic, moderately specific or just accidental fungal colonizers and basidiomycete yeasts. These yeasts have recently been considered to be a potential symbiotic partner in lichen symbioses with the discovery of Cystobasidiomycetes (Basidiomycota, Pucciniomycotina) in the cortices of lichens. Even, it is already acknowledged that the lichen associated mycobiome, microalgal and bacterial communities (microbiome) may be shaped by reproductive and dispersal strategies of the mycobiont, as well as geography, habitat, altitude and macroclimate. There are still questions remain if the diversity of these specific or accidental fungal, algal and bacterial communities vary in aforesaid conditions.

Fortunately, there is currently a plethora of high-throughput sequencing approaches that allow for rapid and cost-efficient surveys of lichen holobiomes (associated fungal, algal and bacterial communities). Also combination of classical and novel techniques have increased in the last decades the knowledge of lichenized-fungi holobiomes. This Special Issue of Diversity provides an opportunity for a recent survey of recent topics, from reviews to original research. In this way, an update outline of the lichen holobiomes will be available, representing the great diversity of their research fields.

Dr. Patricia Moya
Dr. Pradeep K. Divakar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • holobiome
  • mycobiome
  • microalgae
  • diversity
  • ecology
  • distribution
  • phylogeny
  • morphology and ultrastructure
  • metabolomics
  • genomics

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2932 KiB  
Article
Phylogeography of Ramalina farinacea (Lichenized Fungi, Ascomycota) in the Mediterranean Basin, Europe, and Macaronesia
by Patricia Moya, Isaac Garrido-Benavent, Salvador Chiva, Sergio Pérez-Ortega, Miguel Blázquez, Tamara Pazos, Tarek Hamel, Leena Myllys, Tor Tønsberg, Per-Anders Esseen, Pedro Carrasco and Eva Barreno
Diversity 2023, 15(3), 310; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15030310 - 21 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1949
Abstract
Ramalina farinacea is an epiphytic lichen-forming fungus with a broad geographic distribution, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. In the eighties of the last century, it was hypothesized that R. farinacea had originated in the Macaronesian–Mediterranean region, with the Canary Islands as its probable [...] Read more.
Ramalina farinacea is an epiphytic lichen-forming fungus with a broad geographic distribution, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. In the eighties of the last century, it was hypothesized that R. farinacea had originated in the Macaronesian–Mediterranean region, with the Canary Islands as its probable southernmost limit, and thereafter it would have increased its distribution area. In order to explore the phylogeography of this emblematic lichen, we analyzed 120 thalli of R. farinacea collected in 38 localities distributed in temperate and boreal Europe, the Western Mediterranean Basin, and several Macaronesian archipelagos in the Atlantic Ocean. Data from two nuclear markers (nrITS and uid70) of the mycobiont were obtained to calculate genetic diversity indices to infer the phylogenies and haplotype networks and to investigate population structure. In addition, dating analysis was conducted to provide a valuable hypothesis of the timing of the origin and diversification of R. farinacea and its close allies. Our results highlight that phylogenetic species circumscription in the “Ramalina farinacea group” is complex and suggests that incomplete lineage sorting is at the base of conflicting phylogenetic signals. The existence of a high number of haplotypes restricted to the Macaronesian region, together with the diversification of R. farinacea in the Pleistocene, suggests that this species and its closest relatives originated during relatively recent geological times and then expanded its range to higher latitudes. However, our data cannot rule out whether the species originated from the Macaronesian archipelagos exclusively or also from the Mediterranean Basin. In conclusion, the present work provides a valuable biogeographical hypothesis for disentangling the evolution of this epiphytic lichen in space and time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Studies of Lichenized Fungi and Holobiomes)
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12 pages, 2723 KiB  
Article
Lichen and Lichenicolous Fungal Communities Tested as Suitable Systems for the Application of Cross-Taxon Analysis
by Roberto De Carolis, Lucia Muggia and Giovanni Bacaro
Diversity 2023, 15(2), 285; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020285 - 16 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1361
Abstract
Lichens are outstanding examples of fungal symbioses that form long-lived structures, the lichen thalli, in which a multiplicity of other microorganisms are hosted. Among these, microfungi seem to establish diverse trophic relationships with their lichen hosts. The most specialised of these fungi are [...] Read more.
Lichens are outstanding examples of fungal symbioses that form long-lived structures, the lichen thalli, in which a multiplicity of other microorganisms are hosted. Among these, microfungi seem to establish diverse trophic relationships with their lichen hosts. The most specialised of these fungi are the parasitic lichenicolous fungi, of which the diversity has hardly been explained as a proxy for the diversity of lichen species. Here, we used an exemplar dataset of a well-studied alpine lichen community composed of 63 lichen and 41 lichenicolous fungal species and tested it to verify the strength of the co-occurrences of the two species groups with predictive co-correspondence analyses. The results showed that the distribution of lichen abundances affects the abundance and variation of lichenicolous fungi and supports our hypothesis to use lichens as surrogates for lichenicolous fungi in surrogacy analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Studies of Lichenized Fungi and Holobiomes)
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17 pages, 4937 KiB  
Article
Low Temperature Scanning Electron Microscopy (LTSEM) Findings on the Ultrastructure of Trebouxia lynnae (Trebouxiophyceae, Lichenized Microalgae)
by César Daniel Bordenave, Francisco García-Breijo, Ayelén Gazquez, Lucía Muggia, Pedro Carrasco and Eva Barreno
Diversity 2023, 15(2), 170; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020170 - 26 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1431
Abstract
The lichenized green microalga Trebouxia lynnae Barreno has been recently described and is considered a model organism for studying lichen chlorobionts. Its cellular ultrastructure has already been studied in detail by light, electron, and confocal microscopy, and its nuclear, chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes [...] Read more.
The lichenized green microalga Trebouxia lynnae Barreno has been recently described and is considered a model organism for studying lichen chlorobionts. Its cellular ultrastructure has already been studied in detail by light, electron, and confocal microscopy, and its nuclear, chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes have been sequenced and annotated. Here, we investigated in detail the ultrastructure of in vitro grown cultures of T. lynnae observed by Low Temperature Scanning Electron Microscopy (LTSEM) applying a protocol with minimum intervention over the biological samples. This methodology allowed for the discovery of ultrastructural features previously unseen in Trebouxiophyceae microalgae. In addition, original Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images of T. lynnae were reinterpreted based on the new information provided by LTSEM. The nucleolar vacuole, dictyosomes, and endoplasmic reticulum were investigated and reported for the first time in T. lynnae and most likely in other Trebouxia lineages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Studies of Lichenized Fungi and Holobiomes)
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20 pages, 4729 KiB  
Article
Diplosphaera elongata sp. nova: Morphology and Phenotypic Plasticity of This New Microalga Isolated from Lichen Thalli
by Salvador Chiva, César Daniel Bordenave, Ayelén Gázquez and Eva Barreno
Diversity 2023, 15(2), 168; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020168 - 25 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1430
Abstract
Lichen phycobiomes have recently emerged as a source of biodiversity and new species of microalgae. Although in the genus Diplosphaera free-living microalgae are common, numerous strains belonging to this genus have frequently been recognized or isolated from lichen thalli. In this study, a [...] Read more.
Lichen phycobiomes have recently emerged as a source of biodiversity and new species of microalgae. Although in the genus Diplosphaera free-living microalgae are common, numerous strains belonging to this genus have frequently been recognized or isolated from lichen thalli. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of the strain Diplosphaera sp. ASUV135, isolated from a lichen thallus, has been carried out using an integrative taxonomic approach. The SSU and nuclear-encoding ITS rDNA, as well as the chloroplast rbcL gene, were sequenced and analyzed to ascertain its taxonomic position and phylogenetic relationships within the genus Diplosphaera. This strain was also analyzed by light, confocal and transmission microscopy for morphological and ultrastructural characterization. The phenotypic plasticity in this strain was also confirmed by changes in its morphology under different growth conditions, as well as those of modulated Chlorophyll a fluorescence emissions, to understand its photosynthetic functioning. Our results pointed out that this strain represents a new taxon within the genus Diplosphaera (Prasiola group), described here as Diplosphaera elongate sp. nova. This study also provides tools for future research on organisms with high phenotypic plasticity by using molecular, morphological, ultrastructural and physiological approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Studies of Lichenized Fungi and Holobiomes)
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