Lichen Forming Fungi—in Honour of Prof. Ana Rosa Burgaz

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Evolution, Biodiversity and Systematics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 5865

Special Issue Editors

Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Dpto. Biología & Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Departamental II-203, Campus de Móstoles, c/ Tulipán s/n, Móstoles, E-28933 Madrid, Spain
Interests: lichen forming fungi; taxonomy; evolution; phylogeny; lichenicolous fungi
Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, ESCET, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, c/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
Interests: lichen; conservation biology; ecology; taxonomy; evolution; systematics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Professor Emeritus Ana Rosa Burgaz, Complutense University of Madrid, has made remarkable contributions to the field of Spanish lichenology. Her research has been focused particularly on the diversity of lichen in the Iberian Peninsula and the taxonomy of Cladoniaceae. She directed the project "Flora Liquenológica Ibérica", being the author of several volumes. More recently, she published the book "Mediterranean Cladoniaceae". We should note her great contributions to the Spanish lichen collections, most of them (ca. 30,000 specimens) in the MACB herbarium, but she has also frequently sent duplicates to other Spanish and foreign herbaria (MA, H). Ana has been greatly involved in the promotion of lichenology and in the training of several generations of students, researchers, and professional lichenologists. She has been a very active member and the driving energy behind the Spanish Lichen Society, being the president from 2003 to 2007. Therefore, in recognition of her for outstanding achievements and contribution to lichenology, we are delighted to publish a Festschrift in her honor as a Special Issue of the Journal of Fungi.

The scope of this Special Issue ranges across all aspects of lichen-forming fungi and lichenicolous fungi research, including diversity, phylogenetics, biogeography, community and population ecology, conservation, physiology, taxonomy, and systematics. Research, review articles, and short communications are welcome.

Dr. Raquel Pino-Bodas
Dr. María Prieto
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3559 KiB  
Article
Myco–Phycobiont Interactions within the “Ramalina farinacea Group”: A Geographical Survey over Europe and Macaronesia
by Patricia Moya, Salvador Chiva, Tamara Pazos, Eva Barreno, Pedro Carrasco, Lucia Muggia and Isaac Garrido-Benavent
J. Fungi 2024, 10(3), 206; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10030206 - 08 Mar 2024
Viewed by 620
Abstract
Ramalina farinacea is a widely distributed epiphytic lichen from the Macaronesian archipelagos to Mediterranean and Boreal Europe. Previous studies have indicated a specific association between R. farinacea and Trebouxia microalgae species. Here, we examined the symbiotic interactions in this lichen and its closest [...] Read more.
Ramalina farinacea is a widely distributed epiphytic lichen from the Macaronesian archipelagos to Mediterranean and Boreal Europe. Previous studies have indicated a specific association between R. farinacea and Trebouxia microalgae species. Here, we examined the symbiotic interactions in this lichen and its closest allies (the so-called “R. farinacea group”) across ten biogeographic subregions, spanning diverse macroclimates, analyzing the climatic niche of the primary phycobionts, and discussing the specificity of these associations across the studied area. The most common phycobionts in the “R. farinacea group” were T. jamesii and T. lynnae, which showed a preference for continentality and insularity, respectively. The Canarian endemic R. alisiosae associated exclusively with T. lynnae, while the other Ramalina mycobionts interacted with both microalgae. The two phycobionts exhibited extensive niche overlap in an area encompassing Mediterranean, temperate Europe, and Macaronesian localities. However, T. jamesii occurred in more diverse climate types, whereas T. lynnae preferred warmer and more humid climates, often close to the sea, which could be related to its tolerance to salinity. With the geographical perspective gained in this study, it was possible to show how the association with different phycobionts may shape the ecological adaptation of lichen symbioses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichen Forming Fungi—in Honour of Prof. Ana Rosa Burgaz)
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27 pages, 2439 KiB  
Article
Contribution to the Study of Lichenicolous Fungi from Northwest Iberian Peninsula (León and Lugo Provinces)
by Javier Etayo and María Eugenia López de Silanes
J. Fungi 2024, 10(1), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10010060 - 12 Jan 2024
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Abstract
We have found 117 taxa of lichenicolous fungi in the studied area. In this paper, we describe five taxa: Arthonia boomiana on Nephromopsis chlorophylla, Lawalreea burgaziana on Platismatia glauca, Pronectria scrobiculatae on Lobarina scrobiculata, Trichonectria parmeliellae on Parmeliella testacea and [...] Read more.
We have found 117 taxa of lichenicolous fungi in the studied area. In this paper, we describe five taxa: Arthonia boomiana on Nephromopsis chlorophylla, Lawalreea burgaziana on Platismatia glauca, Pronectria scrobiculatae on Lobarina scrobiculata, Trichonectria parmeliellae on Parmeliella testacea and Trichonectria rubefaciens ssp. cryptoramalinae on Ramalina. Furthermore, the next records are interesting chorologically from the Iberian Peninsula: Arthophacopsis parmeliarum, Catillaria lobariicola, Lichenopuccinia poeltii, Myxotrichum bicolor, Nanostictis christiansenii, Niesslia lobariae, Opegrpaha sphaerophoricola, Pronectria fragmospora, Rhymbocarpus aggregatus, R. neglectus, and Tremella cetrariicola. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichen Forming Fungi—in Honour of Prof. Ana Rosa Burgaz)
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14 pages, 783 KiB  
Article
Floristic Similarities between the Lichen Flora of Both Sides of the Drake Passage: A Biogeographical Approach
by Leopoldo G. Sancho, Ana Aramburu, Javier Etayo and Núria Beltrán-Sanz
J. Fungi 2024, 10(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10010009 - 22 Dec 2023
Viewed by 887
Abstract
This paper analyses the lichen flora of Navarino Island (Tierra del Fuego, Cape Horn Region, Chile), identifying species shared with the South Shetland Islands (Antarctic Peninsula). In this common flora, species are grouped by their biogeographic origin (Antarctic–subantarctic endemic, austral, bipolar, and cosmopolitan), [...] Read more.
This paper analyses the lichen flora of Navarino Island (Tierra del Fuego, Cape Horn Region, Chile), identifying species shared with the South Shetland Islands (Antarctic Peninsula). In this common flora, species are grouped by their biogeographic origin (Antarctic–subantarctic endemic, austral, bipolar, and cosmopolitan), their habitat on Navarino Island (coastal, forest, and alpine), their morphotype (crustaceous, foliaceous, fruticulose, and cladonioid), and the substrate from which they were collected (epiphytic, terricolous and humicolous, and saxicolous). A total of 124 species have been recognised as common on both sides of the Drake Passage, predominantly bipolar, crustaceous, and saxicolous species, and with an alpine distribution on Navarino Island. The most interesting fact is that more than 30% of the flora is shared between the southern tip of South America and the western Antarctic Peninsula, which is an indication of the existence of a meridian flow of propagules capable of crossing the Antarctic polar front. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichen Forming Fungi—in Honour of Prof. Ana Rosa Burgaz)
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12 pages, 1984 KiB  
Article
Reference-Based Restriction-Site-Associated DNA Sequencing Data Are Useful for Species Delineation in a Recently Diverged Asexually Reproducing Species Complex (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycota)
by Alejandrina Barcenas-Peña, Pradeep K. Divakar, Ana Crespo, Jano Nuñez-Zapata, H. Thorsten Lumbsch and Felix Grewe
J. Fungi 2023, 9(12), 1180; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9121180 - 09 Dec 2023
Viewed by 918
Abstract
Cryptic species are common in lichen-forming fungi and have been reported from different genera in the most speciose family, Parmeliaceae. Herein, we address species delimitation in a group of mainly asexually reproducing Parmelina species. The morphologically distinct P. pastillifera was previously found nested [...] Read more.
Cryptic species are common in lichen-forming fungi and have been reported from different genera in the most speciose family, Parmeliaceae. Herein, we address species delimitation in a group of mainly asexually reproducing Parmelina species. The morphologically distinct P. pastillifera was previously found nested within a morphologically circumscribed P. tiliacea based on several loci. However, these studies demonstrated a relatively high genetic diversity within P. tiliacea sensu lato. Here, we revisit the species delimitation in the group by analyzing single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) through genome-wide assessment using Restriction-Site-Associated sequencing and population genomic methods. Our data support previous studies and provide further insight into the phylogenetic relationships of the four clades found within the complex. Based on the evidence suggesting a lack of gene flow among the clades, we recognize the four clades as distinct species, P. pastillifera and P. tiliacea sensu stricto, and two new species, P. clandestina sp. nov. and P. mediterranea sp. nov. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichen Forming Fungi—in Honour of Prof. Ana Rosa Burgaz)
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21 pages, 2290 KiB  
Article
Myrmecia, Not Asterochloris, Is the Main Photobiont of Cladonia subturgida (Cladoniaceae, Lecanoromycetes)
by Raquel Pino-Bodas, Miguel Blázquez, Asunción de los Ríos and Sergio Pérez-Ortega
J. Fungi 2023, 9(12), 1160; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9121160 - 02 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1179
Abstract
This study explores the diversity of photobionts associated with the Mediterranean lichen-forming fungus Cladonia subturgida. For this purpose, we sequenced the whole ITS rDNA region by Sanger using a metabarcoding method for ITS2. A total of 41 specimens from Greece, Italy, France, [...] Read more.
This study explores the diversity of photobionts associated with the Mediterranean lichen-forming fungus Cladonia subturgida. For this purpose, we sequenced the whole ITS rDNA region by Sanger using a metabarcoding method for ITS2. A total of 41 specimens from Greece, Italy, France, Portugal, and Spain were studied. Additionally, two specimens from Spain were used to generate four cultures. Our molecular studies showed that the genus Myrmecia is the main photobiont of C. subturgida throughout its geographic distribution. This result contrasts with previous studies, which indicated that the main photobiont for most Cladonia species is Asterochloris. The identity of Myrmecia was also confirmed by ultrastructural studies of photobionts within the lichen thalli and cultures. Photobiont cells showed a parietal chloroplast lacking a pyrenoid, which characterizes the species in this genus. Phylogenetic analyses indicate hidden diversity within this genus. The results of amplicon sequencing showed the presence of multiple ASVs in 58.3% of the specimens studied. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichen Forming Fungi—in Honour of Prof. Ana Rosa Burgaz)
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11 pages, 1907 KiB  
Communication
Cyanobacterial Variability in Lichen Cephalodia
by Maria Prieto, Natalia Montané, Gregorio Aragón, Isabel Martínez and Clara Rodríguez-Arribas
J. Fungi 2023, 9(8), 826; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9080826 - 05 Aug 2023
Viewed by 948
Abstract
The ecological success of lichens is related to both myco- and photobionts which condition the physiological limits of the lichen symbioses and thus affect their ecological niches and geographic ranges. A particular type of lichen, called cephalolichen, is characterized by housing both green [...] Read more.
The ecological success of lichens is related to both myco- and photobionts which condition the physiological limits of the lichen symbioses and thus affect their ecological niches and geographic ranges. A particular type of lichen, called cephalolichen, is characterized by housing both green algal and cyanobacterial symbionts—the latter is restricted to special structures called cephalodia. In this type of lichen, questions related to specialization within species or within individuals are still unsolved as different patterns have previously been observed. In order to study the variability at the intrathalline, intraspecific, and interspecific level, cyanobionts from different cephalodia within the same thalli and from different thalli were genetically analysed in three cephalolichen species at two different forests (18 thalli, 90 cephalodia). The results showed variability in the cephalodial Nostoc OTUs in all the studied species, both at the intrathalline and intraspecific levels. The variability of Nostoc OTUs found in different cephalodia of the same thallus suggests low specialization in this relationship. Additionally, differences in OTU diversity in the three studied species and in the two forests were found. The variability observed may confer an increased ecological plasticity and an advantage to colonize or persist under additional or novel habitats or conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lichen Forming Fungi—in Honour of Prof. Ana Rosa Burgaz)
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