Phylogeny and Taxonomy of Lichen Symbionts

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a new Special Issue, “Phylogeny and Taxonomy of Lichen Symbionts”, in Plants (Q1 in Plant Science and Q1 in Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics).

Lichens represent symbioses between specialized fungi (mycobionts), namely, green algae or cyanobacteria (photobionts). Since molecular phylogenetics has become widely used in systematics, the knowledge on the taxonomy of fungal and algal associates in lichen thalli has changed significantly. Over the past 10–15 years, many lichen-forming families, and especially genera, have been found to be polyphyletic, and their concepts have subsequently been emended.

The implementation of the phylogenomic methodology into the taxonomical investigations has resulted in a re-evaluation of the taxonomical significance of traditional (anatomical, morphological, and biochemical) characters, as well as the improvement in the distinction of species. However, biologically important traditional characters still remain relevant for taxonomists, as a molecular phylogenetic tree seems not to be the final result of the phylogenetic reconstructions, but a valuable material for interpretations, the biological context of which should be understood using “phylogenetic thinking”.

Despite the fact that our knowledge of the phylogeny and taxonomy of lichenized fungi and algae is developing rapidly, there is still a mountain of open questions and challenges in this exciting field. Phylogenetic affinities and taxonomic placements of a large number of taxa are still awaiting clarification, and species complexes need to be resolved using the molecular techniques and the phylogenetic approach. Species-rich genera, cryptic species, taxa from biodiversity-rich areas, insufficiently resolved taxa of both mycobionts and photobionts, and the dating of evolutionary events are within the scope of interest of lichen taxonomists.

In this Special Issue, articles (original research papers, perspectives, hypotheses, opinions, reviews, and modeling approaches and methods) that focus on the phylogeny, trait evolution, and taxonomy of lichenized fungi, lichenicolous fungi, endolichenic fungi, algae, and cyanobacteria are most welcome.

Dr. Evgeny Davydov
Dr. Alexander G. Paukov
Dr. Giovanna Potenza
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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.

• lichens
• lichenized genus
• lichen-forming fungi
• lichen algae
• lichen photobionts
• lichenicolous fungi
• endolichenic fungi
• taxonomy
• systematics
• phylogeny
• evolution
• photobionts
• symbiotic
• associations
• ecological roles