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Phylogenetic relationships of clavarioid-lichen forming fungi among the Basidiomycota inferred from 28S and 18S sequences under the maximum likelihood optimality criterion. Bootstrap values and Bayesian posterior possibilities are shown and separated by "/." Nodes supported by bootstrap values >85% and Bayesian posterior probabilities >0.95 are identified by thickened branches. Those for which only one value is significant are annotated. The long branch of Porphyrellus porphyrosporus was shortened by half for presentation purposes.
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Based on an exhaustive sampling of all known Lepidostromatales, a lineage of clavarioid lichen-forming basidiomycetes, we assess (i) the phylogenetic affinities of the six Chinese species currently accommodated in Multiclavula (Cantharellales) based on inferences from the 18S and 28S subunits of the nuclear ribosomal DNA repeat and (ii) the phyloge...
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... generated 25 sequences for the 28S and for the 18S locus ( 1). All samples of lichenized clavarioid fungi from China and Japan are resolved within the Lepidostromatales. ...
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... (FIG. 1). Multiclavula in the strict sense is also clearly monophyletic and reconstructed as a lineage within the Cantharellales. Furthermore, the two recently sequenced specimens from the DRC (i.e., S. miomboensis) are also resolved within the Lepidostromatales and more specifically within the well-supported clade comprising the only currently ...
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... and reconstructed as a lineage within the Cantharellales. Furthermore, the two recently sequenced specimens from the DRC (i.e., S. miomboensis) are also resolved within the Lepidostromatales and more specifically within the well-supported clade comprising the only currently recognized species of Sulzbacheromyces and all the Chinese specimens (FIG. 1). The uniquely shared ancestry of these two samples, which are treated as repre- senting a new species of Sulzbacheromyces (i.e., S. miom- boensis) below, is unambiguous, but the new species' affinities within the genus are unsupported. The Chinese samples are distributed among four moderately to well supported clades corresponding to ...
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... and ecology: Sulzbacheromyces fossicolus is distributed across tropical and subtropical areas of Asia, from China, Singapore (Malaya) (Petersen 1967), and northern India (Petersen 1967;Petersen and Zang 1986). It is also reported here from Thailand. The illustration of "Multiclavula cf. mucida" in Ertz et al. (2008, fig. 1D) of a population from Thailand repre- sents S. fossicolus. This species occurs on shaded, yellow and red clay or rock exposed for 2 or 3 ...
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... the basidiocarp of the South American S. caatingae correspond very well with those of S. miomboensis, but the former occasionally has clamp connections and smaller and narrower spores (Sulzbacher et al. 2012). The sister group of S. miomboensis is ambiguous: it is resolved as sharing a unique ancestor with S. caatingae based on 28S and 18S data (FIG. 1) or with S. sinensis based on ITS data (FIG. 2) Yanaga & N. Maek, Mycoscience 56:3. ...
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... white spot at the apex and the spores lack droplets (Petersen 1967), and their basidia are much shorter (7-20 vs. 13-50 μm) and without the mycelial patch around the base of the stipe. That these samples are distinct from M. vernalis, belong to the Lepidostromatales, and should be considered S. sinensis was confirmed by our phylogenetic analysis (FIG. 1). Consequently, M. vernalis should be excluded from the Chinese mycoflora. Yanaga et al. (2015) described the new species L. asianum based on three collections from Japan. The description and illustrations suggest that it is very simi- lar to S. sinensis, and in fact it matches the paratype [Smith 45644 (TENN), Petersen 56083 (= 10465 ...
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... sequenced the nuc rDNA loci (i.e., 18S, ITS region, and 28S) from samples collected in the type locality of S. sinensis. Phylogenetic analyses resolve these putative S. sinensis proxies and L. asianum together in one clade (FIGS. 1, 2), suggesting that the specimens are conspe- cific, in which case the name L. asianum should be considered a synonym of S. sinensis. ...
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... illustration of "Multiclavula cf. clara" in Ertz et al. (2008, fig. 1E) of a collection in Thailand may represent S. sinensis. Although this should be con- firmed, its occurrence in Thailand would be consistent with a distribution already extending from Japan to southern China. Etymology: This new species is named after Yunnan Province, where the species was ...
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... Province. Based on his description of the morphological traits of this sample, as well as the characters of a recent collection (Ma 12-4313; FIG. 7e) from the same locality, the collections from Taiwan match the concept of S. sinensis (FIG. 7e) and should be considered conspecific with the latter, a hypothesis supported by phylogenetic inferences (FIG. 1). Similarly, all specimens assigned by Jia et al. (2008) to M. vernalis belong to a new taxon (= S. sinensis) within the Lepidostromatales. Thus, only two of the six species reported from China are confirmed. These are, however, complemented by two new species distinguished by their thallus structure and color of the basidiomes and ...
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... by Jia et al. (2008) to M. vernalis belong to a new taxon (= S. sinensis) within the Lepidostromatales. Thus, only two of the six species reported from China are confirmed. These are, however, complemented by two new species distinguished by their thallus structure and color of the basidiomes and shown to be monophyletic based on DNA inferences (FIG. 1). All species occur in the Yunnan Province in southwest China (FIG. 9), and S. sinensis, the most widespread species, is sympatric, even at the local scale with its congeners. The species all seem to prefer or be restricted to red soils, in exposed and seasonally moist habitats. Despite the similar ecological and overlapping geographic ...
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... of the Lepidostromatales.-The relation- ships between Ertzia, Lepidostroma, and Sulzbacheromyces are ambiguous (FIG. 1); hence, the polarity of the transformation between a crustose and microsquamulose thallus-type is obscure. The basidiomes within the Lepidostromatales are pink to red (L. rugaramae), orangish (L. calocerum, S. caatingae), or whitish; the latter is restricted to two sister species (S. bicolor and S. fossicolus) and is likely derived ...
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... (DRC and Rwanda). The species diversity of the Lepidostromatales is highest in eastern Asia where four species occur. These all belong to Sulzbacheromyces and are broadly sympa- tric. Whether all Chinese taxa arose from a single shared ancestor is not clear: support for the monophyly of such Asian lineage is moderate based on the 18S and 28S (FIG. 1) but lacking in the ITS data (FIG. 2). In the New World the two species of Lepidostroma appear confined to the northern Andes and Central America, whereas the sole species of Sulzbacheromyces is endemic to Brazil, with multiple populations exhibiting no varia- tion in their ITS sequences (FIG. 2;Sulzbacher et al. 2016). It is possible ...
Citations
... The alignment used was 615 bp in length, with an estimate of 40 % invariable sites. Sulzbacheromyces is presented as a monophyletic taxon that supports previously proposed phylogenies (Hodkinson et al., 2014;Coca et al., 2018Liu et al., 2018. The inferred genus phylogenetic tree showed two main lineages (Fig. 4), one with Asian species and another with American and African species, however, lacking strong support. ...
... The inferred genus phylogenetic tree showed two main lineages (Fig. 4), one with Asian species and another with American and African species, however, lacking strong support. This result is not consistent with previous studies (Coca et al., 2018;Liu et al., 2018). However, the relationships did not receive strong support either in our studies or previous studies. ...
As a result of botanical and lichenological expeditions in the Colombian Andean-Amazonian Piedmont, in the Brazilian Amazon, and in Veracruz, Mexico, a new species of Sulzbacheromyces was discovered and is here described based on morphological, anatomical, and molecular characters. S. leucodontium differs from other neotropical species in the genus by having white basidiomata and colonial algae in the thallus and represents the species with the widest distribution of the genus in the Americas, from Mexico to Brazil. In addition, the most complete phylogenetic reconstruction of the genus to date is presented as well as a key to the known species of Sulzbacheromyces in the Neotropics.
... (Hygrophoraceae, Agaricales), and four Sulzbacheromyces spp. (Lepidostromataceae, Lepidostromatales), have been discovered [34][35][36]. ...
... Notes: The vegetative thalli of this species are so tiny and few in number that they can very easily be ignored. The coexistence of algal cells in the base of the stipe near to the hairs is a very new finding, because previously, algal cells were only reported in the vegetative thallus of basidiolichens and known as green algae Coccomyxa [2,34,35]. The algal cells found in the new species are also unicellular and green, and unfortunately, this algal species has not been identified. ...
... Our study indicates that within the Agaricales, the lichenization process also occurred in the Omphalinaceae of the suborder Tricholomatineae. In the previous reports on basidiolichens, algal cells have never been found in the fruiting body structures [2,34,35,63], but indeed existed in the stipe of Omphalina licheniformis (Figure 3). This finding of unusual new species updated our understanding of the delimitation of Omphalina, indicating that both non-lichen-forming and lichen-forming fungal species are included simultaneously. ...
The genus Omphalina is an ideal genus for studying the evolutionary mechanism of lichenization. Based on molecular phylogeny using ITS and nuLSU sequences by means of Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses and morphological examination, combining the existence of green algae in basidiomata stipe and a Botrydina-type vegetative thallus, we described a bryophilous new basidiolichen species, Omphalina licheniformis, from a residential area of Jiangxi Province, China. This finding of unusual new basidiolichen species updated our understanding of the delimitation of Omphalina, indicating that both non-lichen-forming and lichen-forming fungal species are included simultaneously. The presence of algal cells in the basidiomata should receive more attention, as this would be helpful to distinguish more potential basidiolichens and explore the cryptic species diversity. This work provides new insights and evidence for understanding the significance of lichenization during the evolution of Agaricomycetes.
... Maintenance of genetic variation is important, particularly for endangered or endemic species with a narrow distribution range, to increase their chance of long-term survival (Holderegger & Wagner, 2008;James & Ashburner, 1997). The diversity of lichenized species in particular is very high in the Himalayas and the Hengduan Mts., and many discoveries of new species have been published recently (Aptroot & Feijen, 2002;Cornejo & Scheidegger, 2015;Devkota et al., 2017;Liu et al., 2017;Wang et al., 2017;Yang et al., 2019). ...
Lobaria pindarensis is an endemic species of the Himalayas and the Hengduan Mountains. Little information is available on the phylogeography genetics and colonization history of this species or how its distribution patterns changed in response to the orographic history of the Himalayas and Hengduan Mountains. Based on samples covering a major part of the species' distribution range, we used 443 newly generated sequences of nine loci for molecular coalescent analyses in order to reconstruct the evolutionary history of L. pindarensis, and to reconstruct the species' ancestral phylogeographic distributions using Bayesian binary MCMC analyses. The results suggest that current populations originated from the Yunnan region of the Hengduan Mountains in the middle Pliocene, and that the Himalayas of Bhutan were colonized by a lineage that diverged from Yunnan ca. 2.72 Ma. The analysis additionally indicates that the Nepal and Xizang areas of the Himalayas were colonized from Yunnan as well, and that there was later a second dispersal event from Yunnan to Bhutan. We conclude that the change in climate and habitat related to the continuous uplift of the Himalayas and the Hengduan Mountains in the late Pliocene and middle Pleistocene influenced the geographic distribution pattern of L. pindarensis.
... Thus, increasing the number of molecular markers distributed across the genome increases the statistical power of the analysis and enables the assessment of potential conflict between markers, which is often at a similar level as conflict between complexes of phenotype characters, e.g., in lichen fungi ascoma vs. thallus characters or morphology vs. chemistry (Culberson 1963(Culberson , 1973Santesson 2004;Lücking 2009Lücking , 2012Messuti and Archer 2009;Aptroot and Lücking 2016). While single markers such as the fungal ITS barcoding locus may be sufficient to considerably improve the underlying taxonomy of particular genera, such as in ascolichens of the genus Sticta or basidiolichens of the genera Cora and Sulzbacheromyces (Moncada et al. 2014;Liu et al. 2017;Lücking et al. 2017b;Coca et al. 2018;Ranft et al. 2018), additional markers may either support the topology obtained from a single marker or increase resolution where a single marker such as the ITS is not sufficient. For this purpose, a combination of a small number of functionally and genomically distinct markers, in addition to the ITS also the mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU), the nuclear large subunit (nuLSU), and one or several protein-coding markers (e.g., MCM7, RPB1, RPB2, TEF1, TUB2), usually provides sufficient resolution to assess species boundaries (e.g., Wirtz et al. 2008Wirtz et al. , 2012Pino-Bodas et al. 2010a, b;Leavitt et al. 2011aLeavitt et al. , b, 2018Rivas Plata et al. 2013;Frisch et al. 2014;Gerlach et al. 2017Gerlach et al. , 2019Gerlach et al. , 2020. ...
Lichens are symbiotic associations resulting from interactions among fungi (primary and secondary mycobionts), algae and/or cyanobacteria (primary and secondary photobionts), and specific elements of the bacterial microbiome associated with the lichen thallus. The question of what is a species, both concerning the lichen as a whole and its main fungal component, the primary mycobiont, has faced many challenges throughout history and has reached new dimensions with the advent of molecular phylogenetics and phylogenomics. In this paper, we briefly revise the definition of lichens and the scientific and vernacular naming conventions, concluding that the scientific, Latinized name usually associated with lichens invariably refers to the primary mycobiont, whereas the vernacular name encompasses the entire lichen. Although the same lichen mycobiont may produce different phenotypes when associating with different photobionts or growing in axenic culture, this discrete variation does not warrant the application of different scientific names, but must follow the principle "one fungus = one name". Instead, broadly agreed informal designations should be used for such discrete morphologies, such as chloromorph and cyanomorph for lichens formed by the same mycobiont but with either green algae or cyanobacteria. The taxonomic recognition of species in lichen-forming fungi is not different from other fungi and conceptual and nomenclatural approaches follow the same principles. We identify a number of current challenges and provide recommendations to address these. Species delimitation in lichen-forming fungi should not be tailored to particular species concepts but instead be derived from empirical evidence, applying one or several of the following principles in what we call the LPR approach: lineage (L) coherence vs. divergence (phylogenetic component), phenotype (P) coherence vs. divergence (morphological component), and/or reproductive (R) compatibility vs. isolation (biological component). Species hypotheses can be established based on either L or P, then using either P or L (plus R) to corroborate them. The reliability of species hypotheses depends not only on the nature and number of characters but also on the context: the closer the relationship and/or similarity between species, the higher the number of characters and/or specimens that should be analyzed to provide reliable delimitations. Alpha taxonomy should follow scientific evidence and an evolutionary framework but should also offer alternative practical solutions, as long as these are scientifically defendable. Taxa that are delimited phylogenetically but not readily identifiable in the field, or are genuinely cryptic, should not be rejected due to the inaccessibility of proper tools. Instead, they can be provisionally treated as undifferentiated complexes for purposes that do not require precise determinations. The application of infraspecific (gamma) taxonomy should be restricted to cases where there is a biological rationale, i.e., lineages of a species complex that show limited phylogenetic divergence but no evidence of reproductive isolation. Gamma taxonomy should not be used to denote discrete phenotypical variation or ecotypes not warranting the distinction at species level. We revise the species pair concept in lichen-forming fungi, which recognizes sexually and asexually reproducing morphs with the same underlying phenotype as different species. We conclude that in most cases this concept does not hold, but the actual situation is complex and not necessarily correlated with reproductive strategy. In cases where no molecular data are available or where single or multi-marker approaches do not provide resolution, we recommend maintaining species pairs until molecular or phylogenomic data are available. This recommendation is based on the example of the species pair Usnea aurantiacoatra vs. U. antarctica, which can only be resolved with phylogenomic approaches, such as microsatellites or RADseq. Overall, we consider that species delimitation in lichen-forming fungi has advanced dramatically over the past three decades, resulting in a solid framework, but that empirical evidence is still missing for many taxa. Therefore, while phylogenomic approaches focusing on particular examples will be increasingly employed to resolve difficult species complexes, broad screening using single barcoding markers will aid in placing as many taxa as possible into a molecular matrix. We provide a practical protocol how to assess and formally treat taxonomic novelties. While this paper focuses on lichen fungi, many of the aspects discussed herein apply generally to fungal taxonomy. The new combination Arthonia minor (Lücking) Lücking comb. et stat. nov. (Bas.: Arthonia cyanea f. minor Lücking) is proposed.
... Two species included in our analyses did not cluster with any of the recognized families. Athelopsis subinconspicua and Leptosporomyces raunkiaeri formed a strongly supported clade, which was also inferred in previous studies (Binder et al., 2010;Hodkinson et al., 2014;Liu et al., 2018). This clade seems to be closely related to the Pilodermataceae clade but this relationship was only supported by PP (Fig. 4). ...
... Each order included in this dataset received either strong support from both ML BS (!75) and Bayesian PP (!0.95), or moderate support from ML BS (50e74) and strong support by PP. The resulting topology of our four-locus Agaricomycetes dataset (Fig. 3) lacked support on several deep nodes, although it is largely congruent with previous studies (Binder et al., 2010;Chen et al., 2019;Hodkinson et al., 2014;Liu et al., 2018;Nagy et al., 2015;Sj€ okvist et al., 2014;Zhao et al., 2017). Atheliales was placed within Agaricomycetidae (96/1.00), ...
... The AthelialeseLepidostromatales clade was placed as sister to Boletales with weak ML BS support but strong PP support. Close relationships among Atheliales, Boletales, and Lepidostromatales mirrors results of previous studies using similar sets of genes (Chen et al., 2019;Liu et al., 2018;Zhao et al., 2017). Unlike these studies, however, a sister relationship between Amylocorticiales and Agaricales was not recovered in our analyses (Fig. 3), further highlighting the uncertainty of the placement of this order. ...
Atheliales (Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota) is an order mostly composed of corticioid fungi, containing roughly 100 described species in approximately 20 genera. Members exhibit remarkable ecological diversity, including saprotrophs, ectomycorrhizal symbionts, facultative parasites of plants or lichens, and symbionts of termites. Ectomycorrhizal members are well known because they often form a major part of boreal and temperate fungal communities. However, Atheliales is generally understudied, and molecular data are scarce. Furthermore, the order is riddled with many taxonomic problems: some genera are non-monophyletic, and several species have been shown to be more closely related to other orders. We investigated the phylogenetic position of genera that are currently listed in Atheliales sensu lato by employing an Agaricomycetes-wide dataset with emphasis on Atheliales including the type species of genera therein. A phylogenetic analysis based on LSU, 5.8S, rpb2, and tef1 (excluding third codon) returnedretrieved Atheliales in subclass Agaricomycetidae, as sister to Lepidostromatales. In addition, a number of Atheliales genera were retrieved in other orders with strong support: Byssoporia in Russulales, Digitatispora in Agaricales, Hypochnella in Polyporales, Lyoathelia in Hymenochaetales, and Pteridomyces in Trechisporales. Based on this result, we assembled another dataset focusing on the clade with Atheliales sensu stricto and representatives from Lepidostromatales and Boletales as outgroups, based on LSU, ITS (ITS1–5.8S–ITS2), rpb2, and tef1. The reconstructed phylogeny of Atheliales returned five distinct lineages, which we propose here as families. Lobulicium, a monotypic genus with a distinct morphology of seven-lobed basidiospores, was placed as sister to the rest of Atheliales. A new family is proposed to accommodate this genus, Lobuliciaceae fam. nov. The remaining four lineages can be named following the family-level classification by Jülich (1982), and thus we opted to use the names Atheliaceae, Byssocorticiaceae, Pilodermataceae, and Tylosporaceae, albeit with amended circumscriptions.
... Over 99% lichen are formed by Ascomycota, and less than 1% were lichenized Basidiomycota, which comprised ca. 172 species belonging to 15 genera and five family, and most of them are a member of family Hygrophoraceae (i.e., Dictyonema and Lichenomphalia), Lepidostromataceae [2][3][4][5]. Recently, Galapagos Islands were confirmed to have a higher diversity of Dictyonema groups [6], and some species of Lichenomphalia were also reported from the Southwest of China [7]. ...
... Species of Lepidostromataceae is characterized by the clavarioid basidiome associated with green algae and is most similar with species of genus Multiclavula (Cantharellales). Actually, some species of Lepidostromataceae were primarily treated as members of Multiclavula for a long time [8,9], until application of molecular phylogeny in last decade, the relationship between Multiclavula and Lepidostromataceae has been well solved following with several new combinations and new species [3,[10][11][12]. ...
... The genus Sulzbacheromyces belonging to the family Lepidostromataceae, was erected by Hodkinson and L€ ucking based on multi-gene analysis and the thallus morphology [10], and characterized by clavarioid white to orange basidiome and crustose thallus. Prior to this study, eight species are now included in this genus: S. caatingae from Brazil and Columbia [13,14], S. bicolor and S. yunnanensis from China, S. fossicolus from China and Thailand, S. miomboensis from Congo, S. sinensis from China and Japan [3,15,16], S. chocoensis and S. tutunendo from Columbia [17]. ...
Most of lichens are formed by Ascomycota, less than 1% are lichenized Basidiomycota. The flora investigation of lichenized Ascomycota of South Korea has been well studied in the past three decades; however, prior to this study, none of basidiolichens was discovered. During the recent excursion, an unexpected clavarioid basidiolichen, Sulzbacheromyces sinensis was collected. Morphology and ecology has been recorded in detail. DNA was extracted, and ITS, 18S, 28S nuclear rDNA were generated. In order to further confirm the systematic position of the Korean specimens, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analysis including all the species of the order Lepidostromatales were conducted based on the ITS. As a result, the phylogenetic tree of the order Lepidostromatales was reconstructed, which differed from the previous studies. The inferred phylogenetic tree showed that species of Sulzbacheromyces in three different continents (Asia, South Africa and South America) were separated into three clades with support. In this study, the species worldwide distribution map of Lepidostromatales was illustrated, and S. sinensis had a widest distribution range (paleotropical extend to the Sino-Japanese) than other species (paleotropical or neotropical). Prior to this study, the range of distribution, southernmost and northernmost points and the fruiting time of S. sinensis were recorded, and the genus Sulzbacheromyces was firstly reported from Korean peninsula and Philippines.
... Beginning Liang et al., 2012;Wang et al., 2015c;Zhang et al., 2014Zhang et al., , 2018. This same approach has aided the phylogenetic study of Lepidostromatales ( Liu et al., 2017a). ...
The development of new taxonomical theories and approaches, particularly molecular phylogenetics, has led to the expansion of traditional morphology-based taxonomy into the concept of “integrative taxonomy.” Taxonomic knowledge has assumed greater significance in recent years, particularly because of growing concerns over the looming biodiversity crisis. Since its establishment in 1938, the Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB), which is located in Yunnan province in Southwest China, has focused attention on the taxonomy and conservation of the flora of China. For the forthcoming 80th anniversary of KIB, we review the achievements of researchers at KIB and their associates with respect to the taxonomy of land plants, fungi, and lichen. Major taxonomic advances are summarized for families of Calymperaceae, Cryphaeaceae, Lembophyllaceae, Neckeraceae, Polytrichaceae and Pottiaceae of mosses, Pteridaceae and Polypodiaceae of ferns, Taxaceae and Cycadaceae of gymnosperms, Asteraceae, Begoniaceae, Ericaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Gesneriaceae, Lamiaceae, Orchidaceae, Orobanchaceae, Poaceae, Theaceae and Urticaceae
of angiosperms, Agaricaceae, Amanitaceae, Boletaceae, Cantharellaceae, Physalacriaceae Russulaceae, Suillaceae and Tuberaceae of fungi, and Ophioparmaceae and Parmeliaceae of lichens. Regarding the future development of taxonomy at KIB, we recommend that taxonomists continue to explore the biodiversity of China, integrate new theories and technologies with traditional taxonomic approaches, and engage in creative monographic work, with support from institutions, funding agencies, and the public.
In this study, the East Asian diversity of green-algal Lobaria was evaluated by applying both morphological and phylogenetic approaches. A multi-locus phylogenetic analysis of 72 green-algal Lobaria specimens was performed using a three-locus and time-calibrated species-tree approach. The analyses demonstrate that pairs of sexually and vegetatively reproducing lineages split into highly supported monophyletic clades. Taxonomically, 11 green-algal Lobaria species were identified as new to science, while 10 were previously described species. The species differentiated during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. The coincidence of paleoclimatic events with estimated dates of divergence support a bioclimatic hypothesis for species evolution in the green-algal Lobaria. Molecular phylogenies, a summary of diversity, detailed new species descriptions and geographical analyses are provided. Special recognition of species with a long evolutionary history, which merit high conservation priority, will be critical for preserving geographically restricted endemics in the Himalayas and the Hengduan Mountains, where habitat loss is driving rapid declines.
Sulzbacheromyces is a genus of basidiolichen that includes nine species scattered on the African, American, and Asian continents. Sequences of the universal barcode of Fungi, the nuclear internal transcribed spacer - nuITS region, are available to all known species of the genus. Specimens of Sulzbacheromyces caatingae were collected during two expeditions in the Morro of Paxixi, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Midwest region of Brazil, in the Cerrado biome, where it was reported for the first time to the state. Morphological and anatomical analyses were performed. Specimens from Mato Grosso do Sul have a light green to indistinct thallus, while specimens from Ceará, Paraíba, and Piauí states present a thin green crust on the substrate. The nuITS sequences were also generated, and the distribution of S. caatingae was plotted with the haplotypes. Morphological differences were not reflected in the molecular analysis, which confirmed the identification of the species. In addition, an identification key to the known Sulzbacheromyces species is provided.
Lichens are complex miniature ecosystems that comprise a fungal partner, the mycobiont, and an algal and/or cyanobacterial partner, the photobiont. Lichens have been extensively used for the colors and secondary metabolites they produce, with more than 1000 reported compounds, mostly belonging to the polyketide chemical family. Studying lichens is challenging because of their slow growth rate and the difficulty of reconstituting their ecosystem under controlled conditions. While lichen secondary metabolites are well characterized for their biological activities, their functions in the establishment and survival of the ecosystem are poorly documented. In the last decade of the genomic era, only a few mycobiont genomes have been sequenced, yet they have revealed the presence of an abundance of diverse polyketide pathways that will likely give rise to a host of novel compounds. The use of heterologous expression in recent years to elucidate lichen secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathways is still in its infancy but is opening up a new era in which many new lichen-specific compounds will be discovered. The elucidation of new lichen biosynthetic pathways, together with progress in reconstituting lichen ecosystems, is leading to exciting times where it will be possible to characterize the roles lichen secondary metabolites play in these unique ecosystems.
