FIGURE 1 - uploaded by Evgeny Davydov
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Umbilicaria platyrhiza (isotype, GZU): (A) upper surface of mature and juvenile specimens (GZU); (B) lower surface. Bars: A&B=1 cm.
Source publication
Umbilicaria platyrhiza Davydov sp. nov. is described within the Umbilicaria crustulosa – U. spodochroa species complex and illustrated. The new species resembles Umbilicaria crustulosa phenotypically, but is distinct by apothecia with a single gyrus of sterile tissue, grey-brown to black lower surface with flattened to strap-like rhizinomorphs, and...
Citations
... Rock tripes are the rock-dwelling lichen species belonging to the genus Umbilicaria Hoffm., 1789 (Ascomycota, Lecanoromycetes, Umbilicariales, Umbilicariaceae) [1]. The genus Umbilicaria, consisting of eight subgenera [2], comprises > 70 species according to the NCBI Taxonomy Brower [3], with new species and new records of occurrences reported in recent years [4][5][6][7][8]. The Umbilicaria lichens mainly inhabit mountains and fellfields worldwide [9], including Antarctic ice-free areas [10][11][12]. ...
The diversity of bacteria associated with alpine lichens was profiled. Lichen samples belonging to the Umbilicariaceae family, commonly known as rock tripe lichens, were gathered from two distinct alpine fellfields: one situated on Mt. Brennkogel located in the Eastern European Alps (Austria), and the other on Mt. Stanley located in the Rwenzori mountains of equatorial Africa (Uganda). The primary aim of this research was to undertake a comparative investigation into the bacterial compositions, and diversities, identifying potential indicators and exploring their potential metabolisms, of these lichen samples. Bulk genomic DNA was extracted from the lichen samples, which was used to amplify the 18S rRNA gene by Sanger sequencing and the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene by Illumina Miseq sequencing. Examination of the fungal partner was carried out through the analysis of 18S rRNA gene sequences, belonging to the genus Umbilicaria (Ascomycota), and the algal partner affiliated with the lineage Trebouxia (Chlorophyta), constituted the symbiotic components. Analyzing the MiSeq datasets by using bioinformatics methods, operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were established based on a predetermined similarity threshold for the V3-V4 sequences, which were assigned to a total of 26 bacterial phyla that were found in both areas. Eight of the 26 phyla, i.e. Acidobacteriota, Actinomycota, Armatimonadota, Bacteroidota, Chloroflexota, Deinococcota, Planctomycetota, and Pseudomonadota, were consistently present in all samples, each accounting for more than 1% of the total read count. Distinct differences in bacterial composition emerged between lichen samples from Austria and Uganda, with the OTU frequency-based regional indicator phyla, Pseudomonadota and Armatimonadota, respectively. Despite the considerable geographic separation of approximately 5430 km between the two regions, the prediction of potential metabolic pathways based on OTU analysis revealed similar relative abundances. This similarity is possibly influenced by comparable alpine climatic conditions prevailing in both areas.
The Northeast Asian endemic species of lichen-forming fungus Umbilicaria krascheninnikovii is herein discussed in the global context of biogeography and phylogeny of the U. aprina group. The name U. krascheninnikovii has been erroneously used by lichenologists for Umbilicaria spp. from high latitudes or altitudes worldwide, as there are omphalodisc apothecia and rough “crystals” of a necral layer on the upper surface. To test the monophyly and phylogenetic relationships within the U. aprina group, four independent DNA regions (nrITS/5.8S, RPB2, mtLSU, and mtSSU) were used for six rare species, including a dozen specimens of U. krascheninnikovii from its locus classicus in Kamchatka. The study is based on the phylograms obtained using maximum likelihood and a Bayesian phylogenetic inference framework. As a result of phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses, it was shown that U. krascheninnikovii is a neo-endemic of the areas of modern volcanism in Kamchatka, Japan, as well as in the Kurile Islands, where this species was recorded for the first time. The morphology of U. krascheninnikovii is herein described and illustrated. Increasing the role of the sexual process and reducing asexual thalloconidiogenesis are shown to be apomorphic traits in the U. aprina group. The combination of sexual and asexual reproduction provides adaptive advantages in changing environmental conditions.
