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Furmanek Ł, Czarnota P, Tekiela A, Kapusta I, Seaward MRD. A spectrophotometric analysis of extracted water-soluble phenolic metabolites of lichens. PLANTA 2024; 260:40. [PMID: 38954049 PMCID: PMC11219455 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-024-04474-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
MAIN CONCLUSION Rainwater most probably constitutes a relatively effective solvent for lichen substances in nature which have the potential to provide for human and environmental needs in the future. The aims were (i) to test the hypothesis on the potential solubility of lichen phenolic compounds using rainwater under conditions that partly reflect the natural environment and (ii) to propose new and effective methods for the water extraction of lichen substances. The results of spectrophotometric analyses of total phenolic metabolites in rainwater-based extracts from epigeic and epiphytic lichens, employing the Folin-Ciocalteu (F.-C.) method, are presented. The water solvent was tested at three pH levels: natural, 3, and 9. Extraction methods were undertaken from two perspectives: the partial imitation of natural environmental conditions and the potential use of extraction for economic purposes. From an ecological perspective, room-temperature water extraction ('cold' method) was used for 10-, 60-, and 120-min extraction periods. A variant of water extraction at analogous time intervals was an 'insolation' with a 100W light bulb to simulate the heat energy of the sun. For economic purposes, the water extraction method used the Soxhlet apparatus and its modified version, the 'tea-extraction' method ('hot' ones). The results showed that those extractions without an external heat source were almost ineffective, but insolation over 60- and 120-min periods proved to be more effective. Both tested 'hot' methods also proved to be effective, especially the 'tea-extraction' one. Generally, an increase in the concentration of phenolic compounds in water extracts resulted from an increasing solvent pH. The results show the probable involvement of lichen substances in biogeochemical processes in nature and their promising use for a variety of human necessities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Furmanek
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection, University of Rzeszów, Zelwerowicza 4 Street, 35-601, Rzeszów, Poland.
- Unit for Assessment of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Biological Documentation, Department for Assessment of Medicinal Products Documentation, The Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products, Al. Jerozolimskie 181C, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Paweł Czarnota
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection, University of Rzeszów, Zelwerowicza 4 Street, 35-601, Rzeszów, Poland
| | - Agata Tekiela
- Department of Agroecology and Forest Utilization, University of Rzeszów, Ćwiklińskiej 1A Street, 35-601, Rzeszów, Poland
| | - Ireneusz Kapusta
- Department of Food Technology and Nutrition, University of Rzeszów, Ćwiklińskiej 1 Street, 35-601, Rzeszów, Poland
| | - Mark R D Seaward
- School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, BD7 1DP, UK
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2
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Worthy FR, Schaefer DA, Wanasinghe D, Xu JC, Wang LS, Wang XY. Acquisition of green algal photobionts enables both chlorolichens and chloro-cyanolichens to activate photosynthesis at low humidity without liquid water. AOB PLANTS 2024; 16:plae025. [PMID: 38770101 PMCID: PMC11102867 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plae025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria require liquid water for photosynthesis, whereas green algae can photosynthesise with water vapour alone. We discovered that several Lobaria spp. which normally have cyanobacteria as the sole photobiont, in some regions of the trans-Himalayas also harboured green algae. We tested whether green algal acquisition was: limited to high elevations; obtained from neighbouring chloro-Lobaria species; enabled photosynthesis at low humidity. Lobaria spp. were collected from 2000 to 4000 m elevation. Spectrophotometry quantified green algal abundance by measuring chlorophyll b (absent in cyanobacteria). Thalli cross-sections visually confirmed green algal presence. We sequenced gene regions: Lobaria (ITS-EF-1α-RPB2), green algae (18S-RBC-L) and Nostoc (16S). Phylogenetic analysis determined myco-photobiont associations. We used a custom closed-circuit gas exchange system with an infrared gas analyser to measure CO2 exchange rates for desiccated specimens at 33%, 76%, 86% and 98% humidity. Cross-sections revealed that the photobiont layers in putative cyano-Lobaria contained both cyanobacteria and green algae, indicating that they should be considered chloro-cyanolichens. Chloro-Lobaria had no visible cephalodia nor cyanobacteria in the photobiont layer. Chloro-Lobaria and chloro-cyano-Lobaria had comparable levels of chlorophyll b. Chloro-Lobaria usually contained Symbiochloris. Chloro-cyano-Lobaria mainly associated with Parachloroidium and Nostoc; infrequently with Symbiochloris, Apatococcus, Chloroidium, Pseudochlorella, Trebouxia. Sequences from two green algal genera were obtained from within some thalli. Desiccated specimens of every Lobaria species could attain net photosynthesis with light exposure and 33% humidity. CO2 exchange dynamics over a five-day period differed between species. At all elevations, chloro-cyano-Lobaria spp. had abundant green algae in the photobiont layer, but green algal strains mostly differed to those of chloro-Lobaria spp. Both chloro-Lobaria and chloro-cyano-Lobaria were capable of conducting photosynthesis without liquid water. The data strongly suggest that they attained positive net photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Ruth Worthy
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
- Honghe Centre for Mountain Futures, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Douglas Allen Schaefer
- Honghe Centre for Mountain Futures, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Dhanushka Wanasinghe
- Honghe Centre for Mountain Futures, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
- Department of Soil Science, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11362, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jian Chu Xu
- Honghe Centre for Mountain Futures, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Li Song Wang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Xin Yu Wang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
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3
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Ochoa-Hueso R, Eldridge DJ, Berdugo M, Trivedi P, Sokoya B, Cano-Díaz C, Abades S, Alfaro F, Bamigboye AR, Bastida F, Blanco-Pastor JL, de Los Rios A, Durán J, Geisen S, Grebenc T, Illán JG, Liu YR, Makhalanyane TP, Mamet S, Molina-Montenegro MA, Moreno JL, Nahberger TU, Peñaloza-Bojacá GF, Plaza C, Rey A, Rodríguez A, Siebe C, Singh BK, Teixido AL, Torres-Díaz C, Wang L, Wang J, Wang J, Zaady E, Zhou X, Zhou XQ, Tedersoo L, Delgado-Baquerizo M. Unearthing the soil-borne microbiome of land plants. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17295. [PMID: 38804108 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Plant-soil biodiversity interactions are fundamental for the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Yet, the existence of a set of globally distributed topsoil microbial and small invertebrate organisms consistently associated with land plants (i.e., their consistent soil-borne microbiome), together with the environmental preferences and functional capabilities of these organisms, remains unknown. We conducted a standardized field survey under 150 species of land plants, including 58 species of bryophytes and 92 of vascular plants, across 124 locations from all continents. We found that, despite the immense biodiversity of soil organisms, the land plants evaluated only shared a small fraction (less than 1%) of all microbial and invertebrate taxa that were present across contrasting climatic and soil conditions and vegetation types. These consistent taxa were dominated by generalist decomposers and phagotrophs and their presence was positively correlated with the abundance of functional genes linked to mineralization. Finally, we showed that crossing environmental thresholds in aridity (aridity index of 0.65, i.e., the transition from mesic to dry ecosystems), soil pH (5.5; i.e., the transition from acidic to strongly acidic soils), and carbon (less than 2%, the lower limit of fertile soils) can result in drastic disruptions in the associations between land plants and soil organisms, with potential implications for the delivery of soil ecosystem processes under ongoing global environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raúl Ochoa-Hueso
- Department of Biology, Botany Area, University of Cádiz, Vitivinicultural and Agri-Food Research Institute (IVAGRO), Cádiz, Spain
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - David J Eldridge
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of NSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Miguel Berdugo
- Departmento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Pankaj Trivedi
- Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Blessing Sokoya
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Concha Cano-Díaz
- CISAS - Center for Research and Development in Agrifood Systems and Sustainability, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Rua Escola Industrial e Comercial Nun'Álvares, Viana do Castelo, Portugal
| | | | - Fernando Alfaro
- GEMA Center for Genomics, Ecology & Environment, Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile
| | - Adebola R Bamigboye
- Natural History Museum (Botany Unit), Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
| | - Felipe Bastida
- CEBAS-CSIC, Campus Universitario de Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
| | - José L Blanco-Pastor
- Department of Biology, Botany Area, University of Cádiz, Vitivinicultural and Agri-Food Research Institute (IVAGRO), Cádiz, Spain
| | - Asunción de Los Rios
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jorge Durán
- Misión Biológica de Galicia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Pontevedra, Spain
| | - Stefan Geisen
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Tine Grebenc
- Slovenian Forestry Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Javier G Illán
- Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Yu-Rong Liu
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Thulani P Makhalanyane
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Steven Mamet
- College of Agriculture and Bioresources, Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | | | - José L Moreno
- CEBAS-CSIC, Campus Universitario de Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
| | | | - Gabriel F Peñaloza-Bojacá
- Laboratório de Sistemática Vegetal, Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - César Plaza
- Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Rey
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alexandra Rodríguez
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Christina Siebe
- Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Brajesh K Singh
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
- Global Centre for Land-Based Innovation, Western Sydney University, Penrith South, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Alberto L Teixido
- Departmento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Cristian Torres-Díaz
- Grupo de Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (BCG), Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Chillán, Chile
| | - Ling Wang
- Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Changchun, China
| | - Jianyong Wang
- Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Changchun, China
| | - Juntao Wang
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Eli Zaady
- Department of Natural Resources, Agricultural Research Organization, Institute of Plant Sciences, Gilat Research Center, Negev, Israel
| | - Xiaobing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xinjiang, China
| | - Xin-Quan Zhou
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Leho Tedersoo
- Mycology and Microbiology Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
- Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Funcionamiento Ecosistémico, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS), CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
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4
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Jung P, Briegel-Williams L, Werner L, Jost E, Schultz M, Nürnberg DJ, Grube M, Lakatos M. A direct PCR approach with low-biomass insert opens new horizons for molecular sciences on cryptogam communities. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0002424. [PMID: 38349146 PMCID: PMC10952543 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00024-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Molecular sequence data have transformed research on cryptogams (e.g., lichens, microalgae, fungi, and symbionts thereof) but methods are still strongly hampered by the small size and intermingled growth of the target organisms, poor cultivability and detrimental effects of their secondary metabolites. Here, we aim to showcase examples on which a modified direct PCR approach for diverse aspects of molecular work on environmental samples concerning biocrusts, biofilms, and cryptogams gives new options for the research community. Unlike traditional approaches, this methodology only requires biomass equivalent to colonies and fragments of 0.2 mm in diameter, which can be picked directly from the environmental sample, and includes a quick DNA lysis followed by a standardized PCR cycle that allows co-cycling of various organisms/target regions in the same run. We demonstrate that this modified method can (i) amplify the most widely used taxonomic gene regions and those used for applied and environmental sciences from single colonies and filaments of free-living cyanobacteria, bryophytes, fungi, and lichens, including their mycobionts, chlorobionts, and cyanobionts from both isolates and in situ material during co-cycling; (ii) act as a tool to confirm that the dominant lichen photobiont was isolated from the original sample; and (iii) optionally remove inhibitory secondary lichen substances. Our results represent examples which highlight the method's potential for future applications covering mycology, phycology, biocrusts, and lichenology, in particular.IMPORTANCECyanobacteria, green algae, lichens, and other cryptogams play crucial roles in complex microbial systems such as biological soil crusts of arid biomes or biofilms in caves. Molecular investigations on environmental samples or isolates of these microorganisms are often hampered by their dense aggregation, small size, or metabolism products which complicate DNA extraction and subsequent PCRs. Our work presents various examples of how a direct DNA extraction and PCR method relying on low biomass inserts can overcome these common problems and discusses additional applications of the workflow including adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Jung
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, Germany
| | - Laura Briegel-Williams
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, Germany
| | - Lina Werner
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, Germany
| | - Emily Jost
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, Germany
| | - Matthias Schultz
- Institute for Plant Science and Microbiology, Herbarium Hamburgense, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dennis J. Nürnberg
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Dahlem Centre for Plant Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Grube
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Michael Lakatos
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, Germany
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5
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Jung P, Briegel-Williams L, Büdel B, Schultz M, Nürnberg DJ, Grube M, D’Agostino PM, Kaštovský J, Mareš J, Lorenz M, González MLG, Forno MD, Westberg M, Chrismas N, Pietrasiak N, Whelan P, Dvořák P, Košuthová A, Gkelis S, Bauersachs T, Schiefelbein U, Giao VTP, Lakatos M. The underestimated fraction: diversity, challenges and novel insights into unicellular cyanobionts of lichens. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:ycae069. [PMID: 38966402 PMCID: PMC11222712 DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycae069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Lichens are remarkable and classic examples of symbiotic organisms that have fascinated scientists for centuries. Yet, it has only been for a couple of decades that significant advances have focused on the diversity of their green algal and/or cyanobacterial photobionts. Cyanolichens, which contain cyanobacteria as their photosynthetic partner, include up to 10% of all known lichens and, as such, studies on their cyanobionts are much rarer compared to their green algal counterparts. For the unicellular cyanobionts, i.e. cyanobacteria that do not form filaments, these studies are even scarcer. Nonetheless, these currently include at least 10 different genera in the cosmopolitan lichen order Lichinales. An international consortium (International Network of CyanoBionts; INCb) will tackle this lack of knowledge. In this article, we discuss the status of current unicellular cyanobiont research, compare the taxonomic resolution of photobionts from cyanolichens with those of green algal lichens (chlorolichens), and give a roadmap of research on how to recondition the underestimated fraction of symbiotic unicellular cyanobacteria in lichens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Jung
- Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, Germany
| | - Laura Briegel-Williams
- Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, Germany
| | - Burkhard Büdel
- Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern Landau, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Matthias Schultz
- Herbarium Hamburgense, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dennis J Nürnberg
- Institute for Experimental Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin Germany
| | - Martin Grube
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Paul M D’Agostino
- Technical University Dresden, Chair of Technical Biochemistry, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jan Kaštovský
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Mareš
- Institute of Microbiology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, Czech Republic
| | - Maike Lorenz
- University of Goettingen, SAG Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Petr Dvořák
- Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | | | - Spyros Gkelis
- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Thorsten Bauersachs
- Institute of Organic Biogeochemistry in Geo-Systems, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | | | | | - Michael Lakatos
- Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, Germany
| | - INCb
- International Network for research on unicellular CyanoBionts from lichens
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6
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Jung P, Baumann K, Emrich D, Schermer M, Eckhardt KU, Jandl G, Leinweber P, Harion F, Wruck A, Grube M, Büdel B, Lakatos M. The dark side of orange: Multiorganismic continuum dynamics within a lichen of the Atacama Desert. Mycologia 2024; 116:44-58. [PMID: 37955984 DOI: 10.1080/00275514.2023.2263148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Over the decades our understanding of lichens has shifted to the fact that they are multiorganismic, symbiotic microecosystems, with their complex interactions coming to the fore due to recent advances in microbiomics. Here, we present a mutualistic-parasitic continuum dynamics scenario between an orange lichen and a lichenicolous fungus from the Atacama Desert leading to the decay of the lichen's photobiont and leaving behind a black lichen thallus. Based on isolation, sequencing, and ecophysiological approaches including metabolic screenings of the symbionts, we depict consequences upon infection with the lichenicolous fungus. This spans from a loss of the lichen's photosynthetic activity and an increased roughness of its surface to an inhibition of the parietin synthesis as a shared pathway between the photobiont and the mycobiont, including a shift of secondary metabolism products. This degree of relations has rarely been documented before, although lichenicolous fungi have been studied for over 200 years, adding an additional level to the view of interactions within lichens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Jung
- Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, Pirmasens 66953, Germany
| | - Karen Baumann
- Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, Rostock 18051, Germany
| | - Dina Emrich
- Applied Vegetation Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, Freiburg 79106, Germany
| | - Michael Schermer
- Biology, Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern Landau, Erwin-Schrödinger Str. 52, Kaiserslautern 67663, Germany
| | - Kai-Uwe Eckhardt
- Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, Rostock 18051, Germany
| | - Gerald Jandl
- Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, Rostock 18051, Germany
| | - Peter Leinweber
- Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, Rostock 18051, Germany
| | - Felix Harion
- Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, Pirmasens 66953, Germany
| | - Andreas Wruck
- Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, Pirmasens 66953, Germany
| | - Martin Grube
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Holteigasse 6, Graz 8010, Austria
| | - Burkhard Büdel
- Department of Biology, Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern Landau, Erwin-Schrödinger Str. 52, Kaiserslautern 67663, Germany
| | - Michael Lakatos
- Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, Pirmasens 66953, Germany
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7
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Pino-Bodas R, Blázquez M, de los Ríos A, Pérez-Ortega S. Myrmecia, Not Asterochloris, Is the Main Photobiont of Cladonia subturgida ( Cladoniaceae, Lecanoromycetes). J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:1160. [PMID: 38132761 PMCID: PMC10744234 DOI: 10.3390/jof9121160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
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, 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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Pino-Bodas
- Biodiversity and Conservation Area, Department of Biology and Geology, Physics and Inorganic Chemistry, Rey Juan Carlos University, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, London TW9 3DS, UK
| | - Miguel Blázquez
- Department of Mycology, Real Jardín Botánico (CSIC), 28014 Madrid, Spain; (M.B.); (S.P.-O.)
| | | | - Sergio Pérez-Ortega
- Department of Mycology, Real Jardín Botánico (CSIC), 28014 Madrid, Spain; (M.B.); (S.P.-O.)
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8
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Wang Y, Li R, Wang D, Qian B, Bian Z, Wei J, Wei X, Xu JR. Regulation of symbiotic interactions and primitive lichen differentiation by UMP1 MAP kinase in Umbilicaria muhlenbergii. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6972. [PMID: 37914724 PMCID: PMC10620189 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42675-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Lichens are of great ecological importance but mechanisms regulating lichen symbiosis are not clear. Umbilicaria muhlenbergii is a lichen-forming fungus amenable to molecular manipulations and dimorphic. Here, we established conditions conducive to symbiotic interactions and lichen differentiation and showed the importance of UMP1 MAP kinase in lichen development. In the initial biofilm-like symbiotic complexes, algal cells were interwoven with pseudohyphae covered with extracellular matrix. After longer incubation, fungal-algal complexes further differentiated into primitive lichen thalli with a melanized cortex-like and pseudoparenchyma-like tissues containing photoactive algal cells. Mutants deleted of UMP1 were blocked in pseudohyphal growth and development of biofilm-like complexes and primitive lichens. Invasion of dividing mother cells that contributes to algal layer organization in lichens was not observed in the ump1 mutant. Overall, these results showed regulatory roles of UMP1 in symbiotic interactions and lichen development and suitability of U. muhlenbergii as a model for studying lichen symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- Dept. of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Rong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Diwen Wang
- Dept. of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Ben Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Zhuyun Bian
- Dept. of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Jiangchun Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Xinli Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Jin-Rong Xu
- Dept. of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
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9
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Zuo YB, Han DY, Wang YY, Yang QX, Ren Q, Liu XZ, Wei XL. Fungal-Algal Association Drives Lichens' Mutualistic Symbiosis: A Case Study with Trebouxia-Related Lichens. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:3172. [PMID: 37687418 PMCID: PMC10490544 DOI: 10.3390/plants12173172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Biotic and abiotic factors influence the formation of fungal-algal pairings in lichen symbiosis. However, the specific determinants of these associations, particularly when distantly related fungi are involved, remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the impact of different drivers on the association patterns between taxonomically diverse lichenized fungi and their trebouxioid symbiotic partners. We collected 200 samples from four biomes and identified 41 species of lichenized fungi, associating them with 16 species of trebouxioid green algae, of which 62% were previously unreported. The species identity of both the fungal and algal partners had the most significant effect on the outcome of the symbiosis, compared to abiotic factors like climatic variables and geographic distance. Some obviously specific associations were observed in the temperate zone; however, the nestedness value was lower in arid regions than in cold, polar, and temperate regions according to interaction network analysis. Cophylogenetic analyses revealed congruent phylogenies between trebouxioid algae and associated fungi, indicating a tendency to reject random associations. The main evolutionary mechanisms contributing to the observed phylogenetic patterns were "loss" and "failure to diverge" of the algal partners. This study broadens our knowledge of fungal-algal symbiotic patterns in view of Trebouxia-associated fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Xin-Zhan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xin-Li Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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10
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Jung P, Werner L, Briegel-Williams L, Emrich D, Lakatos M. Roccellinastrum, Cenozosia and Heterodermia: Ecology and phylogeny of fog lichens and their photobionts from the coastal Atacama Desert. MycoKeys 2023; 98:317-348. [PMID: 37564324 PMCID: PMC10410537 DOI: 10.3897/mycokeys.98.107764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Some deserts on Earth such as the Namib or the Atacama are influenced by fog which can lead to the formation of local fog oases - unique environments hosting a great diversity of specialized plants and lichens. Lichens of the genera Ramalina, Niebla or Heterodermia have taxonomically been investigated from fog oases around the globe but not from the Atacama Desert, one of the oldest and driest deserts. Conditioned by its topography and the presence of orographic fog, the National Park Pan de Azúcar in the Atacama Desert is considered to be such a lichen hotspot. Applying multi-gen loci involving phylogenetic analyses combined with intense morphological and chemical characterization, we determined the taxonomic position of five of the most abundant epiphytic lichens of this area. We evaluated Roccellinastrumspongoideum and Heterodermiafollmannii which were both described from the area but also finally showed that the genus Cenozosia is the endemic sister genus to Ramalina, Vermilacinia, Namibialina and Niebla. As a result, we have described the species Heterodermiaadunca, C.cava and C.excorticata as new lichen species. This work provides a comprehensive dataset for common fog lichen genera of the Coastal Range of the Atacama Desert that can be used as a baseline for monitoring programs and environmental health assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Jung
- University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Integrative Biotechnology, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, 66953 Pirmasens, GermanyUniversity of Applied Sciences KaiserslauternPirmasensGermany
| | - Lina Werner
- University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Integrative Biotechnology, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, 66953 Pirmasens, GermanyUniversity of Applied Sciences KaiserslauternPirmasensGermany
| | - Laura Briegel-Williams
- University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Integrative Biotechnology, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, 66953 Pirmasens, GermanyUniversity of Applied Sciences KaiserslauternPirmasensGermany
| | - Dina Emrich
- Chair of Applied Vegetation Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79106 Freiburg, GermanyUniversity of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Michael Lakatos
- University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Integrative Biotechnology, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, 66953 Pirmasens, GermanyUniversity of Applied Sciences KaiserslauternPirmasensGermany
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11
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McCourt RM, Lewis LA, Strother PK, Delwiche CF, Wickett NJ, de Vries J, Bowman JL. Green land: Multiple perspectives on green algal evolution and the earliest land plants. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2023; 110:e16175. [PMID: 37247371 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Green plants, broadly defined as green algae and the land plants (together, Viridiplantae), constitute the primary eukaryotic lineage that successfully colonized Earth's emergent landscape. Members of various clades of green plants have independently made the transition from fully aquatic to subaerial habitats many times throughout Earth's history. The transition, from unicells or simple filaments to complex multicellular plant bodies with functionally differentiated tissues and organs, was accompanied by innovations built upon a genetic and phenotypic toolkit that have served aquatic green phototrophs successfully for at least a billion years. These innovations opened an enormous array of new, drier places to live on the planet and resulted in a huge diversity of land plants that have dominated terrestrial ecosystems over the past 500 million years. This review examines the greening of the land from several perspectives, from paleontology to phylogenomics, to water stress responses and the genetic toolkit shared by green algae and plants, to the genomic evolution of the sporophyte generation. We summarize advances on disparate fronts in elucidating this important event in the evolution of the biosphere and the lacunae in our understanding of it. We present the process not as a step-by-step advancement from primitive green cells to an inevitable success of embryophytes, but rather as a process of adaptations and exaptations that allowed multiple clades of green plants, with various combinations of morphological and physiological terrestrialized traits, to become diverse and successful inhabitants of the land habitats of Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard M McCourt
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19118, USA
| | - Louise A Lewis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Paul K Strother
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Boston College Weston Observatory, 381 Concord Road, Weston, MA, 02493, USA
| | - Charles F Delwiche
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Norman J Wickett
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, 132 Long Hall, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
| | - Jan de Vries
- Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Göttingen Goldschmidtstr. 1, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - John L Bowman
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton Campus, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia
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12
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Meyer AR, Valentin M, Liulevicius L, McDonald TR, Nelsen MP, Pengra J, Smith RJ, Stanton D. Climate warming causes photobiont degradation and carbon starvation in a boreal climate sentinel lichen. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2023; 110:e16114. [PMID: 36462151 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE The long-term potential for acclimation by lichens to changing climates is poorly known, despite their prominent roles in forested ecosystems. Although often considered "extremophiles," lichens may not readily acclimate to novel climates well beyond historical norms. In a previous study (Smith et al., 2018), Evernia mesomorpha transplants in a whole-ecosystem climate change experiment showed drastic mass loss after 1 yr of warming and drying; however, the causes of this mass loss were not addressed. METHODS We examined the causes of this warming-induced mass loss by measuring physiological, functional, and reproductive attributes of lichen transplants. RESULTS Severe loss of mass and physiological function occurred above +2°C of experimental warming. Loss of algal symbionts ("bleaching") and turnover in algal community compositions increased with temperature and were the clearest impacts of experimental warming. Enhanced CO2 had no significant physiological or symbiont composition effects. The functional loss of algal photobionts led to significant loss of mass and specific thallus mass (STM), which in turn reduced water-holding capacity (WHC). Although algal genotypes remained detectable in thalli exposed to higher stress, within-thallus photobiont communities shifted in composition toward greater diversity. CONCLUSIONS The strong negative impacts of warming and/or lower humidity on Evernia mesomorpha were driven by a loss of photobiont activity. Analogous to the effects of climate change on corals, the balance of symbiont carbon metabolism in lichens is central to their resilience to changing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail R Meyer
- Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Maria Valentin
- Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Laima Liulevicius
- Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Tami R McDonald
- Biology Department, Saint Catherine University, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55105, USA
| | - Matthew P Nelsen
- The Field Museum, Negaunee Integrative Research Center and Grainger Bioinformatics Center, Chicago, Illinois, 60605, USA
| | - Jean Pengra
- Macalester College, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55105, USA
| | - Robert J Smith
- Air Resource Management Program, USDA Forest Service Headquarters, Biological and Physical Resources, Washington, DC, 20250, USA
| | - Daniel Stanton
- Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
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13
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Bazzicalupo A. Local adaptation in fungi. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2022; 46:6604384. [PMID: 35675293 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuac026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
In this review, I explore the pervasive but underappreciated role of local adaptation in fungi. It has been difficult historically to study local adaptation in fungi because of the limited understanding of fungal species and their traits, but new hope has been offered with technological advances in sequencing. The filamentous nature of fungi invalidates some assumptions made in evolution because of their ability to exist as multinucleate entities with genetically different nuclei sharing the same cytoplasm. Many insights on local adaptation have come from studying fungi, and much of the empirical evidence gathered about local adaptation in the context of host-pathogen interactions comes from studying fungal virulence genes, drug resistance, and environmental adaptation. Together, these insights paint a picture of the variety of processes involved in fungal local adaptation and their connections to the unusual cell biology of Fungi (multinucleate, filamentous habit), but there is much that remains unknown, with major gaps in our knowledge of fungal species, their phenotypes, and the ways by which they adapt to local conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Bazzicalupo
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 4200 - 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada
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14
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Trebouxia lynnae sp. nov. (Former Trebouxia sp. TR9): Biology and Biogeography of an Epitome Lichen Symbiotic Microalga. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11081196. [PMID: 36009823 PMCID: PMC9405249 DOI: 10.3390/biology11081196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Two microalgal species, Trebouxia jamesii and Trebouxia sp. TR9, were detected as the main photobionts coexisting in the thalli of the lichen Ramalina farinacea. Trebouxia sp. TR9 emerged as a new taxon in lichen symbioses and was successfully isolated and propagated in in vitro culture and thoroughly investigated. Several years of research have confirmed the taxon Trebouxia sp. TR9 to be a model/reference organism for studying mycobiont−photobiont association patterns in lichen symbioses. Trebouxia sp. TR9 is the first symbiotic, lichen-forming microalga for which an exhaustive characterization of cellular ultrastructure, physiological traits, genetic and genomic diversity is available. The cellular ultrastructure was studied by light, electron and confocal microscopy; physiological traits were studied as responses to different abiotic stresses. The genetic diversity was previously analyzed at both the nuclear and organelle levels by using chloroplast, mitochondrial, and nuclear genome data, and a multiplicity of phylogenetic analyses were carried out to study its intraspecific diversity at a biogeographical level and its specificity association patterns with the mycobiont. Here, Trebouxia sp. TR9 is formally described by applying an integrative taxonomic approach and is presented to science as Trebouxia lynnae, in honor of Lynn Margulis, who was the primary modern proponent for the significance of symbiosis in evolution. The complete set of analyses that were carried out for its characterization is provided.
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15
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Allen JL, Lendemer JC. A call to reconceptualize lichen symbioses. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:582-589. [PMID: 35397954 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Several decades of research across disciplines have overturned historical perspectives of symbioses dominated by binary characterizations of highly specific species-species interactions. This paradigm shift has unlocked the previously underappreciated and overlooked dynamism of fungal mutualisms such as mycorrhizae. Lichens are another example of important fungal mutualisms where reconceptualization is urgently needed to realize their potential as model systems. This reconceptualization requires both an objective synthesis of new data and envisioning a revised integrative approach that unifies the spectrum of ecology and evolution. We propose a ten-theme framework that if pursued would propel lichens to the vanguard of symbiotic theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Allen
- Eastern Washington University, Biology Department, Cheney, WA 99004, USA.
| | - James C Lendemer
- Institute of Systematic Botany, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY 10458-5126, USA.
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16
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Spribille T, Resl P, Stanton DE, Tagirdzhanova G. Evolutionary biology of lichen symbioses. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 234:1566-1582. [PMID: 35302240 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Lichens are the symbiotic outcomes of open, interspecies relationships, central to which are a fungus and a phototroph, typically an alga and/or cyanobacterium. The evolutionary processes that led to the global success of lichens are poorly understood. In this review, we explore the goods and services exchange between fungus and phototroph and how this propelled the success of both symbiont and symbiosis. Lichen fungal symbionts count among the only filamentous fungi that expose most of their mycelium to an aerial environment. Phototrophs export carbohydrates to the fungus, which converts them to specific polyols. Experimental evidence suggests that polyols are not only growth and respiratory substrates but also play a role in anhydrobiosis, the capacity to survive desiccation. We propose that this dual functionality is pivotal to the evolution of fungal symbionts, enabling persistence in environments otherwise hostile to fungi while simultaneously imposing costs on growth. Phototrophs, in turn, benefit from fungal protection from herbivory and light stress, while appearing to exert leverage over fungal sex and morphogenesis. Combined with the recently recognized habit of symbionts to occur in multiple symbioses, this creates the conditions for a multiplayer marketplace of rewards and penalties that could drive symbiont selection and lichen diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toby Spribille
- Department of Biological Sciences CW405, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Philipp Resl
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 3, Graz, 8010, Austria
| | - Daniel E Stanton
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Gulnara Tagirdzhanova
- Department of Biological Sciences CW405, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2R3, Canada
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17
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De Carolis R, Cometto A, Moya P, Barreno E, Grube M, Tretiach M, Leavitt SD, Muggia L. Photobiont Diversity in Lichen Symbioses From Extreme Environments. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:809804. [PMID: 35422771 PMCID: PMC9002315 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.809804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungal–algal relationships—both across evolutionary and ecological scales—are finely modulated by the presence of the symbionts in the environments and by the degree of selectivity and specificity that either symbiont develop reciprocally. In lichens, the green algal genus Trebouxia Puymaly is one of the most frequently recovered chlorobionts. Trebouxia species-level lineages have been recognized on the basis of their morphological and phylogenetic diversity, while their ecological preferences and distribution are still only partially unknown. We selected two cosmopolitan species complexes of lichen-forming fungi as reference models, i.e., Rhizoplaca melanophthalma and Tephromela atra, to investigate the diversity of their associated Trebouxia spp. in montane habitats across their distributional range worldwide. The greatest diversity of Trebouxia species-level lineages was recovered in the altitudinal range 1,000–2,500 m a.s.l. A total of 10 distinct Trebouxia species-level lineages were found to associate with either mycobiont, for which new photobionts are reported. One previously unrecognized Trebouxia species-level lineage was identified and is here provisionally named Trebouxia “A52.” Analyses of cell morphology and ultrastructure were performed on axenically isolated strains to fully characterize the new Trebouxia “A52” and three other previously recognized lineages, i.e., Trebouxia “A02,” T. vagua “A04,” and T. vagua “A10,” which were successfully isolated in culture during this study. The species-level diversity of Trebouxia associating with the two lichen-forming fungi in extreme habitats helps elucidate the evolutionary pathways that this lichen photobiont genus traversed to occupy varied climatic and vegetative regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Agnese Cometto
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Patricia Moya
- Botánica, ICBIBE, Faculty of CC. Biológicas, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Eva Barreno
- Botánica, ICBIBE, Faculty of CC. Biológicas, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Martin Grube
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Mauro Tretiach
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Steven D Leavitt
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States
| | - Lucia Muggia
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
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18
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Kosecka M, Kukwa M, Jabłońska A, Flakus A, Rodriguez-Flakus P, Ptach Ł, Guzow-Krzemińska B. Phylogeny and Ecology of Trebouxia Photobionts From Bolivian Lichens. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:779784. [PMID: 35418958 PMCID: PMC8996191 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.779784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the past few years, new phylogenetic lineages in Trebouxia were detected as a result of molecular approaches. These studies included symbiont selectivity in lichen communities, transects along altitudinal gradients at local and global scales and the photobiont diversity in local populations of lichen-forming fungal species. In most of these studies, phylogenetic and haplotype analyses based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) locus have continuously allowed the recognition of new monophyletic lineages, which suggests that still numerous undiscovered Trebouxia lineages can be hidden in lichens from unexplored areas, especially in the tropics. Here, we estimated the biodiversity of photobionts in Bolivian Andean vegetation and assessed their specificity. About 403 lichen samples representing 42 genera, e.g., Haematomma, Heterodermia, Hypotrachyna, Lecanora, Lepra, Leucodermia, Parmotrema, Pertusaria, Polyblastidium, and Usnea, containing Trebouxia photobionts, were analyzed. ITS ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and rbcL markers were used. We obtained Trebouxia sequences from Bolivian samples belonging to already described clades A, C, I, and S. Thirty-nine Trebouxia lineages were distinguished within these clades, while 16 were new. To reveal the structure of the community of Bolivian photobionts and their relationships with mycobionts, the comparative effects of climate, altitude, geographical distances, substrate, and habitat type, as well as functional traits of lichens such as growth forms, propagation mode and secondary metabolites, were analyzed. Furthermore, new Bolivian records were included in analysis on a global scale. In our study, the mycobiont genus or even species are the most important factors correlated with photobiont identity. Moreover, we revealed that the community of Bolivian photobionts is shaped by altitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Kosecka
- Department of Plant Taxonomy and Nature Conservation, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Martin Kukwa
- Department of Plant Taxonomy and Nature Conservation, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Jabłońska
- Department of Plant Taxonomy and Nature Conservation, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Adam Flakus
- W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | | | - Łucja Ptach
- Department of Plant Taxonomy and Nature Conservation, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Beata Guzow-Krzemińska
- Department of Plant Taxonomy and Nature Conservation, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
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19
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Barcytė D, Pusztai M, Škaloud P, Eliáš M. When you Like Other Algae: Adglutina synurophila gen. et sp. nov. (Moewusinia, Chlorophyceae), a Clingy Green Microalga Associated with Synura Colonies. Protist 2022; 173:125858. [DOI: 10.1016/j.protis.2022.125858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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20
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Blázquez M, Hernández-Moreno LS, Gasulla F, Pérez-Vargas I, Pérez-Ortega S. The Role of Photobionts as Drivers of Diversification in an Island Radiation of Lichen-Forming Fungi. Front Microbiol 2022; 12:784182. [PMID: 35046912 PMCID: PMC8763358 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.784182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Speciation in oceanic islands has attracted the interest of scientists since the 19th century. One of the most striking evolutionary phenomena that can be studied in islands is adaptive radiation, that is, when a lineage gives rise to different species by means of ecological speciation. Some of the best-known examples of adaptive radiation are charismatic organisms like the Darwin finches of the Galapagos and the cichlid fishes of the great African lakes. In these and many other examples, a segregation of the trophic niche has been shown to be an important diversification driver. Radiations are known in other groups of organisms, such as lichen-forming fungi. However, very few studies have investigated their adaptive nature, and none have focused on the trophic niche. In this study, we explore the role of the trophic niche in a putative radiation of endemic species from the Macaronesian Region, the Ramalina decipiens group. The photobiont diversity was studied by Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the ITS2 region of 197 specimens spanning the phylogenetic breadth and geographic range of the group. A total of 66 amplicon sequence variants belonging to the four main clades of the algal genus Trebouxia were found. Approximately half of the examined thalli showed algal coexistence, but in most of them, a single main photobiont amounted to more than 90% of the reads. However, there were no significant differences in photobiont identity and in the abundance of ITS2 reads across the species of the group. We conclude that a segregation of the trophic niche has not occurred in the R. decipiens radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Blázquez
- Department of Mycology, Real Jardín Botánico (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.,Open Access Publication Support Program, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.,Escuela Internacional de Doctorado, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Lucía S Hernández-Moreno
- Department of Mycology, Real Jardín Botánico (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.,Open Access Publication Support Program, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco Gasulla
- Department of Life Sciences, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Israel Pérez-Vargas
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | - Sergio Pérez-Ortega
- Department of Mycology, Real Jardín Botánico (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.,Open Access Publication Support Program, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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21
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Chloroplast morphology and pyrenoid ultrastructural analyses reappraise the diversity of the lichen phycobiont genus Trebouxia (Chlorophyta). ALGAL RES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2021.102561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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22
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OUP accepted manuscript. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2022; 98:6522171. [DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiac008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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23
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Moya P, Molins A, Škaloud P, Divakar PK, Chiva S, Dumitru C, Molina MC, Crespo A, Barreno E. Biodiversity Patterns and Ecological Preferences of the Photobionts Associated With the Lichen-Forming Genus Parmelia. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:765310. [PMID: 35003003 PMCID: PMC8739953 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.765310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The worldwide, ecologically relevant lichen-forming genus Parmelia currently includes 41 accepted species, of which the Parmelia sulcata group (PSULgp) and the Parmelia saxatilis group (PSAXgp) have received considerable attention over recent decades; however, phycobiont diversity is poorly known in Parmelia s. lat. Here, we studied the diversity of Trebouxia microalgae associated with 159 thalli collected from 30 locations, including nine Parmelia spp.: P. barrenoae, P. encryptata, P. ernstiae, P. mayi, P. omphalodes, P. saxatilis, P. serrana, P. submontana, and P. sulcata. The mycobionts were studied by carrying out phylogenetic analyses of the nrITS. Microalgae genetic diversity was examined by using both nrITS and LSU rDNA markers. To evaluate putative species boundaries, three DNA species delimitation analyses were performed on Trebouxia and Parmelia. All analyses clustered the mycobionts into two main groups: PSULgp and PSAXgp. Species delimitation identified 13 fungal and 15 algal species-level lineages. To identify patterns in specificity and selectivity, the diversity and abundance of the phycobionts were identified for each Parmelia species. High specificity of each Parmelia group for a given Trebouxia clade was observed; PSULgp associated only with clade I and PSAXgp with clade S. However, the degree of specificity is different within each group, since the PSAXgp mycobionts were less specific and associated with 12 Trebouxia spp., meanwhile those of PSULgp interacted only with three Trebouxia spp. Variation-partitioning analyses were conducted to detect the relative contributions of climate, geography, and symbiotic partner to phycobiont and mycobiont distribution patterns. Both analyses explained unexpectedly high portions of variability (99 and 98%) and revealed strong correlations between the fungal and algal diversity. Network analysis discriminated seven ecological clusters. Even though climatic conditions explained the largest proportion of the variation among these clusters, they seemed to show indifference relative to climatic parameters. However, the cluster formed by P. saxatilis A/P. saxatilis B/Trebouxia sp. 2/Trebouxia sp. S02/Trebouxia sp. 3A was identified to prefer cold-temperate as well as humid summer environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Moya
- Botánica, Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva (ICBIBE), Fac. CC. Biológicas, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Arantzazu Molins
- Botánica, Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva (ICBIBE), Fac. CC. Biológicas, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Pavel Škaloud
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Pradeep K. Divakar
- Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacognosia y Botánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Salvador Chiva
- Botánica, Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva (ICBIBE), Fac. CC. Biológicas, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Cristina Dumitru
- Botánica, Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva (ICBIBE), Fac. CC. Biológicas, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Maria Carmen Molina
- Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología (ESCET), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Crespo
- Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacognosia y Botánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eva Barreno
- Botánica, Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva (ICBIBE), Fac. CC. Biológicas, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
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24
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Medeiros ID, Mazur E, Miadlikowska J, Flakus A, Rodriguez-Flakus P, Pardo-De la Hoz CJ, Cieślak E, Śliwa L, Lutzoni F. Turnover of Lecanoroid Mycobionts and Their Trebouxia Photobionts Along an Elevation Gradient in Bolivia Highlights the Role of Environment in Structuring the Lichen Symbiosis. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:774839. [PMID: 34987486 PMCID: PMC8721194 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.774839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Shifts in climate along elevation gradients structure mycobiont-photobiont associations in lichens. We obtained mycobiont (lecanoroid Lecanoraceae) and photobiont (Trebouxia alga) DNA sequences from 89 lichen thalli collected in Bolivia from a ca. 4,700 m elevation gradient encompassing diverse natural communities and environmental conditions. The molecular dataset included six mycobiont loci (ITS, nrLSU, mtSSU, RPB1, RPB2, and MCM7) and two photobiont loci (ITS, rbcL); we designed new primers to amplify Lecanoraceae RPB1 and RPB2 with a nested PCR approach. Mycobionts belonged to Lecanora s.lat., Bryonora, Myriolecis, Protoparmeliopsis, the "Lecanora" polytropa group, and the "L." saligna group. All of these clades except for Lecanora s.lat. occurred only at high elevation. No single species of Lecanoraceae was present along the entire elevation gradient, and individual clades were restricted to a subset of the gradient. Most Lecanoraceae samples represent species which have not previously been sequenced. Trebouxia clade C, which has not previously been recorded in association with species of Lecanoraceae, predominates at low- to mid-elevation sites. Photobionts from Trebouxia clade I occur at the upper extent of mid-elevation forest and at some open, high-elevation sites, while Trebouxia clades A and S dominate open habitats at high elevation. We did not find Trebouxia clade D. Several putative new species were found in Trebouxia clades A, C, and I. These included one putative species in clade A associated with Myriolecis species growing on limestone at high elevation and a novel lineage sister to the rest of clade C associated with Lecanora on bark in low-elevation grassland. Three different kinds of photobiont switching were observed, with certain mycobiont species associating with Trebouxia from different major clades, species within a major clade, or haplotypes within a species. Lecanoraceae mycobionts and Trebouxia photobionts exhibit species turnover along the elevation gradient, but with each partner having a different elevation threshold at which the community shifts completely. A phylogenetically defined sampling of a single diverse family of lichen-forming fungi may be sufficient to document regional patterns of Trebouxia diversity and distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian D. Medeiros
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Edyta Mazur
- W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Kraków, Poland
| | | | - Adam Flakus
- W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Kraków, Poland
| | | | | | - Elżbieta Cieślak
- W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Kraków, Poland
| | - Lucyna Śliwa
- W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Kraków, Poland
| | - François Lutzoni
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
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25
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Macroclimatic conditions as main drivers for symbiotic association patterns in lecideoid lichens along the Transantarctic Mountains, Ross Sea region, Antarctica. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23460. [PMID: 34873261 PMCID: PMC8648759 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02940-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Lecideoid lichens as dominant vegetation-forming organisms in the climatically harsh areas of the southern part of continental Antarctica show clear preferences in relation to environmental conditions (i.e. macroclimate). 306 lichen samples were included in the study, collected along the Ross Sea coast (78°S–85.5°S) at six climatically different sites. The species compositions as well as the associations of their two dominant symbiotic partners (myco- and photobiont) were set in context with environmental conditions along the latitudinal gradient. Diversity values were nonlinear with respect to latitude, with the highest alpha diversity in the milder areas of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (78°S) and the most southern areas (Durham Point, 85.5°S; Garden Spur, 84.5°S), and lowest in the especially arid and cold Darwin Area (~ 79.8°S). Furthermore, the specificity of mycobiont species towards their photobionts decreased under more severe climate conditions. The generalist lichen species Lecanora fuscobrunnea and Lecidea cancriformis were present in almost all habitats, but were dominant in climatically extreme areas. Carbonea vorticosa, Lecidella greenii and Rhizoplaca macleanii were confined to milder areas. In summary, the macroclimate is considered to be the main driver of species distribution, making certain species useful as bioindicators of climate conditions and, consequently, for assessing the consequences of climate change.
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26
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Jung P, Brust K, Schultz M, Büdel B, Donner A, Lakatos M. Opening the Gap: Rare Lichens With Rare Cyanobionts - Unexpected Cyanobiont Diversity in Cyanobacterial Lichens of the Order Lichinales. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:728378. [PMID: 34690969 PMCID: PMC8527099 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.728378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The last decades of research led to a change in understanding of lichens that are now seen as self-sustaining micro-ecosystems, harboring diverse microbial organisms in tight but yet not fully understood relationships. Among the diverse interdependencies, the relationship between the myco- and photobiont is the most crucial, determining the shape, and ecophysiological properties of the symbiotic consortium. Roughly 10% of lichens associate with cyanobacteria as their primary photobiont, termed cyanolichens. Up to now, the diversity of cyanobionts of bipartite lichens resolved by modern phylogenetic approaches is restricted to the filamentous and heterocytous genera of the order Nostocales. Unicellular photobionts were placed in the orders Chroococcales, Pleurocapsales, and Chroococcidiopsidales. However, especially the phylogeny and taxonomy of the Chroococcidiopsidales genera remained rather unclear. Here we present new data on the identity and phylogeny of photobionts from cyanolichens of the genera Gonohymenia, Lichinella, Peccania, and Peltula from a broad geographical range. A polyphasic approach was used, combining morphological and cultivation-depending characteristics (microscopy, staining techniques, life cycle observation, baeocyte motility, and nitrogen fixation test) with phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA and 16S–23S ITS gene region. We found an unexpectedly high cyanobiont diversity in the cyanobacterial lichens of the order Lichinales, including two new genera and seven new species, all of which were not previously perceived as lichen symbionts. As a result, we describe the novel unicellular Chroococcidiopsidales genera Pseudocyanosarcina gen. nov. with the species Pseudocyanosarcina phycocyania sp. nov. (from Peltula clavata, Australia) and Compactococcus gen. nov. with the species Compactococcus sarcinoides sp. nov. (from Gonohymenia sp., Australia) and the new Chroococcidiopsidales species Aliterella compacta sp. nov. (from Peltula clavata, Australia), Aliterella gigantea sp. nov. (from Peltula capensis; South Africa), Sinocapsa ellipsoidea sp. nov. (from Peccania cerebriformis, Austria), as well as the two new Nostocales species Komarekiella gloeocapsoidea sp. nov. (from Gonohymenia sp., Czechia) and Komarekiella globosa sp. nov. (from Lichinella cribellifera, Canary Islands, Spain). Our study highlights the role of cyanolichens acting as a key in untangling cyanobacterial taxonomy and diversity. With this study, we hope to stimulate further research on photobionts, especially of rare cyanolichens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Jung
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, Germany
| | - Katharina Brust
- Ecology Group, Faculty of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Matthias Schultz
- Institute for Plant Science and Microbiology, Herbarium Hamburgense, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Burkhard Büdel
- Faculty of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Antje Donner
- Faculty of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Michael Lakatos
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, Germany
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27
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Nelsen MP, Leavitt SD, Heller K, Muggia L, Lumbsch HT. Macroecological diversification and convergence in a clade of keystone symbionts. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2021; 97:6279059. [PMID: 34014310 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiab072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Lichens are classic models of symbiosis, and one of the most frequent nutritional modes among fungi. The ecologically and geographically widespread lichen-forming algal (LFA) genus Trebouxia is one of the best-studied groups of LFA and associates with over 7000 fungal species. Despite its importance, little is known about its diversification. We synthesized twenty years of publicly available data by characterizing the ecological preferences of this group and testing for time-variant shifts in climatic regimes over a distribution of trees. We found evidence for limited shifts among regimes, but that disparate lineages convergently evolved similar ecological tolerances. Early Trebouxia lineages were largely forest specialists or habitat generalists that occupied a regime whose extant members occur in moderate climates. Trebouxia then convergently diversified in non-forested habitats and expanded into regimes whose modern representatives occupy wet-warm and cool-dry climates. We rejected models in which climatic diversification slowed through time, suggesting climatic diversification is inconsistent with that expected under an adaptive radiation. In addition, we found that climatic and vegetative regime shifts broadly coincided with the evolution of biomes and associated or similar taxa. Together, our work illustrates how this keystone symbiont from an iconic symbiosis evolved to occupy diverse habitats across the globe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew P Nelsen
- The Field Museum, Negaunee Integrative Research Center, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| | - Steven D Leavitt
- Department of Biology and M. L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, 4102 Life Science Building, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Kathleen Heller
- The Field Museum, Negaunee Integrative Research Center, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA.,Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Lucia Muggia
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, via Giorgieri 10, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - H Thorsten Lumbsch
- The Field Museum, Negaunee Integrative Research Center, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
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28
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Molins A, Moya P, Muggia L, Barreno E. Thallus Growth Stage and Geographic Origin Shape Microalgal Diversity in Ramalina farinacea Lichen Holobionts. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2021; 57:975-987. [PMID: 33528835 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Lichen symbioses are microecosystems hosting many other living organisms besides the two major lichen symbionts (i.e., lichenized fungi [the mycobiont] and green microalgae or cyanobacteria [the photobiont]). Recent investigations evidenced that other fungi, non-photosynthetic bacteria, and microalgae co-inhabit within the lichen thalli, but their diversity and their roles are still underinvestigated. Here we present an ad hoc stratified sampling design and in-depth Illumina paired-end metabarcoding approach to explore microalgal diversity in lichen thalli of the model species Ramalina farinacea from different ecologies. Lichen thalli were surveyed according to three different sizes, and different thallus parts were considered for molecular, bioinformatics, and community diversity analyses. The results revealed that microalgal diversity strongly depends on the growth stage of the thalli, the geographic area, and the habitat type. The results also show that microalgal diversity does not vary along the thallus branches (lacinias)-that is, it does not correlate with the apical growth and founder effects-and that there is no balanced co-presence of two main photobionts as previously established in R. farinacea. The sampling design performed here minimizes bias in the assessment of photobiont diversity in lichens and is proposed to be reliable and applicable to further study microalgal diversity in lichen symbioses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arantzazu Molins
- Instituto "Cavanilles" de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Botánica, Fac. CC. Biológicas, Universitat de València, 46100, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
| | - Patricia Moya
- Instituto "Cavanilles" de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Botánica, Fac. CC. Biológicas, Universitat de València, 46100, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
| | - Lucia Muggia
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, via L. Giorgieri 10, 34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - Eva Barreno
- Instituto "Cavanilles" de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Botánica, Fac. CC. Biológicas, Universitat de València, 46100, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
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29
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Cornet L, Magain N, Baurain D, Lutzoni F. Exploring syntenic conservation across genomes for phylogenetic studies of organisms subjected to horizontal gene transfers: A case study with Cyanobacteria and cyanolichens. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2021; 162:107100. [PMID: 33592234 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the evolutionary history of symbiotic Cyanobacteria at a fine scale is essential to unveil patterns of associations with their hosts and factors driving their spatiotemporal interactions. As for bacteria in general, Horizontal Gene Transfers (HGT) are expected to be rampant throughout their evolution, which justified the use of single-locus phylogenies in macroevolutionary studies of these photoautotrophic bacteria. Genomic approaches have greatly increased the amount of molecular data available, but the selection of orthologous, congruent genes that are more likely to reflect bacterial macroevolutionary histories remains problematic. In this study, we developed a synteny-based approach and searched for Collinear Orthologous Regions (COR), under the assumption that genes that are present in the same order and orientation across a wide monophyletic clade are less likely to have undergone HGT. We searched sixteen reference Nostocales genomes and identified 99 genes, part of 28 COR comprising three to eight genes each. We then developed a bioinformatic pipeline, designed to minimize inter-genome contamination and processed twelve Nostoc-associated lichen metagenomes. This reduced our original dataset to 90 genes representing 25 COR, which were used to infer phylogenetic relationships within Nostocales and among lichenized Cyanobacteria. This dataset was narrowed down further to 71 genes representing 22 COR by selecting only genes part of one (largest) operon per COR. We found a relatively high level of congruence among trees derived from the 90-gene dataset, but congruence was only slightly higher among genes within a COR compared to genes across COR. However, topological congruence was significantly higher among the 71 genes part of one operon per COR. Nostocales phylogenies resulting from concatenation and species tree approaches based on the 90- and 71-gene datasets were highly congruent, but the most highly supported result was obtained when using synteny, collinearity, and operon information (i.e., 71-gene dataset) as gene selection criteria, which outperformed larger datasets with more genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luc Cornet
- InBioS - PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Nicolas Magain
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Evolution and Conservation Biology, InBioS, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Denis Baurain
- InBioS - PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
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30
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Dal Forno M, Lawrey JD, Sikaroodi M, Gillevet PM, Schuettpelz E, Lücking R. Extensive photobiont sharing in a rapidly radiating cyanolichen clade. Mol Ecol 2020; 30:1755-1776. [PMID: 33080083 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have uncovered remarkable diversity in Dictyonema s.lat. basidiolichens, here recognized as subtribe Dictyonemateae. This group includes five genera and 148 species, but hundreds more await description. The photobionts of these lichens belong to Rhizonema, a recently resurrected cyanobacterial genus known by a single species. To further investigate photobiont diversity within Dictyonemateae, we generated 765 new cyanobacterial sequences from 635 specimens collected from 18 countries. The ITS barcoding locus supported the recognition of 200 mycobiont (fungal) species among these samples, but the photobiont diversity was comparatively low. Our analyses revealed three main divisions of Rhizonema, with two repeatedly recovered as monophyletic (proposed as new species), and the third mostly paraphyletic. The paraphyletic lineage corresponds to R. interruptum and partnered with mycobionts from all five genera in Dictyonemateae. There was no evidence of photobiont-mycobiont co-speciation, but one of the monophyletic lineages of Rhizonema appears to partner predominantly with one of the two major clades of Cora (mycobiont) with samples collected largely from the northern Andes. Molecular clock estimations indicate the Rhizonema species are much older than the fungal species in the Dictyonemateae, suggesting that these basidiolichens obtained their photobionts from older ascolichen lineages and the photobiont variation in extant lineages of Dictyonemateae is the result of multiple photobiont switches. These results support the hypothesis of lichens representing "fungal farmers," in which diverse mycobiont lineages associate with a substantially lower diversity of photobionts by sharing those photobionts best suited for the lichen symbiosis among multiple and often unrelated mycobiont lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Dal Forno
- Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Fort Worth, TX, USA.,Department of Botany, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
| | - James D Lawrey
- Department of Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | | | | | - Eric Schuettpelz
- Department of Botany, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Robert Lücking
- Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Research Associate, Science & Education, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL, USA
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31
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Multidisciplinary approach to describe Trebouxia diversity within lichenized fungi Buellia zoharyi from the Canary Islands. Symbiosis 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s13199-020-00722-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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32
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Metagenomic data reveal diverse fungal and algal communities associated with the lichen symbiosis. Symbiosis 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s13199-020-00699-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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33
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34
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Moya P, Molins A, Chiva S, Bastida J, Barreno E. Symbiotic microalgal diversity within lichenicolous lichens and crustose hosts on Iberian Peninsula gypsum biocrusts. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14060. [PMID: 32820199 PMCID: PMC7441164 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71046-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This study analyses the interactions among crustose and lichenicolous lichens growing on gypsum biocrusts. The selected community was composed of Acarospora nodulosa, Acarospora placodiiformis, Diploschistes diacapsis, Rhizocarpon malenconianum and Diplotomma rivas-martinezii. These species represent an optimal system for investigating the strategies used to share phycobionts because Acarospora spp. are parasites of D. diacapsis during their first growth stages, while in mature stages, they can develop independently. R. malenconianum is an obligate lichenicolous lichen on D. diacapsis, and D. rivas-martinezii occurs physically close to D. diacapsis. Microalgal diversity was studied by Sanger sequencing and 454-pyrosequencing of the nrITS region, and the microalgae were characterized ultrastructurally. Mycobionts were studied by performing phylogenetic analyses. Mineralogical and macro- and micro-element patterns were analysed to evaluate their influence on the microalgal pool available in the substrate. The intrathalline coexistence of various microalgal lineages was confirmed in all mycobionts. D. diacapsis was confirmed as an algal donor, and the associated lichenicolous lichens acquired their phycobionts in two ways: maintenance of the hosts' microalgae and algal switching. Fe and Sr were the most abundant microelements in the substrates but no significant relationship was found with the microalgal diversity. The range of associated phycobionts are influenced by thallus morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Moya
- Botánica, ICBIBE, Fac. CC. Biológicas, Universitat de València, C/ Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain.
| | - Arantzazu Molins
- Botánica, ICBIBE, Fac. CC. Biológicas, Universitat de València, C/ Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
| | - Salvador Chiva
- Botánica, ICBIBE, Fac. CC. Biológicas, Universitat de València, C/ Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
| | - Joaquín Bastida
- Geología, Fac. CC. Biológicas, Universitat de València, C/ Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
| | - Eva Barreno
- Botánica, ICBIBE, Fac. CC. Biológicas, Universitat de València, C/ Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
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