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Abstract Detail



Bryological and Lichenological Section/ABLS

Dal-Forno, Manuela [1], Lawrey, James [1], Sikaroodi, Masoumeh [1], Gillevet, Patrick [1], Lucking, Robert [2].

Evolution and diversity of the tropical basidiolichen clade Dictyonema sensu lato: an example of how molecular data and classic taxonomy work well together.

Lichenized basidiomycetes represent a small group within Basidiomycota, with around 50 known species distributed in ten genera, but this number is clearly underestimated. Dictyonema sensu lato represents the largest clade of basidiolichens; together with Lichenomphalia sensu lato, it forms part of the family Hygrophoraceae in Agaricales. These lichens occur world-wide, but have their highest diversity in the tropics and especially in tropical montane regions. The clade has a diverse morphology with filamentous, crustose, squamulose and foliose thalli, cyphelloid, corticioid to stereoid basidiocarps, and the uniquely lichenized cyanobacteria Rhizonema as photobionts, with a unique type of intracellular haustoria. More than 50 species may belong in this clade alone, but species concepts are currently not very well established. In an attempt to elucidate the evolution and genus- and species-level diversification in Dictyonema sensu lato, we generated DNA sequences (ITS, nuLSU, RBP2) of 600 specimens from 19 countries. The multilocus phylogeny obtained indicates the presence of five genus-level groups: a basal clade representing Cyphellostereum sister to the rest of the species, a paraphyletic grade representing Dictyonema sensu stricto, and three additional clades representing the genera Acantholichen, Cora and Corella. We are able to show that the group is far more diverse than ever thought and that the morphological, anatomical, and ecological differences observed, once treated as mere variations within a few species, are in fact indicative of a large number of different taxa.

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1 - George Mason University, Environmental Science and Policy MSN 5F2 , 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA, 22030-4444, USA
2 - Field Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605-2496, USA

Keywords:
lichens
Basidiomycota
Cyanobacteria
phylogeny.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 7
Location: Ascot/Riverside Hilton
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2013
Time: 10:00 AM
Number: 7005
Abstract ID:776
Candidate for Awards:A. J. Sharp Award


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