Genetic diversity and structure of the epiphytic foliose lichen Lobaria pindarensis in the Himalayas depends on elevation

The epiphytic lichen Lobaria pindarensis is a Himalayan endemic species with little information on distribution, genetic diversity and structural complexity. During an intensive survey in the Nepal Himalayas, we collected 1256 thallus fragments from 45 phorophyte species to study their distribution and population genetics along an elevational gradient. We quantified genetic diversity and population structure of each symbiont at 17 fungus specific and 9 alga specific microsatellite loci. The Bayesian clustering identified three and two distinct gene pools for mycobiont and photobiont. We found that genetic diversity, allelic richness and gene pool composition and distribution were significantly influenced by elevation. We discovered both clonally and sexually reproduced repeated genotypes of the symbionts.     

Plate tectonics and the distribution of cool temperate Southern Hemisphere macrolichens

GALLOWAY, D. J., 1988. Plate tectonics and the distribution of cool temperate Southern Hemisphere macrolichens. Several macrolichen genera in the families Lobariaceae and Pannariaceae speciate richly in cool temperate areas of the Southern Hemisphere between latitudes 35 and 55°S, being common in Nothofagus forests, subalpine shrubland, bog and grassland habitats. Affinities of southern cool temperate lichens are discussed in terms of plate tectonics and tectono-stratigraphic terranes.     

Phosphorus Fertilization Increases the Abundance and Nitrogenase Activity of the Cyanolichen Pseudocyphellaria crocata in Hawaiian Montane Forests

Nitrogen-fixing epiphytes (especially lichens with a cyanobacterial symbiont—cyanolichens) have the potential to contribute significant amounts of nitrogen (N) to montane tropical forests, which are typically low in N—but the factors controlling the abundance and distribution of epiphytic cyanolichens are poorly understood. In long-term fertilization experiments in montane forests on a 4.l million-yr-old Oxisol on the island of Kauà'i and on a 152-yr-old lava flow on the island of Hawai'i, the epiphytic cyanolichen Pseudocyphellaria crocata increased significantly in abundance in canopies of host trees fertilized with phosphorus (P). There was no response to fertilization with N or other essential elements. Nitrogen-fixation rates were also elevated in lichens in P-fertilized plots at both sites. Phosphorus supply to host trees may be an important factor controlling N inputs to montane tropical forests by N-fixing epiphytes.