Message - 7th IAL Symposium
Message - 7th IAL Symposium
Message - 7th IAL Symposium
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The 7 th International Association for Lichenology <strong>Symposium</strong> 2012<br />
(3A-P3) Submission ID: <strong>IAL</strong>0057-00001<br />
A PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF THE UMBILICATE ASPICILIA (MEGASPORACEAE,<br />
ASCOMYCOTA) BASED ON NU-ITS AND NU-LSU SEQUENCE DATA<br />
Sohrabi M. 1,2 , Stenroos S. 1 , Högnabba F. 1<br />
1 Botanical Museum, Department of Mycology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland<br />
2 Faculty of Natural Science, Department of Plant Science, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran<br />
The genus Aspicilia is the largest genus in the family Megasporaceae and includes a number of morphologically<br />
distinct groups of species (e.g., umbilicate, subfruticose, crustose). One of the smallest groups<br />
consists of the two umbilicate species A. caesiascens Pisút and A. oxneriana O. B. Blum that are characterized<br />
by the presence of central strands in their thalli, the lack of secondary substances and that they are attached<br />
to rocks. Currently the phylogenetic relationships of the two umbilicate taxa are poorly understood. Our aim<br />
was to reconstruct the phylogeny of these two species to test whether certain characters found only in Aspicilia<br />
(such as umbilical growth form) have evolved repeatedly or only once. We used the nuITS and nuLSU rDNA as<br />
molecular markers. Convergent evolution of the umbilicate growth form was revealed by molecular data in Megasporaceae.<br />
Our analysis shows that A. caesiascens with small spores, eight spored asci and a subhymenial<br />
algal layer form a monophyletic group that is placed in the genus Lobothallia s.lat. Further, A. oxneriana that<br />
has larger spores, 1-4 (6) spored asci and lacks a subhymenial algal layer form a monophyletic group and nests<br />
within the genus Circinaria. The variability and taxonomic importance of particular features in both species are<br />
discussed. Two new combinations in the genera Circinaria and Lobothallia are necessary. A key and distribution<br />
maps to the species present in Iran and the Central Asia are provided.<br />
(3A-P4) Submission ID: <strong>IAL</strong>0057-00002<br />
CURRENT STATUS OF THE PHYLOGENY OF THE FAMILY MEGASPORACEAE<br />
Sohrabi M. 1 , Leavitt S. 2<br />
1 Botanical Museum, Department of Mycology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland<br />
2 Department of Botany, The Field Museum, Chicago, United States<br />
The family Megasporaceae (Pertusariales, Lecanoromycetes, Ascomycota), as currently circumscribed,<br />
includes five genera (Megaspora, Lobothalia, Aspicilia, Sagedia, and Circinaria) and ca. 300 species<br />
world-wide. Species of the family are lichenized with chlorococcal algae. While the majority of species grow on<br />
rocks (mainly crustose forms, but include several subfoliose, to umbilicate taxa), others are commonly found on<br />
soil, including subfruticose (erratic or vagrant) specimens, and a limited number of species grow on bark and<br />
wood. Representatives from this family are found in diverse habitats, including: maritime habitats, open forests,<br />
semiarid steppes, and very hot deserts. Earlier studies have shown that the speciose genus Aspicilia sensu lato<br />
is a polyphyletic. For example, Aspicilia s. str. (A. cinerea group), Sagedia s. str (S. zonata group) and Lobothallia<br />
s. lat. (including L. farinosa and L. recedens) correspond to well-supported monophyletic lineages within<br />
Megasporaceae. Many ‘manna lichen’ species have been moved to Circinaria, but our preliminary results shown<br />
that the genus is composed of two major lineages: a group of strictly saxicolous species, containing aspicilin<br />
and without pseudocyphellae (C. contorta, C. calcarea, C. cupreogrisea, C. leprosescens, and C. gibbosa) and<br />
a group including both vagrant and saxicolous taxa, with pseudocyphellae but without aspicilin (so far called<br />
‘manna lichens’ or sphaerothallioid lichens). In addition, we assessed the relationship of some representatives<br />
from corticolous and terricolous species, including A. uxoris, A. tibetica, A. cerspiana, and A. mansourii, using a<br />
combined dataset from two nuclear ribosomal loci (ITS and LSU). Our result shown that A. uxoris group is also<br />
other generic-level monophyletic group within traditional Aspicilia s. lat., and sister to Lobothallia s. lat.<br />
151<br />
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