The genus Asterochloris represents one of the most common, widespread, and diverse taxa of lichen photobionts. In this report, we describe and characterize six new species (A. echinata, A. friedlii, A. gaertneri, A. leprarii, A. lobophora, and A. woessiae) that were identified during our recent investigation of photobiont diversity. We found that the species differed genetically, morphologically, ecologically, and with respect to their mycobiont partners. Statistical analyses revealed significant morphological differentiation of all six newly described species, as well as their separation from previously described Asterochloris species. Chloroplast morphology represented the best morphological marker for species delineation. In fact, each species can be recognized by the dominance and unique assemblage of particular chloroplast types. Although genetically well recognized by rapidly evolving internal transcribed spacer rDNA and actin intron markers, all 13 investigated Asterochloris species shared identical small subunit rDNA sequences. We therefore demonstrated that morphologically and ecologically diverse species can frequently be grouped into a single taxonomic unit in whole-transcriptome sequencing studies, considerably affecting the resulting estimates of species diversity. Finally, we demonstrated the presence of isogamous sexual reproduction in Asterochloris, disputing the current symbiotic dogma of the loss of sexual reproduction in algal symbionts.

Department of Botany Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Benátská 2 Prague 2 128 01 Czech Republic

The West Bohemian Museum in Pilsen Kopeckého sady 2 Plzeň 30 100 Czech Republic

Citace poskytuje Crossref.org

Novel insights in cryptic diversity of snow and glacier ice algae communities combining 18S rRNA gene and ITS2 amplicon sequencing

Choosing the Right Life Partner: Ecological Drivers of Lichen Symbiosis

Thorsmoerkia curvula gen. et spec. nov. (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta), a semi-terrestrial microalga from Iceland exhibits high levels of unsaturated fatty acids

New lineages of photobionts in Bolivian lichens expand our knowledge on habitat preferences and distribution of Asterochloris algae

Promiscuity in Lichens Follows Clear Rules: Partner Switching in Cladonia Is Regulated by Climatic Factors and Soil Chemistry

Sanguina nivaloides and Sanguina aurantia gen. et spp. nov. (Chlorophyta): the taxonomy, phylogeny, biogeography and ecology of two newly recognised algae causing red and orange snow

DNA-Based Taxonomy in Ecologically Versatile Microalgae: A Re-Evaluation of the Species Concept within the Coccoid Green Algal Genus Coccomyxa (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta)

Trachelomonas bituricensis var. lotharingia M.L. Poucques 1952, a morphologically interesting, rare euglenoid new to the algal flora of the Czech Republic

A paneukaryotic genomic analysis of the small GTPase RABL2 underscores the significance of recurrent gene loss in eukaryote evolution

Zobrazit více v PubMed

GENBANK
AB080310, GU017647, Z21552