Lichen-forming fungi
Figures and photos: IGB
Project main collaborators: Asunción de los Ríos (National Museum of Natural Sciences, Madrid) & Sergio Pérez-Ortega (Royal Botanical Garden, Madrid) |
Origin of the Antarctic lichen biota SeeAlthough concepts in lichen biogeography have recently improved, there are still some questions that should be given more attention. One is the origin of the Antarctic lichen biota, which lichenologists intensively discussed along the twentieth century (Du Rietz 1940; Lamb 1948, 1970; Galloway 1991; Seppelt 1995).
This was the primary goal of my PhD in the National Museum of Natural Sciences (2013-2017). Most of the research effort was devoted to elucidate the spatial and temporal origin of populations in Maritime and Continental Antartica of lichen-forming fungi and associated photobionts by using genetic markers, population genetics, and migration and dating analyses. So far, results support the premise of an ancient, pre-Pleistocene origin for species of lichenized fungi and algae that are endemic to Antarctica. See our papers Garrido-Benavent et al. (2016, Mycological Progress; 2018, Journal of Biogeography) |
Picture and photos: IGB
Project main collaborators: Asunción de los Ríos (MNCN) & Sergio Pérez-Ortega (RJB), Fernando Fernández-Mendoza (University of Graz, Austria) |
Bipolar disjunctions in lichen-forming fungi and their photobionts
The origin of bipolar (amphitropical) disjunct distributions in plants and cryptogams has puzzled botanists and lichenologists since Humboldt's times.
For example, ca. 160 Antarctic species also occur in polar areas or mountainous temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Early interpretations of this particular distribution pattern were made in terms of vicariance or long-distance dispersal. However, it was not until the emergence of phylogenetics and the possibility of dating past diversification and colonization events that these initial hypotheses started to be evaluated. Our results point towards a mixed spatial origin for bipolar distributions in lichens, with some austral species migrating to the Northern Hemisphere by direct long-distance dispersal, whereas some boreal species may have migrated southwards through "mountain-hopping" along the American Cordilleras and/or by direct long-distance dispersal. In any case, these events seems to have occurred in relatively recent times (since the Miocene/Pleistocene). See Garrido-Benavent & Pérez-Ortega (2017, Am. J. Bot.) for a detailed review on this topic. Now we are also studying Illumina NGS data to quantify the amount of shared fungal Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) or Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) shared between poles. |
Picture and photos: IGB
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phyloRamalina: phylogenetics, phylogenomics and population genomics of species in the genus Ramalina
I recently joined the research group of Dr. Pérez-Ortega in the Royal Botanical Garden thanks to a 1-year Posdoctoral fellowship. His project on the diversification of the lichenized fungal genus Ramalina and the reasons that promoted it in Macaronesia (phyloRamalina) is fascinating!! My working time is spent in two aspects of this project: analysing the genomes of selected Ramalina species, and obtaining RAD-seq data to unravel the distribution in time and space of two species found in several Macaronesian islands. Additionally, we have been in contact with the Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Group in the University of Barcelona (Cristina Frías-López, main collaborator and co-developer of the DOMINO software) to select informative molecular markers from available Ramalina genomes to study the overall phylogeny of the genus. Preliminary results are promising!!
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Picture: IGB; photos: A. de los Ríos
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Microbial colonization after glaciar retreat
I'm involved in a project about microbial colonization of soil and rocks in Antarctic and Icelandic retreating glaciers which is led by Dr. Asunción de los Ríos (MNCN-CSIC). Our biological data were obtained using Illumina sequencing and we have tens of GB of information!! Abiotic variables were also surveyed to test their relative importance along the primary succession.
We are not only focusing on answering how the lichenized fungal biota changes over time: we also aim at unravelling the behaviour of other organisms such as non-lichenized fungi, algae and bacteria. This pioneering and multifaceted study is about to be sent to a scientific journal, so let's wait for more results!! ;-) |
Photos: IGB
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Diversity of Teloschistaceae
The lichen family Teloschistaceae (Ascomycota) displays a fascinating high species richness, with ca. 1000 estimated taxa (Arup et al. 2013). This diversity is thought to be the result of a diversification burst due to the synergistic effect of intrinsic and extrinsic factors (Gaya et al. 2015).
The advent of phylogenetics has motivated the reassessment of the taxonomical diversity of this family and, as a result, many new taxa have been described elsewhere (e.g. Arup et al. 2013; Søchting et al. 2014; Garrido-Benavent et al. 2016). I intend to use a polyphasic approach combining traditional techniques (morphology, secondary chemistry) with phylogenetic and biogeographical analyses to study the diversity of this family in the following geographic areas: i) Antarctica (collaborators: Asunción de los Ríos & Ulrik Søchting) ii) Cape Verde archipelago (Africa) (collaborators: Sergio Pérez-Ortega & Israel Pérez-Vargas) iii) Namibia (collaborators: Asunción de los Ríos & Alicia Limón) iv) Iberian Peninsula |
Prasiola stipitata growing on coastal rocks in Scotland. Photo: Francesc Ferrando i Molina
Adriatic Sea, Ancona (Italy). Meeting with Dr. Fabio Rindi to discuss our project on Prasiola. (Photo: IGB)
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Diversity of Prasiola (Prasiolaceae, Trebouxiophyceae) in the Southern Hemisphere
Prasiola is a genus of green algae that occurs mostly on coastal rocks at high latitude localities in both hemispheres. There are also freshwater species and other growing on inland localities (Rindi et al. 2004, 2007). Interestingly, some Prasiola establish symbiotic associations with the ascomycete fungus Mastodia (Verrucariaceae), forming lichens. The biogeography of this association as well as the evolution of these associations at the temporal scale have been crucial topics of my PhD.
Thanks to a collaboration with colleagues in the University of Ancona in Italy (Fabio Rindi, worldwide expert on the genus Prasiola), the British Antarctic Survey in the UK (Peter Convey and Elise Biersma), Tasmania (Fiona Scott) and New Zealand (Wendy Nelson and Judy Sutherland), we are enlarging our Prasiola data set with samples from New Zealand, Sub-Antarctic islands and Tasmania to provide further insights into the evolutionary history of lichenized and non-lichenized Prasiola species, particularly those distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. Colleagues in Scotland (Francesc Ferrando and Araceli Torró) are also providing samples from the Atlantic to compare their genetic diversity to that of populations in the Southern Hemisphere. |
Photos: IGB
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Lichen diversity in the Vall d'Albaida region (Valencia, eastern Iberian Peninsula)
I am aware of the fact that I am spending most of my life time studying lichens from Antarctica, Cape Verde, Tierra de Fuego, etc. whereas the diversity of these organisms in my home region is often neglected.
It is time for a change!!! The study of the lichen diversity of the Vall d'Albaida region, in the eastern Iberian Peninsula, deserves increased attention! With the help of several colleagues (Simón Fos, Eva Barreno, Violeta Atienza,...), I aim to improve the checklist of lichens for this region, which is threatened by recurrent fires and a prolonged drought. |
Non-lichenized fungi
Holm oak forest with Fraxinus ornus, Acer monspessulanum, Quercus faginea and Taxus baccata (Font Roja, Alcoi, Alicante, eastern Iberian Peninsula)
Photos: IGB
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Diversity of Cortinarius (Basidiomycota) in the Iberian Peninsula
The genus Cortinarius (Agaricales, Basidiomycota) comprises more than 2000 species at a global scale. These usually form ectomycorrhizae with members of several families of vascular plants.
Cortinarius shows a high degree of phenotypic plasticity and morphological convergence. Moreover, several studies based on DNA data have recently demonstrated that cryptic speciation is very common in this genus. This is why species identification becomes so complicated (and usually doubtful) when only morphological and ecological characters are used. Over 800 species (ca. 40% of the total diversity) are found in the Iberian Peninsula (Mahiques 2011). Unfortunately, the taxonomical identity of the vast majority of collections have never been checked in the context of molecular phylogenetics. Through a collaboration with experts Rafael Mahiques and Josep Ballarà, we aim to assess the diversity of this abundant and complicated genus of basidiomycetes in the Iberian Peninsula, paying particular attention to species found in protected areas with a typical Mediterranean climate. Our studies are based on the use of novel approaches to species delimitation as well as population genetics and dating analyses. |
Photos: IGB
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Resolving the taxonomy of rare and/or complex groups of basidiomycetes and ascomycetes
My passion for fungi started when I was very young. After learning about edible and non-edible species, I moved to the more satisfying (or unsatisfying) topic of species recognition and taxonomy. I was fortunate to be able to use a microscope since I was 12. With appropriate books and the advice of family and colleagues, I began to build my first checklists of fungi from several habitats in my home town.
This passion has increased since then, and now my intention is to perform detailed studies of the fungal diversity in my home region with the help of phylogenetics. To do so, I have selected particular fungal species and/or several (micro-)habitats to focus on: i) The genus Inocybe (Basidiomycota). The study of this group of basidiomycetes is as difficult as that of Cortinarius. Moreover, there is a huge gap in the knowledge of Inocybe species in the Mediterranean region. Phylogenetics tools are expected to help us in recognising reliable species limits in this group. (main collaborator: Fernando Esteve-Raventós, Univeristy of Alcalá, Spain) ii) Ascomycetes growing on Juniperus. There are several widespread, but mostly unknown, species of fungi growing on Juniperus leaves which I have found in different forests of my country. For example, species of the genera Pseudodiscus, Pododimeria, and Seynesiella. Most of them have never been cited before in the Iberian Peninsula. iii) The genus Caliciopsis (Coryneliaceae, Ascomycota). I feel very fortunate for being able to describe a new species of Caliciopsis, C. valentina (Garrido-Benavent & Pérez-Ortega 2015, Mycol. Progr.), from my home town (Quatretonda, Valencia, eastern Iberian Peninsula)!!!!! iv) The genus Sarea (Ascomycota). There are two species in this genus that grow on resin of coniferous trees. I am currently collaborating with James Mitchell, a graduate student in the lab of Donald Pfister (Harvard University, USA) on a project entitled 'A morphological and molecular investigation of the genus Sarea Fr. worldwide'. v) Fungi inhabiting the ravines of the Vall d'Albaida region. There are lots of species (some of them new to science) which grow in specific microhabitats in the ravines of this Mediterranean environment. With the help of marker data, my intention is to shed light on the fungal diversity of this peculiar habitat. |
Vall d'Albaida region (Valencia, eastern Iberian Peninsula; Photo: IGB)