Selectivity of photobiont choice in a defined lichen community: inferences from cultural and molecular studies

Abstract

Axenic cultures of lichen photobionts isolated from bark‐inhabiting lichen thalli of the Physcietum adscendentis Ochsner were identified by light microscopy and sequence comparisons of internal transcribed spacer rDNAs to investigate principles of lichenization within a defined lichen sociological unit. The photobiont identity of eight lichen species is reported for the first time (photobiont species in square brackets): Lecania cyrtella (Ach.) Th. Fr. [ Trebouxia arboricola Puym.], Lecania naegelii (Hepp) Diederich & v. d. Boom [ Dictyochloropsis symbiontica Tscherm.‐Woess], Candelaria concolor (Dicks) B. Stein [ Trebouxia jamesii (Hildreth & Ahmadjian) Gärtner], Candelariella cf. reflexa (Nyl.) Lettau [ T. jamesii ], Lecanora spec. [ T. arboricola ], Phaeophyscia orbicularis (Neck.) Moberg [ T. impressa Ahmadjian], Physcia adscendens (Fr.) H. Olivier [ T. impressa ] and Lecidella elaeochroma (Ach.) M. Choisy [ T. arboricola ] and could be confirmed for another two species, Physcia stellaris (L.) Nyl. [ Trebouxia impressa ] and Xanthoria parietina (L.) Th. Fr. [ Trebouxia arboricola ]. The observation that pioneer lichens without vegetative propagules, growing on smooth bark, had Trebouxia arboricola as photobiont can be explained by the assumption of a free‐living population of Trebouxia arboricola . Species of photobionts from Xanthoria parietina were morphologically and genetically different from those of Physcia adscendens and Phaeophyscia orbicularis , respectively; a finding that does not support the previous assumption that Xanthoria parietina takes over its algal partner from a Physcia species, at least at the sites investigated.