Austroplaca soropelta

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Austroplaca soropelta
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Teloschistales
Family: Teloschistaceae
Genus: Austroplaca
Species:
A. soropelta
Binomial name
Austroplaca soropelta
(E.S.Hansen, Poelt & Søchting) Søchting, Frödén & Arup (2013)
Synonyms [1]
  • Caloplaca citrina var. soropeltaE.S.Hansen (1987)
  • Caloplaca soropelta(E.S.Hansen, Poelt & Søchting) Søchting (1992)

Austroplaca soropelta is a species of saxicolous and muscicolous (rock- and moss-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. [2] It has a bipolar distribution, meaning it occurs in polar areas of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Taxonomy

The lichen was first formally described in 1987 by the lichenologists Eric-Steen Hansen, Josef Poelt, and Ulrik Søchting in 1987; they initially classified it as a variety of Caloplaca citrina, [3] a lichen now known as Flavoplaca citrina . The type specimen was collected from Greenland, specifically on the rocky slopes northeast of the Arctic Station Godhavn in Disko Island. The specimen was found growing on basalt, within the south-facing protected crevices of a bird cliff, at an elevation of about 20 m (66 ft). In 1992, Søchting promoted it to species status as Caloplaca soropelta. [4] A little more than two decades later, Søchting and colleagues transferred it to the genus Austroplaca following a molecular phylogenetics-informed restructuring of the family Teloschistaceae. [5]

Description

Austroplaca soropelta is a species of lichen that forms crust-like structures, ranging up to 2 cm in size, on mosses or rocks. The thallus, which is the main body of the lichen, can either be shield-like ( peltate ) or scale-like ( squamulose ). The scale-like parts, or squamules , are typically regular in shape and sometimes have broad lobes , measuring up to 1.2 mm. These squamules often start out highly convex and later become flat or slightly concave. They have an orange-yellow colour, with the edges frequently curled upwards. [6]

A distinctive feature of Austroplaca soropelta is the presence of soralia, which are specialised propagules for asexual reproduction. These soralia are lip-shaped and merge, forming along the lower sides of the squamules. They expose golden-yellow soredia, which are granular clusters of algal cells and fungal filaments. In some instances, this lichen can develop into a uniformly sorediate (covered in soredia) crust. The soredia are sized between 25 and 35  μm in diameter. Pycnidia, which are flask-shaped structures producing asexual spores, have not been observed in this species. [6]

Secondary metabolites (lichen products) that occur in this species are parietin as a major substance, and smaller concentrations of emodin, fallacinal, parietinic acid, and teloschistin. [6] This suite of chemicals corresponds to the chemosyndrome  A as previously elaborated by Søchting. [7]

Habitat and distribution

In terms of ecology, Austroplaca soropelta has varied growth patterns depending on its location. On the Antarctic continent, this species predominantly grows on strongly convex moss cushions. There, it is commonly found in the company of Gallowayella borealis and Caloplaca flava , and often alongside Austroplaca darbishirei . In contrast, in Tierra del Fuego and the Northern Hemisphere, Austroplaca soropelta adopts a saxicolous (rock-dwelling) habit, preferring the shelter of crevices. In these environments, it anchors its squamules using hyphal strands. [6]

The species was initially described from Greenland and has subsequently been identified in other Arctic locations such as Svalbard and Iceland. More recent discoveries have extended its known range to Antarctica, specifically in Victoria Land. There have been also a few collections from the southernmost regions of Argentina and Chile. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teloschistaceae</span> Family of lichen-forming fungi

The Teloschistaceae are a large family of mostly lichen-forming fungi belonging to the class Lecanoromycetes in the division Ascomycota. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, although its members occur predominantly in temperate regions. Most members are lichens that either live on rock or on bark, but about 40 species are lichenicolous – meaning they are non-lichenised fungi that live on other lichens. Many members of the Teloschistaceae are readily identifiable by their vibrant orange to yellow hue, a result of their frequent anthraquinone content. The presence of these anthraquinone pigments, which confer protection from ultraviolet light, enabled this group to expand from shaded forest habitats to harsher environmental conditions of sunny and arid ecosystems during the Late Cretaceous.

<i>Gyalolechia</i> Genus of lichen-forming fungi

Gyalolechia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi belonging to the family Teloschistaceae. It contains 18 species of crustose lichens.

Austroplaca is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has 10 species. The genus was circumscribed in 2013 by Ulrik Søchting, Patrik Frödén, and Ulf Arup, with Austroplaca ambitiosa assigned as the type species.

<i>Athallia</i> Genus of lichens

Athallia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It was circumscribed in 2013 by Ulf Arup, Patrik Frödén, and Ulrik Søchting, and the type species is Athallia holocarpa. The genus name means "without a thallus".

<i>Flavoplaca</i> Genus of lichen

Flavoplaca is a genus of crust-like or scaly lichens in the family Teloschistaceae. It has 28 species with a mostly Northern Hemisphere distribution.

<i>Stellarangia</i> Genus of lichens

Stellarangia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has three species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichens. Species of Stellarangia are found in dry, desert areas in Namibia and South Africa.

Austroplaca hookeri is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It was originally described by Carroll William Dodge in 1965, as Gasparrinia hookeri. The type specimen was originally collected by British botanist and explorer Joseph Dalton Hooker on Cockburn Island; the species is named in his honour. The taxon was transferred to the large genus Caloplaca in 2004, and again to the genus Austroplaca in 2013 as part of a restructuring of the family Teloschistaceae.

Solitaria is a fungal genus in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains a single species, the corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen Solitaria chrysophthalma.

<i>Flavoplaca arcis</i> Species of lichen

Flavoplaca arcis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose to squamulose (scaley) lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Although widely distributed in Northern, Central, and Western Europe, it is not commonly encountered.

<i>Athallia scopularis</i> Species of lichen

Athallia scopularis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It was first formally described by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander in 1883 as a member of the genus Lecanora. After having been shuffled to several genera in its taxonomic history, it was transferred to the genus Athallia in 2013 following a molecular phylogenetics-led restructuring of the Teloschistaceae. This lichen grows on sun-lit seaside siliceous rocks, particularly those covered with guano from resting birds. It has been recorded from the Atlantic coasts of North America, Northern Europe, and Greenland.

Charcotiana is a single-species genus in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains the species Charcotiana antarctica, a crustose lichen found in Antarctica.

<i>Leproplaca cirrochroa</i> Species of lichen

Leproplaca cirrochroa is a widespread and common species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It grows up to 5 cm across, featuring a placodioid thallus with narrow, finger-like lobes that adhere closely to the surface, showing intricate division and ranging in colour from dirty orange to brownish orange, often with paler, pruinose orange ends.

Xanthocarpia erichansenii is a species of terricolous (ground-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in southwest Greenland, where it grows on loess among mosses.

Caloplaca sterilis is a corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen belonging to the family Teloschistaceae, described in 2011. It is primarily found in steppe and sand dune habitats in the Black Sea region, and has been recorded from Bulgaria, Romania, southwest Russia, and Ukraine. Caloplaca sterilis is characterised by tiny squamules/areoles with contrasting pale greyish-green to greenish soredia. It is easily overlooked and challenging to identify when completely sorediate and sterile, especially as its soredia do not contain the typical Sedifolia-grey pigment.

<i>Flavoplaca austrocitrina</i> Species of lichen

Flavoplaca austrocitrina is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is widely distributed in Europe, and has also been recorded in South America.

<i>Flavoplaca limonia</i> Species of lichen

Flavoplaca limonia is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It was first formally described as a new species in 1994 by lichenologists Pier Luigi Nimis and Josef Poelt. Ulf Arup and colleagues transferred the taxon to the genus Flavoplaca in 2013, following a molecular phylogenetics-based restructuring of the family Teloschistaceae.

Flavoplaca arcisproxima is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found primarily in the coastal regions of the Crimean Peninsula and the eastern Mediterranean, particularly in Crete, Greece.

<i>Kuettlingeria soralifera</i> Species of lichen

Kuettlingeria soralifera is a saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen species in the family Teloschistaceae, first described in 2006. It is similar to Kuettlingeria xerica but distinguished by the presence of soredia on its thallus.

Hanstrassia lenae is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling) in the family Teloschistaceae. Described as a new species in 2007, the lichen is found in Russian Far East, Mongolia, and Siberia. It closely resembles Elenkiniana ehrenbergii but distinguished by the presence of soralia on its thallus. This species has a thick, effigurate thallus with weak marginal lobes and developed marginal, labriform (lip-shaped) soralia.

<i>Gallowayella borealis</i> Species of lichen

Gallowayella borealis is a species of saxicolous and muscicolous, lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. The lichen is characterized by a foliose (leafy) thallus that forms small, cushion-like clusters, with lobes that are often convex and have a distinctive orange colour with a reddish tint, occasionally covered in pruina. It reproduces vegetatively through abundant soralia producing rounded, granule-like soredia. Chemically, it contains high levels of parietin among other lichen products. Gallowayella borealis thrives on both horizontal and vertical rock surfaces, often enriched by guano, and is particularly abundant in continental Antarctica, co-existing with Polycauliona candelaria near penguin rookeries. It has a bipolar distribution, found in the Arctic and boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere as well as in ice-free zones of continental Antarctica.

References

  1. ↑ "GSD Species Synonymy. Current Name: Austroplaca soropelta (E.S. Hansen, Poelt & Søchting) Søchting, Frödén & Arup, in Arup, Søchting & Frödén, Nordic Jl Bot. 31(1): 38 (2013)". Species Fungorum . Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "Austroplaca soropelta (E.S. Hansen, Poelt & Søchting) Søchting, Frödén & Arup". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  3. ↑ Hansen, E.S.; Poelt, J.; Søchting, U. (1987). "Die Flechtengattung Caloplaca in Grönland" [The lichen genus Caloplaca in Greenland]. Meddelelser om Grønland Biosciences (in German). 25: 1–52 [26]. doi:10.7146/mogbiosci.v25.142359.
  4. ↑ Søchting, U. (1992). "Caloplaca soropelta (E. S. Hansen, Poelt & Søchting) Søchting comb. nov". Graphis Scripta. 4 (1): 35–36.
  5. ↑ Arup, Ulf; Søchting, Ulrik; Frödén, Patrik (2013). "A new taxonomy of the family Teloschistaceae". Nordic Journal of Botany. 31 (1): 16–83. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.2013.00062.x.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Søchting, U.; Castello, M. (2012). "The polar lichens Caloplaca darbishirei and C. soropelta highlight the direction of bipolar migration". Polar Biology. 35 (8): 1143–1149. Bibcode:2012PoBio..35.1143S. doi:10.1007/s00300-012-1161-z.
  7. ↑ Søchting, Ulrik (1997). "Two major anthraquinone chemosyndromes in Teloschistaceae". Bibliotheca Lichenologica. 68: 135–144.
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