Helge Thorsten Lumbsch

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Helge Thorsten Lumbsch
Born1964
NationalityGerman
Alma mater University of Marburg; University of Duisburg-Essen
Scientific career
FieldsLichenology
Institutions Field Museum of Natural History
Author abbrev. (botany) Lumbsch [1]

Helge Thorsten Lumbsch (born 1964) is a German-born lichenologist living in the United States. His research interests include the phylogeny, taxonomy, and phylogeography of lichen-forming fungi; lichen diversity; lichen chemistry and chemotaxonomy. He is the Associate Curator and Head of Cryptogams and Chair of the Department of Botany at the Field Museum of Natural History.

Contents

Biography

Lumbsch was born in Frankfurt in 1964. Interested in lichens already as a schoolboy, he studied natural sciences at the University of Marburg, under the tutelage of Aino Henssen. He received his diploma in 1989, with a dissertation titled Ontogenetisch-systematische Studien der Trapeliaceae und verwandter Familien (Lichenisierte Ascomyceten) ("Ontogenic-systematic studies of the Trapeliaceae and related families (lichenized ascomycetes"). After Henssen's retirement in 1990, he transferred to the University in Essen, where he worked on the Lecanora subfusca group in Australasia, a subject that was the topic of his PhD dissertation. In 1993 he completed his doctorate under the supervision of Guido Benno Feige. [2]

Between 1994 and 1997, Lumbsch did postdoctoral research at the Botanical Garden of the University of Duisburg-Essen; in 1998–2003 he was a private lecturer there. Between 2003 and 2006 he was the Assistant curator at the Field Museum of Natural History. Since 2004, Lumbsch has been a member of committee on Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago, an interdepartmental and inter-institutional graduate student training program. In the years 2005–2009 he was the head of Cryptogams at the Field Museum, and between 2006 and 2014, the Associate Curator. [2] Lumbsch was the president of the International Association for Lichenology in the years 2012–2016. [3]

Lumbsch has been the author or coauthor of more than 500 publications, many of which deal with molecular phylogenetics of various taxa of lichens. [2] Together with Guido Benno Feige he published two exsiccatae (collections of dried specimens), one on the Umbilicariaceae, and the other on Lecanoroid lichens. [2] [4] In his 2009 survey of influential lichenologists, Ingvar Kärnefelt calls him "a leading scientist on systematics and evolution of lichenized fungi." [5]

Eponymy

Several lichen species have been named in honour of Lumbsch, including: [2] Paraparmelia lumbschii Elix (1996); [6] Graphina lumbschii A.W.Archer (2001); [7] Sticta lumbschiana Moncada & Lücking (2013); [8] Fissurina lumbschiana Weerakoon, Jayalal & Lücking (2015); [9] Ocellularia lumbschii S.Joshi & Hur (2015); [10] and Pertusaria lumbschii A.W.Archer & Elix (2017). [11]

Selected publications

A partial list of his publications (249) may be found by accessing the Scholia link above.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peltigeraceae</span> Family of lichenized fungi in the order Peltigerales

The Peltigeraceae are a family of lichens in the order Peltigerales. The Peltigeraceae, which contains 15 genera and about 600 species, has recently (2018) been emended to include the families Lobariaceae and Nephromataceae. Many Peltigeraceae species have large and conspicuous, leathery thalli. They largely occur in cool-temperate to tropical montane climates. Tripartite thalli involving fungus, green algae and cyanobacteria are common in this family.

<i>Sticta</i> Genus of lichens

Sticta is a genus of lichens in the family Peltigeraceae. The genus has a widespread distribution, especially in tropical areas, and includes about 114 species. These lichens have a leafy appearance, and are colored brown or black. Sticta species with cyanobacteria as photobionts can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, and due to their relative abundance and high turnover, they contribute appreciably to the rainforest ecosystem. They are commonly called spotted felt lichens.

<i>Fissurina</i> Genus of fungi

Fissurina is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Graphidaceae. It has about 160 species, most of which are found in tropical regions.

<i>Diorygma</i> Genus of lichens

Diorygma is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Graphidaceae. The genus was circumscribed by Franz Gerhard Eschweiler in 1824. Species of the genus are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

<i>Acanthothecis</i> Genus of lichen

Acanthothecis is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Graphidaceae. The genus was circumscribed by Frederick Edward Clements in 1909.

Aino Marjatta Henssen, was a German lichenologist and systematist. Her father, Gottfried Henssen, was a folklorist and her mother was Finnish.

André Aptroot is a Dutch mycologist and lichenologist.

Thomas Hawkes Nash III is an American lichenologist. His research is about the biology and ecology of lichens, and the effects of air pollution on plants and lichens. He is known as an authority on the family Parmeliaceae. During his long career at the Arizona State University, he helped develop the lichen herbarium into a world-class collection with over 100,000 specimens representing more than 5000 species. In 2010, the year of his retirement, he was awarded the Acharius Medal for lifetime achievements in lichenology, and the following year had a Festschrift published in his honor.

John Alan (Jack) Elix emeritus professor in chemistry at the Australian National University, is an organic chemist who has contributed in many fields: lichenology, lichen chemotaxonomy, plant physiology and biodiversity and natural product chemistry. He has authored 2282 species names, and 67 genera in the field of mycology.

Klaus Kalb is a German lichenologist and an authority on tropical lichens.

Ocellularia aptrootiana is a species of corticolous lichen in the family Graphidaceae. Found in Sri Lanka, it was formally described as a new species in 2014 by lichenologists Gothamie Weerakoon, Robert Lücking, and Helge Thorsten Lumbsch. The type specimen was collected from Mahailluppallama at an altitude of 170 m (560 ft). Here, in a low-altitude, dry, semi-evergreen forest, it was found growing around a water tank. The specific epithet aptrootiana honours Dutch lichenologist André Aptroot, "for his important contributions to tropical lichenology and his help with the research by the first author". Ocellularia aptrootiana has a grey, smooth to uneven or cracked thallus up to convert 5 cm (2 in) in diameter. The ascospores are hyaline, ellipsoid in shape, contain seven septa, and measure 20–25 by 6–7 μm. Secondary chemicals present in the lichen include psoromic acid, subpsoromic acid, and 2’-O-demethylpsoromic acids.

Ocellularia balangoda is a species of corticolous lichen in the family Graphidaceae. Found in Sri Lanka, it was formally described as a new species in 2014 by lichenologists Gothamie Weerakoon, Robert Lücking, and Helge Thorsten Lumbsch. The type specimen was collected from a high-altitude tea estate in Hunnasgiriya at an altitude of 1,240 m (4,070 ft); here it was found growing on tree trunks. The specific epithet refers to the prehistoric hominids known as Balangoda Man, who lived in Sri Lanka about 38,000 to 28,500 years ago. Ocellularia balangoda has a grey thallus up to 5 cm (2 in) in diameter, with a papillose (pimply) to verrucose (warty) textured surface. The ascospores are hyaline, ellipsoid in shape, contain seven septa, and measure 25–30 by 5–7 μm. Secondary chemicals present in the lichen include protocetraric acid and virensic acid.

Ocellularia cloonanii is a species of corticolous lichen in the family Graphidaceae. Found in Sri Lanka, it was formally described as a new species in 2014 by lichenologists Gothamie Weerakoon, Robert Lücking, and Helge Thorsten Lumbsch. The type specimen was collected from a high-elevation montane forest in the Fishing Hut Tea Estate at an altitude of 1,870 m (6,140 ft). The lichen is only known to occur at the type locality in the Horton Plains. The specific epithet cloonanii honours Colman Patrick Cloonan, "for his immense help in carrying out the research studies". Ocellularia cloonanii has an olive-grey thallus up to 5 cm (2 in) in diameter, with continuous but uneven surface. Its ascospores are hyaline, ellipsoid in shape, contain seven to nine septa, and measure 35–40 by 7–10 μm. Secondary chemicals present in the lichen include psoromic acid, subpsoromic acid, and 2’-O-demethylpsoromic acid.

Henricus (Harrie) Johannes Maria Sipman is a Dutch lichenologist. He specialises in tropical and subtropical lichens, and has authored or co-authored more than 250 scientific publications. He was the curator of the lichen herbarium at the Berlin Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum from 1983 until his retirement in 2010.

Mark Richard David Seaward is a British ecologist and lichenologist. He was awarded the Acharius Medal in 2006 for lifetime contributions to lichenology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Lücking</span> German lichenologist

Robert Lücking is a German lichenologist. He earned his master's and PhD from the University of Ulm, focusing on the taxonomy, ecology, and biodiversity of foliicolous lichens. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Mason E. Hale Award for his doctoral thesis, the Augustin Pyramus de Candolle prize for his monograph, and the Tuckerman Award twice for his publications in the scientific journal The Bryologist. Since 2015, he has been serving as the curator of lichens, fungi, and bryophytes at the Berlin Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum. Several lichen species and a genus have been named in his honour.

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

Graphidales is an order of lichen-forming fungi in the class Lecanoromycetes. It contains 6 families, about 81 genera and about 2,228 species. Family Graphidaceae are the largest crustose family within Graphidales order comprising more than 2000 species, which are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

Sticta lumbschiana is a species of foliose lichen in the family Peltigeraceae. It is found in the Colombian Andes.

References

  1. ↑ "Lumbsch, Helge Thorsten (1964–)". International Plant Names Index . Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Hertel, Hannes; Gärtner, Georg; Lőkös, László (2017). "Forscher an Österreichs Flechtenflora" [Investigators of Austria's lichen flora](PDF). Stapfia (in German). 104 (2): 1–211 (see p. 205).
  3. ↑ "IAL COUNCIL 2012–2016". International Association for Lichenology . Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  4. ↑ Triebel, D. & Scholz, P. 2001–2024 IndExs – Index of Exsiccatae. – Botanische Staatssammlung München: http://indexs.botanischestaatssammlung.de. – München, Germany.
  5. ↑ Kärnefelt 2009, p. 318.
  6. ↑ Elix, John A. (1996). "New species in the lichen family Parmeliaceae (Ascomycotina) from Australasia and Oceania". Mycotaxon. 59: 407–417.
  7. ↑ Archer, A.W. (2001). "The lichen genus Graphina (Graphidaceae) in Australia: new reports and new species". Mycotaxon. 77: 153–180.
  8. ↑ Moncada, Bibiana; Lücking, Robert; Coca, Luis Fernando (2013). "Six new apotheciate species of Sticta (lichenized Ascomycota: Lobariaceae) from the Colombian Andes". The Lichenologist. 45 (5): 635–656. doi:10.1017/S0024282913000376. S2CID   86204092.
  9. ↑ Weerakoon, Gothamie; Jayalal, Udeni; Wijesundara, Siril; Karunaratne, Veranja; Lücking, Robert (2015). "Six new Graphidaceae (lichenized Ascomycota: Ostropales) from Horton Plains National Park, Sri Lanka". Nova Hedwigia. 101 (1): 77–88. doi:10.1127/nova_hedwigia/2015/0241.
  10. ↑ Joshi, Santosh; Upreti, Dalip Kumar; Plata, Eimy Rivas; Nguyen, Thi Thuy; Nguyen, Anh Dzung; Oh, Soon-Ok; Hur, Jae-Seoun (2015). "Ocellularia lumbschii and O. saxicola spp. nov. from Vietnam". Mycotaxon. 130 (3): 911–919. doi: 10.5248/130.911 .
  11. ↑ Archer, A.W.; Elix, J.A. (2017). "Seven new species and a new record in the lichen genus Pertusaria (Pertusariales, lichenized Ascomycota) from eastern Australia". Australasian Lichenology. 80: 3–15.

Cited literature

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