Ochrolechia

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Ochrolechia
Ochrolechia parella.jpg
Ochrolechia parella
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Pertusariales
Family: Ochrolechiaceae
R.C.Harris ex Lumbsch & I.Schmitt (2006)
Genus: Ochrolechia
A.Massal. (1852) [1]
Type species
Ochrolechia tartarea
(L.) Zahlbr. (1852)
Synonyms [2]

Ochrolechia is the sole genus in the fungal family Ochrolechiaceae. [3] It comprises about 40 species of crustose lichens. These lichens typically form uneven, often thick, crust-like growths on various surfaces and are characterised by their white to pale grey thalli, which may have a greenish tint. The genus has a long evolutionary history, with fossils dating back to the Paleogene period, about 34 million years ago. Ochrolechia species have disc-like apothecia (fruiting bodies), which are usually yellowish or brownish-pink and often covered with a fine white powdery coating. The genus is widely distributed and includes both common and rare species, with some found in extreme environments such as arctic and alpine regions. Ochrolechia lichens produce diverse secondary metabolites, including orcinol depsides, depsidones, and xanthones.

Contents

Taxonomy

Genus Ochrolechia was proposed by the Italian lichenologist Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo in 1852. [1] The family Ochrolechiaceae was first proposed by Richard C. Harris in 1990 as an informal designation ("ined."), and was later formally circumscribed by H. Thorsten Lumbsch and Imke Schmitt in 2006. The family was initially conceived to include Ochrolechia and tentatively the Varicellaria and Variolaria groups of species that were formerly classified within the large genus Pertusaria . [4]

The family is characterised by: [4]

Ochrolechiaceae is now monogeneric, containing only the type genus Ochrolechia. The genus Varicellaria, which was tentatively included when the family was first proposed, has since been elevated to its own family, Varicellariaceae, which was proposed in 2011 and validly published in 2018. [5] [6]

Fossil history

Paleontological studies have revealed that Ochrolechia existed as far back as the Paleogene period, approximately 34 million years ago. This discovery was made through the analysis of well-preserved amber fossils from Europe. These fossils include several Ochrolechia specimens that show morphological similarities to modern species, such as O. subplicans and O. xanthostoma . Two of these ancient Ochrolechia specimens were found hosting lichenicolous fungi of the genus Lichenostigma , indicating a long-standing symbiotic relationship between these fungi and their lichen hosts. The presence of such fossils provides calibration points for understanding the evolutionary timeline of both Ochrolechia and Lichenostigma. [7]

Description

The genus Ochrolechia comprises crustose lichens that typically form uneven, often thick, crust-like growths. The thallus, or body, of these lichens can vary in appearance from smooth and continuous to slightly cracked ( rimose ). In some cases, the thallus may appear as scattered, convex warts or, more rarely, as minutely shrubby due to the presence of tiny papillae or spine-like extensions. The colour of the thallus ranges from white or pale grey to dark grey, often with a greenish tint. A prothallus , which is a preliminary growth that may be visible around the edges of the thallus, is sometimes present and grey, though it may also be absent. [8]

The upper surface of the thallus generally lacks a distinct protective layer ( cortex ), or may have a very thin cortex made up of thin-walled fungal filaments (hyphae). The lichen's symbiotic partner, or photobiont , is a chlorococcoid alga, which contributes to the lichen's overall colour and undertakes photosynthesis. [8]

The reproductive structures of Ochrolechia, the apothecia , are disc-like and typically expanded, though in rare cases, they may be pore-like ( poriform ). The discs are usually yellowish or brownish-pink in colour, often covered with a fine white powdery coating known as pruina. The apothecia are surrounded by a well-developed thalline margin , which is a rim of tissue derived from the thallus itself. In some species, a narrow true exciple , the tissue surrounding the hymenium (spore-producing layer), is visible. [8]

The hymenium in Ochrolechia apothecia is relatively tall, measuring between 150–200  μm. The hamathecium , which supports the developing spores, consists of thin, densely branched, and interconnected filaments known as paraphyses. The asci, or spore-producing cells, contain between two and eight spores, and have thick, amyloid walls, meaning they stain blue with iodine and are similar to those found in the genus Pertusaria . The ascospores themselves are relatively large, lack internal divisions ( aseptate ), have relatively thin walls considering their size, and are smooth in texture. [8]

Ochrolechia also reproduces asexually through pycnidia, which are flask-shaped structures embedded in the thallus. The conidia (asexual spores) produced by the pycnidia are cylindrical to elongated and are straight rather than curved. [8]

Chemically, Ochrolechia species are known to produce orcinol depsides and depsidones, particularly gyrophoric and lecanoric acids, as well as xanthones and fatty acids. These compounds contribute to the lichen's characteristics and can be used in chemical spot tests to help identify the species. [8]

Species

As of August 2024, Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accepts 41 species of Ochrolechia. [9]

Ochrolechia szatalaensis Ochrolechia szatalaensis - Flickr - pellaea.jpg
Ochrolechia szatalaensis
Ochrolechia trochophora Ochrolechia trochophora - Flickr - pellaea.jpg
Ochrolechia trochophora
Ochrolechia upsaliensis Ochrolechia upsaliensis - Flickr - pellaea.jpg
Ochrolechia upsaliensis

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baeomycetales</span> Order of fungi

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

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

The Icmadophilaceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Pertusariales. The family was circumscribed in 1993 by the mycologist Dagmar Treibel. It contains 9 genera and 35 species.

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

Cladia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Cladoniaceae. Cladia species have a crustose or squamulose (scaly) primary thallus and a fruticose, secondary thallus, often referred to as pseudopodetium. The type species of the genus, Cladia aggregata, is widely distributed, occurring in South America, South Africa, Australasia and South-East Asia to southern Japan and India. Most of the other species are found in the Southern Hemisphere.

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

Herteliana is a genus of lichen-forming fungi. It contains four species of crustose lichens.

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

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<i>Lepraria</i> Genus of lichens

Lepraria is a genus of leprose (powdery) crustose lichens that grows on its substrate like patches of granular, caked up, mealy dust grains. Members of the genus are commonly called dust lichens. The main vegetative body (thallus) is made of patches of soredia. There are no known mechanisms for sexual reproduction, yet members of the genus continue to speciate. Some species can form marginal lobes and appear squamulose. Because of the morphological simplicity of the thallus and the absence of sexual structures, the composition of lichen products are important characters to distinguish between similar species in Lepraria.

<i>Coccotrema</i> Genus of lichen

Coccotrema is a genus of lichen-forming fungi. It is the type genus of the family Coccotremataceae, in the order Pertusariales. The genus contains 16 species.

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

Megalaria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae. It contains 44 species of crustose lichens, the majority of which grow on bark.

<i>Neoprotoparmelia</i> Genus of fungi

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<i>Varicellaria</i> Genus of lichen

Varicellaria is a genus of crustose lichens. It is the only genus in the family Varicellariaceae.

<i>Schaereria</i> Genus of lichen

Schaereria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi. It is the sole genus in the family Schaereriaceae, which itself is the only family in the Schaereriales, an order in the subclass Ostropomycetidae of the class Lecanoromycetes. Most Schaereria species are crustose lichens that live on rocks. Schaereria was first proposed by Gustav Wilhelm Körber in 1855 and was later taken up by other lichenologists despite periods of disuse.

<i>Loxospora</i> Genus of lichens

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<i>Lepra</i> (lichen) Genus of lichens

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<i>Ochrolechia africana</i> Species of lichen

Ochrolechia africana, commonly known as the frosty saucer lichen, is a species of crustose and corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Ochrolechiaceae. It is a widely distributed species, found in tropical and subtropical areas of southern Africa, Asia, Australia, North America, and South America. The lichen is characterized by the presence of a white "frosty" or powdery apothecia.

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Meridianelia is a fungal genus in the family Elixiaceae. It consists of the single species Meridianelia maccarthyana, a corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen. This lichen forms greyish-white, crust-like growths on tree bark in subalpine woodlands of Tasmania, Australia. Discovered in 2003 and scientifically described in 2009, Meridianelia is classified in the small fungal family Elixiaceae based on its genetic and structural characteristics. The genus is notable for its unique reproductive structures and its apparent rarity, having been found in only a few locations despite growing in a relatively common type of forest.

References

  1. 1 2 Massalongo, A.B. (1852). Ricerche sull'autonomia dei licheni crostosi (in Latin). Verona: Dalla tipografia di A. Frizierio. p. 30.
  2. ↑ "Synonymy: Ochrolechia A. Massal., Ric. auton. lich. crost. (Verona): 30 (1852)". Species Fungorum . Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  3. ↑ Hyde, K.D.; Noorabadi, M.T.; Thiyagaraja, V.; He, M.Q.; Johnston, P.R.; Wijesinghe, S.N.; et al. (2024). "The 2024 Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa". Mycosphere. 15 (1): 5146–6239 [5266]. doi:10.5943/mycosphere/15/1/25.
  4. 1 2 Schmitt, Imke; Yamamoto, Yoshikazu; Lumbsch, H. Thorsten (2006). "Phylogeny of Pertusariales (Ascomycotina): resurrection of Ochrolechiaceae and new circumscription of Megasporaceae". Journal of the Hattori Botanical Laboratory. 100 (100): 753–764.
  5. ↑ Hodkinson, B.P.; Lendemer, J. (2011). "The orders of Ostropomycetidae (Lecanoromycetes, Ascomycota): Recognition of Sarrameanales and Trapeliales with a request to retain Pertusariales over Agyriales". Phytologia. 93 (3): 407–412.
  6. ↑ Kraichak, Ekaphan; Huang, Jen-Pan; Nelsen, Matthew; Leavitt, Steven D.; Lumbsch, H. Thorsten (2018). "A revised classification of orders and families in the two major subclasses of Lecanoromycetes (Ascomycota) based on a temporal approach". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 188 (3): 233–249. doi:10.1093/botlinnean/boy060.
  7. ↑ Kaasalainen, Ulla; Kukwa, Martin; Rikkinen, Jouko; Schmidt, Alexander R. (2019). "Crustose lichens with lichenicolous fungi from Paleogene amber". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 1–7. Bibcode:2019NatSR...910360K. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-46692-w . PMC   6637111 . PMID   31316089.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cannon, P.; Kukwa, M.; Coppins, B.; Fletcher, A.; Sanderson, N.; Simkin, J. (2021). Pertusariales: Ochrolechiaceae, including the genera Lepra, Ochrolechia and Varicellaria (PDF). Revisions of British and Irish Lichens. Vol. 5. pp. 8–9. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  9. ↑ Species Fungorum. "Ochrolechia". Catalog of Life . Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  10. 1 2 Kukwa, M. (2009). "Ochrolechia aegaea and O. alaskana, two species with gyrophoric and variolaric acids in the cortex". Graphis Scripta. 21 (2): 42–48.
  11. ↑ Vainio, Edvard A. (1926). "Lichenes Africani Novi". Annales Universitatis Fennicae Aboënsis (in Latin). 2 (3): 1–33.
  12. ↑ Kantvilas, G.; Fryday, A.M. (2021). "Validation of Henry Imshaug's "Ochrolechia alectoronica" (lichenised Ascomycetes, Pertusariales), with notes on O. weymouthii Jatta and a key to the genus Ochrolechia in Tasmania". Swainsona. 35 (5): 67–72.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Ren, Qiang (2017). "A revision of the lichen genus Ochrolechia in China". The Lichenologist. 49 (1): 67–84. doi:10.1017/S0024282916000529.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brodo, Irwin M. (1991). "Studies in the lichen genus Ochrolechia. 2. Corticolous species of North America". Canadian Journal of Botany. 69 (4): 733–772. doi:10.1139/b91-099.
  15. ↑ Kukwa, Martin (2011). The lichen genus 'Ochrolechia' in Europe. Gdansk: Fundacja Rozwoju Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego. ISBN   9788375311709.
  16. 1 2 Spribille, Toby; Fryday, Alan M.; Pérez-Ortega, Sergio; Svensson, Måns; Tønsberg, Tor; Ekman, Stefan; Holien, Håkon; Resl, Philipp; Schneider, Kevin; Stabentheiner, Edith; Thüs, Holger; Vondrák, Jan; Sharman, Lewis (2020). "Lichens and associated fungi from Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska". The Lichenologist. 52 (2): 61–181. doi: 10.1017/S0024282920000079 . PMC   7398404 . PMID   32788812.
  17. ↑ Lumbsch, H.T.; Ahti, T.; Altermann, S.; De Paz, G.A.; Aptroot, A.; Arup, U.; et al. (2011). "One hundred new species of lichenized fungi: a signature of undiscovered global diversity" (PDF). Phytotaxa. 18 (1): 9–11. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.18.1.1.
  18. ↑ Ertz, Damien; Fryday, Alan; Schmitt, Imke; Charrier, Maryvonne; Dudek, Magdalena; Kukwa, Martin (2016). "Ochrolechia kerguelensis sp. nov. from the Southern Hemisphere and O. antarctica reinstated from the synonymy of O. parella". Phytotaxa. 280 (2): 129–140. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.280.2.3.
  19. ↑ Elix, J.A. (2007). "Further new crustose lichens (Ascomycota) from Australia". Australasian Lichenology. 61: 21–25.
  20. ↑ Lumbsch, H. Thorsten; Messuti, María Inés; Nash, Thomas H. (2003). "Ochrolechia splendens (Pertusariaceae), a new species from south-western North America". The Lichenologist. 35 (5–6): 387–391. Bibcode:2003ThLic..35..387L. doi:10.1016/S0024-2829(03)00057-4.
  21. ↑ Magnusson, A.H. (1939). "Western American lichens, mainly from Oregon". Meddelelser från Götebörgs Botaniska Trädgård. 13: 237–253.
  22. ↑ Verseghy, K. (1962). Die Gattung Ochrolechia. Beihefte zur Nova Hedwigia (in German). Vol. 1. p. 118.
  23. ↑ Jia, Z.F.; Zhao, Z.T. (2005). "A new species of the lichen genus Ochrolechia from China". Mycosystema. 24: 162–163.
  24. ↑ Verseghy, K. (1958). "Studien über die Gattung Ochrolechia II. Neue Flechten". Annales Historico-Naturales Musei Nationalis Hungarici (in German). 50: 75–85.
  25. ↑ Jatta, A. (1911). "Lichenes lecti in Tasmania a W. Weymouth". Bolletino della Società Botanica Italiana. 1911: 253–260.
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