Pseudocyphellaria

Last updated

Pseudocyphellaria
Pseudocyphellaria.jpg
Pseudocyphellaria anthraspis on Vancouver Island, Canada
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Peltigerales
Family: Peltigeraceae
Genus: Pseudocyphellaria
Vain. (1890)
Type species
Pseudocyphellaria crocata
(L.) Vain. (1898)
Species

See text

Pseudocyphellaria is a genus of large, leafy lichens that are sometimes referred to as "specklebelly" lichens. [1] The genus has a widespread distribution, especially in south temperate regions, and contains about 170 species. [2] They resemble Lobaria , except that most species of Pseudocyphellaria have conspicuous pseudocyphellae on their lower surface, a characteristic that was once considered unique to this genus. [1] Some species contain pulvinic acid-related pigments; in these species the soredia and pseudocyphellae can be bright yellow. [1]

Contents

Taxonomy

Pseudocyphellaria was originally circumscribed in 1890 by Finnish lichenologist Edvard August Vainio, with P. aurata as the type species. [3] In the 2010s, molecular phylogenetic analyses showed that this species, along with a few others, nested within a small clade separate from most Pseudocyphellaria. These species, characterised by a yellow medulla containing pulvinic acid derivatives and fernene triterpenoids, were placed in a resurrected genus, Crocodia , while Pseudocyphellaria was proposed for conservation with a new type species, P. crocata . [4] This proposal was later accepted by the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi. [5]

The Pseudocyphellaria symbiosis

Many species of Pseudocyphellaria are cyanolichens and contain the cyanobacterium Nostoc as a photobiont, which allows nitrogen fixation. In some species of Pseudocyphellaria the cyanobacterium is the sole photobiont, while other species also contain the green alga Dictyochloropsis and restrict the cyanobacterium to warty cephalodia on the lower surface of the lichen. [1]

Some species of Pseudocyphellaria appear to be able to use either a cyanobacterium or a green algae as their photobiont. DNA tests have shown that the fungal symbionts in P. murrayi (which is in a symbiosis with a cyanobacterium) and P. rufovirescens (which is in a symbiosis with a green alga) are actually the same species. [6] This means that P. murrayi-P. rufovirescens is actually one species of fungus that is capable of forming two very different lichens, one with a cyanobacterium and one with a green alga. [6] Two other possible pairs of Pseudocyphellaria species that may be capable of choosing their photobiont are P. knightii-P. lividofusca, and P. kookeri-P. durietzii. [6]

Ecological significance

Most Pseudocyphellaria grow on trees in coastal areas, from the subtropics to the boreal zones, although some species can occasionally be found growing on mossy rocks or growing inland. [1] Many species of Pseudocyphellaria are restricted to old-growth forests in humid areas, and are therefore threatened by logging. [1] The limited light conditions of dense young forests can severely decrease the growth of Pseudocyphellaria crocata compared to more open, old-growth forests, and the excess of light from clearcuts can also cause damage to the lichen. [7] Because they are often restricted to humid forests in undisturbed areas, species of Pseudocyphellaria are often used as indicators of valuable old growth forests. [1]

Pseudocyphellaria rainierensis is listed as vulnerable in Canada by COSEWIC. Pseudocyphellaria crocata has disappeared from much of Scandinavia, [8] a development that has been partly attributed to an increase in grazing from snails, presumably as a result of global warming. [9] In the areas of Scandinavia where P. crocata is still found, it seems restricted to growing on smaller twigs that are harder for the snails to reach. [9]

Species

Traditional use

Several species of Pseudocyphellaria can be utilized to produce a brown to orange-brown dye, [11] and some of them have been used to dye wool in Britain and Scandinavia. [12] One species of Pseudocyphellaria is used in Madagascar to make a tea used to treat indigestion. [13]

Besides being yellow, pulvinic acid derivatives are highly toxic. [14] Any species of Pseudocyphellaria that has yellow structures probably contains one of these compounds, [1] [15] and may be toxic if ingested.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lichen</span> Symbiosis of fungi with algae or cyanobacteria

A lichen is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship. Lichens are important actors in nutrient cycling and act as producers which many higher trophic feeders feed on, such as reindeer, gastropods, nematodes, mites, and springtails. Lichens have properties different from those of their component organisms. They come in many colors, sizes, and forms and are sometimes plant-like, but are not plants. They may have tiny, leafless branches (fruticose); flat leaf-like structures (foliose); grow crust-like, adhering tightly to a surface (substrate) like a thick coat of paint (crustose); have a powder-like appearance (leprose); or other growth forms.

<i>Usnea</i> Genus of lichens

Usnea is a genus of mostly pale grayish-green fruticose lichens that grow like leafless mini-shrubs or tassels anchored on bark or twigs. The genus is in the family Parmeliaceae. It grows all over the world. Members of the genus are commonly called old man's beard, beard lichen, or beard moss.

<i>Peltigera</i> Genus of lichenised fungi in the family Peltigeraceae

Peltigera is a genus of approximately 100 species of foliose lichens in the family Peltigeraceae. Commonly known as the dog or pelt lichens, species of Peltigera are often terricolous, but can also occur on moss, trees, rocks, and many other substrates in many parts of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vulpinic acid</span> Chemical compound

Vulpinic acid is a natural product first found in and important in the symbiosis underlying the biology of lichens. It is a simple methyl ester derivative of its parent compound, pulvinic acid, and a close relative of pulvinone, both of which derive from aromatic amino acids such as phenylalanine via secondary metabolism. The roles of vulpinic acid are not fully established, but may include properties that make it an antifeedant for herbivores. The compound is relatively toxic to mammals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pannariaceae</span> Family of fungi

The Pannariaceae are a family of lichens in the order Peltigerales. Species from this family have a widespread distribution, but are especially prevalent in southern temperate regions.

<i>Bacidia</i> Genus of lichens

Bacidia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae. The genus was circumscribed by Giuseppe De Notaris in 1846. Species in the genus are crust-like lichens with stemless apothecia; they have green algae (chloroccoid) as photobionts. Their asci have 8 colorless, cylindrical to acicular, multiseptate spores, with curved and thread-like conidia.

<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>Pannaria</i> Genus of lichens in the family Pannariaceae

Pannaria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Pannariaceae. The widespread genus contains an estimated 51 species, found primarily in tropical regions.

<i>Erioderma</i> Genus of lichens

Erioderma is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Pannariaceae. They are commonly called mouse ears or felt lichens, and are small, pale brown to olive-brown foliose cyanolichens with a fuzzy upper surface that have the cyanobacteria Scytonema as their photobiont. Most species are found in the tropics of Central and South America, although three species are found in coastal regions of North America where they generally grow on mossy branches in humid sites. All North American species are rare. Species of Erioderma can resemble Pannaria, Leioderma, or small Peltigera, but their fuzzy upper surface and lack of veins on their lower surface distinguishes them from these lichens.

<i>Punctelia</i> Genus of foliose lichens

Punctelia is a genus of foliose lichens belonging to the large family Parmeliaceae. The genus, which contains about 50 species, was segregated from genus Parmelia in 1982. Characteristics that define Punctelia include the presence of hook-like to thread-like conidia, simple rhizines, and point-like pseudocyphellae. It is this last feature that is alluded to in the vernacular names speckled shield lichens or speckleback lichens.

<i>Peltula</i> Genus of lichens

Peltula is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous ) or terricolous. Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens. They are cyanolichens, with the cyanobacterium photobiont from the genus Anacystis. They are umbilicate with flat to erect squamule lobes that attach from a central holdfast or cluster of rhizenes. Lichen spot tests are usually negative.

<i>Astrothelium</i> Genus of lichens

Astrothelium is a large genus of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichens in the family Trypetheliaceae. The genus is characterized by a corticate thallus and diverse ascomata structures, which can be simple, aggregated, or forming pseudostromata. Astrothelium is also notable for the carbonized walls of its ascomata, the so-called textura intricata arrangement of cells in these walls, and various forms of distoseptate, transparent spores.

<i>Malmidea</i> Genus of fungi

Malmidea is a genus of crustose lichens and the type genus of the family Malmideaceae. It was established in 2011 to contain a phylogenetically distinct group of species formerly placed in the genus Malcolmiella. Malmidea comprises more than 50 mostly tropical species that grow on bark, although a few grow on leaves.

Sticta emmanueliana is a species of foliose lichen in the family Peltigeraceae. Found in Hawaii, it was described as a new species in 2020 by Bibiana Moncada, Robert Lücking, and H. Thorsten Lumbsch. The specific epithet honours the Belgian lichenologist Emmanuël Sérusiaux, "on the occasion of his official retirement from formal duties".

<i>Coenogonium</i> Genus of lichen

Coenogonium is a genus of crustose lichens in the monotypic family Coenogoniaceae. It has about 90 species. Most species are leaf-dwelling or grow on bark, although a few are known to grow on rocks under certain conditions, and some are restricted to growth on termite nests. The genus was circumscribed in 1820 by German naturalist Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg.

<i>Emmanuelia</i> Genus of fungi

Emmanuelia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the subfamily Lobarioideae of the family Peltigeraceae. It has 12 species. It was circumscribed in 2020 by Antoine Simon, Robert Lücking, and Bernard Goffinet. They assigned Emmanuelia ravenelii as the type species, reasoning "this is probably the best-documented species of the lineage and its identification is straightforward". The genus name honours Belgian lichenologist Emmanuël Sérusiaux, "for his extensive contributions to advancing our understanding of the diversification of the Peltigerales".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of lichens</span> Overview of and topical guide to lichens

The following outline provides an overview of and topical guide to lichens.

<i>Crocodia</i> Genus of fungi

Crocodia is a genus of foliose lichens in the family Peltigeraceae. It has eight species. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, although most species occur in temperate and tropical regions of the Southern Hemisphere. The main characteristics of the genus that separate it from its parent genus, Pseudocyphellaria, include a yellow medulla and yellow pseudocyphellae on the lower thallus surface.

<i>Pseudocyphellaria argyracea</i> Species of lichen

Pseudocyphellaria argyracea is a species of foliose lichen in the family Peltigeraceae. It was first scientifically described in 1822 by Dominique François Delise. Edvard Vainio transferred it to the genus Pseudocyphellaria in 1898.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Brodo, I. M., S. D. Sharnoff, and S. Sharnoff. 2001. Lichens of North America. Yale University Press: New Haven. ISBN   0-300-08249-5
  2. ↑ Kirk PM, Cannon PF, Minter DW, Stalpers JA (2008). Dictionary of the Fungi (10th ed.). Wallingford: CABI. p. 568. ISBN   978-0-85199-826-8.
  3. ↑ Vainio, E.A. (1890). Étude sur la classification naturelle et la morphologie des Lichens du Brésil. Pars prima. Acta Societatis pro Fauna et Flora Fennica (in Latin). Vol. 7. p. 182.
  4. ↑ Jørgensen, P.M.; Galloway, D.J. (2011). "Proposal to conserve Pseudocyphellaria, nom.cons. (Lobariaceae: Ascomycota) with a conserved type". Taxon. 60: 1770–1771. doi:10.1002/tax.606022.
  5. ↑ May, Tom W. (2017). "Report of the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi: 20". Taxon. 66 (2): 483–495. doi: 10.12705/662.15 .
  6. 1 2 3 Armaleo, D; Clerc, P (1991). "Lichen chimeras: DNA analysis suggests that one fungus forms two morphotypes". Experimental Mycology. 15: 1–10. doi:10.1016/0147-5975(91)90002-U.
  7. ↑ Gauslaa Y; K Palmqvist; KA Solhaug; H Holien; O Hilmo; L Nybakken; LC Myhre & M Ohlson (2007). "Growth of epiphytic old forest lichens across climatic and successional gradients". Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 37 (10): 1832–1845. doi:10.1139/X07-048.
  8. ↑ Tønsberg T., Gauslaa Y., Haugan R., Holien H., Timdal E. 1996. The threatened macrolichens of Norway – 1995. Sommerfeltia, 23: 1–283.
  9. 1 2 Gauslaa, Y. (2008). "Mollusc grazing may constrain the ecological niche of the old forest lichen Pseudocyphellaria crocata". Plant Biology. 10 (6): 711–7. doi:10.1111/j.1438-8677.2008.00074.x. PMID   18950428.
  10. ↑ Renner, B.; Galloway, D.J. (1982). "Phycosymbiodemes in Pseudocyphellaria in New Zealand". Mycotaxon. 16 (1): 197–231.
  11. ↑ Brough, S. G. 1984. Dye characteristics of British Columbia forest lichens. Syesis 17: 81–94.
  12. ↑ Uphof, J. C. T. 1959. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Hafner Publishing Co.: New York.
  13. ↑ "Sharnoff, S. D. 1997. Lichens and people". Archived from the original on 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
  14. ↑ Emmerich, Robert; Giez, Ingrid; Lange, Otto L.; Proksch, Peter (1993). "Toxicity and antifeedant activity of lichen compounds against the polyphagous herbivorous insect Spodoptera littoralis". Phytochemistry. 33 (6): 1389. Bibcode:1993PChem..33.1389E. doi:10.1016/0031-9422(93)85097-B.
  15. ↑ Garbarino, J. A., W. Quilhot, M. Piovano, and C. Rubio. 1991. Studies on Chilean lichens. XVIII. Additions to the chemistry of Pseudocyphellaria. Boletin De La Sociedad Chilena De Quimica 36(4): 229-231.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.