Sporodophoron

Last updated

Sporodophoron
Sporodophoron americanum - Flickr - pellaea.jpg
Sporodophoron americanum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Arthoniomycetes
Order: Arthoniales
Family: Arthoniaceae
Genus: Sporodophoron
Frisch, Y.Ohmura, Ertz & G.Thor 2015 (2015)
Type species
Sporodophoron gossypinum
Frisch, Y.Ohmura & G.Thor (2015)
Species

S. americanum
S. cretaceum
S. gossypinum
S. primorskiense

Contents

Sporodophoron is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Arthoniaceae. It includes four corticolous (bark-dwelling) crustose lichen species. [1] [2] Sporodophoron is uniquely characterised by the formation of fruiting structures called sporodochia , which are open conidiomata in the form of tufts of conidiophores on the thallus. Although these lichens bear a strong resemblance to Inoderma , another genus within the same family, Sporodophoron's distinct chemical makeup sets it apart from its lichen relatives. Collectively, the genus has a widespread geographical distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, with species found in distinct habitats in North America, Europe, Japan, and the Russian Far East.

Taxonomy

Sporodophoron was circumscribed as a new genus in 2015 by the lichenologists Andreas Frisch, Yoshishito Ohmura, Damien Ertz and Göran Thor. Previously published molecular phylogenetics analyses had previously shown that several genera in the family Arthoniaceae were polyphyletic; Sporodophoron was erected to accommodate a monophyletic grouping of four of these misclassified Arthoniaceae species. Its name was inspired by its prominent sporodochia , which are clusters of spores that resemble the anamorph, or asexual reproductive stage, of the distantly related genus, Tylophoron . The type species is Sporodophoron gossypinum , which was simultaneously described as new by the same group of researchers. In this species, found in Japan, the species epithet gossypinum alludes to the sporodochia's resemblance to tiny bundles of cotton. [3]

Description

Sporodophoron shares many characteristics with the genus Inoderma , but a major distinguishing feature is the formation of sporodochia in place of pycnidia. The sporodochia are whitish and convex, and can either be isolated or fused together in the central part of the thallus, the lichen's main body. The sporodochial conidia , or asexual spores, are formed in a zigzag pattern and occasionally branch out. They come in a variety of shapes, from rounded to elliptical to short cylindrical, and vary in size depending on the species. [3]

Sporodophoron gossypinum stands out due to its distinctive apothecia , or spore-producing structures, which are densely white and pruinose . The apothecia are adnate , meaning they lie flat against the thallus, and range in diameter from 0.6 to 1.7 mm. The ascospores (sexual spores) typically have 1 to 2 septa – partitions within the spore – with a slightly enlarged apical cell. [3]

The photobiont of Sporodophoron is trentepohlioid , meaning it resembles or belongs to the green algal genus Trentepohlia . [3]

Chemistry

The chemical make-up of Sporodophoron is distinct, containing a compound related to lepraric acid that is found in all species of this genus. This compound is referred to by the authors as 'lepraric high unknown' due to its similar characteristics to lepraric acid. It also contains 2'-O-methylperlatolic acid and an unidentified fatty acid. A series of trace compounds that are likely related to the lepraric high unknown are found in certain species, such as S. americanum and S. cretaceum. [3]

Relationship with other genera

Despite its close relationship with Inoderma, Sporodophoron is distinguished by its unique sporodochia. Furthermore, the 'lepraric high unknown' compound is exclusive to this genus. Species with sporodochia that appear similar are found in Tylophoron, yet these have more regularly shaped sporodochial conidia, and their thallus chemistry includes lecanoric acid, a compound not found in Sporodophoron. A species known as Sporodochiolichen flavus, which was previously considered a part of Tylophoron, shows some similarities with Sporodophoron, but it also has significant differences in how its conidia are formed. Moreover, the species contains an unidentified yellow pigment, but it lacks the compounds associated with lepraric and confluentic acids that are present in Sporodophoron. [3]

Inoderma and Sporodophoron share a key characteristic – a distinct K+ (yellow) spot reaction in the thallus, sporodochia, and the pruina (a powdery coating) on conidiomata and apothecia. In Inoderma, this reaction is caused by lepraric acid, while in Sporodophoron, the reaction is instigated by a compound seemingly related to lepraric acid. However, Inoderma byssaceum and I. afromontanum are exceptions within the genus Inoderma, as they do not display this reaction. [3]

Glomerulophoron mauritiae , alongside Sporodophoron cretaceum and S. gossypinum, contain 2'-O-methylperlatolic acid. However, Sporodophoron cretaceum and S. gossypinum also contain a series of trace compounds that are potentially related to lepraric acid, compounds which remain unidentified. In addition, S. gossypinum contains an unknown fatty acid. [3]

Habitat and distribution

The genus Sporodophoron has a widespread geographical distribution, with species found in distinct habitats in North America, Europe, Japan, and the Russian Far East. Sporodophoron americanum has a relatively limited geographical presence, with confirmed sightings in the easternmost regions of Tennessee and North Carolina, United States. This species is typically found in mixed hardwood and oak-juniper forests, where it thrives on a variety of trees, such as species of Quercus and Acer . S. americanum has also been observed on dead roots and rock surfaces under overhangs. The altitude at which these specimens have been collected varies greatly, spanning approximately 700–2,000 m (2,300–6,600 ft) above sea level. Contrastingly, Sporodophoron cretaceum prefers the dry sides of aged trees situated along old waysides, and within parkland and woodland environments. This species has been observed in Western Continental Europe, extending north to the British Isles. [3] In Italy, it has been included in the red list of epiphytic lichens. [4]

Sporodophoron gossypinum, native to Japan, favours steep, rain-sheltered siliceous rocks within deciduous or mixed forests. This species has also been discovered on the semi-shaded basement walls of Hikone Castle in Hikone city. The maximum recorded elevation for S. gossypinum is 1,020 m (3,350 ft). [3] S. gossypinum was later reported to occur in Russia, in the south of the Primorye Territory. [5] Sporodophoron primorskiense was identified in a single location in Primorsky in the Russian Far East. This species was found on the bark of a broadleaf tree situated within a mixed forest alongside a stream, at an elevation of 220 m (720 ft). [3]

Species

As of January 2024, Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accepts four species of Sporodophoron: [1]

Related Research Articles

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

The Arthoniaceae are a family of lichenized, lichenicolous and saprobic fungi in the order Arthoniales. The Arthoniaceae is the largest family of Arthoniales, with around 800 species. Most species in Arthoniaceae belong in Arthonia which is the largest genus with 500 species. The second and third largest genus is Arthothelium with 80 species, and Cryptothecia with 60 species.

<i>Diploschistes</i> Genus of lichen

Diploschistes is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Graphidaceae. Commonly known as crater lichens, members of the genus are crustose lichens with a thick, cracked (areolate) body (thallus) with worldwide distribution. The fruiting part (apothecia) are immersed in the thick thallus so as to have the appearance of being small "craters". The widespread genus contains about 43 species.

<i>Buellia</i> Genus of lichens

Buellia is a genus of mostly lichen-forming fungi in the family Caliciaceae. The fungi are usually part of a crustose lichen. In this case, the lichen species is given the same name as the fungus. But members may also grow as parasites on lichens (lichenicolous). The algae in the lichen is always a member of the genus Trebouxia.

<i>Acolium</i> Genus of lichens

Acolium is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Caliciaceae. The genus has a widespread distribution and contains six species. These lichens are found on bark and wood, occasionally on rocks, or growing on other lichens.

<i>Roccella</i> (lichen) Genus of lichens in the family Roccellaceae

Roccella is a genus of 23 species of lichens in the family Roccellaceae. The genus was circumscribed by Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1805, with Roccella fuciformis as the type species.

<i>Felipes</i> Genus of lichen

Felipes is a genus of lichenized fungi in the order Arthoniales. Circumscribed by Andreas Frisch and Göran Thor in 2014, it contains the single species Felipes leucopellaeus. Genetic analysis shows that the genus falls into the order Arthoniales, but its familial placement is uncertain. Felipes leucopellaeus is found across Europe and North America in temperate and boreal regions, typically in old-growth forest or wooded mires. It is crustose and corticolous.

<i>Tylophoron</i> Genus of lichens

Tylophoron is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Arthoniaceae. The genus was circumscribed in 1862 by the Finnish lichenologist William Nylander.

<i>Immersaria</i> Genus of lichen

Immersaria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. It has eight species of crustose lichens.

Sprucidea is a genus of four crustose lichens in the family Malmideaceae. Similar to the related genus Malmidea, Sprucidea is characterized by frequently red thalli that contain the secondary compound norsolorinic acid, but differs in the rod-shaped instead of ellipsoid ascospores and in the stalked sporodochia as conidiomata. Sprucidea species are found in rainforest areas in South America and Southeast Asia.

Inoderma is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Arthoniaceae. It was resurrected for use in 2015 for a small group of species with the following features: elevated, white pruinose pycnidia, immersed to adnate white pruinose apothecia, and a weakly gelatinized hymenium. Inoderma byssaceum was assigned as the type species for the genus.

Inoderma sorediatum is a species of crustose lichen in the family Arthoniaceae. It is only known to occur on the bark of trees in Poland's Białowieża National Park. It is differentiated from other species in genus Inoderma by the form of its thallus, which is entirely made of powdery, granular soredia, as well as by the presence of a unique combination of lichen products.

Baidera is a single-species fungal genus in the family Roccellaceae. It contains the species Baidera mauritiana, a corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen found in Mauritius. Both the genus and species were described as new to science in 2020 by Paul Diederich and Damien Ernst. The genus name honours Cláudia Baider, curator of the Mauritius Herbarium.

Galbinothrix is a fungal genus in the family Chrysotrichaceae. It is monotypic, containing the single species Galbinothrix caesiopruinosa, a corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen.

Neosergipea septoconidiata is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Roccellaceae. It is a unique species of lichen that grows on the bark of trees in the primary forests of Brazil with its bluish-grey thallus and bright orange pycnidia that have a fluffy hyphal surface.

Sporodophoron primorskiense is a little-known species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Arthoniaceae. It is notable for its distinctive white, thin growth patterns and small sporodochia, or spore-producing structures. The species is named after the Primorsky Krai region in the Russian Far East, where it was first discovered. It has since been recorded in Japan.

<i>Coniocarpon</i> Genus of lichens

Coniocarpon is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Arthoniaceae. It has eight species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichens. This genus is distinct for its crystalline orange, red, and purple quinoid pigments in the ascomata that turn purple in potassium hydroxide solution, its colourless, transversely septate ascospores with large apical cells, and its rounded to lirellate ascomata.

Scutaria is a single-species fungal genus in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains the species Scutaria andina, found in South America. The thallus of this lichen has a form that is intermediate between crustose and foliose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confluentic acid</span> Chemical compound found in some lichens

Confluentic acid is an organic compound belonging to the chemical class known as depsides. It serves as a secondary metabolite in certain lichens and plays a role in distinguishing closely related species within the genus Porpidia. In 1899, Friedrich Wilhelm Zopf isolated a compound from Lecidea confluens, which he initially named confluentin and noted for its melting point of 147–148 °C. This substance demonstrated the ability to turn litmus paper red and, when interacting with alkali, decomposed into carbon dioxide and phenol-like compounds. Zopf subsequently revised the chemical formula and melting point of the compound. Siegfried Huneck renamed it confluentinic acid in 1962, characterising it as optically inactive, with distinct colour reactions and solubility properties, and determined its molecular formula as C28H36O8.

Glomerulophoron is a small genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Arthoniaceae. The genus contains two species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) crustose lichens. It was circumscribed in 2015 by the lichenologists Andreas Frisch, Damien Ertz, and Göran Thor. It was created to contain a single species from Mauritius, G. mauritiae, which was distinct from the similar genus Sporodophoron both genetically and morphologically, in the tightly coiled chains of sporodochial conidia. The genus gained another member in 2024 when the Brazilian species G. confluentisorediatum was added to it. It is distinguished from the type species by the absence of sporodochia.

Eremothecella cyaneoides is a species of foliicolous (leaf-dwelling) lichen in the family Arthoniaceae. Identified as a new species in 2001, it is a distinct species of leaf-dwelling lichen found in Queensland, Australia. This species is marked by its continuous or marginally dispersed, smooth, whitish-grey thallus. It hosts a phycobiont of the genus Phycopeltis, characterised by rectangular cells arranged in radiate rows.

References

  1. 1 2 "Sporodophoron". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  2. ↑ Wijayawardene, N.N.; Hyde, K.D.; Dai, D.Q.; Sánchez-García, M.; Goto, B.T.; Saxena, R.K.; et al. (2022). "Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa – 2021". Mycosphere. 13 (1): 53–453 [89]. doi: 10.5943/mycosphere/13/1/2 . hdl: 10481/76378 . S2CID   249054641.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Frisch, Andreas; Ohmura, Yoshihito; Ertz, Damien; Thor, Göran (2015). "Inoderma and related genera in Arthoniaceae with elevated white pruinose pycnidia or sporodochia". The Lichenologist. 47 (4): 233–256. doi:10.1017/s0024282915000201.
  4. ↑ Nimis, Pier Luigi (2016). The Lichens of Italy. A Second Annotated Catalogue. Trieste: Edizioni Università di Trieste. p. 477. ISBN   978-88-8303-755-9.
  5. ↑ Frolov, Ivan Valerievich; Prokopiev, Ilya Andreevich (2023). "The poorly known in Russia sporodochial lichen genus Sporodophoron (Arthoniaceae) with one species new to the country and continental Eurasia". Turczaninowia. 26 (1): 136–144. doi: 10.14258/turczaninowia.26.1.14 .
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.