Toby Spribille

Last updated
Toby Spribille
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Graz
Scientific career
Fieldslichenology
Author abbrev. (botany) T.Sprib.

Toby Spribille is a lichenologist, specialising in evolution and taxonomy. He identified the presence of yeast cells as an additional fungal component of some lichens. He works at University of Alberta and is the Canada Research Chair in Symbiosis.

Contents

Early life, education and personal life

Toby Spribille was born in the US and educated at home. He was interested in science but lacked conventional qualifications. Therefore, he studied at University of Göttingen in Germany. He subsequently studied for a doctorate at the University of Graz, Austria which was awarded in 2011. [1]

Career

He first worked in forestry. After academic study in Europe, he undertook postdoctoral research at both the University of Graz and University of Alberta between 2012 and 2017. Spiribille worked with John McCutcheon at University of Alberta to apply molecular biology methods to the lichen symbiosis. He was then able to take up a post as an associate professor in biological sciences at the University of Alberta in Canada in 2017. [1] [2]

His research focuses on lichens, especially their evolution, ecology and diversity. He uses technologies from microscopy and molecular biology. [2] In 2016, he and colleagues identified the presence of basidiomycota yeasts within the structure of lichen species in North American through using a combination of microscopy and molecular genetic methods. [3] This was a new, unexpected, discovery since lichens were considered to consist of one fungus and one (or two) photosynthetic algal or bacterial components. The additional fungal component has also been found in lichens around the world. This discovery has added to understanding of the lichen symbiosis, and the gradation between parasitism and mutualism. [4] [5] Spribille has also identified, or revised the nomenclature, of several species of northern American lichens. [1]

The North American lichen Cliostomum spribillei was named in his honour in 2016. [6]

Publications

Spribille is the author or co-author of over 45 scientific publications. The most significant include:

The standard author abbreviation T.Sprib. is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

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

A lichen is a hybrid colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among filaments of multiple fungi species, along with a yeast embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualistic relationship.

Homothallic refers to the possession, within a single organism, of the resources to reproduce sexually; i.e., having male and female reproductive structures on the same thallus. The opposite sexual functions are performed by different cells of a single mycelium.

<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.

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

Lichinales is the sole order of ascomycete fungi in the class Lichinomycetes. It contains three families: Gloeoheppiaceae, Lichinaceae, and Peltulaceae. Most species are lichenized. Lichinales was proposed in 1986 by German lichenologists Aino Henssen and Burkhard Büdel. The class Lichinomycetes was created by Valérie Reeb, François Lutzoni and Claude Roux in 2004.

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

The Lichinaceae are a family of ascomycete fungi. Most species are lichenized with cyanobacteria, and have a distribution largely in temperate regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Leslie Hawksworth</span> British biologist, mycologist and lichenologist (born 1946)

David Leslie Hawksworth is a British mycologist and lichenologist currently with a professorship in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Madrid, Spain and also a Scientific Associate of The Natural History Museum in London. Hawksworth has had a prolific career, authoring nearly 600 scientific works, describing approximately 250 new taxa, and proposing around 500 new combinations or new names in fungal nomenclature. In 1996, he was honoured as Commander of the British Empire (CBE). In 2002, he received the Acharius Medal from the International Association for Lichenology. Five genera and many species have been named in his honour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine fungi</span> Species of fungi that live in marine or estuarine environments

Marine fungi are species of fungi that live in marine or estuarine environments. They are not a taxonomic group, but share a common habitat. Obligate marine fungi grow exclusively in the marine habitat while wholly or sporadically submerged in sea water. Facultative marine fungi normally occupy terrestrial or freshwater habitats, but are capable of living or even sporulating in a marine habitat. About 444 species of marine fungi have been described, including seven genera and ten species of basidiomycetes, and 177 genera and 360 species of ascomycetes. The remainder of the marine fungi are chytrids and mitosporic or asexual fungi. Many species of marine fungi are known only from spores and it is likely a large number of species have yet to be discovered. In fact, it is thought that less than 1% of all marine fungal species have been described, due to difficulty in targeting marine fungal DNA and difficulties that arise in attempting to grow cultures of marine fungi. It is impracticable to culture many of these fungi, but their nature can be investigated by examining seawater samples and undertaking rDNA analysis of the fungal material found.

Biatora epirotica is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. Found in specific regions of the Balkans and Turkey, it was described as new to science in 2011 by lichenologists Christian Printzen and Toby Spribille.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fruticose lichen</span> Form of lichen

A fruticose lichen is a form of lichen fungi that is characterized by a coral-like shrubby or bushy growth structure. It is formed from a symbiotic relationship of a photobiont such as green algae or less commonly cyanobacteria and one, two or more mycobionts. Fruticose lichens are not a monophyletic and holophyletic lineage, but are a form encountered in many classes. Fruticose lichens have a complex vegetation structure, and are characterized by an ascending, bushy or pendulous appearance. As with other lichens, many fruticose lichens can endure high degrees of desiccation. They grow slowly and often occur in habitats such as on tree barks, on rock surfaces and on soils in the Arctic and mountain regions.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to fungi and mycology:

Josef Hafellner is an Austrian mycologist and lichenologist. He was awarded the Acharius Medal in 2016 for his lifetime contributions to lichenology. Before his retirement, he was a professor at the Karl-Franzens-Universität in Graz. Hafellner started developing an interest in lichens while he was a student at this institution, studying under Josef Poelt. He earned a master's degree in 1975 and a PhD in 1978, defending a doctoral thesis about the genus Karschia. In 2003, Hafellner received his habilitation. By this time, he had studied with French lichenologist André Bellemère (1927–2014) at Saint-Cloud, where he learned techniques of transmission electron microscopy and how their application in studying asci could be used in lichen systematics. His 1984 work Studien in Richtung einer natürlicheren Gliederung der Sammelfamilien Lecanoraceae und Lecideaceae has been described as "probably the single most influential publication in lichen systematics in the latter half of the 20th century".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmanuël Sérusiaux</span> Belgian lichenologist

Emmanuël Sérusiaux is a Belgian lichenologist. His career, spanning more than four decades, has combined both lichenology research and political aspects of nature conservation. He spent several periods working as a researcher at the National Fund for Scientific Research and the University of Liège, the latter in which he accepted a faculty position as professor and head of the Plant Taxonomy and Conservation Biology unit. Sérusiaux also served for three non-consecutive appointments as Deputy Chief of Staff in the Government of Wallonia. He retired from both his academic and political positions in 2019.

Steineropsis is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Pannariaceae. It has two species. The genus was circumscribed by Toby Spribille and Lucia Muggia in 2010, with Steineropsis alaskana assigned as the type species. The type specimen of this lichen was found in Skagway, Alaska, where it was growing on a rock in a snowbed at an altitude of 1,051 m (3,448 ft). The generic name alludes to a resemblance to the genus Steinera. A second species, Steineropsis laceratula, also found in Alaska, was added to the genus in 2020. Molecular phylogenetic analysis showed that Steineropsis has a sister taxon relationship to genus Protopannaria.

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

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

Watsoniomyces is a single-species fungal genus in the family Lichinaceae. It contains the saxicolous (rock-dwelling) crustose lichen Watsoniomyces obsoletus.

Cliostomum spribillei is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) crustose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. It is found in the American Pacific Northwest and western Canada, where it grows on coniferous trees in old-growth forests. The lichen was formally described as a new species in 2016 by the lichenologists Trevor Goward and Tor Tønsberg. The type specimen was collected by the first author near the headwaters of Grouse Creek at an altitude of 1,750 m (5,740 ft), where it was found growing on the branches and trunks of Abies lasiocarpa in an old-growth forest. The species epithet spribillei honors lichenologist Toby Spribille "for his many significant contributions to our knowledge of northwest North American lichens".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tor Tønsberg</span> Norwegian lichenologist (born 1948)

Tor Tønsberg is a Norwegian lichenologist who has made significant contributions to the taxonomy, chemistry, floristics, and phytogeography of lichens and lichenicolous fungi. Throughout his career, he has described more than one hundred species and genera new to science, advancing the knowledge of lichens in Europe and North America.

Leptogidium is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Pannariaceae. It has six species.

Trevor Goward is a Canadian environmentalist and lichenologist known for his contributions to lichenology and his environmental conservation, particularly in British Columbia. Goward has authored numerous publications on lichens, including taxonomic guides, and has conducted observational studies that challenge established scientific understandings of lichen symbiosis. Despite lacking formal training in biology, he has served as the curator of the University of British Columbia's lichen herbarium since 1989 and has had several lichen species named in his honour.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Yong, Ed (21 July 2016). "How a Guy From a Montana Trailer Park Overturned 150 Years of Biology". The Atlantic. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Toby Spribille Associate Professor, Faculty of Science - Biological Sciences". University of Alberta. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  3. Spiribille, Toby; Tuovinen, Veera; other co-authors, and 13 (2016). "Basidiomycete yeasts in the cortex of ascomycete macrolichens". Science. 353 (6298): 488–492. Bibcode:2016Sci...353..488S. doi:10.1126/science.aaf8287. PMC   5793994 . PMID   27445309.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. Intagliata, Christopher. "For Lichens, 3's Not a Crowd". Scientific American. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  5. Brown, Michael. "Discovery offers new clues to lichens' evolutionary advantage". University of Alberta. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  6. Tønsberg, Tor; Goward, Trevor (2016). "Cliostomum spribillei (Ramalinaceae, lichenized Ascomycetes), a new species from western North America". North American Fungi. 11 (5): 1–7. doi:10.2509/naf2016.011.005 (inactive 1 November 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  7. International Plant Names Index.  T.Sprib.