Lichen photobiont diversity and selectivity at the southern limit of the maritime Antarctic region (Coal Nunatak, Alexander Island)

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• 作者：Andreas Engelen ; Peter Convey ; Ovidiu Popa ; Sieglinde Ott
• 关键词：Inland site ; Extreme environment ; Symbiotic association ; Community ; Genetic diversity ; Photobiont haplotypes
• 刊名：Polar Biology
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：December 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：39
• 期：12
• 页码：2403-2410
• 全文大小：
• 刊物类别：Biomedical and Life Sciences
• 刊物主题：Ecology; Oceanography; Microbiology; Plant Sciences; Zoology;
• 出版者：Springer Berlin Heidelberg
• ISSN：1432-2056
• 卷排序：39

文摘

Antarctic ice-free inland sites provide a unique perspective on the strategies coevolving organisms have developed for survival at the limits of life. Here, we provide the first combined description of the ecological and genetic diversity of lichen photobionts colonising an isolated Antarctic inland site, Coal Nunatak, on south-east Alexander Island (Antarctic Peninsula). Photobionts of 14 lichen species (42 samples), all belonging to the group of coccal green algae, representing the entire lichen community of Coal Nunatak were investigated using the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA. The study attempted to address the hypothesis that mycobiont selectivity for the photobiont partner is lower in more extreme environments. This hypothesis did not appear to hold true for the entire lichen community except one species. Another aspect focuses on the relevance of the reproduction modus concerning the distribution of photobiont haplotypes in the lichen community.