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Assembly and Quantification of Co-Cultures Combining Heterotrophic Yeast with Phototrophic Sugar-Secreting Cyanobacteria

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Assessing population structure and host specialization in lichenized cyanobacteria.

Heath E O'Brien^1,2, Jolanta Miadlikowska¹, François Lutzoni¹

¹Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.

The New Phytologist

|February 15, 2013

Summary

Lichen symbiosis is shaped by fungal and cyanobacterial genetics, not just dispersal. Specificity and geography, not dispersal syndromes, determine photobiont associations in these obligate symbioses.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Symbiosis
Mycology
Microbiology

Background:

Coevolutionary theory posits that symbiotic organism distribution depends on partner dispersal and ecological ranges.
Lichen-forming fungi and their cyanobacterial partners represent obligate symbioses crucial for understanding these dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

To test the prediction that partner dispersal ability and ecological range dictate the distribution of lichen-forming fungi and their cyanobacterial symbionts.
To investigate the genetic structure and specialization patterns within lichen symbioses.

Main Methods:

Genotyping of fungal and cyanobacterial partners from 250 lichens across British Columbia, Canada.
Multilocus sequence data analysis of 128 specimens to assess cyanobacterial recombination.
Phylogenetic analysis of cyanobacterial Nostoc genus genotypes.

Main Results:

Six distinct, clonally evolving cyanobacterial genotype clusters were identified within the Nostoc genus.
High fungal specialization observed, with species associating with one or two cyanobacterial clusters.
Variable cyanobacterial specialization and geographically restricted photobiont associations were noted.

Conclusions:

Photobiont association patterns in lichens are complex, influenced by genetic specificity, population structure, and ecological factors.
Dispersal syndromes alone do not adequately predict photobiont associations in these obligate symbioses.
Lichen symbiont distribution is a product of intricate coevolutionary interactions.