Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Levels of Organization01:09

Levels of Organization

131.8K
Biological organization is the classification of biological structures, ranging from atoms at the bottom of the hierarchy to the Earth's biosphere. Each level of the hierarchy represents an increase in complexity that builds upon the previous level.
Molecules Are Composed of Atoms, and Biomolecules Are Assembled from Molecules:
The most basic levels include atoms, molecules, and biomolecules. Atoms, the smallest unit of ordinary matter, are composed of a nucleus and electrons. Molecules...
131.8K
Ecological Succession02:17

Ecological Succession

17.8K
Ecological succession is influenced by the processes of facilitation, inhibition, and toleration. Facilitation occurs when early successional species create more favorable ecological conditions for subsequent species, such as enhanced nutrient, water, or light availability. In contrast, inhibition happens when early successional species create unfavorable ecological conditions for potential successive species, such as limiting resource availability. In some cases, later successional species...
17.8K
Diversity of Protists III01:27

Diversity of Protists III

167
Rhizaria are a diverse group of unicellular protists characterized by their threadlike cytoplasmic extensions known as pseudopodia. These structures aid in both locomotion and feeding, giving Rhizaria an amoeboid appearance. Their amoeboid morphology once led to taxonomic confusion, but molecular phylogenetics has clarified their evolutionary placement and emphasized their shared use of pseudopodia despite divergent lineages.This clade comprises diverse lineages such as Chlorarachniophyta,...
167
Ladder Diagrams: Complexation Equilibria01:07

Ladder Diagrams: Complexation Equilibria

433
Ladder diagrams are useful for evaluating equilibria involving metal-ligand complexes. The vertical scale of the ladder diagram represents the concentration of unreacted or free ligand, pL. The horizontal lines on the scale depict the log of stepwise formation constants for metal-ligand complexes and indicate the dominant species in all the regions.
The formation constant, K1, for the formation of Cd(NH3)2+ complex from cadmium and ammonia is 3.55 × 102. Log K1 (i.e. pNH3) is 2.55, and...
433
Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores02:40

Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores

13.8K
Plants often form mutualistic relationships with soil-dwelling fungi or bacteria to enhance their roots’ nutrient uptake ability. Root-colonizing fungi (e.g., mycorrhizae) increase a plant’s root surface area, which promotes nutrient absorption. While root-colonizing, nitrogen-fixing bacteria (e.g., rhizobia) convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3), making nitrogen available to plants for various biological functions. For example, nitrogen is essential for the...
13.8K
Trophic Levels01:35

Trophic Levels

32.2K
All organisms in an ecosystem occupy a trophic level in the food chain. The lowest level consists of primary producers, which synthesize their food from either solar or chemical energy. Each subsequent level obtains energy from the levels below. Detritivores can occupy any of the levels above primary producers.
32.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Chloroplast and Mitochondrial Genomes of the Lichen-Symbiotic Green Alga Trebouxia Illuminate Evolutionary Relationships and Climate Associations and Yield New Phylogenetic Markers.

Genome biology and evolution·2026
Same author

Microhabitat-driven acclimation links functional and germination traits in the narrow endemic Saxifraga berica (Bég.) D.A. Webb.

BMC plant biology·2026
Same author

Convergent symbioses: morphology, life history, and niche specialization in coral and lichen mutualisms.

FEMS microbiology reviews·2026
Same author

Ubiquitous occurrence of the black fungus Melanina gundecimermaniae in the lichen Umbilicaria pustulata.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same author

Broad Ecological Niche in Seashore Lichens Emerges From a Stable, Selective Association With Generalist Algal Symbionts.

Ecology and evolution·2025
Same author

Paired-omics-based exploration and characterization of biosynthetic diversity in lichenized fungi.

Microbial genomics·2025
Same journal

Genomic Diversity of Aurochs From a Mediterranean Ice-Age Refugium.

Molecular ecology·2026
Same journal

Introgression and Divergence in a Young Species Group.

Molecular ecology·2026
Same journal

The Fungal Community of a High-Arctic Semi-Desert Ecosystem Is Robust to Two Decades of Doubled Summer Precipitation but Influenced by Plant Dominance.

Molecular ecology·2026
Same journal

Cessation of Gene Flow Associated With the Reduction of a Sexually Selected Phenotype in the Island Stag Beetle.

Molecular ecology·2026
Same journal

A 'Bermuda Triangle' Effect Shaping Reef Fish Connectivity Across the Western Atlantic.

Molecular ecology·2026
Same journal

Molecular Tuning and Morphology of the Olfactory System Underlie Nestmate Recognition in a Polymorphic Ant.

Molecular ecology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 27, 2025

Soil Lysimeter Excavation for Coupled Hydrological, Geochemical, and Microbiological Investigations
10:30

Soil Lysimeter Excavation for Coupled Hydrological, Geochemical, and Microbiological Investigations

Published on: September 11, 2016

10.9K

Lichen holobionts show compositional structure along elevation.

Gregor Rolshausen1,2, Francesco Dal Grande1, Jürgen Otte1

  • 1Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Molecular Ecology
|April 10, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Lichen holobionts, comprising fungi, algae, and bacteria, show distinct community shifts along elevational gradients. These microecosystem changes mirror macroorganism responses to climate, revealing conserved ecological patterns.

Keywords:
altitudinal zonationcommunity shiftsecological boundarymycobiontphotobiontsymbiosistransitionturnover

More Related Videos

Microbiota of Attine Ants' Gardens: Visualizing a Microbial Landscape by Scanning Electron Microscopy
07:00

Microbiota of Attine Ants' Gardens: Visualizing a Microbial Landscape by Scanning Electron Microscopy

Published on: October 4, 2024

742
BtM, a Low-cost Open-source Datalogger to Estimate the Water Content of Nonvascular Cryptogams
08:25

BtM, a Low-cost Open-source Datalogger to Estimate the Water Content of Nonvascular Cryptogams

Published on: March 25, 2019

8.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 27, 2025

Soil Lysimeter Excavation for Coupled Hydrological, Geochemical, and Microbiological Investigations
10:30

Soil Lysimeter Excavation for Coupled Hydrological, Geochemical, and Microbiological Investigations

Published on: September 11, 2016

10.9K
Microbiota of Attine Ants' Gardens: Visualizing a Microbial Landscape by Scanning Electron Microscopy
07:00

Microbiota of Attine Ants' Gardens: Visualizing a Microbial Landscape by Scanning Electron Microscopy

Published on: October 4, 2024

742
BtM, a Low-cost Open-source Datalogger to Estimate the Water Content of Nonvascular Cryptogams
08:25

BtM, a Low-cost Open-source Datalogger to Estimate the Water Content of Nonvascular Cryptogams

Published on: March 25, 2019

8.2K

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Microbiology
  • Symbiosis research

Background:

  • Holobionts are complex ecosystems where microbial communities interact with host organisms.
  • Understanding how these microecosystems respond to environmental gradients is crucial for ecological insights.
  • Lichens, as symbiotic associations, offer a model system to study holobiont dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the collective response of lichen holobiont components (fungal, algal, bacterial) to an elevational gradient.
  • To identify diversity patterns and community shifts within lichen holobionts across different altitudes and biomes.
  • To determine if lichen holobionts exhibit similar environmental responses as larger organisms.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of fungal host, algal symbiont, and bacterial community composition in lichen populations along an elevational gradient (2100m).
  • Genomic variation assessment of fungal hosts.
  • Community structure analysis of bacterial symbionts and identification of algal symbionts.
  • Correlation of holobiont composition with climatic factors (temperature) and altitudinal belts.

Main Results:

  • Fungal hosts exhibited discontinuous genomic variation with abrupt differentiation.
  • Bacterial communities were altitudinally structured, showing significant turnover within and between hosts.
  • Bacterial alpha diversity decreased with increasing elevation.
  • Distinct altitudinal belts (800-1200m and 1500-1800m) showed marked turnover in holobiont diversity.
  • Holobiont composition aligned with Mediterranean, cool-temperate, and alpine climate zones.

Conclusions:

  • Lichen holobionts demonstrate concerted compositional changes in response to elevational and climatic gradients.
  • These microecosystem responses are analogous to those observed in macroorganism communities, such as vascular plants.
  • Climatic factors play a significant role in structuring multitrophic microecosystems like lichens.