title: Insights into intrathalline genetic diversity of the cosmopolitan lichen symbiotic green alga Trebouxia decolorans Ahmadjian using microsatellite markers.
abstract: Trebouxia decolorans is a widespread and common symbiotic green alga that is found in association with different species of lichen-forming fungi. By applying T. decolorans-specific microsatellite markers, we investigated the within-thallus diversity of T. decolorans in thalli of Xanthoria parietina and Anaptychia ciliaris. We found several algal strains in most of the thalli of both hosts. High genetic differentiation among thalli suggests that algal diversity is generated de novo via mutation in both fungal hosts. Rarefied allelic richness of the algae was higher in thalli of X. parietina. Our results indicate that in X. parietina intrathalline algal diversity is additionally created by environmental uptake of algae either at the start of the symbiotic association or during the lifetime of the thallus. This study indicates that promiscuous host-symbiont associations in lichen symbioses with Trebouxia spp. may be more common than currently recognized.
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Electronic address: francesco.dalgrande@senckenberg.de.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dal Grande
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Vegetal II, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Alors
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Vegetal II, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Pradeep K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Divakar
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Miklós
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bálint
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Vegetal II, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Crespo
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe Universität, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, D-60438 Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Imke
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schmitt
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000235:genetics; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000235:genetics*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D014644:Genetic Variation; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
keywords: Anaptychia ciliaris; Microsatellite; Population; Symbiosis; Trebouxia; Xanthoria parietina