Presentation Type
Poster
Full Name of Faculty Mentor
Megan Cevasco, Biology
Major
Biology
Presentation Abstract
Lichens are composed of fungal and algal or cyanobacterial components that participate in a mutualistic relationship. Recently, lichen-associated bacterial microbiomes have also been discovered to play a role in this relationship. Gathering information concerning lichen evolutionary relationships can bring more clarity to how lichens have evolved to be better equipped to house these bacterial communities. Specifically, this study aims to understand the evolutionary relationship between lichen species within different genera of the Collemataceae family. Broadening the taxa being studied from the Kosuthova et al. 2020 study to 20 total lichen species within the Collemataceae family, allows for a phylogenetic approach of analysis of the mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal RNA (mtSSU) gene to provide additional clarity to lichen species delimitation. Phylogenetic hypotheses reflecting the additional taxa are analyzed and compared to the trees presented in the Kosuthova et al. 2020 study to generate this clarity.
Location
Virtual Poster Session 2
Start Date
22-4-2021 4:30 PM
End Date
22-4-2021 6:30 PM
Disciplines
Biology
Recommended Citation
Austin, Catherine, "Lichen Delimitation Within the Collemataceae Family" (2021). Undergraduate Research Competition. 104.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/ugrc/2021/fullconference/104
Included in
Lichen Delimitation Within the Collemataceae Family
Virtual Poster Session 2
Lichens are composed of fungal and algal or cyanobacterial components that participate in a mutualistic relationship. Recently, lichen-associated bacterial microbiomes have also been discovered to play a role in this relationship. Gathering information concerning lichen evolutionary relationships can bring more clarity to how lichens have evolved to be better equipped to house these bacterial communities. Specifically, this study aims to understand the evolutionary relationship between lichen species within different genera of the Collemataceae family. Broadening the taxa being studied from the Kosuthova et al. 2020 study to 20 total lichen species within the Collemataceae family, allows for a phylogenetic approach of analysis of the mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal RNA (mtSSU) gene to provide additional clarity to lichen species delimitation. Phylogenetic hypotheses reflecting the additional taxa are analyzed and compared to the trees presented in the Kosuthova et al. 2020 study to generate this clarity.