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Citation for Study 11090

About Citation title: "Species delimitation and evolution in morphologically and chemically diverse communities of the lichen-forming genus Xanthoparmelia (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycota) in western North America".
About Study name: "Species delimitation and evolution in morphologically and chemically diverse communities of the lichen-forming genus Xanthoparmelia (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycota) in western North America".
About This study is part of submission 11080 (Status: Published).

Citation

Leavitt S., Johnson L., & St. clair L.L. 2010. Species delimitation and evolution in morphologically and chemically diverse communities of the lichen-forming genus Xanthoparmelia (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycota) in western North America. American Journal of Botany, .

Authors

  • Leavitt S. (submitter)
  • Johnson L.
  • St. clair L.L.

Abstract

Premise of the study Accurate species delimitation is important for understanding factors driving diversification of biota and has critical implications for ecological and conservation studies. However, a growing body of evidence indicates that morphology-based species circumspection in lichenized fungi misrepresents fungal diversity. The foliose lichen genus Xanthoparmelia (Vainio) Hale. includes over 800 species displaying a complex array of morphological and secondary metabolite diversity. Methods In this study we used a multifaceted approach, applying phylogenetic, population genetic, and genealogical analyses to delimit species in a single well-supported monophyletic clade containing ten morphologically and chemically diverse Xanthoparmelia species in western North America. Sequence data from 4 ribosomal and 2 nuclear loci, along with chemical and morphological were used to assess species diversity. Key results We find that traditionally circumscribed species are not supported by molecular data. Rather, all sampled taxa were better represented by three polymorphic population clusters supported, in part, by multiple analytical approaches. Our results suggest that secondary metabolite variation may have limited utility in diagnosing lineages within this group, while identified populations clusters did not reflect major phylogeographic or ecological patterns. Conclusions In contrast to studies revealing previously undiscovered fungal lineages masked within lichen species circumscribed by traditional morphological and chemical concepts, the present study suggests that species diversity has been overestimated in the species rich genus Xanthoparmelia. A concordance approach using multiple lines of evidence and analytical tools provides an effective approach to delimit lichenized fungi species in notoriously challenging groups.

Keywords

morphology, secondary metabolites; species delimitation, vagrant lichens; Xanthoparmelia

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  • Canonical resource URI: http://purl.org/phylo/treebase/phylows/study/TB2:S11090
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