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Bacterial communities associated with the lichen symbiosis.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2010 Dec 17;
Authors: Bates ST, Cropsey GW, Caporaso JG, Knight R, Fierer N
Lichens are commonly described as a mutualistic symbiosis between fungi and "algae" (Chlorophyta or Cyanobacteria); however, they also have internal bacterial communities. Recent research suggests that lichen-associated microbes are an integral component of lichen thalli and that the classical view of this symbiotic relationship should be expanded to include bacteria. However, we still have a limited understanding of the phylogenetic structure of these communities and their variability across lichen species. To address these knowledge gaps, we used barcoded pyrosequencing to survey the bacterial communities associated with lichens. Bacterial sequences obtained from four lichen species at multiple locations on rock outcrops suggest that each lichen species harbors a distinct community and that all communities are dominated by Alphaproteobacteria. Across all samples, we recovered numerous bacterial phylotypes that were closely related to sequences isolated from lichens in prior investigations, including those from a lichen-associated Rhizobiales lineage (LAR1; putative N2-fixers). LAR1 related phylotypes were relatively abundant and found in all four lichen species, and many sequences closely related to other known N2-fixer (e.g., Azospirillum, Bradyrhizobium, and Frankia) were recovered. Our findings confirm the presence of highly structured bacterial communities within lichens and provide additional evidence that these bacteria may serve distinct functional roles within lichen symbioses.
PMID: 21169444 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
More...
Bacterial communities associated with the lichen symbiosis.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2010 Dec 17;
Authors: Bates ST, Cropsey GW, Caporaso JG, Knight R, Fierer N
Lichens are commonly described as a mutualistic symbiosis between fungi and "algae" (Chlorophyta or Cyanobacteria); however, they also have internal bacterial communities. Recent research suggests that lichen-associated microbes are an integral component of lichen thalli and that the classical view of this symbiotic relationship should be expanded to include bacteria. However, we still have a limited understanding of the phylogenetic structure of these communities and their variability across lichen species. To address these knowledge gaps, we used barcoded pyrosequencing to survey the bacterial communities associated with lichens. Bacterial sequences obtained from four lichen species at multiple locations on rock outcrops suggest that each lichen species harbors a distinct community and that all communities are dominated by Alphaproteobacteria. Across all samples, we recovered numerous bacterial phylotypes that were closely related to sequences isolated from lichens in prior investigations, including those from a lichen-associated Rhizobiales lineage (LAR1; putative N2-fixers). LAR1 related phylotypes were relatively abundant and found in all four lichen species, and many sequences closely related to other known N2-fixer (e.g., Azospirillum, Bradyrhizobium, and Frankia) were recovered. Our findings confirm the presence of highly structured bacterial communities within lichens and provide additional evidence that these bacteria may serve distinct functional roles within lichen symbioses.
PMID: 21169444 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
More...