Endothallic yeasts in the terricolous lichens Cladonia

Abstract

Lichens are multi-component microbial communities where yeasts are common. This work was designed to address the taxonomic diversity and distribution of cultivated endothallic yeasts in terricolous lichens of the genus Cladonia. Lichens Cladonia stellaris, C. rangiferina, C. cornuta, and C. pleurota from arctic, subarctic, and continental boreal climates in Russia in a range of biotopes were studied. In total, 40 yeast species were isolated. It revealed a broad taxonomic range of endothallic yeast with a substantial proportion of basidiomycetes from subphyla Agaricomycotina and Pucciniomycotina. Many common yeast species were found within the epithallic and endothallic yeast communities of some lichens studied. The physiological and ecological characterization of 30 basidiomycetous endothallic yeasts enhances our understanding of lichen habitats and may aid in culturing seldom-isolated lichenicolous fungi. Out of 40 species in this study, 21 new yeast species were discovered, and 10 new yeast species were proposed with their formal descriptions. They are Colacogloea glushakovae sp. nov., Cyrenella lichenicola sp. nov., Microsporomyces wangii sp. nov., Microsporomyces cladoniae sp. nov., Genolevuria nadymea sp. nov., Teunia turchettiae sp. nov., Phaeotremella sibirica sp. nov., Phaeotremella endothallina sp. nov., Piskurozyma altaica sp. nov., and Piskurozyma cladoniicola sp. nov.