A Molecular Phylogeny of the Lichen Genus Lecidella Focusing on Species from Mainland China

PLoS One. 2015 Sep 28;10(9):e0139405. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139405. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

The phylogeny of Lecidella species is studied, based on a 7-locus data set using ML and Bayesian analyses. Phylogenetic relationships among 43 individuals representing 11 Lecidella species, mainly from mainland China, were included in the analyses and phenotypical characters studied and mapped onto the phylogeny. The Lecidella species fall into three major clades, which are proposed here as three informal groups-Lecidella stigmatea group, L. elaeochroma group and L. enteroleucella group, each of them strongly supported. Our phylogenetic analyses support traditional species delimitation based on morphological and chemical traits in most but not all cases. Individuals considered as belonging to the same species based on phenotypic characters were found to be paraphyletic, indicating that cryptic species might be hidden under these names (e.g. L. carpathica and L. effugiens). Potentially undescribed species were found within the phenotypically circumscribed species L. elaeochroma and L. stigmatea. Additional sampling across a broader taxonomic and geographic scale will be crucial to fully resolving the taxonomy in this cosmopolitan genus.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • China
  • Genetic Loci
  • Lichens / classification*
  • Likelihood Functions
  • Phylogeny*
  • Species Specificity

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the China Scholorship Council (www.csc.edu.cn) 201408370093 to XZ, National Natural Science Foundation of China (www.nsfc.gov.cn) 31170187 to ZTZ and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (www.nsfc.gov.cn) 31270059 to LLZ. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.