Microbial community in Antarctic lichens

Abstract

Lichens are symbiotic association of fungal (mycobiont) and photosynthetic algal or cyanobacterial (photobiont) partners. They comprise major terrestrial flora in Antarctic environment. Contribution of the two major partners has been known well, but composition and role of other components of lichen ecosystems has not been known well. Recently, microbial community in the lichen thalli has been revealed cultivation of microorganisms and by FISH imaging. In this study, microbial community composition in lichen samples was analyzed by pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons from Cladonia, Umbilicaria, and Usnea species in King Jeorge Island, Antarctica. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were the major phyla in the lichen ecosystems. Microbial phylotype composition from the same or related lichen species were more closely related than those of different lichen species.