Life Sciences Commons^™

Lichen Delimitation Within The Collemataceae Family, Catherine Austin

Undergraduate Research Competition

Lichens are composed of fungal and algal or cyanobacterial components that participate in a mutualistic relationship. Recently, lichen-associated bacterial microbiomes have also been discovered to play a role in this relationship. Gathering information concerning lichen evolutionary relationships can bring more clarity to how lichens have evolved to be better equipped to house these bacterial communities. Specifically, this study aims to understand the evolutionary relationship between lichen species within different genera of the Collemataceae family. Broadening the taxa being studied from the Kosuthova et al. 2020 study to 20 total lichen species within the Collemataceae family, allows for a phylogenetic approach …