Cellulose-acetate Disks as Novel Substrate for the Resynthesis and Culture of Lichens

Abstract

Cellulose-acetate disks were found convenient for the cultivation of lichen mycobionts and artificial resynthesis and culture of the lichen Cladonia cristatella. These cost-effective disks solve many resynthesis problems, as they are easily sterilized to facilitate mycobiont establishment. They also permit transfer of mycobiont cultures to nutrient-poor agar stimulating hyphal branching which is conducive to lichenization, with minimal carry over of the original medium. Mycobionts on cellulose-acetate disks can be directly inoculated with photobionts and preweighing permits growth of re-synthesized lichens to be monitored easily.