Abstract
Lichens represent an extremely successful symbiosis between fungi and photosynthetic partners. It has been suggested that lichens can enhance their adaptive potential and widen their ecological niches by associating with locally adapted photobionts. Based on a worldwide population sample of the lichen Cetraria aculeata we investigate the genetic diversity and composition of photobiont and mycobiont populations of this species with a special focus on tropical alpine regions that have never been studied before. Probably due to their geographic isolation and founder effects during colonization, tropical mycobiont populations display low genetical diversity. In sharp contrast, tropical photobiont populations are among the most diverse within the species and similar in composition to polar populations. These results support the hypothesis of photobiont switching as an adaptive strategy in lichens.
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