White areas inside „black fruiting Caloplaca“ (lichenized Fungi: Teloschistaceae)

Ivan Frolov (Budweis): Lichens are peculiar life-forms which are often abundant on substrates uncomfortable for other organisms, as stones, bark or wood. Tolerance to droughts and cold makes lichens characteristic inhabitants in deserts, tundra, and taiga. Lichenologists have been studying biodiversity and taxonomy of these organisms for more than 200 years, but poorly studied groups as well as unexplored geographical regions still remain. A large family Teloschistaceae, that has a worldwide distribution and possibly includes some 1000 or more species, is also largely unexplored. We are interested in its section containing lichens with absence of bright anthraquinone pigments and inhabiting limestone cliffs in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. They form a monophyletic group called "Pyrenodesmia". Eurasian biodiversity hot-spots of Pyrenodesmia are in the Mediterranean basin and arid regions of Asia. About fifteen species of the group are currently known from Europe and Asia, but our study of the group in Central Europe, Near East and Central Asia (western Kazakhstan, Ural Mts, Altay Mts and Sayan Mts) has shown that biodiversity of the group was strongly underestimated. Our talk is on genotypic and phenotypic diversity within the group and on peculiar geography and ecology of some taxa.