Bibiana Moncada

District University of Bogotá | UDISTRITAL · Licenciatura en Biología

Cerro Machín is located in the municipality of Ibagué. It is a volcano with active fumaroles reaching 2650 m of elevation. Montane forest relics mostly cover it, but the forest in the surroundings has been largely replaced by pastureland. We surveyed its lichenized fungi communities focusing on species composition, community structure, diversity, a...

We used a simulation approach to test whether species compo­sition on oceanic islands follows deterministic assembly rules based on probabilities of successful dispersal and establishment. The study was performed with two island biota in the eastern Pacific: the Galápagos, dominated by dry vegetation and montane humid forest, and Cocos Island, cove...

Four species of the genus Sticta are described as new from Bolivia, based on morphological examination and phylogenetic analysis of the fungal ITS barcoding marker. Additionally, two species are reported as new to Bolivia (their identification confirmed by molecular data) and one previously reported species is confirmed by molecular data for the fi...

Pyrenocarpous lichens are an important component of the forest ecosystem, yet remain understudied. Following the recent field surveys of the lichen biota in Mt. Musuan, four pyrenolichen species previously unreported from the Philippines were collected, namely: Porina exocha, Pyrenula pyrenuloides, P. subsoluta, and Nigrovothelium inspersotropicum....

Los ambientes urbanos albergan una riqueza significativa de briófitos. Estas plantas no vasculares pueden colonizar cualquier tipo de sustrato presente en las ciudades como suelo, roca, cortezas de árboles y arbustos, hojas vivas, materiales rocosos presentes en el ladrillo, estructuras de edificaciones y concreto. Durante esta investigación se est...

Applying molecular methods to fungi establishing lichenized associations with green algae or cyanobacteria has repeatedly revealed the existence of numerous phylogenetic taxa overlooked by classical taxonomic approaches. Here, we report taxonomical conclusions based on multiple species delimitation and validation analyses performed on an eight-locu...

A first integrative survey of the genus Usnea in the southern Philippines, taking into account morphological, anatomical, chemical and molecular characters, resulted in the recognition of 20 taxa, including three species new to science: Usnea angulata Ach., U. baileyi (Stirt.) Zahlbr., U. bismolliuscula Zahlbr., U. brasiliensis (Zahlbr.) Motyka, U....

Explorations on the knowledge and biodiversity of Philippine lichen fungi have progressed recently. However, comparatively little attention has been given to the species composition along a lowland secondary forest ecosystem. Thus, the study aimed to provide information on the occurrence of lichen species in relation to various land use types of Mt...

The current list of fungi from Colombia updated in the present review contains a total of 7619 species. The Ascomycota appears as the most diverse group, with 4818 species, followed by the Basidiomycota, with 2555 species. Despite this, we presume that the actual fungal diversity in Colombia could amount to between 105,600 and 300,000 species. Fung...

We describe three new species of lobarioid Peltigeraceae from Colombia, honoring our mentor, colleague, and friend, Prof. Dr. Enrique Forero González, one of the most outstanding Colombian scientists, for his contributions to botany, plant conservation, and science policy in Colombia. The three new species belong to Lobariella, Sticta, and Yoshimur...

A checklist of Lichen-forming, Lichenicolous and Allied Fungi of Ecuador is presented with a total of 2599 species, of which 39 are reported for the first time from the country. The names of three species, Hypotrachyna montufariensis , H. subpartita and Sticta hypoglabra , previously not validly published, are validated. Pertusaria oahuensis , orig...

We present a novel identification tool called PhyloKey , based on the method of morphology-based, phylogenetic binning developed within the software package RAxML. This method takes a reference data set of species for which both molecular and morphological data are available, computes a molecular reference tree, maps the morphological characters on...

In this study, we revised the lichen collection at the Herbario Amazonico Colombiano (coah) in Bogotá, Colombia. The collection has a total of nearly 2,400 specimens, with some duplicates in the Herbario Nacional (col) and in the herbarium of the Botanic Garden in Berlin (b). The revision of 1,861 specimens revealed 574 species in 142 genera and 44...

Phylogenetic approaches to macroevolution have provided unique insight into evolutionary relationships, ancestral ranges, and diversification patterns for many taxa. Similar frameworks have also been developed to assess how environmental and/or spatial variables shape species diversity and distribution patterns at different spatial/temporal scales,...

A comprehensive checklist of the fungi known for Colombia is presented in this chapter. This checklist is one of the core outputs of the Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia (UPFC) project, produced by a multinational team of researchers. The checklist includes supraspecific taxonomic ranks, accepted species and authors, synonyms and authors, common...

Colombia ranks among the 17 countries considered megadiverse, hosting almost 10% of the planet's biodiversity and only being surpassed by Brazil, a country seven times larger than Colombia. Unfortunately, fungi are mostly left out of these counts. One of the issues faced when attempting to report the fungal diversity in Colombia is the inability to...

This chapter attempts to assess the distribution patterns of three selected groups of fungi, namely polypores, ectomycorrhizal fungi (EcM), and lichenised fungi in Colombia. Assessing the biogeography of fungi is difficult because of two key issues: 1. information gaps on their distribution and biology in biodiversity-rich countries, such as Colomb...

Lichenised fungi constitute a substantial portion of the known Colombian fungi, with 2,670 out of 7,241 species. This fairly high number is not because lichens represent a particularly diverse group of fungi but because they are relatively well-studied in the country compared to non-lichenised fungi. Lichens have traditionally been defined as a sym...

Current knowledge about the Colombian funga results from countless expeditions, researchers, and national and foreign institutions that have contributed to the development of mycology in Colombia for more than two centuries. This historical timeline will probably remain incomplete because several historical accounts are difficult to track down, but...

Six species of Sticta are described as new to science on the basis of material from Bolivia and supported by phylogenetic analysis of the fungal ITS barcoding marker. The species were resolved in all three of the clades (I, II, III) widespread and common in the Neotropics, as defined in an earlier study on the genus. Comparison with material from n...

Molecular studies of sphagnicolous arrhenias in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) revealed four clades in Arrhenia , three obligate (two scaly capped and one smooth-capped) and one facultative (smooth-capped) sphagnophiles. Critical nomenclatural review of 16 names used for omphalinoid sphagnicolous taxa in the past left five suitable to apply to this...

Lichen collected worldwide for centuries have resulted in millions of specimens deposited in herbaria that offer the potential to assess species boundaries, phenotypic diversification, ecology, and distribution. The application of molecular approaches to historical collections has been limited due to DNA fragmentation, but high-throughput sequencin...

Molecular studies of sphagnicolous arrhenias in Newfoundland and Labrador created four clades in Arrhenia , three obligate sphagnophiles (two scaly-capped and one smooth-capped) and one facultative (smooth-capped). Nomenclatural review recovered 16 names applied to omphalinoid sphagnicolous taxa in the past. Critical review of these left five as su...

We present the first broad molecular-phylogenetic revision of the lichenized family Gomphillaceae, based on 408 newly generated sequences of the mitochondrial SSU rDNA and nuclear LSU rDNA, representing 342 OTUs. The phylogenetic analysis of 20 out of the 28 currently accepted genera resulted in 48 clades. Twelve genera were resolved as monophyleti...

As part of a larger systematic and taxonomic revision, including molecular phylogenetic analysis, of lichenized Basidiomycota in the Dictyonema clade, ten species are described as new from tropical America, seven in the foliose genus Cora and three in the filamentous genus Dictyonema: Cora arachnoidea J. E. Hern. & Lücking, sp. nov., C. aspera Wilk...

The genus Dendriscosticta (Ascomycota: Peltigerales) encompasses several distinctive lichen-forming fungal species restricted to the Northern Hemisphere. Most are flagship species of old-growth forests with good air quality. A global phylogeny of the genus based on multilocus sequence data (ITS, RPB1, EF-1α, MCM7), model-based phylogenetic methods,...

We assessed the status of two New Zealand endemic morphodemes in the genus Sticta, currently treated as two separate taxa, Sticta filix and Sticta lacera. Both are green-algal lichens with a distinct stipe that grow in forested habitats and are suitable indicators of the indigenous vegetation health in forest ecosystems in New Zealand. They exhibit...

We assessed the status of two New Zealand endemic morphodemes in the genus Sticta, currently treated as two separate taxa, Sticta filix and Sticta lacera. Both are green-algal lichens with a distinct stipe that grow in forested habitats and are suitable indicators of the indigenous vegetation health in forest ecosystems in New Zealand. They exhibit...

El objetivo de este trabajo fue documentar la diversidad de líquenes cortícolas en el Chocó biogeográfico del Valle del Cauca, con descripciones breves de especies encontradas a lo largo de un gradiente altitudinal (0-3650 m). Se recolectaron ca. 3000 ejemplares, pertenecientes a 39 familias, 126 géneros y 750 especies. Las formas dominantes fueron...

Los musgos son utilizados por muchas culturas para tratar diferentes enfermedades, probablemente por sus compuestos bioactivos, algunos de los cuales pueden presentar actividad antioxidante. Esta investigación evaluó la actividad antioxidante (AA) de Breutelia subdisticha (Hampe) A. Jaeger, Leptodontium viticulosoides (P. Beauv.) Wijk & Margad. y P...

This is a draft version of our book on Colombian lichens (in Spanish). It contains an extensive general part and a key to 311 genera occurring in Colombia, all fully illustrated with color photographs. The draft is currently in its final stage (references and scientific index are under construction). It would be great to have feedback prior to the...

New records of 48 species of mosses and liverworts are presented, with detailed notes on their taxonomy, distribution, and ecological characteristics. These findings provide valuable insights for advancing research in biogeography, ecology, and conservation.

Subandine and high Andean forests are often dominated by oak trees and these are recognized as suitable phorophytes for diverse epiphyte communities. Among the latter, lichens in the upper strata appear to be understudied. Here, we report the discovery of two new species of Astrothelium (Trypetheliaceae), a diverse genus of tropical crustose lichen...

ColFungi (www.colfungi.org) is a new authoritative, expert-driven, open access, online portal for information on Colombian fungi and their uses. While being similar to its sister ColPlantA (www.colplanta.org), which also builds on and aggregates data already available online, ColFungi is a completely new tool, unique in its focus on fungi. It is a...

The taxonomy of the genus Sticta in Hawaii is reassessed, based on a separately published molecular phylogeny using the fungal barcoding marker ITS. Based on Magnusson and Zahlbruckner's treatment from 1943 and Magnusson's catalogue from 1955, seven species of Sticta and three infraspecific taxa had been reported from the archipelago, all widesprea...

Sticta is a subcosmopolitan genus most diverse in the tropics. Traditionally, many taxa were considered to be widespread and morphologically variable, following broadly circumscribed morphodemes. Among these is the S. weigelii morphodeme, characterized by a cyanobacterial photobiont and rather narrow, flabellate to truncate or tapering lobes produc...

Presentamos una actualización nomenclatural y taxonómica del Catálogo de Líquenes de Colombia. Como resultado, el número de nombres reportados se reduce de 1821 a 1793, el total de taxones aceptados de 1732 a 1675, y el número de especies de 1672 a 1634. El número de reportes dudosos o excluidos, que incluye nombres con estado nomenclatural o taxon...

Aim Phylogenetic diversification is a precursor to speciation, but the underlying patterns and processes are not well‐studied in lichens. Here we investigate what factors drive diversification in two tropical, morphologically similar macrolichens that occupy a similar range but differ in altitudinal and habitat preferences, testing for isolation by...

The new genus Saxiloba is described with the two species S. firmula from the Caribbean and S. hawaiiensis from Hawaii. Saxiloba is characterized by a unique, placodioid thallus forming distinct lobes, growing on rock in shaded to exposed situations with a trentepohlioid photobiont and a fenestrate thallus anatomy with distinct surface lines. The ma...

We tested the functionality of ITS-based DNA barcoding in lichen fungi using Colombian samples of the genus Usnea as an example. New ITS sequences were generated for 15 samples from five localities in two different ecoregions, representing varying morphologies and medullary chemistries. We employed five strategies to identify the samples: (1) BLAST...

A molecular genetic study of the Arrhenia acerosa complex using the ITS fungal barcoding marker revealed unexpected diversity along a cascading group supporting over 20 lineages. Among these, we identified five previously described species: A. acerosa s.str., A. glauca, A. latispora, A. subglobisemen, and Rhodocybe tillii (recombined as A. tillii)....

El objetivo de este trabajo fue documentar la diversidad de líquenes cortícolas en el Chocó biogeográfico del Valle del Cauca, con descripciones breves de especies encontradas a lo largo de un gradiente altitudinal (0-3650 m). Se recolectaron ca. 3000 ejemplares, pertenecientes a 39 familias, 126 géneros y 750 especies. Las formas dominantes fueron...

This study was carried out with bryophyte populations in order to study the presence of populations and how they change over altitudinal gradients. Mosses were chosen as a model to do this study because they have a high sensitivity to climatic conditions and wide distribution. The western region of the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, Boyacá, Colombia has...

Traditional taxonomic studies provide only a limited understanding of species richness within a group. Their usefulness for assessing species diversity could also be limited as many lack sufficient sampling and/or fail to integrate different data types for assessing species boundaries. To explore the challenges and limitations of estimating species...

The former family Lobariaceae, now included in Peltigeraceae as subfamily Lobarioideae, has undergone substantial changes in its generic classification in recent years, based on phylogenetic inferences highlighting the polyphyly of the speciose genera Lobaria, Pseudocyphellaria and Sticta. Here we introduce the new genus Emmanuelia, named in honor...

The High Andean Paramo ecosystem is a unique neotropical mountain biome considered a diversity and evolutionary hotspot. Lichens, which are complex symbiotic structures that contain diverse commensal microbial communities, are prevalent in Paramos. There they play vital roles in soil formation and mineral fixation. In this study we analyzed the mic...

Hawaiian lichen species have been thought to be widespread, with low endemism. Nine species of the genus Sticta (Peltigeraceae subfamily Lobarioideae) have previously been reported for Hawaii, all supposedly cosmopolitan or Pantropical or widespread in the Paleotropics except for the putative endemic S. plumbicolor. This study is the first one empl...

In a continued effort to catalog the numerous phylogenetically detected and predicted species of Cora in the Americas, we focus here on the diversity of the genus in Mexico and the phylogenetic relationships of the taxa present in this area. Based on previous results and new collections, 12 taxa are recognized in Mexico, including eight new species...

The High Andean Paramo ecosystem is a unique neotropical mountain biome considered a diversity and evolutionary hotspot. Lichens, which are complex symbiotic structures that contain diverse commensal microbial communities, are prevalent in Paramos. There they play vital roles in soil formation and mineral fixation. In this study we analyzed the mic...

Cryptolechia carneolutea is the type species of the genus Cryptolechia , a rare taxon classified as endangered in the UK, now largely confined to ancient Fraxinus trees. The only tree with abundant growth of the species in one of its strongholds, the Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve in Devon, was blown over in a storm in April 2017, making it po...

Abstract In the age of next-generation sequencing, the number of loci available for phylogenetic analyses has increased by orders of magnitude. But despite this dramatic increase in the amount of data, some phylogenomic studies have revealed rampant gene-tree discordance that can be caused by many historical processes, such as rapid diversification...

We present a first study of the diversity and community composition of lichens in seasonally dry tropical forest (DTF) remnants in the Atlántico department, Colombia. Lichens were sampled in two of the three protected areas of the department: Distrito de Manejo Integrado (DMI) Luriza and Reserva Forestal Protectora (RFP) El Palomar. The inventory r...

The lichenized genus Graphis sensu Staiger (Graphidaceae) is listed with 67 species in the most recent version of the Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia. Revision of recent publications and approximately 700 collections housed in the Cryptogams Section of the Herbario Forestal “Gilberto Emilio Mahecha Vega” of the Universidad Distrital Fran...

Sticta aongstroemii, a newly recognized species in the S. damicornis morphodeme (Lobariaceae) potentially endemic to the Atlantic Forest in Brazil - Volume 50 Issue 6 - Manuela DAL FORNO, Bibiana MONCADA, Robert LÜCKING

Nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region is well-established as universal DNA barcode marker for Fungi. Here we examined the utility of DNA barcoding for delimiting species in lichenized Basidiomycota from Colombia, focusing on the genus Sulzbacheromyces (Lepidostromatales). The topology of the best-scoring maximum likelihood tree...

The identity of Sticta damicornis (Ascomycota: Lobariaceae): a presumably widespread taxon is a Caribbean endemic - Volume 50 Issue 5 - Bibiana MONCADA, Joel A. MERCADO-DíAZ, Robert LüCKING

Quercus humboldtii is a dominant element in the high Andean forests of Boyacá, Colombia. Despite being an umbrella species, it has a per-capita consumption of 1300 Kg.year-1 and its natural stands are widely replaced with plantations of Pinus patula. This replacement affects the most sensitive epiphyte communities. To track these conditions, lichen...

A major challenge to evolutionary biologists is to understand how biodiversity is distributed through space and time and across the tree of life. Diversification of organisms is influenced by many factors that act at different times and geographic locations but it is still not clear which have a significant impact and how drivers interact. To study...

We present a phylogenetic revision of the Sticta filix morphodeme in New Zealand. This non-monophyletic group of early diverging clades in the genus Sticta is characterized by a stalked thallus with a green primary photobiont and the frequent formation of a dendriscocauloid cyanomorph. Traditionally, three species have been distinguished in New Zea...

Lineages with broad, intercontinental distributions can provide insight into factors that influence diversity across both temporal and geographic scales. Lichens are well known for distinct biogeographic distribution patterns, including a high number of lineages with intercontinental distributions. The lichen-forming fungal genus Oropogon, from one...

We provide a phylogenetic revision of the Pseudocyphellaria crocata complex in the Americas. Specimens traditionally identified as P. crocata, based on their cyanobacterial photobiont, yellow pseudocyphellae, at least partially white medulla, and yellow soralia or soralia-like structures, are shown to represent 13 distinct species, forming a monoph...