Pradeep K Divakar

• Ph.D
• Professor at Complutense University of Madrid, Faculty of Pharmacy

The phylogenetic relationship of lecanoroid lichens is studied using two data sets: 1) a 2-locus data set including 251 OTUs representing 150 species, and 2) a 6-locus data set with 82 OTUs representing 53 species. The genus Lecanora as currently circumscribed is shown to be highly polyphyletic and several genera, including Adelolecia, Arctopeltis,...

Accurate specimen identification is challenging in groups with subtle or scarce taxonomically diagnostic characters, and the use of DNA barcodes can provide an effective means for consistent identification. Here, we investigate the utility of DNA barcode identification of species in a cosmopolitan genus of lichen-forming fungi, Parmelia (Parmeliace...

We studied the evolutionary history of the Parmeliaceae (Lecanoromycetes, Ascomycota), one of the largest families of lichen-forming fungi with complex and variable morphologies, also including several lichenicolous fungi. We assembled a six-locus data set including nuclear, mitochondrial and low-copy protein-coding genes from 293 operational taxon...

Microbial symbionts are instrumental to the ecological and long-term evolutionary success of their hosts, and the central role of symbiotic interactions is increasingly recognized across the vast majority of life. Lichens provide an iconic group for investigating patterns in species interactions; however, relationships among lichen symbionts are of...

1 Renewed interests in macroevolutionary dynamics have led to the proliferation of studies on diversification processes in large taxonomic groups, such as angiosperms, mammals, and birds. However, such a study has yet to be conducted in lichenized fungi – an extremely successful and diverse group of fungi. Analysing the most comprehensive time-cali...

Obtaining high-quality reference genome assemblies remains surprisingly challenging for many species. Drawing on experience from the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) community, we provide a synthesis of practical guidance for all steps from permits to DNA extraction.

Dominican amber (15–20 Ma) and Mexican amber (15–23 Ma) are valuable sources of fossil epiphytic bryophytes, ferns, and lichens. Both ambers derive from resins of Hymenaea, a genus in the Fabaceae family still occurring in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean today. The amber inclusions provide rare glimpses into Miocene neotropical epiphyte...

According to International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines, all species must be assessed against all criteria during the Red Listing process. For organismal groups that are diverse and understudied, assessors face considerable challenges in assembling evidence due to difficulty in applying definitions of key terms used in the...

Lichen-forming fungi (LFF) are prolific producers of functionally and structurally diverse secondary metabolites, most of which are taxonomically exclusive and play lineage-specific roles. To date, widely distributed, evolutionarily conserved biosynthetic pathways in LFF are not known. However, this idea stems from polyketide derivatives, since mos...

The genus Xanthoparmelia includes several subcrustose, squamulose, small foliose, and small subfruticose species, primarily in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, we report on the first small foliose species lacking usnic acid in the genus occurring in the Holarctic. The species has been previously known as Lecanora olivascens Nyl., but subsequent studi...

The richness, composition, abundance, and correlation with the atmospheric oxide concentrations of the community of corticolous lichens in the urban and peri-urban areas of the city of Ibagué (Colombia) were evaluated, selecting 25 individuals of the four most abundant phorophyte species. Twenty-nine lichen taxa grouped in 13 families and 17 genera...

Lichen-forming fungi (LFF) are prolific producers of functionally and structurally diverse secondary metabolites, most of which are taxonomically exclusive delivering lineage-specific roles. But are there evolutionary conserved biosynthetic pathways in lichens? Based on the current evidence it seems there aren’t any. This notion is derived from pol...

Cryptic species are common in lichen-forming fungi and have been reported from different genera in the most speciose family, Parmeliaceae. Herein, we address species delimitation in a group of mainly asexually reproducing Parmelina species. The morphologically distinct P. pastillifera was previously found nested within a morphologically circumscrib...

Lichens are composite organisms that produce a wide variety of secondary metabolites; many of the compounds have a high potential as bioactive compounds. The major limitations of using bioactive compounds from lichens is their slow growth rate and the damage to environmental populations caused by massive collection. The alternative to the massive c...

Studies on species richness patterns along elevation gradients are fascinating and gaining attention. We compiled data from 118 studies of elevational gradients in a broad range of organisms of plant species throughout the world between 2001 and 2021 to estimate the patterns of species richness and their determinants. The present study showed that...

The importance of the COI lichen herbarium is increased by the results shown here. Forty-seven taxa are reported from Africa, forty-three from Angola and seven from Mozambique. Four species are new to Africa, 30 to Angola and 3 to Mozambique. Two species are described as new to science: Parmotrema carballalianum and Sclerococcum parmotrematis, a li...

Depsides and tridepsides are secondary metabolites found in lichens. In the last 10 years, there has been a growing interest in the pharmacological activity of these compounds. This review aims to discuss the research findings related to the biological effects and mechanisms of action of lichen depsides and tridepsides. The most studied compound is...

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Argentina , Colletotrichum araujiae on leaves, stems and fruits of Araujia hortorum . Australia , Agaricus pateritonsus on soil, Curvularia fraserae on dying leaf of Bothriochloa insculpta , Curvularia millisiae from yellowing leaf tips of Cyperus aromat...

Acrogenospora stellata De la Peña-Lastra, A. Mateos & Quijada, sp. nov. Fungal Planet 1436 – Persoonia 49, 2022: 261– 350

Anteaglonium lusitanicum A. Mateos, S. De la Peña-Lastra & M. Serrano, sp. nov. on decaying wood of Prunus lusitanica subsp. lusitanica

Recent studies have demonstrated that species boundaries among the lichen-forming fungi are in need of revision with the discovery of cryptic species in numerous clades, especially in parmelioid lichens. Here we focus on addressing the species boundaries in Canoparmelia texana, a sorediate species with a pantropical distribution that extends into t...

The lichen species Lecania brialmontii, Pseudephebe pubescens, and Sphaerophorus globosus are part of the prominent lichenoflora of the Antarctic territory. In this work, we report the metabolomic identification of ethanolic extracts of these species, their antioxidant and cholinesterase enzyme inhibitory activity, and conduct a molecular docking a...

Altogether 322 taxa of lichens and lichenicolous fungi are reported from Ecuador of which many are probably new records for the country. These include five species which are described as new to science: Bacidia andina, Bacidina pulverula, Distopyrenis epidiorygma, Pertusaria lucidotetra and P. pseudoparnassia . From the separately treated genera Le...

Studies on species richness pattern along elevation gradient is fascinatingly gaining consideration. We compiled data from 118 studies of elevational gradients between the years 2001- 2021 in a broad range of organisms throughout the world to estimate the designs of species richness and their determinants. The present study showed that more than ha...

Mycotic infections are one of the major health problems in tropical countries, and Malassezia is one of the most common fungi associated with skin diseases. In immunocompromised hosts Malassezia can also cause entire systemic infections. Malassezia is a monophyletic genus of fungi found on the skin of 7 billion humans and associated with a variety...

Flavopunctelia and Punctelia species collected from Pir Panjal Ranges of Himachal Pradesh, India were studied by morphological, chemical, and phylogenetic methods. Analyses based on a concatenated ITS and LSU data set, confirmed the position of the three Indian taxa within the Parmotrema -clade in Parmeliaceae . The morphology-based taxonomic study...

Oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology of many neurodegenerative diseases. Lichens have antioxidant properties attributed to their own secondary metabolites with phenol groups. Very few studies delve into the protective capacity of lichens based on their antioxidant properties and their action mechanism. The present study evaluates the...

We used molecular data to address species delimitation in a species complex of the parmelioid genus Canoparmelia and compare the pharmacological properties of the two clades identified. We used HPLC_DAD_MS chromatography to identify and quantify the secondary substances and used a concatenated data set of three ribosomal markers to infer phylogenet...

The genus Cetraria s. str. (Parmeliaceae family, Cetrarioid clade) consists of 15 species of mostly erect brown or greenish yellow fruticose or subfoliose thallus. These Cetraria species have a cosmopolitan distribution, being primarily located in the Northern Hemisphere, in North America and in the Eurasia area. Phytochemical analysis has demonstr...

The widespread species Parmotrema crinitum (Ach.) M. Choisy and Parmotrema perlatum (Huds.) M. Choisy are mainly distinguished by their reproductive strategies. While P. crinitum propagates by isidia, P. perlatum produces soredia. In this study, we aim to evaluate the phylogenetic relationship between both species and to critically examine their sp...

Background Most mammalian cells harbor molecular circadian clocks that synchronize physiological functions with the 24-h day-night cycle. Disruption of circadian rhythms, through genetic or environmental changes, promotes the development of disorders like obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. At the cellular level, circadian, mitotic, and r...

The worldwide, ecologically relevant lichen-forming genus Parmelia currently includes 41 accepted species, of which the Parmelia sulcata group (PSULgp) and the Parmelia saxatilis group (PSAXgp) have received considerable attention over recent decades; however, phycobiont diversity is poorly known in Parmelia s. lat. Here, we studied the diversity o...

Mucormycosis is caused by fungi belonging to the order Mucorales. The term “Black Fungus” has been widely applied to human pathogenic Mucorales in India. They mainly infect the sinuses and brain, lungs, stomach and intestines, and skin. While this has been considered a rare disease, thousands of cases have been reported during the second wave of CO...

Lichens are a symbiotic association between a fungus (mycobiont) and a green algae/cyanobacterium (photobiont). Lichens are a source of secondary metabolites, most of them being exclusively for these species, among which dibenzofurans are found. Dibenzofurans are a small group (over 35 different identified compounds), being usnic acid the most stud...

Depsidones are some of the most abundant secondary metabolites produced by lichens. These compounds have aroused great pharmacological interest due to their activities as antioxidants, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic agents. Hence, this paper aims to provide up-to-date knowledge including an overview of the potential biological interest of lichen deps...

Draft genomes of the fungal species Ambrosiella cleistominuta, Cercospora brassicicola, C. citrullina, Physcia stellaris, and Teratosphaeria pseudoeucalypti are presented. Physcia stellaris is an important lichen forming fungus and Ambrosiella cleistominuta is an ambrosia beetle symbiont. Cercospora brassicicola and C. citrullina are agriculturally...

Parmeliaceae is the largest family of lichen-forming fungi with a worldwide distribution. We used a target enrichment data set and a qualitative selection method for 250 out of 350 genes to infer the phylogeny of the major clades in this family including 81 taxa, with both subfamilies and all seven major clades previously recognized in the subfamil...

There is growing interest for medicinal plants in the world drug market. Particularly, Matricaria recutita L., Valeriana officinalis L., Tilia spp., and Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze are some of the most consumed medicinal plants for treatment of minor health problems. Medicinal plants are seen as natural and safe; however, they can cause interacti...

Lichens have traditionally been considered the symbiotic phenotype from the interactions of a single fungal partner and one or few photosynthetic partners. However, lichen symbioses have been shown to be far more complex and may include a wider range of other interacting organisms, including non-photosynthetic bacteria, accessory fungi, and algae....

Lichens produce unique secondary metabolites with a rich potential as bioactive compounds. In many cases, the use of these molecules is limited by the low concentration of these compounds in thalli, low growth rate in culture, and changes in chemical patterns between thalli and aposymbiotic culture. In addition, the massive collection of some speci...

Lichen-forming fungi are known to produce a large number of secondary metabolites. Some metabolites are deposited in the cortical layer of the lichen thallus where they exert important ecological functions, such as UV filtering. The fact that closely related lineages of lichen-forming fungi can differ in cortical chemistry suggests that natural pro...

The species of the Parmelia saxatilis complex occurring in the Iberian Peninsula were revised. Eight species are accepted, including a new species found in southern Spain, described as P. rojoi A. Crespo, V. J. Rico & Divakar. The new species, which forms a sister-group relationship with P. saxatilis s. str., is rare in the Iberian Peninsula and is...

This article provides an outline of the classification of the kingdom Fungi (including fossil fungi. i.e. dispersed spores, mycelia, sporophores, mycorrhizas). We treat 19 phyla of fungi. These are Aphelidiomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiobolomycota, Basidiomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Calcarisporiellomycota, Caulochytriomycota, Chytridiomycota, Entomoph...

This article provides an outline of the classification of the kingdom Fungi (including fossil fungi. i.e. dispersed spores, mycelia, sporophores, mycorrhizas). We treat 19 phyla of fungi. These are Aphelidiomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiobolomycota, Basidiomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Calcarisporiellomycota, Caulochytriomycota, Chytridiomycota, Entomoph...

Lichens have traditionally been considered the symbiotic phenotype from the interactions of a single fungal partner and one or few photosynthetic partners. However, the lichen symbiosis has been shown to be far more complex and may include a wide range of other interacting organisms, including non-photosynthetic bacteria, accessory fungi, and algae...

Spatial mapping of the distribution of heavy metals was performed with the Inverse Distance Weighted technique (IDW) of ArcGis-10 information system (GIS).We propose an innovative study based on information system technology and lichen biomonitoring to assess air pollution. The results demonstrated that the contamination of heavy metals (HM) fluctu...

Abstract Draft genome sequences of five Calonectria species [including Calonectria aciculata, C. crousiana, C. fujianensis, C. honghensis and C. pseudoturangicola], Celoporthe dispersa, Sporothrix phasma and Alectoria sarmentosa are presented. Species of Calonectria are the causal agents of Eucalyptus leaf blight disease, threatening the growth and...

Taxonomic identifications in some groups of lichen-forming fungi have been challenge largely due to the scarcity of taxonomically relevant features and limitations of morphological and chemical characters traditionally used to distinguish closely related taxa. Delineating species boundaries in closely related species or species complexes often requ...

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease are multifactorial disorders which are increasing in incidence and prevalence over world without existing effective therapies. The search of new multi-target compounds are the latter therapeutically strategy to address these pathological conditions. Lichens have an impor...

Aim Contemporary species’ distributions are shaped by both geography and historical events, such as extinction, diversification in specific areas and long‐distance dispersals. In the most diverse family of lichen‐forming fungi, Parmeliaceae, the Hypogymnioid clade, is an example of an evolutionary lineage comprised of species occurring in temperate...

Fungal reproduction is regulated by the mating-type (MAT1) locus, which typically comprises two idiomorphic genes. The presence of one or both allelic variants at the locus determines the reproductive strategy in fungi-homothallism versus heterothallism. It has been hypothesized that self-fertility via homothallism is widespread in lichen-forming f...

Our knowledge of ontogenetic development and reproductive biology in lichen-forming fungi is rather poor. Here, we aim to advance our understanding of the reproductive biology of Parmelina carporrhizans and P. quercina for which mycobiont fungi of both species were cultured in aposymbiotic conditions from ascospores. For P. carporrhizans 48 hours w...

Multilocus phylogenetic studies revealed a high level of cryptic diversity within the lichen-forming fungal genus Maronina (Protoparmelioideae, Parmeliaceae). Coalescent-based species delimitation suggested that most of the cryptic molecular lineages warranted recognition as separate species. Here we study the morphology and chemistry of these taxa...

Fungal endophytes comprise one of the most ubiquitous groups of plant symbionts. They live asymptomatically within vascular plants, bryophytes and also in close association with algal photobionts inside lichen thalli. While endophytic diversity in land plants has been well studied, their diversity in lichens and bryophytes are poorly understood. He...

An account of thelotremoid species of Graphidaceae in India is provided, which includes 124 species in 24 genera. Ocellularia and Thelotrema are the most diverse genera represented by 34 and 18 species, respectively. Type specimens were re-examined and additional samples studied morphologically and chemically. One new species, Ocellularia upretii S...

In many lichen-forming fungi, molecular phylogenetic analyses lead to the discovery of cryptic species within traditional morphospecies. However, in some cases, molecular sequence data also questions the separation of phenotypically characterised species. Here we apply an integrative taxonomy approach ‒ including morphological, chemical, molecular,...

Phylogenomic datasets continue to enhance our understanding of evolutionary relationships in many lineages of organisms. However, genome-scale data have not been widely implemented in reconstructing relationships in lichenized fungi. Here we generate a data set comprised of 2556 single-copy protein-coding genes to reconstruct previously unresolved...

Nomenclatural type definitions are one of the most important concepts in biological nomenclature. Being physical objects that can be re-studied by other researchers, types permanently link taxonomy (an artificial agreement to classify biological diversity) with nomenclature (an artificial agreement to name biological diversity). Two proposals to am...

Ana Crespo: a 70th birthday tribute - Volume 50 Issue 3 - Pradeep K. DIVAKAR, Eva BARRENO, Leopoldo SANCHO, H. Thorsten LUMBSCH

Species richness is not evenly distributed across the tree of life and a limited number of lineages comprise an extraordinarily large number of species. In lichen-forming fungi, only two genera are known to be ‘ultradiverse’ (>500 species), with the most diverse genus, Xanthoparmelia , consisting of c . 820 spe c ies. While Australia and South Afri...

Hypotrachyna is a speciose genus of primarily tropical and oceanic lichen-forming fungi. It includes species with distinct distribution patterns, such as pantropical, restricted and disjunct species. We used a dataset of mitochondrial SSU, nuclear ITS and LSU ribosomal DNA from 89 specimens to study the historical biogeography of the genus. We empl...

Taxonomic knowledge of the Ascomycota, is rapidly changing because of use of molecular data, thus continuous updates of existing taxonomic data with new data is essential. In the current paper, we compile existing data of several genera missing from the recently published "Notes for genera-Ascomycota". This includes 206 entries.

Several obligately sexualy reproducing lichen-forming fungal species are disjunctly distributed in pantropical regions. Here, we aim to re-examine species boundaries within the sexually reproducing, disjunctly distributed species, Hypotrachyna intercalanda. We gathered a three-locus DNA sequence data set of Hypotrachyna subgen. Parmelinopsis, espec...

Altogether 274 taxa of lichens and lichenicolous fungi are reported from Panama, of which 185 are new records for the country. Beside that, ten species are described as new to science, including seven lichenized fungi (Bacidina convexa, Cliostomum subcorrugatum, Halecania panamensis, Micarea granuloblastidiata, Myriotrema hypoconsticticum, Ocellula...

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...

Phylogenomic of Parmeliaceae

An understanding of how biotic interactions shape species’ distributions is central to predicting host–symbiont responses under climate change. Switches to locally adapted algae have been proposed to be an adaptive strategy of lichen‐forming fungi to cope with environmental change. However, it is unclear how lichen photobionts respond to environmen...

Pertusarialean lichens include more than 300 species belonging to several independent phylogenetic lineages. Only some of these phylogenetic clades have been comprehensively sampled for molecular data, and formally described as genera. Here we present a taxonomic treatment of a group of pertusarialean lichens formerly known as “Pertusaria amara-gro...

Phylogenetic relationships of Lepra and allied genera. This is a RAxML tree based on nuLSU DNA sequences. The numbers at each node represent bootstrap support value, and numbers lower than 50 not shown. Scale = 0.03 substitution per site. (TIF)

Phylogenetic relationships of Lepra and allied genera. This is a RAxML tree based on MCM7 concatenated sequences. The numbers at each node represent bootstrap support value, and numbers lower than 50 not shown. Scale = 0.03 substitution per site. (TIF)

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Phylogenetic relationships of Lepra and allied genera. This is a RAxML tree based on mtSSU sequences. The numbers at each node represent bootstrap support value, and numbers lower than 50 not shown. Scale = 0.03 substitution per site. (TIF)

Phylogenetic relationships of Lepra and allied genera. This is a RAxML tree based on TSR1sequences. The numbers at each node represent bootstrap support value, and numbers lower than 50 not shown. Scale = 0.03 substitution per site. (TIF)

Phylogenetic relationships of Lepra and allied genera. This is a RAxML tree based on RPB1 sequences. The numbers at each node represent bootstrap support value, and numbers lower than 50 not shown. Scale = 0.03 substitution per site. (TIF)

Phylogenetic relationships of Lepra and allied genera. This is a RAxML tree based on EF1α sequences. The numbers at each node represent bootstrap support value, and numbers lower than 50 not shown. Scale = 0.03 substitution per site. (TIF)

Species boundaries in lichen-forming fungi occurring in extra-tropical regions are relatively well studied in comparison with those in species distributed in tropical regions. Here, we aim to reexamine species boundaries in two pantropical, asexually reproducing species, Bulbothrix isidiza and B. tabacina. We generated a multi-locus DNA sequence da...

Zakeri, Z., Divakar, P. K. & Otte, V. 2017 Taxonomy and phylogeny of Aspiciliella, a resurrected genus of Megasporaceae, including the new species A. portosantana. — Herzogia 30: 166–176. The genus Aspiciliella M.Choisy (type: A. intermutans) is resurrected to accommodate two species previously placed in Aspicilia, and a new species, A. portosantan...

Disjunct intercontinental distributions have always fascinated biologists. With the increasing availability of molecular sequence data, there is a renewed interest in historical biogeography, especially in groups in which species boundaries have changed dramatically as a result, such as lichenized fungi. In the hyperdiverse family Parmeliaceae, Par...

Comparable taxonomic ranks within clades can facilitate more consistent classifications and objective comparisons among taxa. Here we use a temporal approach to identify taxonomic ranks. This is an extension of the temporal banding approach including a Temporal Error Score that finds an objective cut-off for each taxonomic rank using information fo...