Phylogeny and Ecology of Photobionts From Bolivian Lichens.

In the past few years, new phylogenetic lineages in were detected as a result of molecular approaches. These studies included symbiont selectivity in lichen communities, transects along altitudinal gradients at local and global scales and the photobiont diversity in local populations of lichen-forming fungal species. In most of these studies, phylogenetic and haplotype analyses based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) locus have continuously allowed the recognition of new monophyletic lineages, which suggests that still numerous undiscovered lineages can be hidden in lichens from unexplored areas, especially in the tropics.