Cladonia uncialis
| Cladonia uncialis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Cladoniaceae |
| Genus: | Cladonia |
| Species: | C. uncialis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Cladonia uncialis | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Cladonia uncialis is a species of fruticose, cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It was first described as a new species by Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus in 1753.[2] It was transferred to the genus Cladonia by Friedrich Heinrich Wiggers in 1780.[3] In North America, the lichen is colloquially known as the thorn Cladonia[4] or the thorn cup lichen.[5]
Cladonia uncialis is host to the lichenicolous fungus species Lichenopeltella uncialicola, which is named after C. uncialis.[6]
Genomics
In 2026, a chromosome-level genome assembly was published for the fungal partner (mycobiont) of Cladonia uncialis. Using long-read (PacBio HiFi) and chromosome-conformation (Hi-C) sequencing data, the authors assembled a 43.49 Mb genome, with 39.25 Mb anchored into 28 chromosomes, and reported high assembly completeness. The study also recovered part of the genome of the lichen's algal partner and characterized the wider microbial community living within the lichen using metagenomic sequencing (sequencing all DNA in a sample to identify the organisms present). This analysis identified 31 metagenome-assembled genomes from the lichen-associated microbial community. At the phylum level, the community was dominated by Ascomycota (sac fungi), Pseudomonadota (a major group of bacteria), and Bacteroidota (another bacterial group), while long-read sequencing improved detection of rarer taxa. In the study's comparative genomic analysis, C. uncialis was recovered as sister to C. borealis.[7]
See also
References
- ^ NatureServe. "Cladonia uncialis". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ Linnaeus, Carl (1753). Species plantarum (in Latin). Vol. 2. Stockholm: Impensis Laurentii Salvii. p. 1153.
- ^ Wiggers, F.H. (1780). Primitiae Florae Holsaticae (in Latin). Kiliae: Litteris Mich. Frider. Bartschii Acad. Typogr. p. 90.
- ^ Brodo, Irwin M.; Sharnoff, Sylvia Duran; Sharnoff, Stephen (2001). Lichens of North America. Yale University Press. p. 277. ISBN 978-0-300-08249-4.
- ^ "Standardized Common Names for Wild Species in Canada". National General Status Working Group. 2020.
- ^ Brackel, Wolfgang von (2010). "Some lichenicolous fungi and lichens from Iceland, including Lichenopeltella uncialicola sp. nov". Herzogia. 23 (1): 93–109. doi:10.13158/heia.23.1.2010.93.
- ^ Dong, Zhuang; Sun, Meng Shan; He, Yue Dong; Zhou, Li; Xiang, Wei; Li, XinYao; Huang, Peng; Zeng, Jian Guo (2026). "Fungal photobiont and microbiome genome composition in the Cladonia uncialis tripartite symbiosis". Scientific Data. 13 (1) 319. doi:10.1038/s41597-026-06624-6. PMC 12960683. PMID 41617724.