Lichenihabitantaceae

Lichenihabitantaceae
Scientific classification
Domain: Bacteria
Kingdom: Pseudomonadati
Phylum: Pseudomonadota
Class: Alphaproteobacteria
Order: Hyphomicrobiales
Family: Lichenihabitantaceae
Noh et al. 2019
Type genus
Lichenihabitans
Genera

Lichenihabitantaceae is a family of Gram-negative bacteria within the order Hyphomicrobiales (formerly Rhizobiales) in the class Alphaproteobacteria. The family was first proposed in 2019 to accommodate the genus Lichenihabitans, isolated from Antarctic lichens.[1]

Taxonomy

The family Lichenihabitantaceae was validly published by Noh et al. in 2019 following the description of Lichenihabitans psoromatis.[1]

According to the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN), the family currently includes the genera:

The genus Lichenibacterium is presently classified in the separate family Lichenibacteriaceae according to LPSN,[3] although genome-based studies have suggested close phylogenetic relationships between these taxa.[4][5]

Description

Members of the family are Gram-negative, chemo-organotrophic bacteria typically isolated from lichen thalli.[1][2]

Cells are rod-shaped and may be motile or non-motile depending on the genus and growth stage. Colonies are typically pink to orange due to carotenoid-type pigments.[1][2]

Growth occurs at low to moderate temperatures (4–35 °C), reflecting adaptation to cold and temperate environments. Most species grow optimally in slightly acidic to neutral pH conditions and are sensitive to elevated NaCl concentrations.[1][2]

Metabolically, members utilize a broad range of carbohydrates and organic acids and are primarily aerobic. Nitrogen fixation and methylotrophic growth have not been demonstrated in the type species of Lichenihabitans.[1]

Ecology

Members of Lichenihabitantaceae are predominantly associated with lichens. The type species were isolated from Antarctic and Arctic lichens, including Psoroma antarcticum and Flavocetraria nivalis.[1][2]

Metagenomic studies have detected Lichenihabitantaceae in lichen microbiomes worldwide and in moss-associated microbial communities.[6][7]

A recent phylogenomic and metagenomic meta-analysis of phyllosphere-associated bacteria identified Lichenihabitantaceae as a dominant family at the surface of plant leaves.[5]

Phylogeny

Phylogenomic analyses based on whole-genome comparisons place Lichenihabitantaceae within a monophyletic group of Hyphomicrobiales that also includes the families Beijerinckiaceae, Methylocystaceae, Rhodoblastaceae, and Roseiarcaceae.[5][4]

Whole-genome analyses of type strains indicate that Lichenihabitans and Lichenibacterium form a well-supported monophyletic group.[4] Broader genome and metagenome-based analyses further support inclusion of Lichenifustis within the same lineage.[5]

Based on phylogenomic analyses[5], the relationships among described species are as follows:

other Hyphomicrobiales

Roseiarcaceae

Lichenibacteriaceae
Lichenibacterium

L. ramalinae

L. minor

L. dinghuense

Lichenihabitantaceae
Lichenihabitans

L. psoromatis

Lichenifustis

L. flavocetrariae

Formal taxonomic emendations merging Lichenibacteriaceae into Lichenihabitantaceae have not yet been validly published.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Noh, H.J.; Baek, K.; Hwang, C.Y.; Shin, S.C.; Hong, S.G.; Lee, Y.M. (2019). "Lichenihabitans psoromatis gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of a novel lineage (Lichenihabitantaceae fam. nov.) within the order of Rhizobiales isolated from Antarctic lichen". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 69 (12): 3837–3842. doi:10.1099/ijsem.0.003695. PMID 31556866.
  2. ^ a b c d e Pankratov, T.A.; Samylina, O.S.; Tikhonova, E.N.; Ianutsevich, E.A.; Avtukh, A.N.; Lee, Y.M. (2023). "Lichenifustis flavocetrariae gen. nov., sp. nov. demonstrating hydrolytic properties and containing a full set of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle genes". Archives of Microbiology. 205 (6): 232. doi:10.1007/s00203-023-03577-x. PMID 37166571.
  3. ^ Pankratov, T.A.; Grouzdev, D.S.; Patutina, E.O.; Kolganova, T.V.; Suzina, N.E.; Berestovskaya, J.J. (2020). "Lichenibacterium ramalinae gen. nov., sp. nov., Lichenibacterium minor sp. nov., and proposal of the new family Lichenibacteriaceae within the order Rhizobiales". Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. 113 (4): 477–489. doi:10.1007/s10482-019-01357-6. PMID 31741189.
  4. ^ a b c diCenzo, G.C.; Yang, Y.; Young, J.P.W.; Kuzmanović, N. (2024). "Refining the taxonomy of the order Hyphomicrobiales (Rhizobiales) based on whole genome comparisons of over 130 type strains". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 74 (4): 006328. doi:10.1099/ijsem.0.006328. PMC 11092082. PMID 38619983.
  5. ^ a b c d e Leducq, J.B.; St-Amand, L.P.; Ross, D.; Kembel, S.W. (2026). "A phylogenomic and metagenomic meta-analysis of bacterial diversity in the phyllosphere lifts a veil on hyphomicrobiales dark matter". Systematic and Applied Microbiology. 49 (2) 126697. doi:10.1016/j.syapm.2026.126697. PMID 41679088.
  6. ^ Tagirdzhanova, G.; Saary, P. (2024). "Microbial occurrence and symbiont detection in a global sample of lichen metagenomes". PLOS Biology. 22 (11) e3002862. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3002862. PMC 11542873. PMID 39509454.
  7. ^ Ishak, S.; Rondeau-Leclaire, J. (2024). "Boreal moss-microbe interactions revealed through metagenome assembly of novel bacterial species". Scientific Reports. 14 (1) 22168. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-73045-z. PMC 11437008. PMID 39333734.