Applicants

Dr. Andreas Beck
Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns (SNSB)
Botanische Staatssammlung München
Menzinger Straße 67
80638 München

Professor Dr. Burkhard Becker
Universität zu Köln
Department für Biologie
Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften
Zülpicher Straße 47b
50674 Köln

Project description

Lichens are key components of Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems, contributing to primary production, soil formation and erosion control. Global warming is rapidly altering Antarctic landscapes, with currently unknown effects on these key players in terrestrial ecosystems. Recent studies have identified lichens as systems dominated by a mycobiont/photobiont with its associated communities of additional fungi, bacteria and viruses. The functional role of this associated microbiome is still unclear, but it is thought to increase the adaptive potential of the whole system. This aspect has not been taken into account when studying the adaptation of lichens to the climatic conditions of Antarctic ecosystems. We propose to study differences in the composition and metatranscriptomes of the microbial symbionts in the one of the most abundant Antarctic macrolichen, Usnea aurantiacoatra, along spatial and environmental gradients to better understand the contribution of these partners to environmental adaptation in lichens. Our project will provide answers to the following key question of SPP1158: What are the likely effects of climate change on lichens and their associated microbiota?

DFG Programme Infrastructure Priority Programmes

Term since 2025