Lawrey Lab

Current Research Projects - Basidiolichens:

Lichenization is rare in the Basidiomycota. Only seven genera and around 50 species (<1% of all lichens) form genuine lichens. Lichens are widely dispersed among phylogenetically unrelated groups and produce clavarioid, agaricoid (pileate), cyphelloid, stereoid, and corticioid (resupinate) basidiocarps, as well as crustose, squamulose and foliose lichen thalli.

Clades in the Basidiomycota containing lichens otherwise exhibit a wide range of saprotrophic, pathogenic, mycorrhizal, and lichenicolous forms, with no clear indication of the pathway that led to a lichenized state.

Lichens are found in six distinct clades of the Basidiomycota:

Cantharellales:  Multiclavula
Hymenochaetales:  Schizopora, Resinicium (both weakly lichenized)
Corticiales:  Marchandiomphalina foliacea
Atheliales:  Athelia

Lepidostromataceae: A lichenized family near the Atheliales
Agaricales:  Dictyonema, Lichenomphalia, Cyphellostereum

Dictyonema glabratum	Dictyonema sericeum (crustose)
Lichenomphalia hudsoniana	Lepidostroma calocerum
In collaboration with several other labs, we have been investigating: 1. The phylogenetic position of lichen-formers in the Corticiales. Collaboration with Paul Diederich.  Lawrey, J. D., P. Diederich, M. Sikaroodi, P. Gillevet. 2008. Remarkable nutritional diversity in the Corticiales, including a new foliicolous species of Marchandiomyces (anamorphic Basidiomycota, Corticiaceae) from Australia. American Journal of Botany 95: 816-823. 2. A new family of clavarioid basidiolichens: Lepidostromataceae. Collaboration with Damien Ertz, E. Fischer, D. Killmann and E. Sérusiaux. Ertz, D., J. D. Lawrey, M. Sikaroodi, P. M. Gillevet, E. Fischer, D. Killmann, E. Sérusiaux. 2008.  A new lineage of lichenized basidiomycetes inferred from a two genes phylogeny: the Lepidostromataceae with three species from the tropics. American Journal of Botany 95: 1548-1556. 3. The phylogenetic distribution of lichens in Dictyonema and their relationships to other agaricoid fungi, including the lichen-forming Acantholichen pannarioides, Cyphellostereum pusiolum, Lichenomphalia spp.and the bryophilous Arrhenia spp. Collaboration with R. Lücking, S. Redhead, F. Bungartz. J. L. Chavez. Lawrey, J. D., R. Lücking, H. J. M. Sipman, J. L. Chavez, S. A. Redhead, F. Bungartz, M. Sikaroodi, P. M. Gillevet. 2009. High concentration of basidiolichens in a single family of agaricoid mushrooms (Basidiomycota: Agaricales: Hygrophoraceae). Mycological Research 113: 1154-1171. Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation.