Mycologist

Table of Contents - 2005 - Volume 19, Issue 02  


Original Article

Sex in the extremes: lichen-forming fungi

FABIAN A. SEYMOUR a1, PETER D. CRITTENDEN a1 and PAUL S. DYER a1c1
a1 School of Biology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK. Tel. +44 (0) 115 9513203 Fax +44 (0) 115 9513251 E-mail: Fabian.Seymour@Nottingham.ac.uk

Article author query
seymour fa   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 
crittenden pd   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 
dyer ps   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 

Abstract

Lichens are characteristically found in environments subject to extremes of temperature, desiccation and low nutrient status. Despite this sexual structures are often formed in abundance. The underlying mechanisms of sex in lichen-forming fungi are discussed, together with possible ecological reasons for the persistence of sexuality. Special features of lichen sex are highlighted including sex at the limits of life on earth in Antarctica, re-lichenization following sex and dispersal, and the perennial nature of lichen fruiting bodies.


Key Words: lichen; fungi; sex; breeding system; symbiosis; extreme environments; Antarctica.

Correspondence:
c1 Paul.Dyer@Nottingham.ac.uk