Frullania asagrayana
Encyclopedia
Frullania asagrayana is a reddish-brown species of liverwort
in the Jubulaceae
family that grows in eastern North America.
, a French bryologist and mycologist. It remained a species under that name until 1966, when Japanese bryologist Shinji Hattori combined F. asagrayana and three other species of Frullania and made them all subspecies of Frullania tamarisci. These four species looked similar, but lived in different parts of the world. They were F. tamarisci from Europe, F. asagrayana from eastern North America, F. nisquallensis from the northern Pacific coast of North America and Siberia, and F. moniliata from India and Southeast Asia. Frullania asagrayana was then called Frullania tamarisci ssp. asagrayana until 1987, when an international research team at Southern Illinois University
used a variety of morphological, chemical, and genetic markers to determine that the four subspecies of Frullania tamarisci where in fact separate species.
Erioderma pedicellatum
, which is a symbiosis
between an ascomycete
fungus
and a cyanobacterium, seems to only be able to grow in association with Frullania asagrayana. It has been suggested that the water sacs of F. asagrayana may host the cyanobacterium Scytonema
, and that the symbiosis between this cyanobacterium and the germinating fungal
spore
s of Erioderma pedicellatum can only begin within these water sacs, where the fungal hyphae assimilates a cyanobacterium, and needs to develop for 5 to 10 years before it reaches a visible size. F. asagrayana may also benefit from the nitrogen that is being fixed by the cyanolichen growing within it. Frullania tamarisci, a closely related species that is found in the United Kingdom
is often found with apothecia of the ascomycete
fungi
Filicupula suboperculata growing on it.
, Canada, and it may be essential for the growth of the lichen Erioderma pedicellatum
, which is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Marchantiophyta
The Marchantiophyta are a division of bryophyte plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like other bryophytes, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of genetic information....
in the Jubulaceae
Jubulaceae
The family Jubulaceae , is a family of liverworts. The family name is derived from the genus Jubula. The family consists of the genera, the Jubula and Frullania. The genera Neohattoria, Schusterella, and Steerea have been merged into Frullania....
family that grows in eastern North America.
Taxonomy and naming
Frullania asagrayana was first described in 1842 by Camille MontagneCamille Montagne
Jean Pierre François Camille Montagne was a French military physician and botanist who specialized in the fields of bryology and mycology. He was born in the commune of Vaudoy in the department of Seine-et-Marne....
, a French bryologist and mycologist. It remained a species under that name until 1966, when Japanese bryologist Shinji Hattori combined F. asagrayana and three other species of Frullania and made them all subspecies of Frullania tamarisci. These four species looked similar, but lived in different parts of the world. They were F. tamarisci from Europe, F. asagrayana from eastern North America, F. nisquallensis from the northern Pacific coast of North America and Siberia, and F. moniliata from India and Southeast Asia. Frullania asagrayana was then called Frullania tamarisci ssp. asagrayana until 1987, when an international research team at Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public research university located in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1869, SIUC is the flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system...
used a variety of morphological, chemical, and genetic markers to determine that the four subspecies of Frullania tamarisci where in fact separate species.
Description and ecology
Frullania asagrayana is reddish-brown in colour, and grows closely attached to its substrate. It has leaves that are divided into two lobes, with the lower lobe being a smaller, sac-shaped structure attached to the base of the upper lobe by a narrow constriction. This structure can fill with water, and may serve as a mechanism for prolonged water storage.Symbiosis and ecological associations
The endangered lichenLichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
Erioderma pedicellatum
Erioderma pedicellatum
Erioderma pedicellatum is a medium-sized, foliose lichen in the family Pannariaceae, commonly called boreal felt lichen because of its fuzzy appearance. It grows on trees in damp boreal forests along the Atlantic coast, as well as on the Pacific coast of Alaska...
, which is a symbiosis
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
between an ascomycete
Ascomycota
The Ascomycota are a Division/Phylum of the kingdom Fungi, and subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the Sac fungi. They are the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species...
fungus
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
and a cyanobacterium, seems to only be able to grow in association with Frullania asagrayana. It has been suggested that the water sacs of F. asagrayana may host the cyanobacterium Scytonema
Scytonema
Scytonema is a genus of photosynthetic cyanobacteria that contains over 100 species. It grows in filaments that form dark mats. Many species are aquatic and are either free-floating or grow attached to a submerged substrate, while others species grow on terrestrial rocks, wood, soil, or plants...
, and that the symbiosis between this cyanobacterium and the germinating fungal
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...
s of Erioderma pedicellatum can only begin within these water sacs, where the fungal hyphae assimilates a cyanobacterium, and needs to develop for 5 to 10 years before it reaches a visible size. F. asagrayana may also benefit from the nitrogen that is being fixed by the cyanolichen growing within it. Frullania tamarisci, a closely related species that is found in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
is often found with apothecia of the ascomycete
Ascomycota
The Ascomycota are a Division/Phylum of the kingdom Fungi, and subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the Sac fungi. They are the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species...
fungi
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
Filicupula suboperculata growing on it.
Conservation status
Frullania asagrayana has a conservation status of sensitive in OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada, and it may be essential for the growth of the lichen Erioderma pedicellatum
Erioderma pedicellatum
Erioderma pedicellatum is a medium-sized, foliose lichen in the family Pannariaceae, commonly called boreal felt lichen because of its fuzzy appearance. It grows on trees in damp boreal forests along the Atlantic coast, as well as on the Pacific coast of Alaska...
, which is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.