As an intricate association between a fungus and one or more green algae or cyanobacteria, lichens are one of the most successful examples of symbiosis. These fascinating organisms survive extreme desiccation and temperatures. They are adapted to a great variety of habitats, from coastal fog zones of deserts to intertidal zones, from plant leaves in tropical rain forests to the glacial moraines of the Himalayas, and they are dominant components of communities in circumpolar ecosystems. Possibly, because of their tendency to grow in nutrient-poor habitats, lichens are extremely efficient accumulators of atmospherically deposited pollutants, and are therefore widely used to monitor environmental pollution. The wide range of secondary products only found in lichens show pharmaceutically interesting fungicidal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. Lichens are extremely difficult to culture, grow very slowly, and their secondary metabolites very often complicate the analyses of other compounds. As a result, they require special techniques. This manual provides well-tested protocols, including tissue culture protocols and methods for studying lichen ultrastructure, (eco)physiology, primary and secondary compounds, and nucleic acids. Protocols for using lichens to monitor environmental pollution and to document lichen biodiversity are also provided. Special terms used in lichenology are explained in a glossary.
Author(s): Isao Yoshimura, Yoshikazu Yamamoto, Taketo Nakano, Jeffrey Finnie (auth.), Dr. Ilse C. Kranner, Prof. Dr. Richard P. Beckett, Prof. Dr. Ajit K. Varma (eds.)
Series: Springer Lab Manuals
Edition: 1
Publisher: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
Year: 2002
Language: English
Pages: 580
Tags: Plant Sciences; Biotechnology; Ecotoxicology; Ecology
Front Matter....Pages I-XVI
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Isolation and Culture of Lichen Photobionts and Mycobionts....Pages 3-33
Culture of Thallus Fragments and Redifferentiation of Lichens....Pages 34-46
Resynthesis of Photosymbiodemes....Pages 47-60
Protoplast Isolation from Lichen Mycobionts....Pages 61-64
Differentiation Processes in Lichens — in Vivo Cultivation and Transplantation Methods....Pages 65-74
Isolation and Culture of Lichenicolous Fungi....Pages 75-84
Front Matter....Pages 85-85
Preparative Techniques for Transmission Electron Microscopy and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy of Lichens....Pages 87-117
Preparative Techniques for Low Temperature Scanning Electron Microscopy of Lichens....Pages 118-132
Front Matter....Pages 133-133
Measurement of Chlorophyll Fluorescence in Lichens....Pages 135-151
Characterising Photosynthesis and Respiration in Freshly Isolated or Cultured Lichen Photobionts....Pages 152-181
Analysis of Ethylene and ACC in Lichens....Pages 182-195
Measuring Activities of the Enzymes Superoxide Dismutase and Glutathione Reductase in Lichens....Pages 196-211
Studying the Effects of Elevated Concentrations of Carbon Dioxide on Lichens Using Open Top Chambers....Pages 212-223
In Situ Measurement of the Water Content of Lichens....Pages 224-235
Determination of the Parameters of Lichen Water Relations....Pages 236-254
Measurement of Lichen Growth....Pages 255-278
Front Matter....Pages 279-279
Analysis of Phenolic Products in Lichens for Identification and Taxonomy....Pages 281-295
Investigating the Production of Secondary Compounds in Cultured Lichen Mycobionts....Pages 296-306
Analysing Lichen Enzymes by Isoelectricfocussing....Pages 307-331
Analysis of Lipids in Lichens....Pages 332-347
Front Matter....Pages 279-279
Measuring Ergosterol and Chitin in Lichens....Pages 348-362
Analysis of Chlorophylls, Carotenoids, and Tocopherols in Lichens....Pages 363-378
Front Matter....Pages 379-379
Isolation of Nucleic Acids From Lichens....Pages 381-391
PCR Techniques and Automated Sequencing in Lichens....Pages 392-411
RAPD-PCR of Lichens....Pages 412-421
Front Matter....Pages 423-423
Biomonitoring Radionuclide Deposition with Lichens....Pages 425-457
Biomonitoring Heavy Metal Pollution with Lichens....Pages 458-482
Bioindication of Sulphur Dioxide Pollution with Lichens....Pages 483-503
Front Matter....Pages 505-505
Management of a Lichen Herbarium....Pages 507-523
Documentation of Lichens by Macrophotography....Pages 524-535
Computer-Aided Identification Systems for Biology, with Particular Reference to Lichens....Pages 536-553
On-Line Documentation of Lichen Biodiversity....Pages 554-570
Back Matter....Pages 571-580
