Towards taxonomy, phylogeography and ecology of Solenopsora species (Leprocaulaceae) – elements with a strong link to Mediterranean-type ecosystems

Mediterranean ecosystems are well-known for high species richness, which has been triggered by the interplay among various environmental and bioclimatic factors. Despite a lot of data on evolution and ecology of Mediterranean biota, little is known about symbiotic systems like lichens. We analysed material from all the Mediterranean area, together with specimens from North America and Australia, aiming at investigating: 1) phylogenetic position of the genus Solenopsora within Leprocaulales, proper delimitation of which is needed (nrITS, Mcm7, PKS sequence data); 2) phylogeography of S. candicans (nrITS and β-tubuline sequences), and 3) species ecology (by mean of ecological niche modelling). Preliminary analyses of phylogeographic dataset suggest several centres of genetic diversity, mostly in the Mediterranean area. Two larger groups of ubiquitous, and more ancestral ribotypes occur across Europe. Certain accessions of S. candicans from Turkey and Morocco are more closely related, forming a well delimited lineage, which is clearly distinct from the rest of the material. Unexpectedly, samples from Pannonia are heterogeneous. This might indicate that Pannonia has represented an important connection between centres of species distribution in the Mediterranean, and in the Western Carpathians, representing northern periphery of distribution range, where few rare ribotypes were also revealed.