Research summary
Lichens, which are the product of a symbiotic relationship between fungi and either algae or cyanobacteria, are amazingly resilient and adaptable. They can survive in some of the most extreme and inhospitable places on Earth—from Arctic tundras to sweltering rainforests and urban environments.
During the symbiosis that produces lichen, different organisms help each other out. As Canada Research Chair in Symbiosis, Dr. Toby Spribille is studying this give-and-take relationship to understand what makes fungal-dominated symbioses so successful. He and his research team are mapping genome-level changes over evolutionary time scales to understand how the mutual exchange of nutrients or metabolic products works. This will enable Spribille and his team, in turn, to figure out what enables lichen symbionts (the organisms that partner to make lichen) to grow in the most extreme environments on Earth.