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A lichenicolous fungus is a
A lichenicolous fungus is a parasitic
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...
fungus
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the 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, separately fr ...
that only lives on lichen
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship. A lichenicolous fungus is not the same as the fungus that is the component of the lichen, which is known as a
lichenized fungus
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship. They are most commonly specific to a given fungus as the host, but they also include a wide range of
/ref> More than 95% of lichenicolous fungi described as of 2003 are ascomycetes, in 7 classes and 19 orders. Although
pathogen
In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ ...
s, saprotroph
Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi ( ...
s, and commensal
Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit fro ...
s. It is estimated there are 3000 species of lichenicolous fungi. More than 1800 species are already described among the Ascomycota and Basidiomycota.Lichenicolous Fungi: Interactions, Evolution, and Biodiversity, Lawrey, James D.; Diederich, Paul. The Bryologist 106(1), pp. 80 120, 2003/ref> More than 95% of lichenicolous fungi described as of 2003 are ascomycetes, in 7 classes and 19 orders. Although
basidiomycetes
Basidiomycota () is one of two large divisions that, together with the Ascomycota, constitute the subkingdom Dikarya (often referred to as the "higher fungi") within the kingdom Fungi. Members are known as basidiomycetes. More specifically, Ba ...
have less than 5% of lichenicolous lichen species, they represent 4 classes and 8 orders. Many lichenicolous species have yet to be assigned a phylogenetic position as of 2003.
See also
*List of lichenicolous fungi of Iceland
This list of lichenicolous fungi of Iceland is based on a compiled checklist from 2009 with the taxonomy of the fungi revised in 2022 using the Global Biodiversity Information Facility online database.
* '' Abrothallus parmeliarum''
* ''Arthonia ...
References
Lichenology Lichenicolous fungi {{lichen-stub