''Bryonora'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

-forming

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

in the family

Lecanoraceae The Lecanoraceae are a family of lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the c ...

. These lichens typically grow on soil, mosses, plant debris, or rocks in arctic or alpine environments. The genus was

circumscribed In geometry, a circumscribed circle for a set of points is a circle passing through each of them. Such a circle is said to ''circumscribe'' the points or a polygon formed from them; such a polygon is said to be ''inscribed'' in the circle. * Circum ...

in 1983 by lichenologist

Josef Poelt Josef Poelt was a botanist, bryologist and lichenologist. He held the chair in Systematic Botany and Plant Geography at the Free University of Berlin (1965 - 1972) and then was head of the Botanical Institute and Botanical Garden of Graz Universi ...

, with '' Bryonora castanea'' assigned as the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

Taxonomy

Phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

studies have confirmed ''Bryonora''s placement within the

. The genus ''Bryodina'', previously considered separate, is now treated as a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

of ''Bryonora'' based on molecular evidence. As of 2022, the genus comprises 15 accepted species. Recent taxonomic changes include the description of a new species, '' Bryonora microlepis'', and the transfer of ''Lecanora castaneoides'' to ''Bryonora'' as ''B. castaneoides''.

Description

''Bryonora'' species exhibit various thallus types, including

crustose Crustose is a Habit (biology), habit of some types of algae and lichens in which the organism grows tightly appressed to a substrate, forming a biological layer. ''Crustose'' adheres very closely to the Substrate (biology), substrates at all poin ...

(forming a crust-like layer), (composed of small, scale-like structures), and (somewhat shrub-like). The reproductive structures, called

apothecia An ascocarp, or ascoma (: ascomata), is the fruiting body ( sporocarp) of an ascomycete phylum fungus. It consists of very tightly interwoven hyphae and millions of embedded asci, each of which typically contains four to eight ascospores. As ...

, can vary in appearance among species, with some having a distinct rim (margin) around the spore-producing surface (). Some ''Bryonora'' species contain

lichen substance Lichen products, also known as lichen substances, are organic compounds produced by a lichen. Specifically, they are secondary metabolites. Lichen products are represented in several different chemical classes, including terpenoids, orcinol deri ...

s such as

norstictic acid Norstictic acid is a depsidone produced as a secondary metabolites in lichens. The compound contains both an aldehyde carbonyl group and an adjacent hydroxyl In chemistry, a hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical fo ...

stictic acid Stictic acid is an aromatic organic compound, a product of secondary metabolism in some species of lichens. Stictic acid is the subject of preliminary biomedical research. Stictic acid has cytotoxic and apoptotic effects ''in vitro ''In v ...

, which can be detected through chemical tests and are useful for identification. Key features distinguishing ''Bryonora'' from other genera in the Lecanoraceae include its ecology, thallus structure, and details of its reproductive structures.

Habitat and distribution

''Bryonora'' species are primarily found in arctic and alpine regions. They have been reported from various locations including Norway, Sweden,

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), previously known as Spitsbergen or Spitzbergen, is a Norway, Norwegian archipelago that lies at the convergence of the Arctic Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean. North of continental Europe, mainland Europe, it lies about midway be ...

, and high-elevation areas in Asia. These lichens often grow on soil, dead mosses, plant debris, or rocks, and some species show preferences for particular or environmental conditions.

Species

*'' Bryonora castanea'' *''

Bryonora castaneoides ''Bryonora'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecanoraceae. These lichens typically grow on soil, mosses, plant debris, or rocks in arctic or alpine environments. The genus was circumscribed in 1983 by lichenologist Josef Poelt, ...

'' *'' Bryonora curvescens'' *'' Bryonora granulata'' –

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; ), commonly referred to as The Falklands, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and from Cape Dub ...

*'' Bryonora microlepis'' – Norway *'' Bryonora peltata'' – Antarctica

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10436803 Lecanoraceae Lecanorales genera Lichen genera Taxa described in 1983 Taxa named by Josef Poelt