Acceleration of Biodiversity Assessment (ABA): Changes in the diversities of terrestrial microalgae and cyanobacteria (including lichen symbionts) along an altitudinal gradient in a tropical mountain forest

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Terrestrial habitats like epiphytic crusts and soils in tropical rainforests are among the least known habitats for microalgae world-wide. Therefore, the proposed project will assess the diversities of eukaryotic microalgae and cyanobacteria in soils, on tree bark and leaves using molecular signatures (DNA barcodes) to unambiguously discriminate and re-identify algal/cyanobacterial species in a tropical rain forest. Within a mountain forest of the tropical Andes in Southern Ecuador diversity patterns along an altitudinal gradient will be recorded and compared using SSU and ITS2/ITS rDNA sequences. In order to assess the species diversity as complete as possible, a cultureindependent approach and cultures will be combined. We will test whether the terrestrial algal communities in the tropical rain forest are more diverse and harbour other species than temperate forests. Comparisons with morphological analyses of algal/ cyanobacterial cultures will reveal the degree of hidden diversity (cryptic species). The amount of endemism in the tropical algal communities will be explored using additional highly variable molecular markers. Diversity patters of algal/cyanobacterial symbionts of lichens will be compared with those of their hosts and free-living algae from tree bark to elucidate the origins of lichen symbiosis in the algae.