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

陆地栖息地，如热带雨林中的附生结壳和土壤，是世界范围内微藻最不为人所知的栖息地之一。因此，拟议的项目将使用分子标记（DNA条形码）评估土壤、树皮和树叶中真核微藻和蓝细菌的多样性，以明确区分和重新识别热带雨林中的藻类/蓝细菌物种。在厄瓜多尔南部的热带安第斯山脉的山林多样性模式沿着海拔梯度将被记录和比较使用SSU和ITS 2/ITS rDNA序列。为了尽可能全面地评估物种多样性，将结合文化独立的方法和文化。我们将测试热带雨林中的陆地藻类群落是否比温带森林更多样化，是否有其他物种。藻类/蓝藻文化的形态分析比较将揭示隐藏的多样性（神秘物种）的程度。将使用其他高度可变的分子标记来探索热带藻类群落的特有性。地衣藻/蓝藻共生体的多样性模式进行比较，他们的主机和自由生活的藻类从树皮阐明地衣共生的藻类的起源。

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.