High-throughput sequencing in studies of lichen population biology

Abstract

The population genetics of lichen fungi and their photobionts have been studied for several decades. In this review, we first focus on basic questions in lichen population genetics and on recent and current experimental approaches. Then, we discuss the utility of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and how various high-throughput sequencing (HTS) techniques that allow SNP genotyping can contribute to population studies in lichens, highlighting their respective advantages and limitations for specific types of research questions. We review the emergence of Lobaria pulmonaria as a model system in lichen population biology, enabled by the use of microsatellite markers. Finally, we discuss open questions in the field, the steps that could be taken to increase our understanding of population genetics and genomics of lichens, and the merits of HTS for determining intrathalline diversity of lichen symbionts and associated organisms. The era of HTS may turn out to be an exciting time for research in lichenology similar to the period following the invention of the microscope.