2 Ecological Biogeography of Lichen-Forming Fungi

Abstract

There has been a long-standing interest in understanding geographical distributions of lichen-forming fungi and the factors that shape these distributions. Given our limited ability to make generalizable inferences and predictions on species distributions within a historical biogeographic framework, we emphasize that a more effective incorporation of an ecological biogeographic perspective into biogeographic research of lichen-forming fungi will provide an improved understanding of the range of factors shaping distributions of species. In this chapter, we briefly discuss general perspectives of biogeography of lichen-forming fungi, followed by a synthesis of four major themes directly related to ecological biogeography, including (1) dispersal and establishment of lichens, (2) landscape genetics and gene flow, (3) modeling lichen distributions, and (4) the role photobionts play in determining distributional ranges. We conclude by discussing the role of ecological biogeography in conservation and climate change research.