Sparks of speciation and race for reproduction? Evolution and conservation of lichens on dead wood

Speciation is among the most fundamental events in the history of life but underlying mechanisms are poorly known in lichen-forming fungi. This project aims to find out if shift in substrate requirement from bark to dead wood, and changes in secondary chemistry have promoted speciation in the lichen genus Micarea. Based on multi-loci phylogeny we also sharpen species delimitations and bring novel accuracy to studies on conservation biology of wood-inhabiting lichens.