Isolation And Culturing Of Photobionts From Antarctic Lichen

Abstract

Lichen is the symbiotic association in between algal and fungal partner. Lichens having various economic importance. The main objective is to isolate and culture of the photobionts from the lichen samples collected from Antarctica. Trebouxia sp. is extremely psychrophilic and fastidious in growth, found in the lichen samples. Both samples belong to genus Umbilicaria, Umbilicaria antarctica and Umbilicaria aprina. In the lichen samples Gyrophoric acid is found as secondary metabolites. First to isolate the photobionts, we use micromethod and for the culturing use 3M BBM media for 45-60 days at 22-25o C temperature. Then subculturing process is done and followed by DNA extraction. The extracted DNA was kept for further use in sequencing purpose. The isolated and cultured photobionts can be further studied using DNA sequencing, SEM, and confocal microscopy to get a clear idea about the photobionts and its internal organelles; these will help in proper identification of the photobionts as well as the lichen. Further phylogenetic studies of photobionts and coevolutionary studies between photobionts and mycobionts which may be done by extensive taxa sampling and through use of molecular systematics techniques.