Integrative biodiversity inventories: characterizing lichen-forming fungal diversity in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area using DNA barcoding and vouchered specimens

The Colorado River and its tributaries on the Colorado Plateau are home to unique desert river ecosystems and changing environmental conditions. Within this region, the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (GCNRA) is comprised of rugged, high desert terrain and is managed by the United States National Parks Service as both a recreational and conservation area. Despite the ecological and economic importance of GCNRA, significant components of the ecological communities therein remain poorly characterized, including lichens. Accurately characterizing lichen-forming fungal diversity is challenging due to poorly known taxonomic groups, underexplored regions/habitats, and varying interpretations of morphological differences, including the recognition of environmentally modified forms. To better understand lichen diversity in GCNRA, we used an integrative taxonomic approach, incorporating both traditional morphology-based identification and information from the standard fungal DNA barcoding m...