Genomic_diversity_of_the_lichen_genus_Stereocaulon. Genomic_diversity_of_the_lichen_genus_Stereocaulon

Stereocaulon is a large lichen genus, comprising one of the tripartite (three-partnered) symbioses among the Lecanoromycetes, one of the most diverse lineages of fungi. A typical Stereocaulon may be several centimetres in size and will usually contain both green algae (carbon fixers) and cyanobacterial (nitrogen-fixer) symbionts. The commonest species of Stereocaulon in the UK is known to respond to ecological changes, for example, by jettisoning cyanobacterial partners in high-nitrogen situations, in addition to having challenging and so-far unexplained morphological variation. Questions at the heart of this study include explaining so-far undiscovered diversity within the taxon and exploring genomic and transcriptomic explanations for the changes in ecology (e.g. jettisoning a symbiont). This data is part of a pre-publication release. For information on the proper use of pre-publication data shared by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (including details of any publication moratoria), please see http://www.sanger.ac.uk/datasharing/