Metagenome of the lichen Peltula cylindrica

A lichen is a symbiotic association of a fungus and a photosynthesizing partner, such as a green algae or cyanobacterium. The symbiosis is usually obligate for the fungus. The goal of this study was to generate genome information for phylogenetic analysis from the cultured mycobionts (lichenizing fungi) and lichen thalli spanning the diversity of lichenized groups in the classes Lecanoromycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Dothidiomycetes, Arthoniomycetes, and Lichinomycetes. Peltula cylindrica is a lichen composed of the lichenizing fungus Peltula cylindrica (for which the association is named) and its prokaryotic photobiont. The fungus Peltula cylindrica is in the class Lichinomycetes. The metagenome contains DNA from the mycobiont Peltula cylindrica, the cyanobacterial photobiont, and possibly endolichenic fungi and prokaryotes.