Metagenome of the lichen Leptogium austroamericanum

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. Leptogium austroamericanum is a lichen composed of the lichenizing fungus Leptogium austroamericanum (for which the association is named) and its cyanobacterial photobiont. The metagenome data here include sequences from the lichenizing fungus Leptogium austroamericanum (class Lecanoromycetes, subclass Lecanoromycetidae), the cyanobacterial photobiont, and possibly endolichenic fungi or prokaryotes.