TY - JOUR A1 - Jung, Patrick A1 - Baumann, Karen A1 - Emrich, Dina A1 - Springer, Armin A1 - Felde, Vincent J.M.N.L. A1 - Dultz, Stefan A1 - Baum, Christel A1 - Frank, Marcus A1 - Büdel, Burkhard A1 - Leinweber, Peter T1 - Lichens Bite the Dust – A Bioweathering Scenario in the Atacama Desert JF - iScience N2 - Bioweathering mediated by microorganisms plays a significant role in biogeo-chemical cycles on global scales over geological timescales. Single processes induced by specific taxa have been described but could rarely be demonstrated for complex communities that dominate whole landscapes. The recently discovered grit crust of the coastal Atacama Desert, which is a transitional community between a cryptogamic ground cover and a rock-bound lithic assemblage, offers the unique chance to elucidate various bioweathering processes that occur simultaneously. Here, we present a bioweathering scenario of this biocenosis including processes such as penetration of the lithomatrix, microbial responses to wet-dry cycles, alkalinolysis, enzyme activity, and mineral re-localization. Frequently occurring fog, for example, led to a volume increase of microorganisms and the lithomatrix. This, together with pH shifts and dust accumulation, consequently results in biophysical breakdown and the formation of a terrestrial protopedon, an initial stage of pedogenesis fueled by the grit crust. KW - Earth sciences KW - Geomicrobiology KW - Earth-Surface Processes KW - Weathering KW - Biogeoscience Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2020.101647 SN - 2589-0042 VL - 23 IS - 11 SP - 1 EP - 29 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jung, Patrick A1 - Lakatos, Michael A1 - Werner, Lina A1 - Briegel-Williams, Laura A1 - Emrich, Dina T1 - Roccellinastrum, Cenozosia and Heterodermia: Ecology and phylogeny of fog lichens and their photobionts from the coastal Atacama Desert N2 - Some deserts on Earth such as the Namib or the Atacama are influenced by fog which can lead to the formation of local fog oases - unique environments hosting a great diversity of specialized plants and lichens. Lichens of the genera Ramalina, Niebla or Heterodermia have taxonomically been investigated from fog oases around the globe but not from the Atacama Desert, one of the oldest and driest deserts. Conditioned by its topography and the presence of orographic fog, the National Park Pan de Azúcar in the Atacama Desert is considered to be such a lichen hotspot. Applying multi-gen loci involving phylogenetic analyses combined with intense morphological and chemical characterization, we determined the taxonomic position of five of the most abundant epiphytic lichens of this area. We evaluated Roccellinastrum spongoideum and Heterodermia follmannii which were both described from the area but also finally showed that the genus Cenozosia is the endemic sister genus to Ramalina, Vermilacinia, Namibialina and Niebla. As a result, we have described the species Heterodermia adunca, C. cava and C. excorticata as new lichen species. This work provides a comprehensive dataset for common fog lichen genera of the Coastal Range of the Atacama Desert that can be used as a baseline for monitoring programs and environmental health assessments. KW - Chlorolichens KW - Heterodermia KW - Niebla KW - Pan de Azucar KW - Symbiochloris KW - Trebouxia Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.98.107764 VL - 2023 PB - Pensoft Publishers CY - Sofia ER -