Diversity and biosystematics of the lichen genus Psora and related soil crust species in East Asia

• Applicant: Dr. Christian Printzen
• Subject Area: Evolution and Systematics of Plants and Fungi
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 564001787

Anthropogenic loss of biodiversity is one of the most serious threats to ecosystems and human well-being. Well-founded biodiversity assessments are urgently needed, but certain organismal groups pose specific challenges, because species are difficult to identify and there are few experts. Lichens, symbioses of fungi and green algae or cyanobacteria, cover a considerable part of the earth’s surface as biological soil crusts, protecting soils against erosion and contributing significantly to global carbon and nitrogen cycles. Knowledge on their diversity outside Europe and North America is still very sparse, impeding ecological research as well as the efficiency of conservation efforts. The lichen family Psoraceae comprises key components of biological soil crusts in dryland habitats worldwide, with diversity centers in Asian mountain ranges. Our preliminary studies show that China contains a particularly high diversity of yet undescribed Psoraceae. We propose an integrative taxonomic survey of the group based on morphological, chemical, and molecular data. To delimit and formally describe the preliminarily circumscribed taxa, we need to extend our sampling and add further gene loci to an existing unpublished phylogeny of Psoraceae. This project will support the monitoring and protection of biodiversity in East Asia, advance scientific research efforts in biological soil crusts and contribute to the understanding of ecological dynamics.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants