Genomic Resources for the First Federally Endangered Lichen: The Florida Perforate Cladonia (Cladonia perforata)

Thirty years after its designation as a federally endangered species, the Florida Perforate Cladonia (FPC) remains imperiled in isolated populations in the Florida scrub in the southeastern USA. For threatened and endangered species, such as FPC, reference genomes provide critical insight into genomic diversity, local adaptations, landscape-level genetics, and phylogenomics. Using high-throughput sequencing, we assemble the first draft nuclear and mitochondrial genomes for the FPC mycobiont-Cladonia perforata. We also assess genetic diversity within and among populations in southeastern Florida using genome-scale data and investigate diversity across the entire nuclear ribosomal cistron, including the standard DNA barcoding marker for fungi. The draft nuclear genome spanned 33.6 Mb, and the complete, circular mitochondrial genome was 59 Kb. We also generated the first chloroplast genome, to our knowledge, for the photobiont genus associated with FPC, an undescribed Asterochloris species. We inferred the presence of multiple, distinct mycobiont parental genotypes (genets) occurring at local scales in southeastern Florida, and strikingly, no genets were shared among even the closest sample sites. All sampled thalli shared identical mitochondrial genomes, while the nuclear ribosomal cistron showed limited variability-highlighting the genetic resolution provided by nuclear genome-scale datasets. The genomic resources generated here provide critical resources for informed conservation efforts for the FPC.

Automated summary

The Florida Perforate Cladonia (FPC), a federally endangered species, remains imperiled in isolated populations in the Florida scrub. Reference genomes of threatened and endangered species like FPC provide crucial insights into genomic diversity and adaptations. In this study, the first draft nuclear and mitochondrial genomes were assembled for FPC, and genetic diversity within and among populations in southeastern Florida was assessed. The genomic resources generated here are important for informed conservation efforts for the FPC.