Airborne ascospore discharge with co‐dispersal of attached epihymenial algae in some foliicolous lichens

PREMISE: Lichen‐forming fungi that colonize leaf surfaces must find a compatible algal symbiont, establish lichen symbiosis, and reproduce within the limited life span of their substratum. Many produce specialized asexual propagules that appear to be dispersed by rain and runoff currents, but less is known about dispersal of their meiotic ascospores. In some taxa, a layer of algal symbionts covers the hymenial surface of the apothecia, where asci discharge their ascospores. We examined the untested hypothesis that their ascospores are ejected into air currents and carry with them algal symbionts from the epihymenial layer for subsequent lichenization. METHODS: Leaves bearing the lichens Calopadia puiggarii, Sporopodium marginatum (Pilocarpaceae), and Gyalectidium viride (Gomphillaceae) were collected in southern Florida. The latter two species have epihymenial algal layers. Leaf fragments with apotheciate thalli were affixed in petri dishes, with glass cover slips attached inside the lid over the thalli. Subsequent discharge of ascospores and any co‐dispersed algae was evaluated with light microscopy. RESULTS: All three species discharged ascospores aerially. Discharged ascospores were frequently surrounded by a halo‐like sheath of transparent material. In the two species with an epihymenial algal layer, most dispersing ascospores (>90%) co‐transported algal cells attached to the spore sheath or wall. CONCLUSIONS: While water may be the usual vector for their asexual propagules, foliicolous lichen‐forming fungi make use of air currents to disperse their ascospores. The epihymenial algal layer represents an adaptation for efficient co‐dispersal of the algal symbiont with the next genetic generation of the fungus.