The Cavanilles Institute and the Department of Botany and Geology of the University of Valencia organise a meeting about new interdisciplinary approaches in the study of lichen symbioses, from genomics to physiology. The meeting, aimed at specialists and students of master and doctorate, will be held on December 3 and 4 at the Burjassot-Paterna Campus and will feature the participation of internationally renowned experts.
Lichens are complex symbiotic systems where lineages of microalgae coexist with a single fungus, showing different tolerance patterns to abiotic stress. In addition, certain communities of non-photosynthetic bacteria and some yeasts are beginning to be considered an integral part of the lichen thallus.
At present, interdisciplinary genomic approaches are generating promising results to deal with the complexity of lichens and the diversity of symbiotic microalgae. Thus, from the new perspectives, lichen thallus are considered complex microecosystems that raise new questions about many of the biochemical and cellular mechanisms of microalgae involved in the functional equilibrium of mutualistic symbioses of lichens.
To discuss the knowledge of the complex interactions that sustain lichen symbioses, by characterising crucial aspects of biology and phylogenetic relationships among symbionts, the Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology (ICBIBE) and the Department of Botany and Geology of the University of Valencia have organised a meeting aimed at specialists as well as masters’ and doctorate students.
The conference, which will feature the participation of leading experts in this field, will highlight the latest results of international research and address the new interdisciplinary approaches fostered by the development of genomics. In addition, a practical workshop has been planned that will present some of the most novel statistical tools that are used in the biogeographic and phylogenetic analysis of any type of organism.
The sessions will take place in the Faculty of Mathematics, the Faculty of Biological Sciences and the Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology. Admission is free under registration at liquenologiauv@gmail.com.
All the information can be seen at http://symbiolichen.blogs.uv.es/