Peltigera lichens as sources of uncharacterized cultured basidiomycete yeasts

Lichens represent one of the most successful examples of symbiosis. They are constituted by the association between a dominant fungus (i.e., the mycobiont), one or more photosynthetic partners (algae or cyanobacteria), and harbor an array of associated microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi. The associated fungal communities in lichens, known as the "lichen mycobiome", are composed of both ascomycetes and basidiomycetes, including filamentous and yeast taxa. Recently, basidiomycete yeasts have received considerable attention as a much-overlooked source of diversity within the lichen mycobiome, with hypothesized roles in lichen symbiosis. This study surveyed the diversity of cultivable basidiomycete yeasts associated with Peltigera lichens across southern Chile. A phylogenetic study based on sequences of 179 yeast isolates allowed the identification of 29 taxa from 13 genera in the classes Agaricostilbomycetes, Cystobasidiomycetes, Microbotryomycetes, and Tremellomycetes, with the latter being the most represented. This research revealed several yeast species, including members of the genera Boekhoutia and Goffeauzyma, in lichens for the first time, thereby expanding our understanding of lichen-associated fungal diversity. In addition, four new cultivable species isolated from Peltigera are formally described. These are Boekhoutia peltigerae sp. nov., Cystobasidium chilense sp. nov., Genolevuria patagonica sp. nov. and Pseudotremella navarinensis sp. nov. These results highlight the role of lichens as reservoirs of uncharacterized basidiomycete yeasts.