GENOMICS
A – From genes to molecules: genomics, biosynthesis, and biochemistry
Garima Singh, John Sorensen
Keywords: biochemistry, secondary metabolites, omics, ecological dynamics
GENOMICS
B – Unveiling genomic complexity in lichens: from differentiation to symbiotic interactions
Edgar Wong, Fernando Fernadez-Mendoza, Steve Leavitt
Keywords: comparative and population genomic, evolutionary processes, genomic basis of symbiotic interactions, ecological success
GENOMICS
C – The lichen-associated bacterial microbiome in evolution and function: from deep phylogeny to meta-omics insights
Adam Flakus, Francesco Dal Grande
Keywords: lichen microbiome composition, bacteria, composition, functional roles
GENOMICS
D – From barcode to “blueprint”: what is in a species of lichens?
Pradeep Kumar Divakar, Felix Grewe, Martin Grube
Keywords: species definition, morpho-taxonomy, barcoding, genomic blueprint, phylogeny, phylogenomic, phenotipic analyses
BIOLOGY AND -OMICS
E – Lichen organismal composition: from recognition to function
Toby Spribille, Veera Tuovinen
Keywords: microbial composition, new techonologies, microscopy, omics
BIOLOGY AND -OMICS
F – Bridging the gap: linking genotype to phenotype using experimental approaches
Henrique Valim, Nathan Chrismas, Daniel Stanton, Rosa Celia Poquita-Du
Keywords: ecological outcomes of interactions, -omics approaches, ecophysiology, stress response
SYSTEMATICS
G – Looking East: Paleotropical lichens – state of the art and future prospects
Gothamie Weerakoon, Bibiana Moncada
Keywords: paleotropical lichens, biodiversity, conservation, taxonomy
SYSTEMATICS
H – Lecideoid lichens in the era of integrative taxonomy
Ulrike Ruprecht, Christian Printzen
Keywords: lecideoid lichens, DNA analysis, phylogenetic relationships, species diversity
SYSTEMATICS
I – Advances in research on Cladoniaceae
Raquel Pino-Bodas, Jana Steinova
Keywords: Cladoniaceae, taxonomy, ecology, interdisciplinary discussion
SYSTEMATICS
J – Evolution and systematics of lichens in the Neotropics
Marcela E. da Silva Caceres, Pamela Rodriguez-Flakus
Keywords: neotropical diversity, evolutionary history and systematics, molecular analysis, conservation
SYSTEMATICS
K – Leveraging historical lichen specimens for modern collections-based research
Manuela Dal Forno, Cecile Gueidan
Keywords: herbaria, historical collections, AI research, digital and molecular tools
SYSTEMATICS AND BIOLOGY
L – Lichen diversity on specialized substrates
Erik Moeller, Antoine Simon
Keywords: extreme or specialized substrates, taxonomic complexity, ecological specificity, conservation
SYSTEMATICS AND BIOLOGY
M – Symbiotic synergy: unravelling photobiont-mycobiont dynamics in lichen biology
Pavel Skaloud, Jolanda Miadlikovska,William Sanders, Nicolas Magain
Keywords: green algae, cyanobacteria, evolution, photobiont biology
SYSTEMATICS AND BIOLOGY
N – Lichen-associated fungi: recent advances and challenges in their biology, interaction, diversity and systematics
Valerii Darmostuk, Andreas Frisch, Ana M. Millanes, Ave Suija, Mats Wedin
Keywords: lichenicolous fungi, systematics, evolution, molecular tools
ECOLOGY
O – Advancing lichen monitoring for sustainable cities and ecosystems
Tim Claerhout, Silvana Munzi, Bernardo Rocha, Laurens Sparrius
Keywords: urban ecology, sustainability, biomonitoring, nature-based solutions, emerging pollutants, citizen science
ECOLOGY
P – Dispersal of lichenised organisms - from mechanisms to consequences
Niko Johansson, Silke Werth
Keywords: genetic and ecological mechanisms, distribution range, macroevolutionary and biogeographical consequences, theoretical biology and modelling
ECOLOGY
Q – LichenScapes: Lichen landscapes from miniature to global
Robert Luecking, Klara Scharnagl
Keywords: patterns of biodiversity, community composition, global to local scales
ECOLOGY
R – Lichens in the Anthropocene
Pilar Hurtado Aragüés, Christopher J. Ellis
Keywords: limate change, habitat loss, pollution, conservation practice
ECOLOGY
S – Lichen responses to environmental change in high mountain environments
Rebecca Yahr, Holger Thuess
Keywords: high mountains, environmental changes, land use, comunity composition
LICHEN AND MONUMENTS
T – Lichens in cultural heritage: evaluating threats and conservation measures
Asuncion de los Rios Murillo, Sergio E. Favero-Longo
Keywords: biodeterioration, conservation treatments, systematics, ecophysiology
ECOPHYSIOLOGY
U – From morphology to molecules: a functional and multiscale journey into the lichen symbiosis
Fabio Candotto Carniel, Ilse Kranner
Keywords: integrative physiology, partnership establishment, adaptation, physiology-oriented molecular approaches
WORKSHOPS
WORKSHOP 1: The evolving landscape of fungal biosynthetic gene clusters analysis: tools, trends, and perspectives
Garima Singh, Ester Gaya, Milton Drott
Contact: Garima Sungh, garima.singh@unipd.it
Keywords: secondary metabolites, similarity networking, metabolite structure prediction, synteny comparison
As genome sequencing accelerates, an unprecedented opportunity has emerged to uncover the functional and evolutionary potential encoded within fungal genomes, particularly for secondary metabolism. Advances in bioinformatic tools now enable automated detection, annotation, comparison, and prioritization of biosynthetic gene clusters, linking genes to metabolites, evolution, and ecology. This workshop will feature talks demonstrating how comparative genomics is used in practice to gain evolutionary and functional insights into secondary metabolism. Participants will be exposed to real datasets, analytical strategies, and conceptual frameworks that connect genomic variation to chemical and biological diversity.
WORKSHOPS
WORKSHOP 2: From data to discovery: overcoming analytical hurdles in lichen omics
Philipp Resl & Julia Gerasimova
Contact: Philipp Resl, philipp.resl@uni-graz.at; Julia Gerasimova, jgerasimova.sci@gmail.com
Keywords: omics-scale data, methodological and analytical challenges, data processing, best practices
We invite you to our workshop on lichen omics, focused on studying non-model lichen systems. The workshop offers an open space to exchange ideas and best practices, covering everything that comes before final results—from experimental design to data analysis. Our goal is to connect with experts and peers and encourage collaboration toward more solid and reproducible approaches in lichen omics. If you are interested, please contact us.
WORKSHOPS
WORKSHOP 3: Verrucariaceae: recent advances in taxonomy, systematics and evolution
Cecile Gueidan & Holger Thüs
Contact: Cecuile Gueidan, Cecile.Gueidan@csiro.au; Holger Thüs, holger.thues@smns-bw.de
Keywords: Verrucariaceae, taxonomy, systematics, evolution, collaboration
Recent advances in the taxonomy, systematics and evolution of the family Verrucariaceae will be presented, including metabarcoding, type sequencing, phylogenomics, genomics and more. The goal of the workshop is to give an insight into the present state of knowledge on the family and foster future collaborations to tackles current knowledge gaps.
WORKSHOPS
WORKSHOP 4: Vetted occurrence data for red-list assessments ‒ a novel approach to review raw specimen records for ranking of species rarity and distribution
Frank Bungartz
Contact: Frank Bungartz, bungartz@asu.edu
Keywords: Consortium of Lichen Herbaria, species list, biodiversity, collections
During this workshop participants will explore how to critically review occurrence records of lichenized fungi, using tools provided in the Consortium of Lichen Herbaria to produce lists of vetted lichen occurrence records from Natural History Collections. Participants will then use data to assess global extinction risk of species and compare IUCN red-listing criteria with NatureServe GRanks.