Five new species of Allographa discovered in the Western Ghats
Molecular taxonomy expands the record of lichen-forming fungi in the Western Ghats and strengthens biodiversity assessment methods.
- The institute conducted the Allographa study as an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology.
- The Western Ghats remain a major repository of lichen diversity and continue to yield previously undocumented species.
- The study shows that morphology-only identification is not sufficient for all Allographa species because some similar-looking taxa are not closely related evolutionarily.
Researchers from the MACS Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, have reported five new species of the lichen-forming fungal genus Allographa from the Western Ghats. The finding matters because lichens are sensitive indicators of pollution and habitat change, so species-level evidence can support ecological monitoring and conservation planning.
What the study found
The research used traditional taxonomic methods along with multi-locus DNA sequencing to study Allographa diversity in the Western Ghats. The team examined field-collected specimens from tropical forest habitats and combined morphological, chemical, and molecular evidence to reassess species boundaries.
UPSC can use this topic to test the ecological significance of the Western Ghats, the role of lichens as indicators of forest health, and the need for molecular phylogenetics in species identification and conservation planning.
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