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Ecological and biotechnological aspects of lichens

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Abstract

Lichens and the partners from three different kingdoms are both taxonomically and physiologically a very diverse group, which makes them interesting from both ecological and biotechnological points of view. A lichen is a mutual ecophysiological innovation in many extreme environments in which symbiosis seems to protect the partners. Lichen’s ability to grow in harsh environments can be advantageous, resulting in important ecological niches, or disadvantageous when lichens occupy and cause biodeterioration of cultural monuments. Recently, new candidate compounds for drugs, UVB protection, and antifreeze proteins for frozen foods were discovered. Lichens were also found to have potential in bioplastic degradation and prevention of desertification. Nevertheless, there is still large potential for further industrial screening and research on lichen products. Due to improved culture techniques of isolated symbionts, increased knowledge of their secondary metabolism and improved methods for solubilizing lichen metabolites, the screening and activity tests can be implemented more easily today than in the past.

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Acknowledgements

The Academy of Finland funded the work within project 213382 to the author. I sincerely thank the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. A. Steinbüchel for giving inspiring ideas for the topics, Dos. S. Timonen and Prof. DHS Richardson for valuable criticism in the different stages of this manuscript, the anonymous reviewer for the additional improvements, Dr. P. D. Crittenden for helpful statements and the graph, Ao. Prof. E. Stocker-Wörgötter for lending me the photographs, and Prof. (emer.) T. Ahti for providing some of the older literature.

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  1. Division of Microbiology, Department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Ilona Oksanen

  2. Division of Plant Physiology, Department of Botany, University of Stockholm, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    Ilona Oksanen

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Oksanen, I. Ecological and biotechnological aspects of lichens. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 73, 723–734 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-006-0611-3

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