MMS Webinar: Arseniy Belosokhov – Towards a Tractable Model of Lichen Symbiosis

Join Manitoba Mushroom Society for a webinar on October 20 at 7:00 pm Central Time, featuring Arseniy Belosokhov about his research

“Towards a Tractable Model of Lichen Symbiosis”.

Lichens are classic examples of symbiosis: fungi living with algae or cyanobacteria to form tough little composite organisms. They are common, ecologically important and central to big questions about how different species build a shared body; yet biology still has no reliable “lab lichen” that can be rebuilt from known parts and used as a model system.

My thesis research asks why. First, it shows that past attempts to “resynthesize” lichens used inconsistent definitions of success and often assumed, rather than proved, that their cultures were free of extra microbes. Second, it brings together genome data and growth experiments to test whether lichen-forming fungi really depend on B vitamins supplied by partners. Third, it examines whether key bacteria travel with fungal spores instead of being picked up fresh from the environment. Finally, it uses tissue-culture regrowth of lichen fragments, combined with DNA sequencing, to see which fungi, algae and bacteria always show up when proper lichen-like bodies form.

Taken together, these studies do not yet deliver a standard lichen model, but they replace a scattered literature with clear criteria, practical lab protocols and a shortlist of likely partners and functions. This creates a defined problem space and a realistic experimental path for building genuine model lichens in future work.

Arseniy Belosokhov

Arseniy has a Masters Degree in Mycology and is a PhD Candidate in Biology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, studying Evolution and Symbiosis.

This workshop is open and free to attend for members of mycological clubs affiliated with NAMA and students of post-secondary institutions.  Register at https://forms.gle/x1gQyPSKdq1BMTkn8.