Cladonia subturgida (Cladoniaceae, Lecanoromycetes), an overlooked, but common species in the Mediterranean region

Abstract

Cladonia subturgida is a Mediterranean species that has been overlooked. Apparently it was restricted to the Iberian Peninsula and Canary Islands. However, during the study of the genus Cladonia in the Mediterranean region, new populations from 44 localities were found in: south France, Sardinia, south Italian peninsula, Crete and continental Greece. Distribution models based on MaxEnt, GLM, GAM and MARS algorithms were used to estimate the potential distribution of C. subturgida. Sicily, Corsica and the north of Africa were regions with suitable climatic conditions for C. subturgida where it has not been reported yet. The climatic variables with greatest relative influence in the C. subturgida distribution were the Precipitation of Warmest Quarter and the Annual Precipitation. Additionally, the ITS rDNA region was used to study the genetic variation of this species across its distribution area. Eleven haplotypes were found, one of them widely distributed through its geographical range. AMOVA analyses indicated lack of geographical structure.