Lichens - growing greenhouses en miniature

MicroCT as a Useful Tool for Analysing the 3D Structure of Lichens and Quantifying Internal Cephalodia in Lobaria pulmonaria

High-resolution X-ray computer tomography (microCT) is a well-established technique to analyse three-dimensional microstructures in 3D non-destructive imaging. The non-destructive three-dimensional analysis of lichens is interesting for many reasons. The examination of hidden structural characteristics can, e.g., provide information on internal structural features (form and distribution of fungal-supporting tissue/hypha), gas-filled spaces within the thallus (important for gas exchange and, thus, physiological processes), or yield information on the symbiont composition within the lichen, e.g., the localisation and amount of additional cyanobacteria in cephalodia. Here, we present the possibilities and current limitations for applying conventional laboratory-based high-resolution X-ray computer tomography to analyse lichens. MicroCT allows the virtual 3D reconstruction of a sample from 2D X-ray projections and is helpful for the non-destructive analysis of structural characters or the symbiont composition of lichens. By means of a quantitative 3D image analysis, the volume of internal cephalodia is determined for Lobaria pulmonaria and the external cephalodia of Peltigera leucophlebia. Nevertheless, the need for higher-resolution tomography for more detailed studies is emphasised. Particular challenges are the large sizes of datasets to be analysed and the high variability of the lichen microstructures.