Philosophy

Ecology

Bacteria

Biology

Dynamism

Archaeology

Evolutionary biology

Cognitive science

Paleontology

Genetics

Psychology

Geography

Epistemology

Lichen

Vanguard

Host (biology)

Mutualism (biology)

Evolutionary ecology

Symbiosis

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Several decades of research across disciplines have overturned historical perspectives of symbioses dominated by binary characterizations of highly specific species-species interactions. This paradigm shift has unlocked the previously underappreciated and overlooked dynamism of fungal mutualisms such as mycorrhizae. Lichens are another example of important fungal mutualisms where reconceptualization is urgently needed to realize their potential as model systems. This reconceptualization requires both an objective synthesis of new data and envisioning a revised integrative approach that unifies the spectrum of ecology and evolution. We propose a ten-theme framework that if pursued would propel lichens to the vanguard of symbiotic theory.

A call to reconceptualize lichen symbioses