About This Project
The American Southwest and northern Mexico harbor remarkable lichen diversity, yet many regions remain poorly documented. We will conduct targeted field surveys, preserve voucher specimens, identify collections using morphology and microscopy, and sequence unresolved taxa. These data will reveal overlooked diversity and provide a foundation for a modern regional lichen flora and future conservation efforts.
We just need to find out what they are.
Ask the Scientists
Join The DiscussionWhat is the context of this research?
The American Southwest and northern Mexico sky islands are biodiversity-rich regions where lichen diversity remains unevenly documented. Existing records often reflect truncated distributions, limited collecting, historical species concepts, or specimens gathered before molecular tools became widely available. Our recent work with the genus Sticta demonstrates the consequences: morphologically and geographically distinctive populations can remain concealed within broadly defined species. Similar unresolved diversity likely occurs across other lichen groups, creating a need for renewed field exploration and modern taxonomic assessment.
What is the significance of this project?
Reliable biodiversity data begin with knowing which species occur where. Without accurate identifications and well-documented distributions, rare or geographically restricted lichens can be overlooked in conservation planning and ecological monitoring. This is increasingly important as changing climate conditions alter habitats and species distributions. Establishing a modern baseline for lichen communities will allow future researchers and land managers to recognize ecological change, identify areas of exceptional diversity, and make better-informed conservation decisions.
What are the goals of the project?
This project will establish a collaborative framework for documenting lichens across the Southwest and northern Mexico, beginning with targeted surveys of under-collected Sky Island habitats. We will work with regional lichenologists and partner with my academic and related academic institutions as well as private conservation/biodiversity organizations to collect and photograph specimens, prepare permanent herbarium vouchers, and identify taxa through morphology and microscopy. DNA sequencing will target difficult, unusual, or potentially overlooked taxa. These efforts will produce verified records and identify priorities for future surveys, ultimately contributing to a continually updated regional lichen flora.
Budget
Funds will support the full process of documenting lichen biodiversity in targeted sky island ecoregion's, from field collection to permanent scientific records. Travel funds will allow surveys of under-collected habitats in the American Southwest. Collection and curation funds will cover field supplies, specimen packets, archival materials, and preparation of voucher specimens for deposition in research herbaria. Molecular funds will support DNA extraction, PCR, PCR cleanup, and Sanger sequencing of selected specimens. These data will help confirm identifications, investigate unusual or unresolved collections, and generate verified records that contribute directly to a modern lichen flora of the American Southwest and northern Mexico.
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Project Timeline
Fieldwork will occur during two annual collecting windows: late spring–early summer and late summer–early fall of 2027, when extreme summer heat and winter snow are less restrictive. Between field seasons, specimens will be curated, identified, photographed, and examined microscopically. Selected collections will then undergo DNA extraction, PCR, Sanger sequencing, and analysis, with results guiding subsequent surveys.
Sep 02, 2026
Project Launched
Oct 15, 2027
Complete first field survey in Arizona & New Mexico: May-June 2027.
Dec 01, 2027
Establish voucher collection & Complete taxonomic screening: Curation, microscope work, document distribution data, prep selected samples for DNA extraction.
Mar 01, 2028
Generate DNA sequence data: DNA extraction, PCR, and Sanger sequencing of the ITS barcode.
Jun 01, 2028
Share distribution data to public database (OSC & iNaturalist), upload sequence data to GenBank, share results and submit to publication.
Meet the Team
Joseph Di Meglio
My name is Joseph Di Meglio and I'm a lichenologist and taxonomist whose research focuses on the biodiversity, systematics, ecology, and conservation of lichens in western North America. I earned my M.S. in Botany and Plant Pathology from Oregon State University, building on a B.S. focused on lichen ecology and taxonomy. My research experience includes field-based lichen community analysis, lichen pollution index chemical analysis, herbarium curation, microscopy, DNA extraction, PCR, Sanger and whole genome (long read/short read) sequencing, and phylogenetic & phylogenomic analysis.
For more than a decade, I have worked with lichens in both field and laboratory settings, with a particular interest in resolving difficult species boundaries through an integration of morphology, geography, and molecular data. My research has contributed to the description and revision of several western North American lichens.
My 2023 study resolving the Sticta fuliginosa complex received the 2024 Tuckerman Award in Lichenology from The Bryologist. I subsequently coauthored the description of Sticta puebloensis, a new species from the American Southwest, and continue to investigate previously unrecognized Sticta diversity in the Southwest and northern Mexico with collaborators.
I am also committed to science education and community outreach. I have taught university botany and biology laboratories and have participated in educational outreach introducing students to fungi, mushroom cultivation, lichen taxonomy and applied mycology. I view public engagement and education as important components of biodiversity research and conservation.
My long-term goal is to combine field exploration, taxonomy, molecular biology, natural-history collections, and regional collaboration to improve documentation and conservation of poorly known lichen biodiversity across western North America.
Alejandra Peña
My name is Alejandra Peña Estrada and I am a biologist, naturalist, independent researcher, and protected area specialist based in Chihuahua, Mexico. I earned my B.S. in Biology from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León and my Master of Applied Science from the University of Sydney.
For more than eight years, I served as Director and Coordinator of Cumbres de Majalca National Park, focusing on ecosystem protection, management, and restoration. My professional experience centers on protected area administration, climate impact assessments, and regional biodiversity baselines, having recently collaborated with organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund and the National Geographic Society on biodiversity studies across national parks in northern Mexico. My research and technical work have contributed to publications on arthropods and climate change in collaboration with institutions in the US and Canada, as well as advancing species protection under national and international legal frameworks (NOM-059 and CITES).
Outside of my formal roles, I devote my extra time and days off to exploring nature, collecting field data, and sharing my passion for mycology and local biodiversity. With a decade of amateur fungal research, I have been leading interpretive nature walks and 'fungus walks' (caminatas del hongo) since 2020. As an active iNaturalist Ambassador, I lead community science workshops and observational classes to help people connect with the natural world.
I view science communication and education as essential components of biodiversity conservation. My goal is to make science accessible, engaging, and practical—promoting the use of native biodiversity and developing tailored conservation strategies that account for the unique ecological, geographic, and human dynamics of each landscape.
Lab Notes
Nothing posted yet.
Additional Information
This project builds directly on my ongoing research in the American Southwest and northern Mexico, where I have conducted field surveys, collected and curated lichen specimens, performed morphological and molecular analyses, and published peer-reviewed taxonomic research. My work on the genus Sticta has documented previously unrecognized diversity in the region and continues to reveal populations requiring further study. This experience demonstrates both the need for broader surveys and my ability to carry a project from field collection through analysis and publication. The proposed work expands that foundation toward a collaborative, modern lichen flora of the American Southwest and northern Mexico.
Our research will go through several phases of geographic surveying to gain a better understanding the lichen biodiversity of isolated landscapes in the Southwest USA and northern Mexico:
Phase 1: The Jemez Mountains sky island system and the southern Rockies range of the Sangre De Christos system located in northern New Mexico.
Phase 2: The Gila Mountain system is west central New Mexico.
Phase 3: The Sacramento Mountains sky island system in the southeast portion of New Mexico.
Phase 4: The Arizona Madrean sky island system, which includes many high elevation peaks and mountain systems in southern Arizona.
Phase 5: The Chihuahuan Madrean sky island system in northern Mexico.
Phase 6: The Sonoran Madrean sky island system in northwestern Mexico.
Project Backers
- 4Backers
- 8%Funded
- $300Total Donations
- $75.00Average Donation
