ENZYME POLYMORPHISM IN UMBILICARIA-CYLINDRICA IN NORTHWESTERN GREENLAND

Living Umbilicaria cylindrica (L.) Del, in the vicinity of Qaanaaq, NW Greenland is of special interest because it is found near sites where subfossils from the same population have recently emerged from beneath glacial ice. Electrophoretically-produced enzyme banding patterns of modern thalli were examined to determine whether isozymes indicated genetic variation within the population. Five enzymes were detected in each of six collection sites and the level of variability based on these was expressed as number of patterns per stand, Complement of the Simpson Index, and the Shannon Diversity Index. As is the case with other lichens examined previously, the U. cylindrica population exhibited appreciable enzyme polymorphism and, thus, potential for evolutionary change. Most enzymes were not detectable in glaciated fossil material, but two bands of esterase showed catalytic activity after approximately 1,350 yr. under ice.