Teuvo Ahti

Last updated

Teuvo Tapio Ahti
Born1934
NationalityFinnish
Alma materUniversity of Helsinki
Awards Acharius Medal [1]
Scientific career
FieldsLichenology
Institutions University of Helsinki; Finnish Museum of Natural History
Author abbrev. (botany) Ahti [2]

Teuvo ("Ted") Tapio Ahti (born 1934) is a Finnish botanist and lichenologist. He has had a long career at the University of Helsinki that started in 1963, and then following his retirement in 1997, at the Botanical Museum of the Finnish Museum of Natural History. Known as a specialist of the lichen family Cladoniaceae, Ahti has published more than 280 scientific publications. A Festschrift was dedicated to him in 1994, and in 2000 he was awarded the prestigious Acharius Medal for lifetime contributions to lichenology.

Contents

Education and career

Ahti started developing an interest in botany at the age of 15, when he worked on a class project involving collecting 100 species of plants. His attention turned to lichens when a classmate who had worked for Veli Räsänen pointed them out during a birdwatching excursion in Helsinki. His interest was further fuelled when a couple of years later, he had to pass a test on identification of forest floor lichens and bryophytes as part of an application for work at the Finnish Forest Research Institute. He honed his identification skills during another summer job a few years later inventorying reindeer in Lapland. [3] In 1957, he was hired by the provincial Government of Newfoundland to undertake a study of caribou habitat. He collected 3500 specimens from nearly 80 localities across the province; these collections were later used as data in several floristic articles dealing with various lichen taxa. [4]

Ahti studied natural science at the University of Helsinki, [5] from where he earned an MSc in 1957, and a PhD in 1961. His thesis was entitled "Taxonomic studies on reindeer lichens (Cladonia, subgenus Cladina)". He started employment in 1964 at the University of Helsinki Botanical Garden with the title Curator of Cryptogams, eventually working up to Deputy Head Curator of Phanerogams during 1965–1968, and then Head Curator of the Division of Cryptogams in 1969. In 1979, Ahti became a professor of Cryptogamic Taxonomy at the University of Helsinki, [6] and a Research Professor at the Academy of Finland in 1991. [7] Since retiring in 1996, Ahti has been a research associate with the Finnish Museum of Natural History in Helsinki. [8]

Parmelia hygrophila - Flickr - pellaea.jpg
Cladonia terrae-nova 831025.jpg
Two of the species that Ahti has introduced as new to science include Parmelia hygrophila Goward & Ahti (top) and Cladonia terrae-nova Ahti (bottom)

Ahti was president of the International Association for Lichenology from 1975–1981. In addition to numerous research trips within Europe, he has also been to Asia, and North and South America. [6] His Arctic lichen research expeditions have taken him to locations such as the Murmansk Coast, [9] the northeast coast of Iceland, [10] and the Sakha Republic (Russian Arctic). [11] One of his favourite exotic locations was the tepui mountains of the Venezuelan Guayana, reachable only by helicopter. [3] As of 2017, Ahti had more than 280 publications dealing with lichens, mosses, fungi, and phytogeography. Known as a specialist of the Cladoniaceae, he wrote a monograph on this subject for the journal series Flora Neotropica , which reviewer William Culberson called "the long-awaited fulfillment of an old promise by one of the world's master taxonomists." In the monograph, Ahti accepted 184 species of Cladoniaceae from the Neotropical realm, including 29 new taxa. [12] Ahti made the numerous publications of William Nylander generally accessible through a five-volume reprint edition. [6] He has also made the subject of botany and lichens more popular and accessible to the general public through his work with the Nordic Lichen Flora, a series of books describing all lichens found in Nordic countries. [5]

Teuvo Ahti is married to botanist Leena Hämet-Ahti, who he met while they were both completing their MSc degrees. They married in 1960, and had a "honeymoon" in Wells Gray Provincial Park (central British Columbia, Canada), where they collected several thousands of specimens of plants, mosses, liverworts, and lichens. [8] In 1967, they collected 3000 specimens of vascular plants in Alaska, the Yukon, northern British Columbia, and Alberta. [11]

Recognition

A Festschrift was dedicated to Ahti in 1994 for his 60th birthday, titled Focus on Lichen Taxonomy and Biogeography: A Festschrift in Honour of Teuvo Ahti. This publication, part of the Acta Botanica Fennica series, contains 30 scientific papers written by 45 authors. [13] Ahti was awarded the Acharius Medal in 2000, [1] which is given for lifetime achievement in lichenology. [7] He is an honorary member of the Russian Botanical Society of the Russian Academy of Sciences. [6] In 2011, Ahti, along with co-authors Soili Stenroos  [ fi ], Katileena Lohtander, and Leena Myllys, won the Tieto-Finlandia Award for their non-fiction work Suomen jäkäläopas ("Finnish lichen guide"). [14]

Eponymy

Four genera and several species have been named to honour Ahti. These include: [6]

Ahtia M.J.Lai (1980); Ahtiana Goward (1986); Teuvoa Sohrabi & S.D.Leav. (2013); Teuvoahtiana S.Y.Kondr. & Hur (2017); [15] Parmelia ahtii Essl. (1977); Lecanora ahtii Vänskä (1986); Cladonia ahtii S.Stenroos (1989); Caloplaca ahtii Søchting (1994); Physma ahtianum Verdon & Elix (1994); Ramalina ahtii Kashiw. & T.H.Nash (1994); Stenocybe ahtii Titov & Baĭbul. (1994); Thelotrema ahtii Sipman (1994); Tuckneraria ahtii Randlane & Saag (1994); Unguiculariopsis ahtii D.Hawksw., D.J.Galloway & S.Y.Kondr. (1994); Hypotrachyna ahtiana Elix, T.H.Nash & Sipman (2009); Melanelixia ahtii S.D.Leav., Essl., Divakar, A.Crespo & Lumbsch (2016); Dactylospora ahtii Zhurb. & Pino-Bodas (2017); Neolamya ahtii Zhurb. (2017); Stigmidium ahtii Etayo & Palice (2017); Verrucaria ahtii Pykälä, Launis & Myllys (2017); and Halecania ahtii Zhdanov (2020).

Selected publications

A complete listing of Ahti's scientific publications up to 2017 is given in Belyaeva and Chamberlain's tribute. [3] Some of his major works include:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cladoniaceae</span> Family of lichens

The Cladoniaceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Lecanorales. It is one of the largest families of lichen-forming fungi, with about 560 species distributed amongst 17 genera. The reindeer moss and cup lichens (Cladonia) belong to this family. The latter genus, which comprises about 500 species, forms a major part of the diet of large mammals in taiga and tundra ecosystems. Many Cladoniaceae lichens grow on soil, but others can use decaying wood, tree trunks, and, in a few instances, rocks as their substrate. They grow in places with high humidity, and cannot tolerate aridity.

Carassea is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Cladoniaceae. The genus was circumscribed in 2002 by Finnish lichenologist Soili Stenroos. A monotypic genus, Carassea contains the single species Carassea connexa. This species, originally named Cladonia connexa, was first documented by Edvard August Wainio, who collected specimens from Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 1885, and published a description of the species in the first of his three-volume Monographia Cladoniarum universalis. The Cladoniaceae genera most closely related to Carassea include Pycnothelia and Metus.

<i>Ahtiana</i> Single-species genus of lichen

Ahtiana is a genus of lichenized fungi known as candlewax lichens in the family Parmeliaceae. A monotypic genus, it contains the single species Ahtiana sphaerosporella or the mountain candlewax lichen, found in western North America. This species was segregated from the genus Parmelia by Canadian lichenologist Trevor Goward in a 1985 publication. It had been suggested that the genus include A. aurescens and A. pallidula based on similarities in morphology, but this transfer is not supported by molecular analysis.

Leena Hämet-Ahti is a Finnish botanist, plant taxonomist, and plant collector noted for being Associate Professor of Botany at the University of Helsinki, and later the Director of the university's Botanical Garden. She primarily studies alpine plants of Finland and similar northern hemisphere climates. Her PhD thesis, defended in 1963, was on mountain birch forests. She participated in the production of the seminal Finnish floras Retkeilykasvio and Suomen puu- ja pensaskasvio (1992).

Cladonia wainioi or the Wainio's cup lichen is a species of cup lichen found in boreal and arctic regions of the Russian Far East and northern North America.

Rexiella is a lichen genus in the family Cladoniaceae. The genus, originally circumscribed with the name Rexia by authors Soili Stenroos, Raquel Pino-Bodas, and Teuvo Ahti in 2018, was created to contain the species Cladonia sullivanii, first formally described in 1882 by Swiss botanist Johannes Müller Argoviensis. After publication of the new genus, it was discovered that the name was illegitimate, because an earlier homonym had been published; the generic name RexiaD.A.Casamatta, S.R.Gomez & J.R.Johansen had already been created in 2006 to contain the cyanobacterial species Rexia erecta. The new name Rexiella was therefore proposed in 2019. This name honours the Australian lichenologist Rex Filson, who published monographs on the genera Cladia and Heterodea.

Orvo Vitikainen is a Finnish lichenologist. He entered the University of Helsinki in 1961, from where he obtained a Candidate of Philosophy degree in 1966, and a Licentiate of Philosophy in 1971. He later earned a Ph.D. from this institution in 1994, under the supervision of Teuvo Ahti. Between the years 1961 and 1981 he was a junior curator of cryptogams at the University of Helsinki Botanical Garden, and then from 1983 to 2004 he was the head of the lichen herbarium. Here he managed the internationally valuable collections of the early lichenologists Erik Acharius and William Nylander. He has collected thousands of specimens for the herbarium from various locations in Finland, but also internationally, including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russian Karelia, Scotland, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Croatia, Montenegro, Tanzania, Kenya, British Columbia, and Brazil. In 1992–1994, he was a scientist of the Finnish Academy in the Ahti research group.

<i>Pulchrocladia</i> Genus of lichen

Pulchrocladia is a genus of fruticose lichens in the family Cladoniaceae. It has three species. The genus was circumscribed in 2018 by lichenologists Soili Stenroos, Raquel Pino-Bodas, Helge Thorsten Lumbsch, and Teuvo Ahti. The genus name refers to "the beautiful morphology of its species".

<i>Cladonia mitis</i> Species of lichen

Cladonia mitis is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It was formally described as a new species in 1918 by German lichenologist Heinrich Sandstede. It has previously been classified in genus Cladina before molecular phylogenetic studies showed this to be a part of Cladonia. Cladonia mitis is morphologically quite similar to Cladonia arbuscula, and some authors have considered it to be a variety or subspecies of the latter. They differ mainly in the production of secondary compounds: Cladonia mitis produces chemicals in the rangiformic acid complex, which C. arbuscula does not.

Cladonia ahtii is a species of cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It is found in Brazil, and grows in tropical moist broadleaf forests. The specific epithet honours Finnish lichenologist Teuvo Ahti.

Cladonia camerunensis is a species of lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. Found in Cameroon, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by lichenologists Teuvo Ahti and Adam Flakus. The type specimen was collected on Minloua Mountain, west of Yaoundé, at an altitude of 780 m (2,560 ft). Here the lichen was found growing among plant debris over rock in open areas. The species is only known to occur in two locations on Minloua Mountain, which is a tropical inselberg. Secondary chemicals that are found in the lichen include barbatic acid and didymic acid.

Cladonia compressa is a species of lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. Found in Bolivia, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by lichenologists Teuvo Ahti and Adam Flakus. The type specimen was collected by the second author near Siniari colony at an altitude of 2,186 m (7,172 ft). Here, in a Yungas secondary cloud forest, the lichen was found growing on the ground, in humus-rich mineral soil. The specific epithet compressa refers to the compressed podetia. Secondary compounds that occur in the lichen include fumarprotocetraric acid (major), and minor to trace amounts of protocetraric acid and physodalic acid.

<i>Pulchrocladia retipora</i> Species of fruticose lichen

Pulchrocladia retipora, commonly known as the coral lichen, is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. Found predominantly in Australasia, its habitats range from the Australian Capital Territory to New Zealand's North and South Islands, and even the Pacific region of New Caledonia, where it grows in coastal and alpine heathlands. The lichen features coral-like branches and subbranches with numerous intricate, netlike perforations. It is known by multiple names, with some sources referring to it by its synonym Cladia retipora, or the common name lace lichen.

Pulchrocladia corallaizon is a species of lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It was first formally described as Cladia corallaizon. The specific epithet corallaizon, modified from Greek, means "ever-living coral". In 2018, it was transferred to the newly circumscribed genus Pulchrocladia.

Pulchrocladia ferdinandii is a species of lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It was first formally described as Cladonia ferdinandii by Swiss lichenologist Johannes Müller Argoviensis in 1882. The specific epithet honours German-Australian botanist Ferdinand von Mueller, who collected the type specimen near Esperance, Western Australia. Rex Filson transferred the taxon to Cladia in 1970. In 2018, it was transferred to the newly circumscribed genus Pulchrocladia.

<i>Cladonia rei</i> Species of lichen

Cladonia rei, commonly known as the wand lichen, is a species of ground-dwelling, fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It is a widely distributed species, having been reported from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, and North America. It is identified by its slightly dirty-colored, rough-surfaced, slender podetia that grow up to 9 cm (3.5 in) tall. Diagnostic characters of the lichen include the continuously sorediate, green-and-brown-mottled, podetia that taper upward to a point, while chemically, it contains homosekikaic and sekikaic acids. Its reduced capacity to bioaccumulate toxic heavy metals from its surroundings, as well as its ability to switch photobiont partners, allows the lichen to colonize and survive highly polluted habitats. There are several other Cladonia species that are somewhat similar in appearance, but can be distinguished either by subtle differences in morphology, or by the secondary chemicals they contain.

Verrucaria ahtii is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling) crustose lichen in the family Verrucariaceae. It is found in Finland, Lithuania, Russia, and Switzerland, where it occurs on calcareous pebbles.

Cladonia longisquama is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It occurs in the Seychelles, where it grows on moss-covered rocks.

Cladonia vescula is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It is known for its small size and unique chemical composition. It can be found in the montane cloud forests and pre-Andean Amazonian forests of Bolivia and Peru, where it grows on mineral soil mixed with humus. This species closely resembles Cladonia peziziformis and Cladonia corymbosula in morphology, but it is more slender and almost entirely lacking a cortex.

Cladonia glacialis is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. Found in Iceland, it was described as a new species in 2009 by Hördur Kristinsson and Teuvo Ahti. The first author collected the type specimen in 1979 from Arnarfellsmúlar at an elevation of 600 m (2,000 ft). This type locality is on the southeast side of Múlajökull, which is an outlet glacier of the Hofsjökull ice cap. Cladonia glacialis is only known to occur at the type locality. It contains fumarprotocetraric acid as its major lichen product. The authors suggest that the species belongs to the "supergroup" Cladonia, and that it may be closely related to Cladonia phyllophora.

References

  1. 1 2 "IAL - International Association for Lichenology". www.lichenology.org. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "Ahti, Teuvo Tapio (1934–)". International Plant Names Index . Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Belyaeva, Irina; Chamberlain, Keith (2014). "Teuvo Tapio Ahti, botanist and lichenologist – 80 years young" (PDF). Skvortsovia. 1 (3): 213–238. ISSN   2309-6500.
  4. ↑ Goward, Trevor; Brodo, Irwin M.; Clayden, Stephen R. (1998). Rare Lichens of Canada. A Review and Provisional Listing (PDF) (Report). Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. pp. 7–8.
  5. 1 2 Kärnefelt 2009, p. 287.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Hertel, Hannes; Gärtner, Georg; Lőkös, László (2017). "Forscher an Österreichs Flechtenflora" [Investigators of Austria's lichen flora](PDF). Stapfia (in German). 104 (2): 1–211 (see pp. 14–15).
  7. 1 2 Burgaz, Ana Rosa. "New Acharius medallists" (PDF). International Lichenological Newsletter. 34 (1): 1. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  8. 1 2 Goward, Trevor. "Leenä Hämet-Ahti and Teuvo Ahti: A Wells Gray Honeymoon". Ways of Enlichenment. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  9. ↑ Väre 2017, p. 536.
  10. ↑ Väre 2017, p. 531.
  11. 1 2 Väre 2017, p. 539.
  12. ↑ Culberson, William Louis (2000). "Review: Teuvo Ahti. Cladoniaceae. Flora Neotropica Monograph 78: i–iv + 1–363. 2000. [ISBN 0-89327-431-3; ISSN 0071-5794.]". The Bryologist. 104 (3): 498. JSTOR   3244788.
  13. ↑ Stenroos, Soili, ed. (1994). Focus on Lichen Taxonomy and Biogeography: A Festschrift in Honour of Teuvo Ahti. Acta Botanica Fennica. Vol. 150. Helsinki: Finnish Botanical Publishing Board. ISBN   978-951-9469-44-7.
  14. ↑ "Tietokirjallisuuden Finlandia". Suomen Kirjasäätiö (in Finnish). Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  15. ↑ Kondratyuk, SY; Lőkös, L; Upreti, DK; Nayaka, S; Mishra, GK; Ravera, S; Jeong, M-H; Jang, S-H; Park, JS; Hur, JS (2017). "New monophyletic branches of the Teloschistaceae (lichen-forming Ascomycota) proved by three gene phylogeny". Acta Botanica Hungarica. 59 (1–2): 71–136. doi:10.1556/034.59.2017.1-2.6. hdl: 10447/414429 .

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