Taxonomy of lichens – Revisionary and floristic studies:

The Lichenology Laboratory at CSIR-NBRI has been engaged in taxonomic studies of lichens since its inception in the 1960s. Today it is a major contributor to lichen studies in India. Nayaka and his team are studying lichens at CSIR-NBRI for 25 years. The team has so far described 50 new species of lichens mostly belonging to crustose forms. Their taxonomic studies include both revision and floristic research. Revisionary studies focus on updating the taxonomic information and nomenclature of certain taxa after their detailed study. Currently, the group is revising lichen taxa such as Buellia s. l., Lecanora, Malmidea, Psora, Pseudopyrenula, and Verrucaria.

The floristic studies involve documenting lichens occurring in under-explored or unexplored areas. For floristic studies, Nayaka’s team has extensively surveyed various phytogeographic regions of India, documenting over 140 lichens as new distributional records for the country. Their notable contributions include documenting 186 lichen species from Uttar Pradesh (previously only 40 species were known), 160 species for Goa (previously 48 species), 95 species for Gujarat (previously 2 species), and numerous new regional records for Assam, Karnataka, and Kerala. Currently, the group is engaged in documenting the lichens from Arunachal Pradesh, Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kishtwar High Altitude National Park and Sunderdunga Glacier Valley.

Studies on lichenicolous and endolichenic fungi:

Lichenicolous fungi are the fungi those grow on lichens, mostly as obligate parasymbionts. Whereas the endolichenic fungi are ones which reside inside the lichen thallus without showing any symptoms. Both are interesting groups of fungi for taxonomic, ecological, evolutionary, and bioprospective studies. Nayaka’s team has so far identified a total of 47 species of endolichenic fungi in parmelioid lichens. Further, they have described seven new species of lichenicolous fungi and reported 24 new distributional records for India. Currently, team is studying lichenicolous fungi occurring on parmelioid lichens as host specific parasites.

Photobiont diversity in lichens:

The fungus (mycobiont) and alga or cyanobacterium (photobiont) both are important constituents of a lichen thallus. During identification of lichens only mycobiont given importance. The photobionts are mostly neglected and hence their real diversity is not known. Nayaka’s team has recently taken up a task to study the photobiont diversity in lichens growing in different ecological conditions. The study will help in describing new species of photobiont and understand their specificity with mycobiont.

Bioprospecting studies:

The lichens, endolichenic and lichenicolous fungi known to possess unique biomolecules which are responsible for wide range of biological activities. Nayaka’s group has experimented several Himalayan lichens and endolichenic fungi for antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer activities. The team is also successful in identifying the bioactive molecules in the extract of these organisms. The team is currently studying many more species that are previously unexplored lichens.

Biomonitoring air pollution with lichens:

Lichens are sensitive to air pollution and have been used for air pollution monitoring since the 18th century. Their ability to bioaccumulate heavy metals is utilized to assess the severity of air pollution in various localities. Nayaka’s team has previously studied the air pollution levels in Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Pune. Currently, the team is evaluating the air quality of Lucknow using lichens. In addition, Nayaka’s team is using lichens to assess nitrogen pollution in the Gangetic Plains.

Genomics of lichens:

The lichens being symbiotic organisms their genomics is an exciting aspect to understand the interactions of the symbionts. They produce a large number of unique secondary metabolites, and it is important to understand the biochemical pathways and the genes responsible. The study would enable exploitation of such metabolites for the benefit of mankind. Therefore, Nayaka’s team has recently initiated genomic studies on lichens.

Facilities available at the laboratory:

The lichen research of the institute is supported by herbarium which harbours about 1.3 lakh specimens collected from all over the country. The laboratory has rich collection of lichen literature in form of books, floras, monographs and research papers. Further the identification of lichens is aided by advanced microscopes and molecular facilities.

1. Nayaka, S., Upreti, D.K., Gadgil, M. and Pandey, V. 2003. Distribution pattern and heavy metal accumulation in lichens of Bangalore City with special reference to Lalbagh garden. Current Science 84(5): 674-680.


2. Nayaka, S., Upreti, D.K. and Lumbsch, T.H. 2006. Two new species of Lecanora from India. Lichenologist 38(5): 421-424. ISSN: 0024-2829 DOI: 10.1017/s0024282906005731


3. Nayaka, S. and Upreti, D.K. 2006. Chroodiscus himalayanus, a new species from India. Mycotaxon 98: 247-251.


4. Nayaka, S., Ranjan, S., Saxena, P., Pathre, U.V., Upreti, D.K. and Singh, R. 2009. Assessing the vitality of Himalayan lichens by measuring their photosynthetic performances using chlorophyll fluorescence technique. Current Science 97(4): 538-545.


5. Logesh, A.R., Upreti, D.K., Kalaiselvam, M., Nayaka, S. and Kathiresan, K. 2012. Lichen flora of Pichavaram and Muthupet mangroves (south coast of India). Mycosphere 3(5). 884–888. DOI: 10.5943/mycosphere/3/6/1


6. Nayaka, S., Upreti, D.K., Ponmurgan, P. and Ayyappadasan, G. 2013. Two new species of saxicolous Pyxine with yellow medulla from Southern India. Lichenologist 45(1): 3-8. DOI: 10.1017/S0024282912000618


7. Singh, R., Ranjan, S., Nayaka, S., Pathre, U.V. and Shirke, P.A. 2013. Functional characteristics of a fruticose type of lichen Stereocaulon foliolosum Nyl. in response to light and water stress. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum 35(5): 1605-1615. DOI: 10.1007/s1 1738-012-1203-8


8. Nayaka, S., Reddy, M.A., Ponmurugan, P., Anjali, D.B., Ayyappadasa, G. 2013. Eastern Ghats, biodiversity reserves with unexplored lichen wealth. Current Science 104(7): 821-825.


9. Joshi, Y., Upadhyay, S., Shukla, S., Nayaka, S. and Rawal, R.S. 2015. New records and an updated checklist of lichenicolous fungi from India. Mycosphere 6(2): 195-200. DOI: 10.5943/mycosphere/6/2/9


10. Devi, RKS, Rout, J, Upreti DK, Nayaka, S. and Pinokiyo, A. 2015. New records of lichens from Manipur State, North-eastern India. Mycosphere 6(6): 796-813. DOI: 10.5943/mycosphere/6/6/13


11. Manndotra, S.K., Kumar, P., Suseela, M.R., Nayaka, S. and Ramteke, P.W. 2016. Evaluation of fatty acid profile and biodiesel properties of microalga Scenedesmus abundans under the influence of phosphorus, pH and light intensities. Bioresource Technology 201: 222-229. DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.11.042


12. Dixit, R.B., Patel, A.K., Toppo, K. and Nayaka, S. 2017. Emergence of toxic cyanobacterial species in the Ganga River, India, due to excessive nutrient loading. Ecological Indicators 72: 420-427. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.08.038


13. Dasgupta, C.N., Nayaka, S., Toppo, K., Singh, A.K., Deshpande, U. and Mohapatra, A. 2018. Draft genome sequence and detailed characterization of biofuel production by oleaginous microalga Scenedesmus quadricauda LWG002611. Biotechnology for Biofuels 11: 308. DOI: 10.1186/s13068-018-1308-4


14. Khader, S.Z.A., Ahmed, S.S.Z., Venkatesh, K.P., Chinnaperumal, K. and Nayaka, S. 2018. Larvicidal potential of selected indigenous lichens against three mosquito species–Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi. Chinese Herbal Medicines 10(2): 152–156. DOI: 10.1016/j.chmed.2018.03.002


15. Ranjan, M., Khokhani, D., Nayaka, S., Srivastava, S., Keyser, Z.P. and Ranjan, A. 2021. Genomic diversity and organization of complex polysaccharide biosynthesis clusters in the genus Dickeya. PLoS ONE 16(2): e0245727. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245727


16. Bhat, N.B., Das, S., Sridevi, B.V.S., Chandrashekhar, R.H., Nayaka, S., Narasimhan, S., Birangal, S.R., Shenoy, G.G. and Joseph, A. 2023. Molecular docking and dynamics supported investigation of antiviral activity of Lichen metabolites of Roccella montagnei: an in silico and in vitro study. Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics. DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2180666


17. Adhikari, R., Nayaka, S. and Ngangom, R. 2023. New multispored species of the lichen genus Lecanora from India with an updated world key. Taiwania 68(3): 327-338. DOI: 10.6165/tai.2023.68.327


18. Nayaka, S.and Debnath, A. 2023. Cyphellostereum indicum (Hygrophoraceae), a new species of basidiolichen from India. Phytotaxa 603 (3): 271–279. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.603.3.6


19. Kumari, K., Kumar, V., Nayaka, S., Saxena, G. and Sanyal, I. 2024. Physiological alterations and heavy metal accumulation in the transplanted lichen Pyxine cocoes (Sw.) Nyl. in Lucknow city, Uttar Pradesh. Environ Monit Assess 196: #84 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-12256-9


20. Kumar, P., Nayaka, S., Verma, T., Niranjan, A. and Upreti, D.K. 2024. Comparative analysis of antimicrobial, antioxidant activities and phytochemicals of Himalayan lichens. Biomass Conv. Bioref. (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s13399-024-05315-9

Microwave assisted detection of UV-absorbing compounds from lichen - G. Ayyappadasan, P. Ponmurugan, R.S. Verma, S. Nayaka, P.D. Kumar. Application No. 2860/CHE/2013 A, Date; 28/06/2013, India. Granted on 26-09-2022.

• Mr. Roshnikumar Ngangom, UGC-JRF


• Mr. Phraphool Kumar, CSIR-SRF


• Ms. Shweta Sharma, CSIR-SRF


• Mr. Rakesh Kumar Adhikari, UGC-SRF


• Mr. Ambikesh Debnath, Project Associate I


• Ms. Harshita Verma, Project Associate I


• Mr. Shivendra Pratap Singh, Junior Research Assistant

Area Coordinator
Lichenology Laboratory
Plant Diversity Systematics and Herbarium Division
CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute
Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow-226001
Phone: 0522-2297856
Mobile: +91 8756104655
Email: sanjeeva_n@nbri.res.in; nayaka.sanjeeva@gmail.com