Response of Evernia prunastri to urban environmental conditions in Central Europe after the decrease of air pollution

2013 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna LACKOVIČOVÁ ◽  
Anna GUTTOVÁ ◽  
Martin BAČKOR ◽  
Peter PIŠÚT ◽  
Ivan PIŠÚT
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Photosynthetic Pigments ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Physiological Status ◽  
Epiphytic Lichens ◽  
Evernia Prunastri ◽  
Epiphytic Lichen ◽  
Lichen Diversity ◽  
Positive Correlations

AbstractThe epiphytic lichen Evernia prunastri is sensitive to air pollution and reacted by total retreat to the worsening of air quality during the peak of SO2 pollution in Central Europe (1950s–1990). Since 1990, after a significant decrease in air pollution, epiphytic lichens recolonized previously polluted areas, including E. prunastri. We investigated the physiological status of E. prunastri, transplanted for six months in 34 sites in the urban area of Bratislava (Slovakia) under current conditions. The content of chlorophylls, cortical and medullar secondary metabolites and soluble proteins were explored. We then examined the relationship of these parameters with the environmental quality status, reflected by the diversity of epiphytic lichens. The results showed that the physiological status of E. prunastri did not change significantly after exposure. Positive correlations were found between lichen diversity in the sampling sites and physiological parameters (photosynthetic pigments and phaeophytinization quotient) in the transplants. Transplants from sampling sites with a greater proportion of nitrophilous lichens displayed a decrease in photosynthetic pigments. Sites where E. prunastri naturally occurred had a lower proportion of nitrophilous species in comparison to sites where E. prunastri was not present. This suggests that the indicator species E. prunastri may also recolonize sites with low eutrophication in urban environments under decreased air pollution, and the information on its presence can help to assess the pressure caused by nitrogen excess.

Air Pollution Influences Epiphytic Lichen Diversity in the Northeast of Thailand

2014 ◽  
Vol 1030-1032 ◽  
pp. 287-291
Author(s):  
Waewdao Dathong ◽  
Nathawut Thanee ◽  
Wanaruk Saipunkaew ◽  
Murray A. Potter ◽  
Thanapan Thanee
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Mangifera Indica ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
Epiphytic Lichens ◽  
Epiphytic Lichen ◽  
Lichen Diversity

This work aimed to investigate epiphytic lichens on mango trees (Mangifera indica L.) in the municipality habitats of the Northeast of Thailand based on the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure protocol and define the factors that influence their diversity. Ninety-one taxa were observed, 21 of them are macrolichens, 87 species found outside municipality and 70 species found inside municipality. The factors that most affected epiphytic lichen diversity were tree circumference, days of rainfall, bark pH, area surrounding and annual rainfall and negatively affected by population size, temperature, and distance from road. This work concluded that traffic density and human population size reduce air quality and influenced epiphytic diversity in the municipal habitats in the Northeast of Thailand, and lichens are bioindicators of air pollution in this region.

scholarly journals The value of alien roadside trees for epiphytic lichen species along an urban pollution gradient

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa Möller ◽  
Jens Oldeland ◽  
Matthias Schultz
Keyword(s):  
Alien Species ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Urban Climate ◽  
Urban Pollution ◽  
Traffic Volume ◽  
Lichen Species ◽  
Epiphytic Lichens ◽  
Epiphytic Lichen ◽  
Lichen Diversity ◽  
Species Pairs

Abstract Alien tree species have been introduced to Europe and often used as roadside trees. Currently, preference is given to species that are adapted to urban climate and drier conditions. Native epiphytic lichens are adapted to local tree species; however, little is known whether a shift toward more alien roadside trees would affect the diversity of epiphytic lichens within cities. We considered three genera of roadside trees that are common in Hamburg (Germany) Acer, Tilia, and Quercus, each with a native and an alien species per genus. Species numbers, frequency and diversity of epiphytic lichens were assessed and compared. Tree locations were grouped according to three classes of increasing traffic volume as a proxy for air pollution. Mean bark pH values have been recorded for each tree individual. The species pairs Quercus robur/rubra and Acer platanoides/saccharinum showed significant differences in the diversity and abundance of lichens, with the alien species showing lower values. The species pair Tilia cordata/tomentosa did not show any significant differences. The number of nitrogen-tolerant lichen species differed little among all tree species. Lichen species richness decreased with increasing traffic volume for all tree species pairs, thus demonstrating the inhibiting effect of traffic on the occurrence of lichens. Bark pH differed little between the species pairs yet high traffic volume resulted in an increased bark pH. In conclusion, two out of three alien species had negative effects on lichen diversity. Further tree species should be assessed to better estimate the effect of alien roadside trees on lichen diversity.

Microfaunal communities associated with epiphytic lichens in Belfast

1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Roberts ◽  
D. Zimmer
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Epiphytic Lichens ◽  
Total Species Richness ◽  
Positive Correlations ◽  
The City ◽  
Total Species

AbstractThe composition and richness of the microfauna on lime trees was surveyed in relation to the distribution and cover of lichens in Belfast. Parameters used to help interpret the results included distance from the city centre and available data on air quality. The percentage epiphyte cover on the trunks of lime trees was significantly correlated with distance from the city centre whereas that on tree bases as not. In contrast, the number of microfaunal species revealed strong positive correlations with distance for both the bases and the trunks of trees. Most of this increase in microfaunal species richness towards rural areas was due to protistans which are thus proposed as useful bioindicators of air pollution. The total species richness of fauna showed slight negative correlation with smoke but not SO2 levels.

scholarly journals Relationship between lichen diversity and air quality in urban region in Bourdj Bou Arriridj, Algeria

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Messaoud Ramdani ◽  
Fatima Adjiri ◽  
Takia Lograda
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Shannon Index ◽  
Urban Region ◽  
Epiphytic Lichens ◽  
Lichen Diversity ◽  
Bio Monitoring ◽  
Eastern Algeria

Abstract. Fatima A, Messaoud R, Takia L. 2019. Relationship between lichen diversity and air quality in urban region in Bourdj Bou Arriridj, Algeria. Biodiversitas 20: 2329-2339. The lichenic biodiversity can be an excellent instrument for measuring air quality biomonitoring in urban and industrial areas. Two bio-monitoring techniques were used to assess and map the levels of air quality in Bordj Bou Arreridj region (BBA), an urban area located in Eastern Algeria, and to identify species sensitive to air pollution. The first one was based on the diversity and abundance of epiphytic lichens, while the other technique was using two bio-indication indices. Epiphytic lichens were sampled from thirty-four stations chosen on the basis of the presence of suitable phorophytes on which it is possible to observe lichens. The assessment of lichen biodiversity was based on the calculation of lichenic abundance indices (LA) and the Shannon index (H'). For the determination of the different levels of air pollution, the indices of atmospheric purity (IAP) and lichen diversity (LDV) were used. There were 62 identified species belong to 19 families and 31 genera of lichens, among which crustacean and foliose thalli were the most common in the region. Lichen biodiversity decreased as the sampled location approaching industrial sources and road traffic. The IAP ranged from 16.19-79.82 and LDV values ranged from 12.50-52.16. The results showed a significant relationship between lichen diversity and air quality, and indicated low atmospheric pollution in the BBA region. This study allowed us to draw up a list of sensitive species and tolerant species to air pollution.

Influence of sun irradiance and water availability on lichen photosynthetic pigments during a Mediterranean summer

Biologia ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Paoli ◽  
Tommaso Pisani ◽  
Silvana Munzi ◽  
Carlo Gaggi ◽  
Stefano Loppi
Keyword(s):  
Photosynthetic Pigments ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Epiphytic Lichens ◽  
Evernia Prunastri ◽  
Tree Canopies ◽  
Xanthoria Parietina ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Flavoparmelia Caperata

AbstractThis study was carried out to investigate changes in lichen photosynthetic pigments induced by different combinations of light irradiance and water availability during a Mediterranean summer. To this purpose, thalli of three epiphytic lichens with a markedly different ecology concerning photo-hygrophytism, namely Evernia prunastri (hygro-mesophytic), Flavoparmelia caperata (mesophytic) and Xanthoria parietina (xero-mesophytic), were transplanted for 30 days to N- and S-facing cardinal exposures in central Italy. To investigate the effect of thallus hydration, at each cardinal exposure 50% of thalli were hydrated daily with deionised water. The results showed that changes in the concentrations of photosynthetic pigments are species-specific and consist in a general depression of photosynthetic pigments only in the hygro-mesophytic species E. prunastri. The pattern of photosynthetic pigments was also investigated in spontaneous samples along contrasting aspects. In this case, X. parietina from S-facing slopes, adapted to direct solar influx, showed higher pigment content than N-facing thalli; F. caperata and E. prunastri avoid direct extreme solar radiation and assimilation pigments were influenced more by the shadowing of tree canopies than by the cardinal exposure. The influence of drought on lichen photosynthetic pigments in the Mediterranean area is discussed.

scholarly journals Ranking of Epiphytic Lichen Sensitivity to Air Pollution Using Survey Data: A Comparison of Indicator Scales

1999 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. F. van Dobben ◽  
C. J. F. ter Braak
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Atmospheric Pollution ◽  
Epiphytic Lichens ◽  
Epiphytic Lichen ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Atmospheric Concentrations ◽  
Good Agreement

AbstractEpiphytic lichens were recorded on wayside trees in the Netherlands. Four statistical methods were used to detect the relationship between presence and abundance of lichen species and measured atmospheric concentrations of SO2, NO2 and NH3. The observed relationships were compared to published indicator scales of lichen sensitivity to atmospheric pollution. For SO2, a good agreement was found between all scales and calculated sensitivities based on presence or absence of species. For NO2 and NH3 the correspondence was less obvious. The sensitivity to NH3 was inversely related to Wirth's;s acidity indicator positively to NH3 tend to be sensitive to SO2 and NO2.

scholarly journals Analysis on the Effect of the Mobility of Combustion Vehicles in the Environment of Cities and the Improvement in Air Pollution in Europe: A Vision for the Awareness of Citizens and Policy Makers

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 184
Author(s):  
Javier Cárcel-Carrasco ◽  
Manuel Pascual-Guillamón ◽  
Fidel Salas-Vicente
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Sustainable Transport ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Indirect Measure ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Combustion Gases ◽  
Short Time

Today, the design and remodeling of urban environments is being sought in order to achieve green, healthy, and sustainable cities. The effect of air pollution in cities due to vehicle combustion gases is an important part of the problem. Due to the indirect effect caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, political powers in Europe have imposed confinement measures for citizens by imposing movement restrictions in large cities. This indirect measure has given us a laboratory to show how the reduction in vehicle circulation affects in a short time the levels of air pollution in cities. Therefore, this article analyzes the effect in different European cities such as Milan, Prague, Madrid, Paris, and London. These cities have been chosen due to their large amount of daily road traffic that generates high levels of pollution; therefore, it can clearly show the fall in these pollutants in the air in the analyzed period. The results shown through this study indicate that the reduction in combustion vehicles greatly affects the levels of pollution in different cities. In these periods of confinement, there was an improvement in air quality where pollutant values dropped to 80% compared to the previous year. This should serve to raise awareness among citizens and political powers to adopt measures that induce sustainable transport systems.

scholarly journals Modeling heavy metal release in the epiphytic lichen Evernia prunastri

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Vannini ◽  
Luca Paoli ◽  
Riccardo Fedeli ◽  
Sharon Kwambai Kangogo ◽  
Massimo Guarnieri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Remote Area ◽  
Metal Release ◽  
Evernia Prunastri ◽  
Epiphytic Lichen ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Short Period ◽  
High Pollution ◽  
Heavy Metal Release ◽  
Very High

AbstractIn this study, the release of Cu2+ and Zn2+ was investigated and modeled in the epiphytic lichen Evernia prunastri. Samples were incubated with solutions containing these metals at ecologically relevant concentrations (10 and 100 μM) and then transplanted to a remote area and retrieved after 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. The results showed that, after 12 months, all samples faced similar metal reductions of ca. 80–85%, but after this period, all the involved processes seem to be no longer capable of generating further reductions. These results suggest that the lichen E. prunastri can provide information about environmental improvements after exposure to high or very high pollution levels in a relatively short period of time.

scholarly journals Epiphytic lichens as indicator of land-use pattern and forest harvesting in a community forest in west Nepal

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 24-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pramod Nag ◽  
Himanshu Rai ◽  
Dalip Kumar Upreti ◽  
Sanjeeva Nayaka ◽  
Rajan Kumar Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Conservation Strategy ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Epiphytic Lichens ◽  
Community Forest ◽  
Land Use Pattern ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Lichen Diversity ◽  
Use Pattern

Human inhabitance and agriculture have fundamentally altered global pattern of biodiversity and ecosystem processes. Therefore, integration of community-based approach is an effective conservation strategy. Community forestry is an important community-based approach, which can help in conserving local ecological assets in a sustainable manner. Lichens are known to be more sensitive indicators of ecosystem functions and disturbances than any other cryptogam and vascular plant community. Present study reports a preliminary assessment of epiphytic lichens in a community forest in Dadeldhura district, west Nepal, in order to identify potential indicator of forest health and land-use pattern. Epiphytic (corticolous) lichens were sampled from ten land-use units (LUU), using narrow frequency grids of 10 cm × 50 cm, each divided into five sampling units of 10 cm × 10 cm, on the bark of selected tree species. Quercus leucotrichophora was the dominant phorophyte followed by Pinus roxburghii, Rhododendron arboreum and Myrica esculenta. Foliose parmeloid (Parmotrema spp., Heterodermia spp., Hypotrachyna spp., Bulbothrix spp., Canoparmelia spp., Canomaculina spp.) was the most abundant lichen group, found inhabiting all the phorophytes followed by crustose, fruticose and dimorphic growth forms. Maximum diversity of parmeloid lichens was recorded on older stand of Quercus while younger stands usually harbored crustose lichens (e.g., Lecanora spp., Basidia spp.). Though the lichen diversity increased from outer fringes of the forest to the core, the vegetation stand age was not distributed in any consistent pattern suggesting unconstrained harvesting of the forest. Lichen diversity was found constrained by phorophyte determinants (stand age, aspect, and bark properties) and community harvesting of the forest.doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/botor.v8i0.5555 Botanica Orientalis – Journal of Plant Science (2011) 8: 24-32

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