Effects of season and low-level air pollution on physiology and element content of lichens from the U.S. Pacific Northwest

Ra, Hassanen; Geiser, Linda H.; Crang, Richard E.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2004.10.003

Cited by 30 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Xerophilous species seem in fact to have more efficient anti-oxidative mechanisms than hygrophilous ones (Silberstein et al 1996;Kranner 2002;Weissman et al 2005), whereas nitrophilous species would be particularly apt to readily face (Kauppi 1980), and partially assimilate (Gombert et al 2003;Ra et al 2005), the oxidized forms of nitrogen (NO x ), that are considered as the most important pollutants of urban environments (Davies et al 2007;Isocrono et al 2007), together with O 3 (Lorenzini and Nali 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water availability modifies tolerance to photo-oxidative pollutants in transplants of the lichen Flavoparmelia caperata

et al. 2011

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The hypothesis that a daily water supply allows a lichen to endure the negative effects of environmental concentrations of NO(x) and O(3) was tested with a transplant experiment. Five groups (0, A-D) of Flavoparmelia caperata samples derived from the same thalli were used for destructive, pre-exposure measurements (0), or exposed for 5 weeks in the rural collection site (A), and in a urban site with high levels of NO(x) and O(3) (B-D). Two groups (C, D) were daily watered half an hour before the daily peak of NO(x) (C), and O(3) (D). The comparison between pre- and post-exposure measurements of stress biomarkers revealed that the different thallus hydration regime modified the pollution tolerance as well as the physiology of the exposed samples. The non-watered group B suffered an evident decrease in F(v)/F(m) and reduced glutathione, but increased ion leakage, whereas the watered groups C and D showed only decreased non-photosynthetic-quenching, possibly derived from NO(x) exposure. Ozone, which was higher in the rural than in the urban site, did not significantly affect the lichen metabolism. Our results re-open the discussion on the so-called "drought hypothesis", which suggests that the lichen desert observed in urban areas of central and eastern Europe is more a matter of dry microclimate than of air pollution.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water availability modifies tolerance to photo-oxidative pollutants in transplants of the lichen Flavoparmelia caperata

et al. 2011

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“…Samples of transplanted lichens in the polluted urban environment also had higher chlorophyll content than in remote areas in northern Switzerland (von ). Higher nutrient availability resulted in higher concentrations of pho tosynthetic pigments in Platismatica glauca under the moderately enhanced nitrogen and sulphur deposition (Ra et al, 2005). Such phenomenon was attributed to nitrogen pollution from the traffic emissions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Biomonitoring of urban air quality in Kaunas City (Lithuania) using transplanted lichens

Sujetovienė¹

2013

Biologija

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The aim of the study was to evaluate air quality using an active biomonitoring method. The lichens Ramalina farinacea and Evernia prunastri were transplanted to urban sites in Kaunas City, Lithuania. Changes in chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, phaeophytization ratio, electrical conductivity were determined after one, two and three months. After stimulation of chlorophyll synthesis the increase in chlorophyll content was observed after one month with its decrease during the next months. No significant variation in content of chlorophyll was observed in comparison with control and this could be attributed to variables of air pollution which did not exceed threshold levels. There was no interspecific difference in the response of the two lichen species in the physiological parameters, but Ramalina farinecea was more sensitive to cell membrane damage than Evernia prunastri in the studied urban environment. The study provides information that one month of transplantation is not enough in order to determine air quality status in urban environment.

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“…Changes in ecophysiological parameters of transplanted lichen samples depend especially on the different levels of pollutants (Godinho et al 2004, Ra et al 2005, Lackovičová et al 2013), but might also be influenced by the different environmental and microclimatic conditions at the exposure sites (Rydzak 1968). Cell membrane damage was higher during dry periods (spring and summer) and lower during humid periods (autumn and winter).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal variations in intracellular trace element content and physiological parameters in the lichen Evernia prunastri transplanted to an urban environment

Vannini

Paoli

Nicolardi

et al. 2017

Acta Botanica Croatica

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-In this study we investigated the seasonal variations in the intracellular content of 14 trace elements (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Ce, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Pd, Sb, Zn) and physiological parameters (namely chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, ergosterol, photosynthetic efficiency, cell membrane integrity) in the thalli of the lichen Evernia prunastri (L.) Ach. exposed to an urban environment (Siena, central Italy). Lichen thalli were collected before each exposure period from an unpolluted area and transplanted to 16 sites; every 3 months the thalli were retrieved and replaced with new ones. Exposed-to-control ratios of trace elements revealed a marked intracellular accumulation of Cd in summer and autumn, and of Sb in autumn and spring, possibly as a result of vehicular traffic pollution. However, considering the low absolute concentrations of these elements, the intracellular fraction of depositions may hardly have caused an impairment of physiological parameters. As a matter of fact, indicators of photobiont vitality (content of chlorophylls a and b and photosynthetic efficiency) did not show any fluctuation across seasons, while changes in the indicators of mycobiont vitality (cell membrane damage and ergosterol content) overall did reflect some seasonal changes and/or lichen growth.

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Effects of season and low-level air pollution on physiology and element content of lichens from the U.S. Pacific Northwest

Cited by 30 publications

References 28 publications

Water availability modifies tolerance to photo-oxidative pollutants in transplants of the lichen Flavoparmelia caperata

Water availability modifies tolerance to photo-oxidative pollutants in transplants of the lichen Flavoparmelia caperata

Biomonitoring of urban air quality in Kaunas City (Lithuania) using transplanted lichens

Seasonal variations in intracellular trace element content and physiological parameters in the lichen Evernia prunastri transplanted to an urban environment

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