Spatial variation of eco-physiological parameters in the lichen Pseudevernia furfuracea transplanted in an area surrounding a cement plant (S Italy)

Abstract

Thalli of the lichen Pseudevernia furfuracea were transplanted for 3 months (November 2010-January 2011) at 61 monitoring sites around a cement plant near Castrovillari (Calabria, southern Italy). NH3, NO x and SO2 concentrations were monitored monthly in a subarea of 10 sites (SA10) where the cement plant was located. At the end of the exposure period, the integrity of cell membranes; membrane lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS level); vitality (cell respiration); chlorophyll a; chlorophyll b; carotenoids; phaeophytization quotient; photosynthetic efficiency and thalli concentrations of Al, Ca, Mg, V and Fe were measured. NO x concentrations correlated with the site distance from the cement plant while NH3 concentrations correlated with lichen vitality within SA10. For the monitoring area as a whole, only Fe and Mg concentrations correlated with membrane lipid peroxidation, while TBARS levels showed a significant increase and chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids a significant decrease with respect to the lichen origin area. Multivariate analysis (detrended correspondence analysis, cluster analysis and multi-response permutation procedure) of the eco-physiological parameters × monitoring sites data set resulted in four clusters termed C1, C2, C3 and C4. The eco-physiological parameters were compared among the four clusters and lichen origin area by one-way ANOVA. An index of environmental favourableness (IEF) to lichens was calculated to evaluate the spatial recovery of impaired values of TBARS, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, xanthophylls + carotenoids and phaeophytization quotient. The results indicate that there is no clear spatial trend in mycobiont impairment even though the IEF values suggest a higher number of sites with low levels of membrane lipid peroxidation in the 2--3-km distance band from the cement plant (the outermost) than in the two other distance bands (0-1 and 1-2 km). The photobiont seems to be damaged mainly in the inner distance band of the study area as suggested by the gradual but significant recovery trend of pigment levels and phaeophytization quotient from the inner distance band to the outer one (as shown by the IEF values). Conversion of chlorophyll to phaeophytin probably is not the only process affecting pigment levels.

Local wind monitoring matched with lichen Pseudevernia furfuracea (L.) Zopf transplantation technique to assess the environmental impact of a biomass power plant

“…Interestingly, the OD435/OD415 value of the lichen origin area was unexpectedly low, lower than both the mean value of the whole study area and those of clusters A, F, B, and C but not different from the values of clusters D and E. We obtained a rather similar result in a previous study (Lucadamo et al, 2015): the pheophytization quotient of thalli from the origin area was comparable with that of transplants, showing a reduction of pigment levels (with lichens from the same LOA as in the present study). Due to the nature of the geological substrates of the Sila plateau (siliceous-acidic rocks), P. furfuracea (L.) Zopf thalli showed in both cases a slight enrichment in aluminum (above 1000 µg/g dry weight), an element that when hydroponically given to inbred lines of maize resulted in an activation of chlorophyllase (Mihailovic, 2008).…”

“…This suggests that the photobiont and mycobiont are affected by a different spatial development of physiological impairment, with the former showing a full-recovery zone (PHSZ or local control) and the latter a more widespread physiological stress due to the lack of a full-recovery zone. We reached a similar conclusion when we monitored the environmental impact of a cement plant (Lucadamo et al, 2015): the detection of a clear recovery gradient of photobiont parameters and an impairment of the mycobiont physiological status affecting the whole study area.…”

“…We consider the PHSZ to be an "internal control" for chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and xanthophylls+carotenoids since the two clusters that make it up show minimal differences in these parameters (6% on average), never differing significantly from each other or from the LOA. We have already successfully used an internal control to more accurately detect differences in photobiont parameters within a study area between clusters of sites showing different mean values of algal partner parameters (Lucadamo et al 2015). A local control, i.e.…”