Lichen Study

 Data:

a.       Pictures

1.      

b.      Lichen Measurements:

Wired Quadrants	North	East	South	West
1	0	2	3	2
2	1	1	3	3
3	2	1	3	2
4	1	1	2	2

0 = no lichen were found in the quadrant.

1 = 1 to 2 (less than 1cm2) lichen colonies present.

2 = several small colonies located.

3 = lichens cover more than 10% of the quadrant.

I took these measurements by using a wired quadrant with 4 squares in a column and placing them 1 meter high on the tree. Then after placing the wire on the tree I took a picture, shown above, to use later to measure the amount of lichen that was present on the tree in each quadrant.

c.       GPS Numbers: 39 19’ 26.8” N 82 06’ 16.6” W

d.      Std Dev of tree data: 0.92

2.       Background

a.       Symbiosis is the mutually helpful relationship of two different biological species. Lichen has a symbiosis between blue-green algae (cyanobacteria), which live among the filaments of the fungus. The fungus benefits from the algae or cyanobacteria because they produce food by photosynthesis. The algae or cyanobacteria benefit by being protected from the environment by the filaments of the fungus, which also gather moisture and nutrients from the environment. Some lichens are parasitic to each other as well but we will not study this relationship for this study.

b.      Relationship of Lichen to air quality: Lichens do not possess any roots to their structure so they are affected very easily by even minimal pollutions in the air. Depending on the type of lichen and the type and concentration of pollutant it could have a positive or a negative effect on growth of the lichen.  This reaction to pollutants is called sensitivity. Areas with high SO2 and NO2 had low to non-existent levels of lichen present, and areas with low levels of SO2 and NO2 had high levels of lichen present. NO2 and SO2 are a great way to predict the level of air pollution in a specific area, if that number is high then the air pollution levels are very bad. This means that areas with lots of lichen growth have better air quality than those with little to no lichen growth. Some examples of the effects of high levels of pollution on lichen include reduced photosynthesis, bleaching and death of the photosynthetic partner, and discoloration and reduced growth of the lichen fungus. Many species are sensitive to even moderate levels of SO2 pollution and rapidly disappear from polluted habitats. Those that are specially sensitive or tolerant species are referred to as "indicator species" because their presence or absences can be a relatively accurate predictor of the air quality.Beatrix Potter produced several hundred paintings of mushrooms, boletes, jelly fungi and others. She also experimented with spore germination. She studied lichens under the microscope, drew their microscopic details and germinated the fungal spores of at least the lichen genus Cladonia.

c.       Candelaria concolor is a lichen species that are pollutant tolerant, or a species that generally respond positively to a wide range of pollutants. Areas near lots of mobile sources had an abundance of Candelaria concolor or other pollutant tolerant lichen species. Exposure to NOx and SOx will cause Candelaria concolor to bloom more rapidly.

d.      Physcia is known as a nitrophile. These species thrive in nutrient-enriched areas receiving N inputs from fertilizer application in agricultural areas or N emissions from power plants, automobile exhaust or industry. Physcia is affected by NOx positively and causes blooms of it to occur in areas with lots of NOx pollution.

3.       Method:

a.       Tree selection: I chose a tree that was near a road to see the potential effects of greater air pollution on lichen growth. I first looked at the leaves of the tree to make sure that they looked like maple leaves since I have one in my backyard. I also checked the leaves to make sure the veins were symmetrical. Then I looked for the branches to make sure that the branches were symmetrical, that the stems were equal to each other.

b.      You measure >1 meter above ground because the nutrients in the soil can contribute to the growth of the lichen and there can also be sprayed chemicals at the bottom of the tree. We measure higher up to make sure there are no outside contributors helping/inhibiting the lichen grow.

c.       My group was assigned to the West green section of campus, past Richland Ave. We all chose trees that were near each other to see more consistency in the data.

d.      I used my phone for a gps tracker to locate the tree I had picked. I also had a wire quadrant that another student made for us to use to measure the amount of lichen on each tree.

e.      This data is going to be used for future lichen studies performed at this university in years to come to see if the concentration of SO2 and NO2 changes over time and if the growth of lichen on the same trees will have changed over time or if it will yield similar results.