LICHEN AS

BIOINDICATOR

Presented by :
Sahar Bano (37)
Presented to:
Prof. Dr. Abdul Nasir
Khalid
 Contents

 Introduction
 Bioindicators and biomonitoring
 Lichen as bioindicator
 Methods of using lichens as bioindicator
 Few examples of lichen species used as bioindicators
 Conclusion
 Refrences
 INTRODUCTION

– Lichen is a combination of an alga and a fungus which live together in symbiotic

association (kuldeep and prodyut ,2015)
– Mostly members are from Ascomycota(98%) is fungal partner in lichen and the others
belong to the basidiomycota and zygomycota
– Approximately 21 % of all fungi are able to act as a mycobiont ,thus lichen from the
largest mutualistic group among fungi. In lichen formation only 40 genera are involved
as photosynthetic partner (25 from algae and 15 from cynobacteria)
 Alga is the part that is
occupied with the
formation of nutrients,
since it contains
chlorophyll (Chl), • Differently from
 While the fungus vascular plants – they
supplies the alga with • Do not shed parts
water and minerals. during growth.
Furthermore, their lack
of cuticle or stoma.
The three main types of growth forms of lichens are known as crustose, foliose and fruticose.

Crustose foliose fruticose

 Bioindicator and biomonitoring
Bioindicator
Organisms used to define the
characteristics of a biosphere.these
Organisms are known as bioindicator
Biomonitoring
– Biological responses use to
assess changes in the
environment generally due to
anthropogenic causes, these may
be qualitative or quantitative
 Lichens as Bioindicators

Lichens are very sensitive to environmental parameters like

temperature, humidity , wind and air pollutants.
Lichen species composition and changes in composition is a very
powerful tool to get information about changes in climate, air
quality and biological processes
Lichen as bioindicator by absorption of air
deposition

Unlike Vascular plants lichens lack a

cuticle or specialized guard cells to
control the exchange between water,
nutrient gases and particles with external
environment. The uptake nutrients from
precipitation and other atmospheric
sources.
Lichens are very sensitive to dry and wet deposition of air born pollutants
And Accumulation of elements in lichens occurs by
 Particle trapping
 Active or passive absorption of anion and cation or ion exchange.

When lichens are wet nutrients and contaminants are deposits in lichen
surface and are absorbed and are later concentrated in the lichen when dry.
– Hawksworth and Rose indicate that Sulphur dioxide was main factor
which effects the distribution of foliose lichen in urban and industrial
areas.
Decline in lichen abundance and spatial diversity around urbun and
industrial areas suggest environmental pollution still the main factor in
their growth.
Lichens as bioindicator: accumulation of heavy
metals

– The accumulation of metals in lichen depends upon many factors, such

as the availability of elements; the characteristics of the lichens, such as
species, age, state of health, type of reproduction, etc.; and other such
parameters as temperature, available moisture, substratum
characteristics.
In general, three mechanisms have been put forward with regard to the
absorption of metals in lichens .
1. Intracellular absorption through an exchange
process

2.Intracellular accumulation

3. Entrapment of particles that contain metals

 continue…..

– The lichens respond to the environmental changes by reflecting

changes in their
 Diversity
 Abundance
 Morphology
 Physiology
 Accumulation of pollutants
Physiological parameters are used to evaluate
environmental damage to lichens, such as:

Photosynthesis
degradation
Variation in
respiratory
level Decease of ATP

Change in
auxin level
Continue..
The lichens are differently sensitive to pollution,fruticose > foliose
>crustose

High low
Bleaching of lichen due to adverse effect of polluted environment
 Pollution sensitive lichen

– Allocetraria oakesiana – Leptogium cyanescens

– Cetrelia olivetorum – Tuckermannopsis spp.
– Hypotrachyna livida – Hypogymnia spp.
– Parmelia squarrosa – Evernia spp.
– Usnea ceratina
– Ramalina spp.
 Pollution tolerant lichens

– Nitrophiles-- these species lives in nutrient-enriched – Phaeophyscia orbicularis

areas receiving N inputs from fertilizer application
– Physcia aipolia
in agricultural areas or N emissions from power
plants, automobile exhaust or industry (van Herk – , Physcia millegrana,
1999). Among the most common in the are – Punctelia rudecta
– Candelaria concolor
– Punctelia. subrudecta
– Flavoparmelia caperata,
– , Parmelia sulcata,
– Flavopunctelia flaventior
– So2 sensitive specie: – Lecanora conizaeoides, evolved in SO2
– Cetraria islandica, polluted area, this lichen actually require
elevated level of Sulphur dioxide for good
– Peltigera aphthosa
growth
So2 tolerance specie:
– Flavocetraria nivalis
– Lobaria linita
– Nephroma arcticum
– Lecanora muralis
Lecanora conizaeoides
Methods of using lichen as bioindicator

Lichens may be used as

Method 1 The index of Method 2 transplant
bioindicator in two different
air purity method
ways
Method 1: The index of atmospheric purity(IAP)

– By mapping all species in a specific area. This method makes it possible to map out the
quality of the air in the determined area.

– The IAP gives the evaluation of the level of atmospheric pollution , based on number
(n) frequency (f) , and the tolerance of lichens present in the area under study.
 Method 2: transplant method

– This method involved transplanting lichens from an uncontaminated area

to a contaminated one, then measuring the morphological changes in the
lichen thallus.
– or evaluating the physiological parameters and/or evaluating the
bioaccumulation of the pollutants.
Few examples of lichen species used as
bioindicator

– Hypogymnia physodes is being considered as very good bio indicator in

the study of bioaccumulation of trace elements due to its high tolerance
capasities.

Hypogymnia physodes
– Pyxine cocoes , a foliose type of lichen , has been proved to be an
excellent accumulator of different metals because the metals keep on
accumulating in sufficient amount in this lichen.

Pyxine cocoes
– Foliose lichen phaeophyscia orbicularis had high capacity to
accumulate heavy metal.

phaeophyscia orbicularis
– Usnea species have been used to evaluate heavy metal
deposition in Antarctica.

Usnea
– Some species show a great ability to accumulate exceptionally high amounts of
metals and thus are frequently considered as hyperaccumulators.

Diploschistes muscorum
 Conclusion

– Different lichens has different sensitivity to environmental parameters.

Various factors effects the lichens and these can be detected by mapping different
species or measuring concentration of pollutants or by detecting change in
physiological and morphological characteristics.
It can also be detected by change in abundance and frequency number of lichens
that indicate the environmental conditions.
So, all these factors represent that lichens are beneficial source to use as a bio-
indicator.
 References

 Hale M.E. (1969) How to Know the Lichens. Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers, Dubuque,
Iowa, p. 226.
 Hale M.E. (1983) The Biology of Lichens. E. Arnold, London.
 Conti M.E., Cecchetti G. (2001) Biological monitoring: lichens as bioindicators of air
pollution assessment – a review. Environmental Pollution, 114, 471–492, Reprinted (or higher
parts taken) with a kind permission from Elsevier.
 Nylander W. (1866) Les lichens du Jardin du Luxembourg. Bulletin de La Société Botanique
de France, 13, 364–372.
 Ferry B.W., Baddeley M.S., Hawksworth D.L. (1973) Air Pollution and Lichens. The Athlone
Press, London, p. 389.