Lichens as spatially transferable bioindicators for monitoring nitrogen pollution

Delves, Jay; Lewis, Jason E.J.; Ali, Niaz; Asad, Saeed A.; Chatterjee, Sudipto; Crittenden, Peter D.; Jones, Matthew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2006-8809; Kiran, Aysha; Prasad Pandey, Bishnu; Reay, David; Sharma, Subodh; Tshering, Dendup; Weerakoon, Gothamie; van Dijk, Netty; Sutton, Mark A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1342-2072; Wolseley, Patricia A.; Ellis, Christopher J.. 2023 Lichens as spatially transferable bioindicators for monitoring nitrogen pollution. Environmental Pollution, 328, 121575. 10, pp. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121575

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121575

Abstract/Summary

Excess nitrogen is a pollutant and global problem that harms ecosystems and can severely affect human health. Pollutant nitrogen is becoming more widespread and intensifying in the tropics. There is thus a requirement to develop nitrogen biomonitoring for spatial mapping and trend analysis of tropical biodiversity and ecosystems. In temperate and boreal zones, multiple bioindicators for nitrogen pollution have been developed, with lichen epiphytes among the most sensitive and widely applied. However, the state of our current knowledge on bioindicators is geographically biased, with extensive research effort focused on bioindicators in the temperate and boreal zones. The development of lichen bioindicators in the tropics is further weakened by incomplete taxonomic and ecological knowledge. In this study we performed a literature review and meta-analysis, attempting to identify characteristics of lichens that offer transferability of bioindication into tropical regions. This transferability must overcome the different species pools between source information – drawing on extensive research effort in the temperate and boreal zone – and tropical ecosystems. Focussing on ammonia concentration as the nitrogen pollutant, we identify a set of morphological traits and taxonomic relationships that cause lichen epiphytes to be more sensitive, or more resistant to this excess nitrogen. We perform an independent test of our bioindicator scheme and offer recommendations for its application and future research in the tropics.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121575
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Atmospheric Chemistry and Effects (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	0269-7491
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	ammonia, Epiphytes, morphological traits, systematic relationships, trophic groups
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment Botany
Date made live:	07 Nov 2023 09:11 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/535550

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121575

UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:

Atmospheric Chemistry and Effects (Science Area 2017-)

ISSN:

0269-7491

Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:

Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.

Additional Keywords:

ammonia, Epiphytes, morphological traits, systematic relationships, trophic groups