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Ammonium uptake in the nitrophytic lichen Xanthoria parietina and its effects on vitality and balance between symbionts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2004

Gisela GAIO-OLIVEIRA ,
Lena DAHLMAN ,
Kristin PALMQVIST  and
Cristina MÁGUAS
Gisela GAIO-OLIVEIRA
Affiliation:
CEBV—Centre for Ecology and Plant Biology, Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Bloco C2, Piso 4, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
Lena DAHLMAN
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
Kristin PALMQVIST
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
Cristina MÁGUAS
Affiliation:
CEBV—Centre for Ecology and Plant Biology, Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Bloco C2, Piso 4, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
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Abstract

The aim of this investigation was to determine the NH4Cl concentration threshold, above which negative physiological effects would occur in the nitrophytic lichen Xanthoria parietina. Over a 10 month period, X. parietina thalli growing on roof tiles were exposed weekly to NH4Cl concentrations of 0·04, 0·17, 0·34 or 0·69 M. Nitrogen (N) uptake from ammonium and the concentrations of total thallus N and biont markers (chlorophyll a, ergosterol and chitin) were measured on four occasions, over the experimental period. Xanthoria parietina was able to assimilate a significant quantity of the applied ammonium. However, lichens exposed to the two higher concentrations suffered damage to both the photobiont and the mycobiont, as evidenced by reduced chlorophyll a and ergosterol concentrations, while lichens exposed to the two lower concentrations showed no significant changes in either chlorophyll a or ergosterol that could be related to the ammonium inputs. Xanthoria parietina tolerated a weekly irrigation of at least 0·17 M NH4Cl, corresponding to an N deposition of c. 1000 kg ha−1 yr−1, suggesting that this species has a very high tolerance to N pollution.

Keywords

ammonium chloridechlorophyll aergosterolnitrogen depositionnitrophytic lichensnitrogen tolerancenitrogen uptakeXanthoria parietina
Type
Research Article
Information
The Lichenologist , Volume 36 , Issue 1 , January 2004 , pp. 75 - 86
Copyright
© British Lichen Society 2004

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