Effects of season and low-level air pollution on physiology and element content of lichens from the U.S. Pacific Northwest

Abstract

Lichens were collected from three low-elevation sites in the western Cascade Range: HJ Andrews, OR (clean) and Bull Run, OR, and Pack Forest, WA (moderately enhanced nitrogen and sulfur deposition). The latter sites were within 50 km of Portland and Seattle/Centralia urban-industrial areas, respectively. Tissue concentrations of sulfur, nitrogen, and other macronutrients; rates of net carbon uptake; concentrations of photosynthetic pigments; and thallus density were correlated with season and seasonal changes in Platismatia glauca. Ion concentrations in precipitation and total wet deposition were measured from natural settings. Concentrations of depositional ions in precipitation, including NO 3 − and NH 4 +, were generally highest at Bull Run and Pack Forest; SO 4 2− concentrations and acidity were highest at Pack Forest. Total wet deposition was higher in the winter rainy season than the dry summer season at all three sites. Lichens adapted physiologically and morphologically to the higher light intensity and the warm, dry climate of summer through decreased optimal water content for CO 2 uptake, increased concentrations of carotenoids and increased thallus density. Compared to the clean site, the sites with enhanced deposition were associated in P. glauca with year-round higher tissue concentrations of N, S, K, and Na; higher concentrations of total chlorophyll and carotenoids; higher OD 435/415 ratios; higher CO 2 uptake and lower thallus density in summer; and a general absence of other sensitive lichens. These results indicate that moderate levels of fertilizing air pollutants can stimulate carbon uptake and provide protection against chlorophyll degradation in air pollution-tolerant lichens of the Pacific Northwest, especially during the dry summer season.