The main biogenic elements’ content in Lobaria pulmonaria cephalolichen thalli in different ontogenetic stages in the boreal forests of Karelia (Paanajärvi National Park)

ABSTRACT

The analysis of the main biogenic elements in the thalli of the epiphytic cephalolichen Lobaria pulmonaria of different ontogenetic stages was conducted. Thallus for research was collected in the spruce forests of the Paanajärvi National Park, which disturbance age varied from 190 to 270 years from the tree trunks (living and dead) of Populus tremula, Salix caprea, Sorbus aucuparia, Betula spp. Chemical analysis of thalli samples showed that N content increased (r = 0.43, p = 0.0039) and K content decreased (r = −0.42, p = 0.0046) in the ontogenetic stages from virginal 1 to senile. We revealed different elements were accumulated in lichen thalli, depending on the elements’ content in the substrate: C, K, Mn – in the young thalli, Ca, Cu, Zn – in old ones, Fe – in both groups. The results indicated the necessity to consider the ontogenetic stages of lichen thalli when analysing the element content, because the ignoring of this parameter can lead to results that did not reflect reality.

KEYWORDS:

• Lichen
• ontogeny
• northern forests
• bioindicator
• biomonitoring
• Karelia

Acknowledgments

We express our gratitude to the administration and staff of the Paanajärvi National Park and personally to the head of the department for scientific work and environmental education Anastasia V. Protasova for her help in organising and conducting field research under the scientific cooperation agreement. We express our gratitude and appreciation to the reviewers for their valuable comments and advice, which helped to refine and significantly improve this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article.

Additional information

Funding

The study was carried out under state order to the Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Forest Research Institute of KarRC RAS).

Notes on contributors

Roman V. Ignatenko

Roman V. Ignatenko is Candidate of Biological Sciences, senior researcher at the Laboratory of Forest Biotechnologies, Forest Research Institute of the Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Associate Professor at the Department of General Chemistry at Petrozavodsk State University. Scientific work is related to the population biology of lichens, monitoring studies of taiga forests, as well as the somatic embryogenesis of conifers.

Kseniya M. Nikerova

Kseniya M. Nikerova is Candidate of Biological Sciences, senior researcher at Analitic Laboratory, Forest Research Institute of the Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Associate Professor at the Department of General Chemistry at Petrozavodsk State University. Scientific work is related to the study of physiological and biochemical aspects of woody plants’ xylogenesis; development and modification of physicochemical methods for analysing environmental objects.

Anna A. Ignatenko

Anna A. Ignatenko is Candidate of Biological Sciences, senior researcher at the Laboratory of Ecological Plant Physiology, Institute of Biology of the Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Scientific work is related to the study of the mechanisms of plant adaptation to low temperatures, deficiency or excess of macro- and microelements, the phytohormones participation in the plant adaptation to unfavourable environmental factors.