Lichen as Bioindicators: Assessing their Response to Heavy Metal Pollution in Their Native Ecosystem

Abstract

Lichens play crucial roles in the ecosystems, contributing to soil formation and nutrient cycling, and being used in biomonitoring efforts to assess the sustainability of ecosystems including air quality. Previous studies on heavy metal accumulation in lichens have mostly relied on manipulated environments, such as transplanted lichens, leaving us with a dearth of research on how lichens physiologically respond to heavy metal exposure in their natural habitats. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated lichens from two of South Korea’s geographically distant regions, Gangwon Province and Jeju Island, and examined whether difference in ambient heavy metal concentrations could be detected through physiological variables, including chlorophyll damage, lipid oxidation, and protein content. The physiological variables of lichens in response to heavy metals differed according to the collection area: Arsenic exerted a significant impact on chlorophyll degradation and protein content. The degree of fatty acid oxidation in lichens was associated with increased Cu concentrations. Our research highlights the value of lichens as a bioindicator, as we found that even small variations in ambient heavy metal concentrations can be detected in natural lichens. Furthermore, our study sheds light on which physiology variables that can be used as indicators of specific heavy metals, underscoring the potential of lichens for future ecology studies.

Keywords:

• Lichen
• Heavy metals
• Bioindicator
• Physiology variables

Acknowledgements

The authors greatly appreciate and acknowledge the experimental support of the members of the Korean Lichen Research Institute and Jung Shin Park (postdoc position at Korea National Arboretum).

Authors’ contributions

J.H.Y., S.-O.O. and J.-S.H. designed the study. S.-O.O. performed sample collection. J.H.Y. analyzed the data and visualized the figures. J. H. Y., S. O. O., and J. S. H. wrote and revised the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

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

Data availability statement

Not applicable.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by a grant from the Korea National Arboretum under Grant [KNA1-1-27, 21-1].