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Do lichens have “memory” of their native nitrogen environment?

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Abstract

This study aimed to deepen the knowledge about intraspecific mechanisms regulating nitrogen tolerance in lichens to wet nitrogen deposition. Thalli of the nitrophilous lichen Xanthoria parietina were collected from environments with different nitrogen availabilities and immersed in 80 mL of ammonium sulphate (NH4)2SO4 solutions with distinct concentrations (0, 0.025, 0.05 and 0.25 M) for 5 h per day during 3 days in a week. After each soaking event, lichens were air dried. After each treatment, maximal PSII efficiency, localization of ammonium ions, concentrations of K+ and Mg2+ and thalli buffer capacity were determined. Our results show that lichens are marked by their native nitrogen environment, since there were important differences between the physiological responses of X. parietina thalli previously grown in an area with high nitrogen deposition (nitrogen emissions of ca. 13,000 t/year) and those previously grown in an unpolluted area (nitrogen emissions of ca. 500 t/year). Greater N availability seems to enable X. parietina to cope better with the effects of nitrogen pollution.

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Abbreviations

Ca2+ :

Calcium ion

CsCl:

Cesium chloride

H2SO4 :

Sulphuric acid

K+ :

Potassium ion

KNO3 :

Potassium nitrate

LaCl3 :

Lanthanum chloride

Mg2+ :

Magnesium ion

N:

Nitrogen

NaOH:

Sodium hydroxide

NiCl2 :

Nickel chloride

NH3 :

Ammonia

NH4 + :

Ammonium ion

NH4Cl:

Ammonium chloride

NH4NO3 :

Ammonium nitrate

(NH4)2SO4 :

Ammonium sulphate

XA:

Xanthoriaparietina from Arrábida

XH:

Xanthoriaparietina from hyppodrome

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, University of Siena, via P.A. Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy

    Silvana Munzi & Stefano Loppi

  2. Faculdade de Ciências, Centro de Biologia Ambiental, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Bloco C2, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal

    Cristina Cruz & Cristina Branquinho

Authors
  1. Silvana Munzi
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  2. Stefano Loppi
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  3. Cristina Cruz
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  4. Cristina Branquinho
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Correspondence to Stefano Loppi.

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Munzi, S., Loppi, S., Cruz, C. et al. Do lichens have “memory” of their native nitrogen environment?. Planta 233, 333–342 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-010-1300-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-010-1300-0

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