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Response of lichens Cladonia arbuscula subsp. mitis and Cladonia furcata to nitrogen excess

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Abstract

In this study we focused on the comparison of the physiological responses to excess nitrogen (N) comparing Cladonia arbuscula subsp. mitis and Cladonia furcata. Both lichens were exposed to increased amounts of nitrogen (NH4NO3) for five weeks. Different concentrations of nitrogen were applied by spraying the lichen thalli during this period. After the treatment, the physiological parameters of the lichen, like chlorophyll a fluorescence, chlorophyll b integrity, content of soluble proteins, ergosterol, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and content of secondary metabolites were measured. We found out that lichens responded differently to nitrogen excess concerning photobiont and mycobiont. The mycobiont of C. arbuscula subsp. mitis seems to be more sensitive to the nitrogen excess than C. furcata based on decreased ergosterol content. We concluded that the mycobiont is more sensitive to nitrogen excess than the photobiont in case of the tested lichen species in a middle term experiment.

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Abbreviations

HPLC:

high performance liquid chromatography

TBARS:

thiobarbituric acid reactive species

TCA:

trichloracetic acid

PhQ:

phaeophytinization coefficient

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Mánesová 23, SK-04352, Košice, Slovakia

    Ivana Králiková, Michal Goga, Ivana Biľová & Martin Bačkor

  2. Department of Pharmacognosy and Botany, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, SK-04181, Košice, Slovakia

    Miriam Bačkorová

  3. Core Facility Cell Imaging and Ultrastructure Research, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Vienna, Austria

    Michal Goga

Authors
  1. Ivana Králiková
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  2. Michal Goga
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  3. Ivana Biľová
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  4. Miriam Bačkorová
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  5. Martin Bačkor
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Correspondence to Martin Bačkor.

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Králiková, I., Goga, M., Biľová, I. et al. Response of lichens Cladonia arbuscula subsp. mitis and Cladonia furcata to nitrogen excess. Biologia 71, 632–638 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1515/biolog-2016-0078

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/biolog-2016-0078

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