Lichen Recolonisation in an Urban-Industrial Area of Southern Poland As a Result of Air Quality Improvement
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Springer - Publisher Connector Environ Monit Assess (2011) 179:177–190 DOI 10.1007/s10661-010-1727-6 Lichen recolonisation in an urban-industrial area of southern Poland as a result of air quality improvement Maja Lisowska Received: 25 June 2010 / Accepted: 20 September 2010 / Published online: 9 October 2010 © The Author(s) 2010. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract Dynamics of epiphytic lichen distribu- Keywords Lichens · SO2 · NOx · Fluorine · tion and diversity in the town of Skawina, one of Recolonisation · Air pollution the major industrial centres of southern Poland, over the last 30 years, was documented in rela- tion to air quality changes. Fieldwork was con- Introduction ducted in 2006–2007. A total of 34 species were recorded at 202 sites, which is similar to the Lichens are highly effective biomonitors of at- historical data, however, significant qualitative mospheric pollution because of their morphologi- changes occurred. Nitrogen- and dust-tolerant cal and physiological characteristics. They absorb species have expanded and dominate, while some water directly from the atmosphere through their acidophytes, such as Lecanora conizaeoides,are thallus surfaces, together with different dissolved in decline. Lichens have recolonised the former contaminants (Nimis et al. 2002). Despite their ‘lichen desert’ in the town centre. Species rich- slow growth rates, some lichens rapidly respond ness at study sites has increased; and an improve- to decreasing concentrations of air pollution, al- ment in the health of lichen thalli was noted. lowing even annual changes to be detected (Loppi These trends reflect air quality improvement, et al. 2004). Since tree bark has a low buffering mainly SO2 decline in the last few decades and capacity in comparison with rock, soil or concrete transport-related compounds, mainly NOx and (Hauck et al. 2008), epiphytic lichens are particu- dust that have became the main pollutants. Host larly sensitive to air pollution and are mainly used tree species and diameter diversity also contribute for monitoring. significantly to lichen species diversity in the study Since Nylander’s (1866) study in Paris, lichens area. The recolonisation process seems far from have been used for both qualitative and quantita- complete and further changes in the lichen distrib- tive determinations of air contaminants. Most of ution and diversity in the study area are expected. the studies have been focused on sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), but numerous other pollutants (e.g. fluorides, metals, phospho- rus and radionuclides) have also been monitored M. Lisowska (B) using lichens (e.g. Gilbert 1971; Olech et al. 1981; Zdzisław Czeppe Department of Polar Research and Szymczyk et al. 1993; Conti and Cecchetti 2001). Documentation, Institute of Botany, Jagiellonian Nowadays, this kind of research may be used by University in Kraków, Kopernika 27, 31-501 Kraków, Poland environmental health services; e.g. mapping lichen e-mail: [email protected] diversity was employed to support a hypothesis 178 Environ Monit Assess (2011) 179:177–190 about a correlation between air pollution and lung trations in lichens and mosses were analysed cancer (Cislaghi and Nimis 1997). (Swieboda´ and Kalemba 1978; Olech et al. 1981). For many years, SO2 used to be the main pollu- Publication of data documenting an extremely tant, resulting in areas devoid of epiphytic lichens high degree of air pollution in Skawina con- (‘lichen deserts’) in cities and industrial regions tributed to the decision to reject an electrolysis throughout much of the world (Purvis et al. 2003). process at the aluminium plant in 1981 (Szymczyk The correlation between high concentrations of et al. 1993). SO2 in the atmosphere and lichen decline is well Since the 1980s, a major SO2 decline in the documented (Seaward 1993), and also proved ex- region occurred, together with changes in other perimentally (Nash 1973). In last few decades, air contaminants levels. Thus, significant changes more severe policies on emission control led to in epiphytic lichen distribution and diversity in significant declines of SO2 concentrations in most Skawina were expected to take place. The present industrialised countries (Bates et al. 2001)result- study was aimed to document the actual state of ing in the recolonisation of ‘lichen deserts’ and air quality in the town and analyse changes since significant improvement in lichen diversity. It was the 1974–1981 study (Olech and Dudek 1981), us- demonstrated, for example, in European cities ing distribution and diversity of epiphytic lichens and conurbations, such as London (Rose and as indicators of air pollution. Hawksworth 1981), Paris (Seaward and Letrouit- Galinou 1991), Rome (Munzi et al. 2007)and Torino (Isocrono et al. 2007) as well as smaller Materials and methods towns such as Siena and Pistoia in Italy (Loppi et al. 2002; Loppi and Corsini 2003). When SO2 Study area levels are relatively low, other factors determine lichen growth in urban areas (e.g. Seaward 1997; Skawina, a town with a population of approxi- Purvis et al. 2003). mately 24,000, is situated 15 km to the south- The current study was carried out to comple- west of the centre of Kraków, southern Poland. ment the data about lichen dynamics in urban The main industrial facilities of the town, a coal- and industrial areas with results from the Central fired electric power station and an aluminium Europe. The town of Skawina (southern Poland) plant, are located in its western part. The mean despite its small population (24,000) is one of the annual rainfall, concentrated in summer, is about major industrial centres in the Małopolska region, 680 mm and the mean annual temperature is 8.7◦C with a 500-MW coal-fired electric power station, (Matuszko 2007); the hottest month is July (mean an aluminium plant—one of the biggest produc- temperature 18.9◦C) and the coldest is January ers of aluminium wire rod, aluminium wire and (−2.1◦C). The prevailing winds are SW and W. aluminium cable cores in Poland—and numerous Since the town lies in the valley of the River other facilities (metallurgical industry, construc- Vistula, temperature inversions and fogs are fre- tion and food processing). Due to industrialisa- quent (German 2007). tion in the 1960s and 1970s, the atmosphere of Studies conducted in the early 1970s showed Skawina was heavily polluted, mainly with toxic extremely high levels of SO2 and particular matter dusts, fluorine compounds and SO2. These emis- (PM10) in the atmosphere of Skawina, with mean sions affected plant, animal and human health annual values of 100 μgm−3 and 200–500 μgm−3, in the whole region, including Kraków, and also respectively (Dudek 1974). Moreover, at that time had a negative effect on the conditions of the the aluminium plant was emitting approximately monuments in Kraków (Olech, personal commu- 7 × 105 kg of hydrogen fluoride annually (Olech nication). Studies on epiphytic lichens in the town and Dudek 1981). However, since the 1980s, there conducted in the 1970s (Dudek 1974;Olechand has been a significant improvement in air quality Dudek 1981) showed a strong negative influence following decreases of industrial emissions; a simi- of the industrial emissions. Together with studies lar trend has been found for the whole Małopolska on lichen biota and diversity, fluoride concen- region (Fig. 1). Between 1987 and 1995, the level Environ Monit Assess (2011) 179:177–190 179 Fig. 1 Changes of dust, SO2 and NOx emission levels in Fig. 3 Average annual concentration of dust (PM10),SO2 the former Kraków Voivoidship, 1985–1995, and changes and NOx in the atmosphere of Skawina, 2005–2008. Stan- in fluoride concentration in the atmosphere of Skawina −3 dard levels [μgm ], PM10—40, SO2—20, NO —30 between 1987 and 1995 x of fluorine in the atmosphere of Skawina de- Siec´ Monitoringu Powietrza 2007) and reports by creased sixfold (Fig. 1), and in comparison to the the Voivoidship Inspectorate for Environmental early 1970s (Dudek 1974), the average annual SO2 Protection in Kraków (Wojewódzki Inspektorat and PM10 concentrations are now approximately Ochrony Srodowiska´ w Krakowie 1994–2005). five and ten times lower, respectively (Fig. 2). To- day, concentrations of these pollutants in Skawina Field studies do not, or only slightly, exceed standard levels (Fig. 3). Air quality data have been provided for Field studies were conducted in 2006–2007. The Skawina and Małopolska from the air monitoring study area and distribution of study sites were network in the Małopolska region (Małopolska established according to the maps by Olech and Dudek (1981) within the 1970s administrative boundaries of Skawina. A total of 202 study sites were selected (Fig. 4). Deciduous trees with the highest number of lichen species were chosen at each study site, one tree or rarely a group of two to three trees, following the methods adopted by Olech and Dudek (1981) to provide as accurate comparison of the results as possible. Tree trunks were investigated from their bases to about 170 cm from the ground. Lichen species present and their cover (estimated by eye as a percentage of the investigated surface) were recorded, together with general information about each site (locality, tree species and trunk girth). Samples for further taxonomic identification were collected when nec- essary. Anecdotal information about any abnor- malities of morphology of thalli (colour, shape; Fig. 2 Changes of SO2 and dust (PM10) annual average concentrations in the atmosphere of Skawina between small but healthy thalli without soralia or apothe- 1970s and present cia were considered as young) was also gathered. 180 Environ Monit Assess (2011) 179:177–190 Fig. 4 Boundaries of Skawina from the 1970s and distribution of study sites in the 1970s (after Olech and Dudek 1981)and in 2007.