EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION

Schoolyard Survey LICHEN MONITORING

3) determine if there is any change • Fruticose – shrubby or hair- in lichen coverage over time (long- Subject Area: Science like lichen growth form with term) no distinguishable upper and 4) attempt to correlate any changes Activity time: 60 minutes lower surface. Fruticose lichen in lichen coverage to environmen- either stands erect or hangs tal factors such as air quality/atmo- down from it’s substrate. Setting: Schoolyard and spheric pollution (sulfur dioxide, ground level ozone, acid rain) classroom with computer • Lichen: A lichen is a mini- connection ecosystem consisting of at least two organisms: a Background: Skills: Analyzing, Applying, and a photosynthetic partner This activity replicates the activity Categorizing, Collecting in- (algae or ). that is completed by students in the formation, Comparing, Con- Smokies but can be done in your trasting, Discussing, Hypoth- • – the living to- own schoolyard. For this activity esizing, Inferring, Measuring, gether of unlike organisms; it it will be important to focus on the Summarizing may be for mutual benefit or differences between one lichen not. growth form and another. Use the Vocabulary: “Lichen Growth Forms” work- sheet (page 3) to help in identify- • Biological Inventory: A Materials: ing. Copy the Lichen Grid (page technique used by scientists to For each group: 4) onto transparencies. Copy front make a count of a particular • Pencil and back the Lichen Data sheet species or ecosystem at one • Wet erase marker (page 5). point in time. • Compass Select trees for your students to • String • Biological Monitoring: A study, we prefer to have students in • Scissors to cut the string technique used by scientists groups of 4 or less. For compari- • Tree identification book to check the condition of a son, you can select trees species (optional: see extension activity #1) particular species or ecosys- that are all different or are all of the • Lichen Growth Forms sheet tem over time. Monitoring same. In general, it is better to se- (page 3) usually consists of comparing lect trees with less acidic bark (ash, • Lichen Grid transparency (page inventories with one another elm, sycamore) but if that isn’t pos- 4) to establish trends. sible then oak, beech, birch will do. • Lichen Biomonitoring Datasheet Try to avoid trees with highly acidic (page 5) • Crustose: crust-like li- bark such as Hemlocks as they are • Measuring tape chen growth form with the less likely to be able to naturally • Four clothespins lower surface growing on support lichen populations. • Data sheet and among the particles of Measure 4 ½ feet up from the • Clipboard it’s substrate (rocks, bark...). ground (DBH height = diameter • Magnifying lens Crustose lichen cannot be at breast height). Measure 5 ½ removed from the substrate in inches up from this point and tie a one piece. Objectives: string around the tree. Measure 5 1) practice identifying lichen ½ inches down from this point and • Foliose: leaf-like lichen- growth forms by their physical tie a string around each tree. The growth form with a flattened characteristics students will be attaching their grid body and distinguished upper 2) gather baseline data by deter- transparencies to this string using and lower surfaces. mining the percent of lichen cover- clothes pins. Label the tree with age on tree species found in the species name and tree number (you schoolyard can have the students do this as an

Parks as Classrooms Great Smoky Mountains National Park 1 EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION

LICHEN MONITORING extension activity). datasheet to calculate the total types of lichens (a foliose group lichen coverage for that side of the called Lung lichens or Lobaria) Procedure: tree. [Count total number of marks and looking to see if they are being (Steps 1-3 can be done in a separate for each lichen type, bare bark, and replaced by lichens more tolerant class period if necessary) moss. Divide the number for each to acidic environments (typically 1. Students will need to know lichen type, bare bark, and moss by crustose lichens since they have how to find the cardinal directions 90 to get a decimal. Multiply these less of a surface area to volume (North, South, East, West) using decimals by 100 to get the percent- ratio). age of lichen coverage.] a compass. This step is important Data Analysis: Students can create 11. If time allows, do another side if you are setting up a long-term pie or bar graphs of the classifica- of the tree or the next class period monitoring study. If you need in- tion of coverage by tree species can complete another side of the structions, please go to the website and/or tree species by lichen com- tree. : http://www.learn-orienteering. position. Ideally, this data should org/old/lesson1.html Quality Assurance: To ensure that be saved each year so students can 2. Show students how to classify data are accurate, you can have compare their data with previ- lichens into their three morphologi- more than one group survey each ous year(s). If this is being done, cal groups, ID moss and bare bark. tree. If the data match, it can be ac- is there any change over time? 3. Show students how to read the cepted, if not, the tree will need to This can be illustrated with a line data sheet, also have them fill out be reassessed. graph showing percent coverage by important information before going lichen type and tree species. to their study tree (such as today’s Extension activity #1: Have your date, group name, location). students ID and record the tree 4. Explain to students which side species they are studying or you Reference Books of the tree you would like them to can do that for them. • Lichens of North America. Irwin begin collecting (north, south, east, Brodo, Sylvia Duran Sharnoff and Extension activity #2: Have your west). Remind them to use their Stephen Sharnoff. students measure the pH of the compass to find that side. bark of their tree. Remove small • Lichens. William Purvis 5. Have students attach their trans- piece of bark, soak it 24 hours in parency grid to the appropriate side distilled water (pH 7) and then test of the tree using the clothes pins. it with a pH strip or meter. 6. Have students measure and re- cord the tree’s circumference at the middle of their attached transpar- Wrap Up: ency (4 ½ feet up from the ground). Regroup the students and review 7. Have students estimate and re- the data collected. If you had dif- cord the canopy cover when stand- ferent species of trees, was there ing underneath their study tree. any difference in lichen coverage? 8. Have students classify the li- Why might there be a difference? chen type found under each of the (pH of the bark is one probable circle in square 1. Record this on explanation) Is one lichen growth the datasheet in the square labeled form more common than the oth- “1”. They should have 10 marks in ers? Which one? The most sensitive each square since all circles can be types of lichens tend to be the ones classified into one of the categories that protrude the furthest from the (crustose, fruticose, foliose, bare tree. bark, moss). In the Great Smoky Mountains 9. Repeat the previous step for all 9 National Park, we are checking to boxes. see if we are losing more sensitive 10. Follow the instructions on the

Parks as Classrooms Great Smoky Mountains National Park Lichens 2 EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION

LICHEN MONITORING

Parks as Classrooms Great Smoky Mountains National Park Lichens 3 Parks as Classrooms Great Smoky Mountains National Park Lichens 4 Great Smoky Mountains National Park Lichen Monitoring Datasheet

Group Name/School: ______Tree Species (and ID #): ______Date:______Tree Circumference:______cm Location:______Canopy Cover: 0-20%, 21-40%, 41-60%, 61-80%, 81-100% Directions: Pick a side of the tree (due North, South, East, West) and attach the transparency grid to the tree using the clothes pins. Record what you see under each circle in each of the nine boxes. Each box should contain exactly 10 marks. If you see more than one thing in any circle, mark the one that makes up the majority. Direction (North, South, East, West): ______Crustose ______Crustose ______Crustose ______Foliose ______Foliose ______Foliose ______Fruticose ______Fruticose ______Fruticose ______Moss ______Moss ______Moss ______Bare Bark______Bare Bark______Bare Bark______#1 #2 #3 Crustose ______Crustose ______Crustose ______Foliose ______Foliose ______Foliose ______Fruticose ______Fruticose ______Fruticose ______Moss ______Moss ______Moss ______Bare Bark______Bare Bark______Bare Bark______#4 #5 #6 Crustose ______Crustose ______Crustose ______Foliose ______Foliose ______Foliose ______Fruticose ______Fruticose ______Fruticose ______Moss ______Moss ______Moss ______Bare Bark______Bare Bark______Bare Bark______#7 #8 #9

total # with this sub- divide number in last multiply this by 100 strate box by 90 (you’ll get a to get the % of this decimal) substrate Crustose

Foliose

Fruticose

Moss

Bare Bark

Parks as Classrooms Great Smoky Mountains National Park Lichens 5