Recent Trends and Future Challenges for Lichen Biomonitoring in Forests

Currently, forest ecosystems are often located in remote areas, far from direct sources of air pollution. Nonetheless, they may be affected by different types of atmospheric deposition, which can compromise their health and inner balance. Epiphytic lichens respond to air pollution and climate change...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inForests Vol. 14; no. 3; p. 647
Main Authors Frati, Luisa, Brunialti, Giorgio
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.03.2023
Subjects
Air monitoring
Air pollution
bioaccumulation
Biological monitoring
Biomonitoring
Climate change
Ecosystems
Environmental aspects
Forecasts and trends
Forest ecosystems
Forest management
Forests
Forests and forestry
functional traits
indicator species
Industrial areas
Italy
lichen diversity
Lichens
Methods
Nitrogen
Outdoor air quality
Pollutants
Pollution monitoring
Pollution sources
Terrestrial ecosystems
Trace elements
Italy
United States > US
Europe
Finland
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Summary:Currently, forest ecosystems are often located in remote areas, far from direct sources of air pollution. Nonetheless, they may be affected by different types of atmospheric deposition, which can compromise their health and inner balance. Epiphytic lichens respond to air pollution and climate change, and they have been widely adopted as ecological indicators, mainly in urban and industrial areas, while forest ecosystems are still underrepresented. However, in recent years, their use has become increasingly widespread, especially in the context of long-term monitoring programs for air pollution in forests. In this review, we provide a critical analysis of the topic from the point of view of the different methodological approaches based on lichen responses adopted in forest ecosystems. Further, we discuss the main challenges posed by the current global change scenario.
ISSN:1999-4907
1999-4907
DOI:10.3390/f14030647