title: Ecophysiological and ultrastructural effects of dust pollution in lichens exposed around a cement plant (SW Slovakia).
abstract: The study investigated the ecophysiological and ultrastructural effects of dust pollution from a cement industry in the lichen species Evernia prunastri and Xanthoria parietina, which were exposed for 30, 90 and 180 days around a cement mill, two quarries, and inhabited and agricultural sites in SW Slovakia. The results showed that dust deposition from quarrying activities and cement works at the cement mill (mainly enriched in Ca, Fe and Ti) significantly affected the photosynthetic apparatus of E. prunastri (sensitive to dust and habitat eutrophication), while X. parietina (tolerant to dust and habitat eutrophication) adapted to the new environment. The length of the exposure strongly affected the vitality of the mycobiont (measured as dehydrogenase activity) in transplanted lichens. Dust deposition led to ultrastructural alterations, including lipid droplets increase, swelling of cellular components, thylakoid degeneration and sometimes plasmolysis, which, on the whole, gave the cells an aged appearance. Photosynthetic parameters deserve further attention as potential indicators for monitoring early biological symptoms of the air pollution caused during cement production.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy. paoli4@unisi.it.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5479-6428
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Paoli
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 84523, Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guttová
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grassi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 84523, Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lackovičová
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 84523, Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Dušan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Senko
authors.affiliation: Centro di Servizi Metrologici Avanzati (CeSMA), Sezione di Microscopia LaMMEC, University of Naples, Via Foria 223, 80139, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sorbo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Naples, Via Foria 223, 80139, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Basile
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Loppi
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D003252:Construction Materials; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D000068837:Parmeliaceae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects; D018154:Slovakia
chemical_list: D004391:Dust
keywords: Air pollution; Bioindicators; Evernia prunastri; Transplants; Xanthoria parietina