From kapib01@commlink.zdv.uni-tuebingen.deTue Apr 16 13:24:48 1996 Date: Tue, 16 Apr 1996 14:34:20 +0200 From: martin adler To: sustag-public@amani.ces.ncsu.edu Subject: Re: Indicator plants On Tue, 16 Apr 1996, Mark Thorson wrote: > In article <4krbos$5u8@altrade.nijmegen.inter.nl.net>, > Frits v/d Laan wrote: > >I would like to get any information about plants that are known to > >indicate at a early stage anything to do with there environment, > >shortage or to much of nutrician N, P, K, Mg etc. or are sensitive for > >or atract insects earlier than most plants. > > Lichens are indicators of air pollution. Unlike vascular plants, > they don't have any way to get rid of toxins, so they are > particularly sensitive to environmental pollution. > some (epiphytic) mosses are as well. e.g. (in central europe) most orthotrichum spec. tend to disappear with increasing air pollution ( or over-nutrition), a few like o.diaphanum tend to profit from this as long as the changes are not too severe. concerning lichens, there are a few that are rather resistant and may profit from environmental changes, such as xanthoria parietina or lecanora muralis.