Xanthoria parietina as a monitor of ground-level ambient ammonia concentrations

Total nitrogen in transplanted and in situ lichen thalli of Xanthoria parietina were related to ambient ammonia air concentrations measured with passive ALPHA (Adapted Low-cost Passive High Absorption) diffusion samplers in Denmark. Transplants and ALPHA samplers were exposed four months in a transect on heathland close to a pig farm. Monthly mean ammonia concentrations declined exponentially approaching background levels after 300 m. Nitrogen content of the lichen transplants tended to decline with distance, though only a few stations were significantly different from each other. Where ammonia concentrations were high, maximum content of nitrogen was reached after one month of exposure. Conversely, at sites with background concentrations, it took several months to reach a statistically significant uptake. The correlation between ammonia concentration in the air and in situ X. parietina was significant.