How can lichens and water creatures indicate levels of pollution and why do we use lichens as indicators of pollution levels?
Lichens and some water creatures act as environmental spies, helping us understand pollution levels. Here's why:
Lichens:
- No filter: Unlike plants with roots, lichens absorb everything from the air directly. They lack a protective layer, so pollutants can easily enter their system.
- Sensitive souls: Certain lichen species are very sensitive to specific pollutants like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and heavy metals.
- Tell-tale signs: Pollution can harm lichens in various ways. They might show stunted growth, discoloration, or even die completely.
- Community watch: Scientists monitor the types and abundance of lichens in an area. A shift towards pollution-tolerant species and a decline in sensitive ones indicate rising pollution.
Water creatures:
- Bottom feeders: Some bottom-dwelling creatures like mussels and clams accumulate pollutants in their bodies as they filter water for food.
- Canaries in the water: Similar to canaries used in mines to detect poisonous gases, sensitive aquatic species can show stress or population decline due to pollution.
Lichens are particularly favored as pollution indicators because:
- Easy to study: They are readily visible on trees, rocks, and other surfaces, making them simpler to monitor than aquatic life.
- Quick responders: Lichens react to changes in air quality faster than some other organisms.
- Long-term record keepers: Some lichens can live for hundreds of years, providing a historical record of pollution levels.
By studying lichens and other bioindicators, we can gain valuable insights into the health of our environment and take necessary actions to combat pollution.
Rk Naresh
Murtadha Shukur
As far as my knowledge is concerned Lichens and water creatures can show us how polluted an area is because they are very sensitive to changes in their environment.
Lichens are often used as pollution indicators because they absorb everything from the air. If the air is clean, lichens grow well, but if the air is polluted, they struggle to survive or die off completely. By observing the health and presence of lichens, scientists can tell if the air quality is good or bad.
Similarly, water creatures, like certain types of fish and insects, react to the quality of water they live in. If the water is clean, these creatures thrive. If the water is polluted, they either get sick, die, or are replaced by more pollution-tolerant species. By studying these changes in water creatures, scientists can assess the pollution levels in water bodies.
As microorganisms serve as biological indicators like wise lichen and water creatures serve as environmental indicators for pollution. Because they are sensitive to pollutants in which high concentration of these pollutants leads their non existence in the environment. Like In the case of lichen that has no roots but depends on other life forms to exist. When visiting those tree where they once flourished without the presence of pollutant, a later visit with high pollution in the area, you would realize they no longer flourishing but their trade mark would be left on the tree.
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