Long-term Nitrogen Deposition and Recovery of Epiphytic Lichens : Concealed memory and implications

Abstract: Anthropogenic activities have increased nitrogen (N) emissions. However, higher N deposition is associated with negative fallouts in ecosystems, highlighting the necessity to define its critical load (CLO). Lichens, with their lack of roots, stomata, and cuticles, are helpful air pollution indicators and can be used to establish N CLO. Several studies report epiphytic lichens’ reaction to N deposition, but few have also focused on their recovery. In this study, I reproduced a deposition gradient to investigate epiphytic lichen biomass response to long-term N deposition. As such, whole trees were fertilized with 0.6, 6, 12.5, 25, or 50 kg N/ha/year from 2006 to 2012. In 2012, after six years of irrigation, Hypogymnia species and A. sarmentosa had altered biomass, and based on those results, a CLO below 6 kg N/ha/year is recommended for epiphytic lichens in the boreal forest. I also investigated the recovery of epiphytic lichens nine years after the simulated N deposition ceased. In 2021, a high increase in lichen biomass was recorded, suggesting that lichen growth rate is faster than previously assumed by other studies. However, biomass recovery was lower in high N treatments in Hypogymnia sp., Bryoria sp., and A. sarmentosa, suggesting those species recall the historical treatments possibly due to retained impairments. Since differences among treatments increased in the nine years after the simulated N deposition ceased, my results indicate that short-term negative effects of N deposition can have long-lasting effects on the epiphytic lichen community. Thus, I stress the importance of considering the recovery capability of different species during CLO determination to avoid underestimating the impact of N deposition.