Home – Home – Jornals – Contemporary Problems of Ecology 2023 number 3

Here, we present the results of long-term monitoring (2002-2017) of epiphytic lichen Hypogymnia physodes in the influence zone of the Middle Timan Bauxite Mine (Komi Republic). The main environmental pollutant in this area is dust with a predominance of Al and Fe. Three periods of the reaction of lichen to dust pollution are identified: shock, maximum changes, and adaptation. Dust pollution significantly decreased the projective cover of the species under study, increased the frequency of thallus necrosis and decreased thallus linear dimensions. In ten years after we started our monitoring studies, the vital state parameters of H. physodes began to stabilize and then to improve due to adaptation of the lichen to chronic environmental pollution with dust. The study of changes in the content of main pollutants showed that, during the mine operation, they accumulate in the thalli of the lichen H. physodes in the following order: Al > Fe > Ni > Cu > Pb.