<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xml><records><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Can ammonia tolerance amongst lichen functional groups be explained by physiological responses?</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2014</style></year></dates><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Ammonia (NH3) empirical critical levels for Europe were re-evaluated in 2009, based mainly on the ecological responses of lichen communities without acknowledging the physiological differences between oligotrophic and nitrophytic species. Here, we compare a nitrogen sensitive lichen (Evernia prunastri) with a nitrogen tolerant one (Xanthoria parietina), focussing on their physiological response (Fv/Fm) to short-term NH3 exposure and their frequency of occurrence along an NH3 field gradient. Both frequency and Fv/Fm of E. prunastri decreased abruptly above 3 μg m(-3) NH3 suggesting direct adverse effects of NH3 on its photosynthetic performance. By contrast, X. parietina increased its frequency with NH3, despite showing decreased capacity of photosystem II above 50 μg m(-3) NH3, suggesting that the ecological success of X. parietina at ammonia-rich sites might be related to indirect effects of increased nitrogen (NH3) availability. These results highlight the need to establish NH3 critical levels based on oligotrophic lichen species.</style></abstract><accession-num><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">24485905</style></accession-num></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Tools for determining critical levels of atmospheric ammonia under the influence of multiple disturbances</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Environmental Pollution</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2014</style></year></dates><publisher><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Elsevier Ltd</style></publisher><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">188</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">88-93</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Critical levels (CLEs) of atmospheric ammonia based on biodiversity changes have been mostly calculated using small-scale single-source approaches, to avoid interference by other factors, which also influence biodiversity. Thus, it is questionable whether these CLEs are valid at larger spatial scales, in a multi- disturbances context. To test so, we sampled lichen diversity and ammonia at 80 sites across a region with a complex land-cover including industrial and urban areas. At a regional scale, confounding factors such as industrial pollutants prevailed, masking the CLEs. We propose and use a new tool to calculate CLEs by stratifying ammonia concentrations into classes, and focusing on the highest diversity values. Based on the significant correlations between ammonia and biodiversity, we found the CLE of ammonia for Mediterranean evergreen woodlands to be 0.69 mgm?3, below the previously accepted value of 1.9 mgm?3, and below the currently accepted pan-European CLE of 1.0 mgm?3</style></abstract><accession-num><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">24568792</style></accession-num></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Critical loads of nitrogen deposition and critical levels of atmospheric ammonia for semi-natural Mediterranean evergreen woodlands</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Biogeosciences</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2012</style></year></dates><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">9</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">1205-1215</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Nitrogen (N) has emerged in recent years as a key factor associated with global changes, with impacts on biodiversity, ecosystems functioning and human health. In order to ameliorate the effects of excessive N, safety thresholds such as critical loads (deposition ﬂuxes) and levels (concentrations) can be established. Few studies have assessed these thresholds for semi-natural Mediterranean ecosystems. Our objective was therefore to determine the critical loads of N deposition and long-term critical levels of atmospheric ammonia for semi-natural Mediterranean evergreen woodlands. We have considered changes in epiphytic lichen communities, one of the most sensitive comunity indicators of excessive N in the atmosphere. Based on a classiﬁcation of lichen species according to their tolerance to N we grouped species into response functional groups, which we used as a tool to determine the critical loads and levels. This was done for a Mediterranean climate in evergreen cork-oak woodlands, based on the relation between lichen functional diversity and modelled N deposition for critical loads and measured annual atmospheric ammonia concentrations for critical levels, evaluated downwind from a reduced N source (a cattle barn). Modelling the highly signiﬁcant relationship between lichen functional groups and annual atmospheric ammonia concentration showed the critical level to be below 1.9 µg m−3 , in agreement with recent studies for other ecosystems. Modelling the highly signiﬁcant relationship between lichen functional groups and N deposition showed that the critical load was lower than 26 kg (N) ha−1 yr−1 , which is within the upper range established for other semi-natural ecosystems. Taking into account the high sensitivity of lichen communities to excessive N, these values should aid development of policies to protect Mediterranean woodlands from the initial effects of excessive N.</style></abstract></record></records></xml>