Incidência de liquens em área de uso intensivo do Parque Nacional do Iguaçu - Foz do Iguaçu, PR

Abstract

Air quality is something that has been increasingly studied in order to find solutions to the various problems related to this factor, such as respiratory diseases. Bioindicators are biological species that through their existence and quantity indicate the degree of pollution. Lichens are a symbiotic relationship between fungi (branched organisms) and algae or cyanobacteria (photosymbiosis), forming a structure without roots or stratum corneum, which depends mainly on the atmosphere for nutrition, and the incidence of lichens indicates the air quality in the environment. The study aimed to quantify the incidence of lichens in 5 different points (1 - Visitors Center Trail, 2 - Banana Trees Trail, 3 - Beginning of the main trail, 4 - Tarobá Space, 5 - Porto Canoas Parking Lot) in the Iguaçu National Park. Quantification of lichen filling was done in a 50x50 cm quadrant at 4 different heights on each tree studied (0-50 cm, 51-101 cm, 102- 152 cm and 153-203 cm, on the tree cortex). At each point 10 trees were studied. Then the pollution degree was classified according to the lichen cover class proposed by Troppmair (1988), which ranges from 0% to 100%. In all points evaluated, it was found that the Iguaçu National Park presented classifications 4 and 5, in other words, a weak degree of pollution or no pollution. The use of lichens as bioindicators proved to be an easy and simple method. According to the study, the incidence of lichens in the Iguaçu National Park is abundant, even in areas of intensive use, indicating the importance of fully protected conservation units for maintaining a balanced environment and to increase the contact between man and nature.