Estimates Of Abundance And Biomass Of Cephalodia And Their Relationship To Nitrogen Deposition In Some British Populations Of Lobaria Pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm.

Internal cephalodia of Lobaria pulmonaria were examined in two British locations, one in western Scotland (Isle of Skye) and the other in England (Cumbria, Lake District), sites which were predicted to have contrasting levels of fixed nitrogen deposition. Cephalodia were found to occupy a small proportion of the total biomass averaging (<1%) in both areas. Modelled nitrogen deposition in the sites in Cumbria was 3-6 times higher than in the Skye sites but the cephalodium relative biomass was not significantly different. It is suggested that local climatic and topographic effects might have reduced the estimated rate of nitrogen deposition at the former sites.