PRACTICAL DATE:

AIM- Study of pollution indicator plants in terms of morphology and anatomy.

1. LICHENS

FOR INDICATING AIR POLLUTION-

Lichens are known to be able to live in wet and dry places. Whenever it rains, lichens turn into
darker colours like black and green and start doing photosynthesis. But, when they are dry, they
seem dormant. Their colour lightens and they look pale and dull. Thus, it can be said that
lichens are not indicators of water pollution.
- Soil is a vital stratum for lichens. It provides them with nutrients, space to grow, moisture, and
shelter, depending on the location.
- We have already stated that lichens are sensitive to concentration of sulphur dioxide in the air.
Places with badly polluted air have a scarce population of lichens.
- But, when they are present in abundance, it means that the air is clean, thus supporting their
presence.
- Thus, it has proven that lichens are the best indicators of air pollution since they can’t live in
areas with concentration of sulphur dioxide in air.

CHARACTERISTICS OF LICHENS-
Lichens are a group of plants of composite thalloid nature, formed by the association of algae
and fungi.Based on the morphological structure of thalli, they are of three types crustose, foliose
and fruticose.Lichen reproduces by all the three means – vegetative, asexual, and sexual.
Vegetative reproduction: It takes place by fragmentation, decaying of older parts, by soredia and
isidia.Asexual reproduction: By the formation of oidia. Sexual reproduction: By the formation of
ascospores or basidiospores. Only fungal component is involved in sexual reproduction.
2. ALGAE-

INDICATOR OF WATER POLLUTION & WATER QUALITY

Algae composition and temporal variation in abundances are important in determining the
trophic level of lakes. Algal communities are sensitive to changes in their habitat, and thus, total
biomass of algae and many algae species are used as indicators of water quality.
Water quality is a canonical group of physical, chemical, and biological properties of the given
water.Cyanobacteria has been accepted as a major indicator of eutrophication in freshwater as
their blooms are common in waters affected by nutrient concentration pollution biological
indicator algae such as Euglena sp., Chlamydomonas sp., Scenedesmus sp., and Chlorella sp.
were successfully used to indicate pollutant in aquatic ecosystems.
Utricularia graminifolia: A Water pollution indicator

Utricularia graminifolia is a small perennial carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus
Utricularia. It is native to Asia, where it can be found in Burma, China, India, Sri Lanka, and
Thailand.
They could often be used to estimate pollutant levels in their habitats indirectly. It might also be
possible to track population density over time and notice changes that might result from
changes in the ecosystem.
Utricularia graminifolia from Asia belongs to the bladderwort family. All the plants in this family
are insect eating, perennial water and marsh plants. In nature, the plant lives in nutrient-poor
places, hence the need to catch small insects and digest them.Bladder traps are a unique
feature of this family, which Utricularia graminifolia forms after a short period in the
aquarium.The species name means 'with grass like leaves' and the fresh green leaves will after
some time form a pretty mat which looks like a lawn (2-8 cm tall).Utricularia graminifolia is
therefore an ideal foreground plant, although it is rather demanding.
CHARACTERISTICS OF UTRICULARIA GRAMINIFOLIA
U. graminifolia grows as a terrestrial or affixed subaquatic plant in wet soils or in marshes,
usually at lower altitudes but ascending to 1,500 m.
They are always found in very wet areas or in the water where it is quite challenging to locate
the source due to their tiny size.
This bladderwort has no root but branches in the green or brown stem which is 0.1 to 3
millimeters in thickness. The green branch arises finer green branches in whorl arrangement
that further divide into almost feathery in which usually bears tiny bulbous traps. Some species
are running on the mats with green leaves at different sizes without a stem with bulbous traps
beneath the leaves that are generally found underground. The green leaves have a
photosynthetic function that produces food for this carnivorous plant.

3.Cladophora
Heavy metal pollution indicators Plants

Cladophora is a genus of reticulated filamentous Ulvophyceae (green algae). The genus

Cladophora contains many species that are very hard to tell apart and classify, mainly because
of the great variation in their appearances, which is affected by habitat, age and environmental
conditions.The Cladophora species can be a major nuisance causing major alteration to benthic
conditions linked particularly with increased phosphorus loading.

Cladophora (heavy-metal sensitive alga) and Stigeoclonium (heavy-metal tolerant alga) get
totally perished and flourish, respectively, in polluted environments, thus indicating the
heavy-metal toxicity in the environment.
4.The Water Hyacinth
(Eichhornia crassipes)-

Water hyacinth grows in all types of freshwaters environments. This plant varies in
size from a few inches to over three feet tall. They have showy lavender flowers and
the leaves are rounded and leathery, attached to spongy and sometimes inflated
stalks. Water hyacinth has dark feathery roots and may be confused with frog’s-bit
(Limnobium spongia) which has a somewhat similar appearance.

Water hyacinth has a variety of negative impacts once introduced into a

freshwater environment. it forms dense, impenetrable mats which clog
waterways, making boating, fishing and almost all other water activities,
impossible. It also reduces biodiversity by crowding out native plants at the
water's surface and below. Water hyacinth mats also degrade water quality by
blocking the air-water interface and greatly reducing oxygen levels in the water,
eliminating underwater animals such as fish.

It is a common aquatic plant in many tropical countries. Its ability absorb nutrients
and other elements from the water has made it possible to use it for water
purification purposes. Eichhornia, especially stems and leaves, have been
successfully used as indicators of heavy metal pollution in tropical countries. The
uptake of heavy metals in this plant is stronger in the roots than in the floating
shoots. Metallothionein-like compounds have been found from roots of this species
after cadmium exposure.
5.BRYOPHYTES-

Bryophytes are Poikilohydric plants so they provide the water from the surrounding
water. This makes them directly affected by changes in their environment. Therefore,
mosses are indicator plants for the detection of environmental pollution. Due to these
properties, they can be used both in the determination of the presence of air pollutants
in urban and industrial areas and in controlling the concentration of pollutants.
Pollution indicators As bryophytes lack a protective layer or cuticle, they are extremely
sensitive to pollutants in the immediate environment. Bryophytes can be used as
indicator species, as the presence of pollution-sensitive species can help indicate low
levels of air pollution. Air pollution can also create “moss deserts” and force many
sensitive species to retreat. They are very widely used to measure heavy metal air
pollution, especially in large cities and in areas surrounding power stations and
metallurgical Works. Heavy metals, such as lead, chromium, copper, cadmium, nickel,
and vanadium, accumulate in the cell walls. Bryophytes are also suitable as
bio-indicators of water pollution and for the monitoring of radioactive caesium. Other
species may indicate specific ecological conditions, such as Ph levels in soil and water.
Bryophytes are, in general, considered to be just as sensitive to air pollution as lichen

Characteristics of Bryophytes: Plants occur in damp and shaded areas

The plant body is thallus like, i.e. prostrate or erectIt is attached to the substratum by rhizoids, which
are unicellular or multicellularThey lack true vegetative structure and have a root-like, stem-like and
leaf-like structurePlants lack the vascular system (xylem, phloem)Bryophytes show alternation of
generation between independent gametophyte with sex organs, which produces sperm and eggs
and dependent sporophyte which contains sporesThe dominant part of the plant body is
gametophyte which is haploidThe thalloid gametophyte is differentiated into rhizoids, axis and
leaves
RESULT- Thus we have studied few examples of plants that indicate pollution.