Transcript OPAL Air survey - Field Studies Council

OPAL Air Survey
What is air?
 Air is a mixture of gases
 Nitrogen 78.09%, Oxygen 20.95%, 1% other
Why is it important?
Life on earth
Animals
Humans
Plants
Humans
Inhale :
Oxygen
(O2)
Exhale :
Carbon
dioxide
(CO2)
Air pollution
Sources :
Vehicles
Factories
Houses
Aerosols
Farming
Effects:
Smog
Acid rain
Climate change
Nitrogen pollution
 Sources: Car fumes, factories, fertilisers
 Problem: Producing too much nitrogen
 Effects: Acid rain, harming ecosystems, contributing
to global warming
Where do you find the most nitrogen pollution?
Countryside
Suburban
City
Bio-indicators
 Bio-indicators are living organisms that can be used
to monitor the health of an environment or
ecosystem.
Examples include:
 Canaries used by coal miners
 Invertebrates in streams e.g. Mayfly nymph
What is a lichen?
I have a
flattened
body
I have no roots
I have no stem
I have no
leaves
Lichens – Two lives in one
 A lichen is a partnership between a fungus and an alga.
 The fungus (mycobiont) provides protection and the
alga (photobiont) provides food.
 Reproduce by fragmentation or through soredia
Symbiosis or controlled parasitism?
 By existing together they can live in places they couldn’t
survive on their own.
Where do lichens grow?
• Anywhere – even in the most extreme environments
Hot
African deserts
Rocky shores
Cold
Alpine peaks
Lichen biodiversity
• 18,000 identified worldwide
Bushy
1,700 in Britain
Leafy
Crusty
•Some lichens are more tolerant to pollution than
others
I
nitrogen!
I hate nitrogen!
Spot the lichen
1
2
3
Activity 1 – lichens on trees
 Sample 4 deciduous trees – un shaded
 Identify the tree species
 Measure the girth of the tree
 Identify all indicator lichens on one face of the trunk
 Look at the twigs of the tree – record lichens
 Record insects that you see
1
2
3
4
Tar spot
 Fungus Rhytisma acerinum
 Sensitive to pollution
 Growth is reduced by sulphur dioxide and oxides of
nitrogen
 The more tar spot the less polluted the air
Count as
2 spots
Make your results count
Website : www.OPALexplorenature.org
Results can also be posted in for free!
Enjoy the survey!!!!