Morphological and anatomical analysis of lichen foliose as a bioindicator of air pollution in Surakarta, Central Java

Lichen is an association basically composed of fungi (mycobiont) and mostly representatives of Ascomycota, and algae (cyanobacteria) belonging to cyanophyta plants. Lichen can absorb necessary nutrients and toxic elements through the entire thallus surface, and has a high sensitivity to atmospheric changes and making it a perfect biomonitor of air pollutants. The purpose of this study was to determine lichen as a bioindicator of air pollution through morphological and anatomical analysis in Surakarta, Central Java. This research method uses a purposive sampling technique by looking for lichen attached to trees using sampling points. Morphology of foliose lichen thallus was analyzed by the microscopic method using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The anatomy of foliose lichen thallus was observed with the transverse slice method, using a binocular microscope. The results of microscopic observation of lichen morphology with SEM showed cracks in the lichen thallus due to exposure to air pollution. The results of anatomical analysis showed the presence of black spots on the lichen layer due to air pollution. From this study, it can be concluded that lichen can be used as an alternative