A systematic review on biomonitoring using lichen as the biological indicator: A decade of practices, progress and challenges

Abstract

Various methods have been developed to monitor environmental quality, including biomonitoring using lichen. In this paper, a total of 143 previous studies from the last decade were analyzed to gain insight into current practices, progress, and challenges. Content analysis was employed to systematically characterize and classify the existing biomonitoring using lichen studies into several groups based on research area and scope. Various aspects of current biomonitoring applications using lichen were analyzed and it was found that the number of related studies increased significantly in recent years. Two main techniques for biomonitoring using lichen were identified, with varying research scope and types of parameters that were measured in the studies. Finally, the current practices, progress, and challenges of biomonitoring using lichen as the biological indicator were discussed, and future recommendations were provided.

Keywords

• Lichens
• Environmental impact assessment
• Biological monitoring
• Environmental management
• Air pollution