Emily Losi

Prof. Alexandratos

MHC 200

Sept. 24, 2015

And It Turned Into A BioBlitz!

            As we arrived at the entrance to Fresh Kills, my group partners and I were rather skeptical about how successful our operation would be. We were assigned to collect data regarding the park’s natural wildlife and report it to our overseeing scientist. We looked around as groups began getting their assignments, praying that we would not be members of the insect group. Thankfully, we avoided this assignment and were placed in the lichens group. Now we just had to find out what exactly lichens were.

While we walked to our data collection destination, our group’s scientist leader, Jessica, told us about our mission. Our job was to gather accurate information concerning the different types and number of lichens indigenous to this area of Staten Island. She explained that lichens are really two organisms in a symbiotic relationship. They typically consist of a type of algae and a fungus. The fungi provide a home and protection for the algae, while the algae provide the fungi with nutrients. They look like and often grow with mosses, but they are an altogether different species from moss.

When we reached our data collection site, we trekked through the tall, brown weeds to reach the bigger trees in the area. All of the trees we observed had one type of lichen growing on them: foliose lichen. They looked just like miniature leaves of a tree, hence their name. In order to count the number of lichens, we held up a 3×3 chart with each box containing several open circles against the tree. We counted the number of circles that contained lichens and recorded our findings. Lichens grew in the greatest numbers on the south sides of the trees we observed.

After we had finished collecting our data, we walked back to the beginning of the trail into the park. On the way, our leader, Jessica, told us about the importance of her research. In the past, lichens have commonly been used to make dyes and antibiotics; recently, they have been used in cancer research. The lichens have instrumental value for humans, but humans can be their most dangerous enemies. Lichens will not grow in areas with high air pollution, such as large cities and suburban areas. On Staten Island, there are only about four or five types of lichen because they cannot grow in such a suburban area. However, in upstate areas, especially in the Catskills, there can be up to 200 different types of lichens living in one area. This just shows how humans are still harming the environment. Our industrial progress that has increased air pollution is having a continued effect on the environment. While there have been other ecosystems that have also been affected by these changes, we were able to see firsthand through our experience with the lichen how human activities are always affecting the environment.

The BioBlitz was a rather interesting and educational experience. My friends and I had the opportunity to become scientists for the day, contributing our own research findings to that of an established scientist. We learned about how one species can contribute to its own and other ecosystems and realized the importance of preserving even the smallest inhabitants of an ecosystem.