how does air pollution affect the growth of lichens?

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Solution

Lichens are the organisms that are formed by the association of the filamentous fungus and the microscopic green algae or cyanobacteria. Fungus provides moisture, minerals to algae & in turn algae provides food through the process of photosynthesis. Hence they absorb water vapour present in the air.
As we know that polluted air consists of different harmful gases, sulphur dioxide is one of them, released by various industries, automobiles etc. Lichens are sensitive to sulphur dioxide,so when they interact with air for moisture absorption, they get affected by sulphur dioxide and get damaged by it.

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