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Two new species of Anzia are described from Sri Lanka: A. mahaeliyensis characterized by a white, single-layered medulla and pale tipped isidia, and A. flavotenuis by a two-layered medulla with the upper layer yellow and the lower part white, a central chondroid axis and isidia with brown-black tips. Morphological and chemical characters used to distinguish species of Anzia are discussed and DNA sequences (ITS) are provided for the two new species. Characteristic features and worldwide distribution of the genus are also outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although some moths are known to feed on lichens, few butterflies are reported to feed on them. We report conclusive evidence for the feeding and sequestration of lichen products from the lichen Leproloma sipmanianum by the wild-caught adults and larvae of Talicada nyseus nyseus (Lycaenidae) in Beragala, Uva Province, Sri Lanka. Here, the butterfly lays eggs on Kalanchoe pinnata, growing beside proterozoic rocks on which the lichen grows. HPLC/TLC analysis showed that the lichen compounds enter the adult through its larvae feeding on the lichen. It was also shown that larvae were not viable on the lichen alone without the host plant, but were healthy when the lichen and host plant were present. The presence of lichen compounds in the adult population throughout the season suggests that larvae of T. nyseus nyseus may be feeding on the lichen L. sipmanianum to obtain protection against predators during their life cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia (NH 3) pollution has emerged as a major cause of concern as atmospheric concentrations continue to increase globally. Environmentally damaging NH 3 levels are expected to severely affect sensitive and economically important organisms, but evidence is lacking in many parts of the world. We describe the design and operation of a wind-controlled NH 3 enhancement system to assess effects on forests in two contrasting climates. We established structurally identical NH 3 enhancement systems in a temperate birch woodland in the UK and a tropical sub-montane forest in central Sri Lanka, both simulating real-world NH 3 pollution conditions. Vertical and horizontal NH 3 concentrations were monitored at two different time scales to understand NH 3 transport within the forest canopies. We applied a bi-directional resistance model with four canopy layers to calculate net deposition fluxes. At both sites, NH 3 concentrations and deposition were found to decrease exponentially with distance away from the source, consistent with expectations. Conversely, we found differences in vertical mixing of NH 3 between the two experiments, with more vertically uniform NH 3 concentrations in the dense and multi-layered sub-montane forest canopy in Sri Lanka. Monthly NH 3 concentrations downwind of the source ranged from 3 to 29 μg m−3 at the UK site and 2–47 μg m−3 at the Sri Lankan site, compared with background values of 0.63 and 0.35 μg m−3, respectively. The total calculated NH 3 dry deposition flux to all the canopy layers along the NH 3 transects ranged from 12 to 162 kg N ha−1 yr−1 in the UK and 16–426 kg N ha−1 yr−1 in Sri Lanka, representative of conditions in the vicinity of a range of common NH 3 sources. This multi-layer model is applicable for identifying the fate of NH 3 in forest ecosystems where the gas enters the canopy laterally through the trunk space and exposes the understorey to high NH 3 levels. In both study sites, we found that cuticular deposition was the dominant flux in the vegetation layers, with a smaller contribution from stomatal uptake. The new facilities are now allowing the first ever field comparison of NH 3 impacts on forest ecosystems, with special focus on lichen bio-indicators, which will provide vital evidence to inform NH 3 critical levels and associated nitrogen policy development in South Asia. [Display omitted] • Wind-controlled field NH 3 release systems replicate real-world pollution scenarios and are a tool for assessing ecological impacts of NH 3. • Our resistance model aids quantifying NH 3 deposition to different layers of a forest canopy from an NH 3 source located within the canopy. • The NH 3 release system coupled with the resistance model shows that soil surface and leaf cuticles experience the highest NH 3 deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]