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Abstract Evaluating the impacts on biodiversity by means of the life cycle assessment (LCA) is a task researchers are currently facing. One impact assessment method that aims to do so is the recently developed biodiversity impact assessment BIA+. The aim of the present paper is to test this method and to show its applicability and feasibility. Additionally opportunities and challenges of this method shall be revealed. For this purpose, a case study for assessing the impacts of biodiesel production on freshwater biodiversity is introduced. Two substances, namely phosphorus and 1,4-dichlorobenzene (DCB), which are used for the biodiesel production for fertilization and the usage of pesticides, are being considered. The inventory data needed for the case study is gathered through the grey water footprint of the crop production that forms the basis of the European biodiesel consumption. Further, the BIA+ method is applied in order to assess the impacts of the biodiesel consumption in Europe for the year 2010 on freshwater biodiversity. The results reveal that even though assumptions have to be made and the results are highly uncertain, this method helps to identify hotspots within production processes. By including the BIA+ as an impact assessment method into LCA, impacts of products can be assessed with regard to biodiversity including genetic, species and ecosystem diversity. The main impact hotspot occurs in France with a potential loss of the biodiversity of 0.5 points. The lowest loss of the biodiversity occurs in Brazil (loss of 8.05*10–06 points). The results are mainly influenced by the impact of the toxic substance 1,4-DCB. By means of the case study, it is shown that the BIA+ method is applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Lichens are considered bioindicators and, as such, are widely used for air quality monitoring, especially in urban-industrial areas. The present paper proposes an evaluation of lichen communities in urban areas. The corticolous lichen community was assessed at 29 sampling stations in the city of Porto Alegre, in addition to a reference area located in the State Park in the city of Viamão, southern Brazil. The rubber band method was used for lichen mapping; three hundred host-trees were analyzed, at 11 different height levels. Lichens were evaluated in terms of composition, richness, cover and diversity, and sampling stations were classified based on the Index of Atmospheric Purity (IAP) complemented by the Environmental Classification Factor (ECF). The inclusion of ECF as a complement to the original IAP formula is proposed in the present study and not only richness and cover components are considered, but also data on the lichenized mycota composition (considering its different morphological forms). One hundred and thirty-one (131) taxa have been identified, out of which 13 specimens may be considered as indicators of urban areas, and the predominance of taxa belonging to the crustose and foliose morphological group was verified. The sampling stations were classified into five zones, ranging from lichen-free zones to optimal zones for lichen development. The use of lichen proved to be efficient to both evaluate air quality and identify alterations of urban microclimates. The application of an ECF-based correction factor is expected to complement the use of IAP, making it a more sensitive index, since an analysis of a multivaried information profile was deemed necessary, especially in regions where specimen diversity is higher. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]