Browsing by Subject "mosses"

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Access status: Open Access ,
Testing of selected phytoindicators for the environmental assessment of areas under various levels of pollution
(2012) Piotrowska, Karolina; Panek, Ewa
The aim of this paper was to determine the suitability of six plant species in biomonitoring of pollution from atmospheric trace metal deposition. Concentrations of Cu, Cd, Pb were determined in: mosses (Pleurozium schreberi, Polytrichum formosum), two years old needles of the Norway spruce (Picea abies), the common silver fir (Abies alba), the common larch (Larix decidua) and in leaves of the common white birch (Betula pendula). The material was collected in three different areas under various levels of pollution (Kraków Agglomeration, Spisz-Gubałów Foothills, Silesian Beskid). The highest concentrations of trace metals occurred in: the moss species Pleurozium schreberi: 6.17-10.83 mg Cu/kg d.w., 0.6-2.37 mg Cd/kg d.w., 7.0-27.17 mg Pb/kg d.w. and in the leaves of the common white birch: 4.82-15.33 mg Cu/kg d.w., 0.28-2.32 mg Cd/kg d.w., 1.33-5.41 mg Pb/kg d.w. In turn, the needles of the Norway spruce contain little amount of trace metals: 2.00-8.00 mg Cu/kg d.w., 0.07-0.45 mg Cd/kg d.w. and 0.17-3.83 mg Pb/kg d.w. The both moss species seem to be better biomonitors of atmospheric pollution in less polluted areas, because of higher elemental concentrations in most cases, espedally in terms of an ability to accumulate Pb and Cu. However, the common white birch is a better bioacumulator of Cd. This spedes has similar accumulation abilities as the common lardi. Both trees are good phytoindicators in the monitoring of highly contaminated areas. Spruce needles showed lower concentrations of trace metals than other species collected at the same site. However, all selected indicators are suitable for comparative studies on bioindication of urban and industrial air pollution.