engleski

The use of mosses as bioindicators of envirnomental metal pollution

Effects of pollutants in the environment may be well estimated by using bioindicators suitable for indicating pollution according to their occurrence, frequency, abundance, vitality and changes in responses under certain environmental conditions. Mosses are commonly used as indicators of heavy metal (HM) pollution because of their specific morphological and physiological properties. The unique positions of Risnjak National Park (RNP) on the geomorphological boundary between the coastal Mediterranean part of Croatia and the continental hinterland have evidently caused a considerable atmospheric fallout impact on their soil cover. The aim of research was to evaluate the atmospheric deposition of the HM (Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb and Zn) by using Hylocomium splendens (HS) and Brachythecium rutabulum (BR) species of pleurocarpous mosses, which natively grows in the RNP. Mosses were collected during dry and rainy period in 2016 from 5 sampling sites of RNP. Mosses tissue samples were analyzed for Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb and Zn. Data suggest that mosses are more favorably exposed to the atmospheric deposition of contaminants than the soil surface thus enabling the use of mosses as effective bioindicators of metal atmospheric deposition. Conclusions: i) BR is possibly more suitable for biomonitoring of atmospheric metal deposits than the HS ; ii) higher concentrations of all investigated metals were measured at almost all research locations in moss BR and iii) higher concentrations of long-range transported HM (Cd, Pb and Zn), also recorded in BR.

air quality ; heavy metals ; biomonitoring ; Risnjak National Park

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