Air quality biomonitoring with epiphytic lichens and mosses

摘要

In recent decades increasing attention is paid to biomonitoring of air quality. In this paper epiphytic mosses and lichenswere chosen as bioindicators to estimate the level of atmospheric pollution. The paper presents the results of elementalanalysis, as well as analysis of the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in mosses and lichens of Tomsk andProkopyevsk (Russia, Western Siberia). The mean values of lichens δ13C for Prokopyevsk and Tomsk are ca. –26‰ and–27‰, respectively. The mean values of δ~(13)C in mosses are similar for both cities (ca. –30‰). However, δ~(13)C of somemosses samples collected in Prokopyevsk have lighter values (ca. –34‰), probably due to the mine methane influence.The mean δ~(15)N values for mosses and lichens for Tomsk (+2.1 and –1.3‰, respectively) is heavier compared to themean δ~(15)N values for Prokopyevsk (δ~(15)N for mosses = –1‰ and δ~(15)N for lichens = –5‰). Based on this, it can beconcluded that Tomsk has a large anthropogenic load in terms of emissions of nitrogen-containing compounds.