Biological monitoring: lichens as bioindicators of air pollution assessment--a review.

The results of a transplant experiment with the fruticose lichen Evernia prunastri aimed at monitoring the trends of trace elements deposition in a repeated biomonitoring study are reported. Data comparability between the two surveys and interpretation of the results were addressed in this study. The ratio between the concentration of each element after the exposure and in control samples prior to exposure (exposed-to-control ratio, EC ratio), as well as an appropriate interpretative scale, were adopted as a means of determining the temporal trends of element accumulation by lichen transplants. The results showed that the method adopted is indeed a reliable tool, pinpointing a Zn smelting plant and an oil refinery as principal pollution sources in the area, which indicate that elements associated with the former were similarly accumulated in both 2002 and 2003, while elements associated with the latter tended to decrease in 2003.

Problems Related to Lichen Transplants to Monitor Trace Element Deposition in Repeated Surveys: A Case Study from Central Italy

Comparison between the accumulation capacity of four lichen species transplanted to a urban site

The integrity of lichen cell membrane as a suitable parameter for monitoring biological effects of acute nitrogen pollution.

The concentration of selected trace elements and the magnetic properties of samples of the lichen Evernia prunastri exposed for 3 months in Milan (Italy) were investigated to test if magnetic properties can be used as a proxy for the bioaccumulation of chemical elements in airborne particulate matter. Magnetic analysis showed intense properties driven by magnetite-like minerals, leading to significant correlations between magnetic susceptibility and the concentration of Fe, Cr, Cu, and Sb. Selected magnetic particles were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope and Energy Dispersion System microanalyses, and their composition, morphology and grain size supported their anthropogenic, non-exhaust origin. The overall combination of chemical, morphoscopic and magnetic analyses strongly suggested that brake abrasion from vehicles is the main source of the airborne particles accumulated by lichens. It is concluded that magnetic susceptibility is an excellent parameter for a simple, rapid and cost-effective characterization of atmospheric trace metal pollution using lichens.

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/6/2073/pdf

Magnetic Emissions from Brake Wear are the Major Source of Airborne Particulate Matter Bioaccumulated by Lichens Exposed in Milan (Italy)

Samples of the epiphytic lichen Evernia prunastri collected in an unpolluted area were transplanted to the urban environment of Teramo (central Italy) The influence of the transplant process on trace element content was found to be negligible and after only two months, concentrations of all elements (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn) were significantly higher than in control samples It is suggested that motor traffic was the main source of atmospheric Cr, Cu, and Pb, while for Cd and Zn additional sources from phosphate fertilizers and pesticides used in the surrounding farmlands are hypothesized The possible uptake and accumulation processes of these metals in relation to time of exposure are discussed Lichens are known for their ability to accumulate airborne substances in concentrations far greater than those in the atmosphere (Nieboer & Richardson 1981) Accumulation at ion exchange sites and particulate trapping are two well documented mechanisms by which elevated levels of elements are achieved in lichens (Nieboer et al 1978) Metal cations bind to extracellular anion exchange sites in the cell wall and on the plasma membrane surface (Brown & Beckett 1985) Because cell wall-bound elements are readily exchangeable, extracellular quantities and proportions reflect recent environmental inputs (Brown 1987) However, when elements occur in insoluble particulate matter, they cannot be exchanged through the cell wall and accumulate in the thallus in relation to the environmental availability of the particles and exposure time ie, lichen age (Brown 1987) This last point was documented by Bargagli et al (1987), who found that the central (older) part of the thallus of foliose lichens has higher concentrations of certain metals than the peripheral (younger) part However, elements present in trapped particulates may be dissolved in water or solubilized by the lichen to some degree, and metal ions released by this process may have several fates eg, become potentially capable of occupying cation bind sites in the cell wall or be taken up intracellularly (Kershaw 1985) According to Loppi et al (1997), elements of limited metabolic significance (eg, Al, Pb) have higher concentrations in the central parts, where they are presumably trapped in the medulla, whereas e ements essential for lichen metabolism (eg, Co, Mo, Zn) have higher concentrations in the peripheral parts, but are easily displaced from one part of the thallus to another Nevertheless, the different me abolic fates of the various metals suggest that lichens may selectively accumulate those elements that remain extracellular, whereas those elements that enter into the cell may be metabolized and eliminated or may lead to death of the lichen (Kershaw 1985) In the present paper, the results of a transplant experiment with Evernia prunastri are reported The objective of the study is to investigate the uptake over time of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn after lichen samples were transplanted to an urban envi-

Accumulation of trace metals in the lichen Evernia prunastri transplanted at biomonitoring sites in central Italy.

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Accumulation of trace metals in the lichen Evernia prunastri transplanted at biomonitoring sites in central Italy.