The Use of Bryophytes, Lichens and Bromeliads for Evaluating Air and Water Pollution in an Andean City

Abstract

Air and water pollution are global environmental problems; thus, bioindicators have become important tools for monitoring various pollutants, including metals and metalloids. Parmotrema arnoldii (Du Rietz) Hale and Tillandsia usneoides L. were evaluated as indicators of heavy metals in the air and Platyhypnidium aquaticum A. Jaeger and Marchantia polymorpha L. as indicators of heavy metals and a metalloid in water. The concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) as air pollutants and aluminum (Al), cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn) and arsenic (As) as water pollutants were analyzed within four different zones (control, northern, central and southern) in an Andean city of Ecuador. The level of metal concentrations in the air for P. arnoldii and T. usneoides had the following order of concentration: Zn > Mn > Pb > Cd > Cu. In the case of water, P. aquaticum pointed out a concentration of Al > Mn > Fe > Zn > As > Pb > Cd and proved to be more effective in detecting water pollution than the species M. polymorpha, which had a concentration of Al >Zn > Fe > Cd >As > Mn > Pb. P. aquaticum showed a higher capacity to accumulate heavy metals than M. polymorpha; therefore, it can be used as a model species for passive water quality monitoring. However, P. arnoldii and T. usneoides showed similar heavy metal accumulation related to air quality. The passive monitoring of air quality using bromeliads and lichens as well as bryophytes for water quality proved their effectiveness and applicability in tropical regions such as Ecuador.

http://jeb.co.in./journal_issues/202311_nov23/paper_12.pdf

“…Consequently, it has become one of the most widely employed biomonitors for detecting ambient air metal pollution (Thakur and Chander, 2018;Singh et al, 2018;Sujetovienė et al, 2019;Salleh et al, 2023). Lichens have the capacity to accumulate pollutants from the atmosphere over extended periods, encompassing the entire range of deposition variations within the study timeframe (Benítez et al, 2019;Huang et al, 2019;Lyanguzova et al, 2019;Rola, 2020;Elrhzaoui et al, 2020;Budzyńska-Lipka et al, 2022;Carrillo et al, 2022).…”

The Efficiency of Lichens in Air Biomonitoring in Teleorman County

“…These chemicals can be absorbed by lichens through their pores and affect the body's physiological processes. Due to this sensitivity, lichens can be used as indicators of the level of pollution with harmful substances in a specific geographical area [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20].…”

“…Lichens are also used in long-term biomonitoring studies to assess the evolution of air quality in a region [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27].…”

Biomonitoring with Lichens and Mosses in Forests

“…Air pollution in remote areas, mostly represented by forest sites, is receiving more and more attention, with three articles focusing on this topic [8][9][10]. In fact, despite a general improvement in air quality standards over recent decades (see, e.g., the decrease in sulfur oxide levels), nitrogen depositions (both oxidized and reduced) and Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs; including heavy metals) still represent the main pollutants also affecting forest remote sites.…”

“…A third study carried out in urban and forest areas of Ecuador [10] shows the effectiveness of the monitoring tools using lichens and bromeliads for air monitoring and bryophytes for water quality. In particular, the lichen Parmotrema arnoldii and the bromeliads Tillandsia usneoides showed similar heavy metal accumulation capacity.…”