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Lichens as sentinels for air pollution at remote alpine areas (Italy)

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Abstract

The present study was undertaken with the aim of using epiphytic lichens as sentinels for air pollution at two remote alpine sites (1,400 and 1,800 m above sea level (asl)) of NW Italy. The results indicated that the site at 1,800 m prompted for early warning indications of biological changes. Although levels of the many elements assayed in samples of the lichen Pseudevernia furfuracea (L.) Zopf, ranging from minor elements (e.g., Al) to ultra-trace (e.g., Pt), were at normal levels, indications of a slowly worsening environment were given by the lichen biodiversity and by damage to cell membranes. The analysis of Pb isotopic ratios suggested that the origin of Pb accumulated in lichens is not local, but linked to the long-range transport by air masses. It was concluded that the origin of pollutants is from air mass coming from the Po plain of Italy and from densely populated areas of Switzerland and France.

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Acknowledgments

This paper is dedicated to the memory of the late Prof. Carlo Gaggi, eminent ecotoxicologist and above all a dear friend. Thanks are due to Dr. L. Frati, Dr. S. Santoni, Dr. V. Nicolardi, and Prof. G. Protano for sharing field and lab work.

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  1. Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

    Stefano Loppi

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  1. Stefano Loppi
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Correspondence to Stefano Loppi.

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Loppi, S. Lichens as sentinels for air pollution at remote alpine areas (Italy). Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 2563–2571 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-2181-0

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