The production of stress ethylene relative to the concentration of heavy metals and other elements in the lichen Hypogymnia physodes
- Tel Aviv Univ. (Israel)
- Univ. of Oulu (Finland). Dept. of Biology
The objective of this study was to examine fluctuations in the production of ethylene by the lichen, Hypogymnia physodes, indicative of environmental stress caused by air pollutants. In addition, the authors investigated the accumulation capacity of H. physodes, transplanted in the vicinity of two streets having slow traffic and a highway in the city of Oulu, N. Finland, for a short period (45 d). The amounts of stress ethylene produced by the transplanted lichens was compared with the amounts of airborne elements accumulated in the thallus. H. physodes manifested a high accumulation capacity for Fe and Mg in thalli exposed in either one or both streets with slow traffic in Oulu in comparison with thalli left on the control site in the forest outside of the city. Two of the observed elements, Zn and Fe, exhibited a significant positive correlation with the ethylene concentration detected concomitant in thalli retrieved from one or both streets with slow traffic were higher than the concentrations in thalli transplanted in a highway with 25,240 cars/d after 45 d of exposure. The data thus suggest that the streets with slow traffic and fewer cars are more polluted than the highway.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 563966
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 16, Issue 11; Other Information: PBD: Nov 1997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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