Palladio, an Index of Trace Element Alteration for the River Bacchiglione Based on Rhynchostegium riparioides Moss Bags

Abstract

The concentration of Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, V and Zn was measured in the aquatic bryophyte Rhynchostegium riparioides after a 4-week transplantation at 83 stations in seven main watercourses and three smaller tributaries of the basin of the River Bacchiglione (NE Italy). The study, carried out in 9 months, aimed at establishing a database for statistical analyses to define a novel index of water quality, specifically calibrated for moss bags, and suitable for bio-monitoring purposes where autochthonous bryophytes are not available. The background level was estimated for each element, the ratio between sample and background concentration was adopted as measure of environmental alteration and a five-class interpretation scale was defined. The 73.8% of measured concentrations reflected a condition of naturality, 16.6% suspect of alteration, 7.6% sure alteration, 1.6% severe alteration and <0.5% extreme alteration. The condition of global environmental alteration (all contaminants) at each station was also defined. Forty-four stations presented absence or suspect of alteration, 39 sure alteration for one or more elements. Bivariate and multivariate analyses revealed (1) highly significant correlations (p < 0.001) between the concentrations of Co–Mn, Sb–Zn, and Fe–V, depending on both natural and human factors, (2) chemical patterns leading to galvanic industries, metallurgy or urban sewages, in some case with a geographical distribution and (3) a gradient of environmental alteration from the Pre-Alps to the lowland. Coloured maps indicate both point sources and widespread environmental alteration, highlighting not only industrial–urban areas but also some apparently undisturbed sites

Development of a standard protocol for monitoring trace elements in continental waters with moss bags: inter- and intraspecific differences

“…This behaviour has often been observed in P. riparioides by Cesa et al (2010Cesa et al ( , 2013, and the most probable reason is that the concentration in moss before exposure was close to the equilibrium state for the corresponding water concentration in the experimental site, which was very low, compared to that of other trace elements, as Table 1 suggests. The only exception was iron in P. riparioides, whose concentration was high in the water (up to 451 μg/l), but it was also in the moss (around 9000 mg/kg).…”

“…Moss bags have been successfully used both for environmental monitoring and investigation, mostly in Europe (Bruns et al 1997;Carballeira et al 2001;Cenci 2000;Cesa et al 2006Cesa et al , 2010Figueira and Ribeiro 2005;Mersch and Reichard 1998;Rasmussen and Andersen 1999;Siebert et al 1996;Yurukova and Gecheva 2003).…”

Platyhypnidium aquaticum as Bioindicator of Metal and Metalloid Contamination of River Water in a Neotropical Mountain City

“…Another interpretation is that these zones have a lower percentage of vegetation cover as a result of higher urbanization. For example, Cesa et al [27] show that the concentration of such metals (e.g., Ca, Co, and Mn) gradually increases with urbanization and lower degrees of vegetation cover.…”

“…Finally, Al, Cr, Pb, and V did not vary significantly among zones of the Zamora River, but lower concentrations were found in the control. Samecka et al [ 26 ], Cesa et al [ 27 ], and Herrera-Núñez et al [ 29 ] showed that the concentration of these metals in urban rivers is mainly due to the activities of textile and manufacturing industries, which are not present along the Zamora urban river. In addition, concentrations of these metals in natural waters are highly influenced by the presence of acid rain and atmospheric deposits [ 30 ], and stone extraction activities that affect deep beds [ 17 ].…”

Methodological aspects of moss sample preparation. Effects of freezing and duration of washing on the cellular distribution of elements in Fontinalis squamosa Hedw.

“…Biomonitoring studies usually involve measurement of the total concentrations of individual contaminants in bryophyte tissues (Carballeira and López, 1997;Samecka-Cymermann and Kempers, 1998;Cesa et al, 2010). However, determination of the concentrations of contaminants accumulated in different cellular form.…”