Lichens (Punctilia rudecta) As Bioindicators for Air Pollution in Ohio, USA

Abstract

Lichens were used as bioindicators for the assessment of atmospheric pollution with trace metals in Ohio, USA. The concentration of Iron, Copper, Cadmium, Manganese, Nickel, Lead, Zinc, and Cobalt were determined in lichen samples collected from the vicinity of Shelby town, Ohio. The hierarchical cluster analysis showed that the investigated sites are classified into three main groups. The first group included eight sites that might be affected by similar anthropo-genic activities due to similar heavy metals distribution profiles, while the other groups that consisted of only two sites are separated from the first group. That means that other types of anthropogenic activities might have affected them. These findings were confirmed using two-principle components analysis.