A detailed study on the accumulation of aerial heavy metals by the moss, Calymperes delessertii

Besch. was conducted. Heavy metals studied were Zn, Cd, Ni, Fe, Mn, Pb and Cu. The suitability

of the moss as a bioindicatoT to these aerial metals was also discussed

Lee, C. K.

Loi, S.T.

Low, K. S.

Phoon, Azhar

Universiti Putra Malaysia Institutional Repository

Pertanika 8(1), 109 -1l4 (1985)The Use of the Moss, Calymperes Delessertii Besch.,as a Bioindicator to Airborne Heavy MetalsK.S. LOW, C.K. LEE, S.T. LOI and AZHAR PHOON*Chemistry Department,Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies,Universiti Pertanian Malaysia,Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.Key words: Moss; Calymperes Delessertii Besch., heavy metals; bioindicator; atmospheric pollu-tion.ABSTRAKSatu kaj£an yang lengkap tentang penumpukan logam berat yang terdiri darzpada udara olehlumut Calymperes delessertii Besch. telah di.falankan. Logam berat yang dika.fi adalah Zn, Cd, Ni, Fe,Mn, Pb dan Cu. Kesesuaian lumut ini sebagai satu penunjuk terhadap logam-logam ini.fuga dibin-cangkan.ABSTRACTA detailed study on the accumulation of aerial heavy metals by the moss, Calymperes deles-sertii Besch. was conducted. Heavy metals studied were Zn, Cd, Ni, Fe, Mn, Pb and Cu. The suitabili-ty of the moss as a bioindicatoT to these aerial metals was also discussed.INTRODUCTIONThe use of mosses for monitoring effluentdispersal of heavy metals has been investigatedby several workers (Ruhling and Tyler, 197.0;Goodman and Roberts, 1971; Little and Martin1974; Barclay-Es.trup and Rinne, .1978). Its usefor monitoring regional and local variations inheavy metal concentration was reported byGroet (1976), Schakelette and Connor (1973)and Martinez and co-workers (1971). Alsoreported is its use as a guide to mineralisation(Ward and co-workers, 1977).Recently Lee and co-workers (1983) report-ed on the heavy metalfi. of some Malaysianmosses. It was found that mosses from urbanareas had a higher Pb concentration than thosefrom rural areas. Similar trends in the variationsof Pb in mosses were reported by Groet (1976)and Barclay-Estrup and Rinne (1975). Cu gene-rally followed the same trend as Pb although itwas less well defined. No clear trend was observ-ed for the variation of Zn, Cd, Ni, Fe and Mn formosses from different areas.This paper reports on a more detailed studyon the accumulation of aerial heavy metals bythe moss, Calymperes delessf!Ttii Besh. 'Un-polluted' mosses were placed at Kuala Lumpurcity (heavy traffic) and Universiti PertanianMalaysia campus, Serdang (light traffic) andtheir heavy metal contents were monitored con-tinuously over a period of ten weeks.METHODS AND MATERIALSThe moss, Calymperes delessertii Besch.was collected from a remote oil palm estate somedistance from Universiti Pertanian Malaysia.There was no known industrial activity in itsvicinity.'Biology Department, Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia.K.S. LOW, C.K. LEE, S.T. LOI and AZHAR PHOONThe 'unpolluted' mosses were placed inwooden frames of dimension 30 X 20 cm 2 withnylon meshing forming the bases. Care wastaken to minimize overlapping of mosses so thatthey were all exposed to the atmosphere. Theywere suspended at a height of 0.8 m above theground in three locations. They were the Mer-deka Roundabout, Kuala Lumpur (site A),Bank Negara Roundabout, Kuala Lumpur (siteB) and Universiti Pertanian Malaysia campus(site C). Both sites A and B are some 20 km fromsite C. Sites A and B represent areas of hightraffic density whereas site C of low trafficdensity.At the end of each exposure period (oneweek), mosses (about 10 g) were randomlycollected from the wooden container from eachsite. They were mixed to form a compositemixture. They were then kept in polyethylenebags and labelled and cleaned immediately uponreaching the laboratory. The mosses were se-parated from their substrates, rinsed twice withdeionised water and dried at 75°C for 3 daysaccording to the procedure of Ward and co-workers (1977).Goodman and Roberts (1971) reported noappreciable difference between the metalcontents of washed and unwashed samples ofHypnum cupressifarme.The dry mosses were ground using a stain-less steel mill. Samples (1 g) were digested using. 20 cm 3 of a 4 : 1 mixture of concentrated nitricand perchloric acids. The residue was washed, with 1% RNO 3 in deionised water, filtered andmade up to 25 cm 3. A blank solution containingthe acids was used as a control. All analyses wereperformed in duplicates .. Zn, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, Feand Mn were determined using a sequentialscanning inductively coupled plasma emissionspectrometer (ICP-ES; Labtest 710 - 2000).RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe concentrations of Zn, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni,Fe and Mn in mosses at various exposure inter-vals for the three sites are shown in Fig. 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6 and 7 respectively. Zn, Fe and Mn werehighest in concentration while Cd was lowest.Pb, Cu and Ni had intermediate values.The correlation coefficients of the variouselements in the mosses with exposure time areshown in Table 1.TABLE 1Correlations between heavy metal concentrations in the moss and exposure timesat various sitesElementZnCdCuPbNiFeMnLevel of significance:* p < 0.01** P < 0.001110Site A Site B Site C-0.05 -0.29 - 0.170.67 0.35 0.490.76* 0.81 * 0.90**0.98** 0.95** 0.95**0.68 0.95** 0.590.07 0.85** 0.570.55 0.21 0.90**PERTANIKA VOL. 8 NO.1. 1985USE OF THE MOSS. CALYMPERES DELESSERTII BESCH.. AS A BIOINDICATOR TO HEAVY METALSZinc Cadmium;.\ /"I' ,\. jj~~\!, 1/ ~\~1 I. !!, . "_~/ \" '~I I' I \,I ,\ I 'I'1-'N .\1 ,\I \I \Iii \~ Ii" I .0I I I i \ lV'"'\ ,. l ' .4"I 'I ~-_ XI! ' 4- • .,y b/ \ I )i! ~// ,Ii'f ;/\";...J.-.I{"" I2.5 '--"""'--=2-~3:---:4'---:5~-:6~~7:---:8::---:9-::-~-Exposure time [weeks]c.!:!~~c~ 3.0co()en-..en 4.~4.5No significant correlation could be estab-lished between the metal with exposure at allthree sites. Generally, the metal content increas-ed with exposure. However, the pattern of in-crease appears random.Zinc concentration increased initially.reaching a maximum between 4 to 6 weeks.However, thereafter there was a decrease. Thefinal concentrations were lower than those of the'unpolluted' mosses. Ruhling and Tyler (1970) intheir inv~stigation of woodland moss, Hyloco-mum Splenden, showed the sorption and reten-tion of heavy metals to be in the order of Cu, Pb,> Ni > Co > Zn, Mn. It has also been shownthat the uptake of heavy metals is mainly aprocess of passive ion exchange. In 'dusty' areasuptake is presumably dominated by surfaceabsorption via aerial transport of the particulates(Ward et al., 1980). Should the moss, Calympe-res delessertii Besh. show a similar order of sorp-tion and retention of metal ions, it would explainthe decrease of Zn after the initial increase. Asthe concentration of other metal ions like Pb,Cu, Ca, K, Mn and Na started to build up, theywould stop the active sorption process by Znwhich was present. Hence, this moss does notappear to be a suitable bioindicator for monitor-ing aerial Zn on a long term basis.....o111\1 \, \; \I \f \I \I \I \I \/'"I ~I \1 fo\I . 'jf l '1, \': \\j'-,..o \ b.I \ \/ /f \\A.I / l.-'fo, \ \I iii ,/.\/ .' If' .\,d.-J.--'I: ~~x\/.''1.;..' ~__ -Ii t- -4.,"·t, ,~, -"o 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Exposure time (weeks)Fig. 2. Concentration ofcadmium in the moss at sitesA (x), B (0) and C ( !J. ).CopperCu uptake by the moss shows a significantcorrelation with exposure; at site A a positivecorrelation of 0.76 (p < 0.01), site B, 0.81 (p <0.01) and site C, 0.90 (p < 0.001). At two sites,A and B, the mosses did not have the same rateof sorption. This suggests variability of copper inthe environment. Ruhling. and Tyler (1970)suggested that the sorbed Cu ions formed a verystable complex with the moss tissues and hencewere not readily leached out.Fig. 1. Concentration ofzinc in the moss at sites A (x),B (0) and C ( !J. ).The continuous increase of Cu with timesuggests the suitability of this moss as an indi-cator to atmospheric Cu levels.PERTANIKA VOL. 8 NO.1. 1985 111KoSo LOW, CoKo LEE, SoT. LOI AND AZHAR PHOON22\2016~140> .....0>::i.~~12CLou..o10<:.51...~...<:~ 8<:oo6 0L..---"---'2o---3--4~-5=---:6~--:7=---8:---:9=---:1':<C0-­Exposure time (weeks)Fig. 30 Concentration ofcopper in the moss at sitesA (x), B (0) and C ( /::, )0LeadSignificant correlations of Pb in the mosswith exposure are observed at all three sites; siteA, 0.98; site B, 0.95; site C, 0.95, all at the signi-ficant level of p < 0.001. The average rate ofsorption of Pb by the mosses on a weekly basis atsites A, Band C were 120.8, 126.9 and 11.3 p.gg -Idry weight of the moss respectively. The ratesof sorption at sites A and:a are comparable. Thegreater increase of Pb in the moss at sites A andB (urban areas) correspond to the higher level ofaerial Pb. As there are no known industrialplants emitting Pb in all three areas, motorvehicle exhausts could be regarded as the majorsource of lead pollution. Low and co-workers(1981) in their study of atmospheric Pb in KualaLumpur and Universiti Pertanian Malaysiacampus reported a higher concentration ofatmospheric lead in Kuala Lumpur (6.5 p.gm -~) than at Universiti Pertanian Malaysiacall1pus 0.25 p.g m -~). The present study con-fir1l1 the earlier findings. Pb was reported to form ahighly stable organochelate with mosses (Mellorand Mallye 1948).Ruhling and Tyler (1968) reported thatsome mosses· were good indicators for Pb accu-mulation. Martinez and co-workers (1971) re-ported that Spanish mosses found in the vicinityof busy highways contained a high level of Pbsuggesting a high aerial Pb environment. Mossesthat were most distant from travelled roads hadthe lowest Pb content. They also established thatthe Pb was incorporated in the tissues. Usingelectron scattering properties of Pb, Skaar(1973) and co-workers were able to establish thatlead was accumulated within the nuclei of mossleaf cells.It appears that this moss, Calymperes deles-sertii Besch. is a good bioindicator of atmo-spheric lead...o<:o~ 10..<:Qlu<:o(,)o 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Exposure time (weeks)Fig. 4. Concentraton oflead in the moss at sites A (x),B (0) and C ( /::, )0112 PERTANIKA VOL. 8 NO. I, 1985USE OF THE MOSS, CALYMPERES DELESSERTII BESCH.• AS A BIOINDICATOR TO HEAVY METALSNickel, Iron and ManganeseFor Ni and Fe, the metal contents in themoss could be significantly correlated with expo-sure at site Bonly.For Mn, significant correlation between themetal in the moss and exposure interval wasestablished at site Conly.Reasons for such variability in the uptake ofthese metals by the moss are not clear. Howeverit does indicate that the moss could not be usedto monitor these metals in the atmosphere.Fig. 5. Concentration ofnickel in the moss lit sitesA (x), B (0) and C ( ~ ).~ 60u'c40"o:;;....".,u 20"o(,,)o 2 3 4Exposure5678'9time (weeks)1045Cll....Cll~35=..=0::IICll0::IIE'(;250::.~......0::=~ 15ot), O~--'7--2--;;:3-':l4--:5:--~6:---7:;----:;8--::9-7.IO"Exposure time rweeks]Fig. 6, Concentration ofiron in the moss at sites A (x),B (0) and C ( ~ ).65Cll....Cll~"'0';( 40::o..,1!1:=~ 2ot)~1\1\I \I \ r;---"-, \ I1 \ II' /\ ! ""'/\lC I __".......... IJ''-.......' .• II iI / '. /p / \, .'/,,,,,,,,/ {, \ ....If/ i \~............6'"\ / !\I I._........._.~\ j\, i'4..._ •.1.5 O~~--::-2-~3-~4-~5:--"'6:---:7;--8!:--:-9-""IO:--­EXposure time (weeks)Fig. 7. Concentration ofmanganese in the moss atsites A (x), B (0) and C ( ~ ).CONCLUSIONThe moss, Calymperes delessertii Besch.appears to be a good bioindicator for monitoringaerial Pb and to a lesser extent Cu. It is not satis-factory for Zn, Cd, Ni, Fe dan Mn. If the metalconcentrations in the mosses could be quantita-tively related to the total metal content in theair, this convenient and yet inexpensiveapproach would be useful in the study of metalhazar~ to crops, live stock and man, Once sucha relationship has been established, the mosstechnique would be much preferred to direct airsampling.PERTANIKA VOL. 8 NO. I, 1985 113K.S. LOW, C':K. LEE, S.T. LOI AND AZHAR PHOONREFERENCESBARCLAY-ESTRUP, p. and RINNE, RJ.K.(1978):Lead and zinc accumulation in two feathermosses in north-western OntarIo, Canada.Oikos. 30: 106 - 108.GOODMAN, G.T. and ROBERTS, T.M. (1971):Plants and soils as indicators of metals in theair. Nature. 231: 287 - 292.GROET, S.S. (1976): Regional and local varia-tions in heavy metal concentrations bybryophytes in the north western UnitedStates. Oikos. 27: 445 - 456.LEE, C.K., Low, K.S., LOOI, P.S.T. (1983):Heavy metals in some Malaysian mosses.Pertanika. 6(3): 48 - 55.LITTLE, P. and MARTIN, M.M. (1984): Biolo-gical monitoring of heavy metal pollution.Environ. Pollut. 6: 1- 9.Low, K.S., LEE, C.K. and GURMIT, S. (1981):Airborne lead at Jalan Tuanku AbdulRahman, Kuala Lumpur. Pertanika. 4(2):193 -196.MARTINEZ, J.D., NATHANY, M., and DHARMA-RAJAU, V. (1977): Spanish moss, a sensor forlead. Nature. 233: 584 - 585.MELLOR, D.P. and MALEY, L. (1948): Order ofStability of metal complexes. Nature. 161:436-:437.RUHLING A. and TYLER, G. (1968): An ecolo-gical approach to the lead problem. Bot.Not. 121: 321- 342.RUHLING, A. and TYLER, G. (1970): Sorptionand retension bf heavy metals in the wood-'land moss Hylocomium splendens (Hedw).Br. et Sch.' Oiks. 21:92 - 97:SKAAR, H., OPHYS, K and GULLVAG, B.M.(1973): Lead accomulation within nuclei ofmoss leaf cells. Nature. 241: 215 -~216.SCHAKELETTE, H.T. and CONNOR.J.J. (1973):Airborne chemical elements 'in spanishmoss. u.s. Geol. SUTV. Proc. Paper. 574-E.WARD, N.L, BROOKS, R.R. and ROBERt'S, E.(1977): Heavy metals in some New Zealandbryophytes. The Bryologist. 80: 304 - 312.(Received 18 September, 1984)114 PERTANlKA VOL. 8 NO. I, 1985

The use of the moss, Calymperes Delessertii besch.,

as a bioindicator to airborne heavy metals

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The use of the moss, Calymperes Delessertii besch., as a bioindicator to airborne heavy metals

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