Assessment of metal air pollution by epiphytic lichens: the incidence of crustal materials and of the possible uptake from substrate barks

The amounts of Al, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn in the epiphytic lichen Parmelia sulcata Tayl. and in surface soils of Mt. Amiata (Central ltaly) were measured. Using Al as a reference element, the data were normalized and background concentrations were established. In a separate trial, concentrations of the above elements in outer and inner barks of supporting trees (oak, chestnut, and beech) were determined. The possibility of an uptake of some elements from the substrate, although not very likely, cannot be excluded completely