Abstract
Moss surveys have several advantages over conventional depositionmonitoring based on precipitation, and allow the study of regional differences and temporal trends of airborne pollution. The purposes of this study were to: (i) describe the moss species growing in one of the largest industrial cities in Asia, (ii) document edaphic and atmospheric conditions at each site, (iii) collect materials and data for a program of regular moss monitoring, previously lacking in the Far East, (iv) uncover correlations among atmospheric and edaphic factors expected to influence moss growth. As a result, a total of fifteen moss species were recorded in twenty-five sites in Seoul, Korea, and most sites had four or five species. Each species' density was affected by soil parameters, but density of Pogonatum nessii and Taxiphyllum taxirameum was also affected by CO. In contrast, SO2 was the only environmental variablethat significantly affected the composition of moss communities. On the whole, species diversity rather than abundance of specific moss species might be a good indicator of atmospheric contamination in Seoul. This investigation will help fill the gap in knowledge of the interactions between environmental pollution and moss vegetation under field conditions.
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Lee, J., Johnson-Green, P. & Lee, E.J. Correlation between Environmental Conditions and the Distribution of Mosses Exposed to Urban Air Pollutants. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 153, 293–305 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:WATE.0000019949.95159.fa
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:WATE.0000019949.95159.fa