Accumulation of Airborne Trace Elements in Transplanted Pseudevernia furfuracea (L.) Zopf Exposed at Urban Monitoring Stations in Yozgat Province, Türkiye

Automated stations for measuring air quality consistently measure levels of airborne pollutants, but their quantity is limited, they need significant maintenance expenses, and they are unable to capture the complete geographical distribution of airborne contaminants. This research involved collecting samples of Pseudevernia furfuracea (L.) Zopf from Yapraklı-Çankırı and transplanting them for two consecutive periods of three months each at 5 exposure locations surrounding the polluted city center of Yozgat (Türkiye). The main objective of our study was to analyze the levels of Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb, Mn and Zn using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), additionally to calculate the concentrations of chlorophyll a and b, as well as the ratios of Chl (a+b), Chl (a/b), and Chl (b/a), lastly to create a pollution map of the city. The analytical findings for P. furfuracea indicate the following mean concentrations of heavy metals in 1st period Cu-0.30μg g−1, Cd-0,026μg g−1, Ni-0,61μg g−1, Pb-0,54μg g−1, Mn-2,17μg g−1, Zn-0,20μg g−1; in 2nd period Cu-0,43μg g−1, Cd-0,027μg g−1, Ni-0,64μg g−1, Pb-0,66μg g−1, Mn-2,21μg g−1, Zn-0,49μg g−1. While means of control stations are in 1st period Cu-0,26μg g−1, Cd-0,028μg g−1, Ni-0,23μg g−1, Pb-0,52μg g−1, Mn-1,90μg g−1, Zn-0,16μg g−1; in 2nd period Cu-0,36μg g−1, Cd-0,027μg g−1, Ni-0,29μg g−1, Pb-0,56μg g−1, Mn-1,96μg g−1, Zn-0,58μg g−1 in 2nd period. The variables that raise heavy metal levels include: high traffic volume, industrial operations and urban heating activities. Although the study was brief, it demonstrated that P. furfuracea is an effective bioaccumulator and bioindicator organism for future biomonitoring studies.