The use of the aquatic moss Fontinalis antipyretica L ex Hedw as a bioindicator for heavy metals

Increasing attention given to heavy metals as components of the pollutant load in aquatic ecosystems makes it necessary to find reliable biological indicators. Fundamental investigations into the effect of heavy metals on organisms are therefore required. The aquatic moss Fontinalis antipyretica was chosen as an indicator organism to optimize the indication of heavy metal loads at the physiological and biochemical level. Investigations into the distribution of the heavy metals Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn showed higher concentrations and less biological dispersion in older parts of the plants than in young shoot tips. In-spite of the considerable fluctuations it was possible to establish a correlation between concentrations of the element zinc in the medium and in the organism when water samples were examined parallel to plant samples. The correlation between various elements found in aquatic moss, above all copper and lead, made it possible to draw conclusions about the accumulation properties of Fontinalis antipyretica with respect to various elements.