Comparisons between the metal content of a transplanted lichen before and after the start-up of a coal-fired power station in Israel

Regional amounts of Ni, Cr, and Pb in transplanted Ramalina duriaei were higher than in the lichen transplanted to the same sites during the period prior to operation of the coal-fired power plant. Subsequent increase of Pb in the lichen reflects the increase in the total number of motor vehicles in the country during that time. The increase of the amounts of Cr and Ni in the latter period is probably related to emissions of these substances from the power-plant stack. The regional decrease in Zn amount in the lichen in the latter period is probably related to a decrease in the use of Zn as a constituent of foliar nutrients in agriculture. -from Author