Heavy metals in the lichen Ramalina duriaei transplanted at biomonitoring stations in the region of a coal-fired power plant in Israel after 3 years of operation

A survey of the heavy metal content in a transplanted lichen Ramalina duriaei (De Not.) Bagl. was carried out in the region of an Israeli coal-fired power plant. Nickel, Cr, Cu, and Zn were analyzed in the lichen exposed to environmental influences for a period of 1 yr. The concentrations of metals were compared with the concentrations of the same metals measured in R. duriaei transplanted to the study area prior to the operation of the power plant. The results show that after the 1983-1984 period, the regional concentrations of Cr in the transplanted lichen thalli were found to be higher than in the lichen thalli transplanted to the same sites during the period February 1979-March 1980, prior to the operation of the coal-fired power plant. A regional decrease in Zn concentration in the lichen exposed during the latter period is probably linked to the decrease in the use of this metal as a constituent of foliar nutrients in agriculture. The regional increase of Cr in the 1983-1984 lichen material is probably connected with the operation of the Maor David coal-fired power plant located at Sharonim. A local increase in the Ni and Cr concentrations was found in the lichen transplanted to a nature reserve located north of the power station.