1 Introduction
3
them, the bryophyte mosses can act as sensitive bioindicators as well as bioaccumulators of metal deposition in the environment (Rühling and Tyler 1973; Fernandez and
Carballeira 2000, 2002; Harmens et al. 2010, 2011, 2013a, b; Vujiˇ ci´ c et al. 2011)
are widely used as bioindicators. Moss biomonitoring is a passive biomonitoring
technique that uses living organism of the terrestrial moss species to investigate the
content of different contaminants (metals, nitrogen, and organic pollutants, POPs)
and to assess air quality (Gerdol et al. 2014). Passive biomonitoring with terrestrial mosses, i.e., the “moss biomonitoring technique”, becames a useful tool for
the study of air quality and, more specifically, the atmospheric deposition of heavy
metals (Fernandez et al. 2015), organic compounds (Harmens et al. 2013a, b) and
nitrogen deposition (Harmens et al. 2011) all in a large geographic scale (Harmens
et al. 2010, 2011). It is a relative and integrative measurement method that is based
on different sensitivity of moss living organisms to air pollution. The morphological and physiological features of moss species show a high ability to accumulate
different inorganic and airborne pollutants through the wet and dry deposition. Moss
biomonitoring repeated in a certain time interval, usually at five years interval, by
using the same moss species in the same study area that can investigate the temporal
trends of air quality and the differences on spatial distribution of the contaminants.
The bryophyte mosses have no vascular root system or waxy cuticle layer and
the nutrients and mineral adsorption occurs over their entire surface (Rühling and
Tyler 1973) directly from wet and dry depositions. The ability to retain potentially
toxic elements has led to the use of bryophyte moss as biomonitors of air pollution
(Rühling and Tyler 1973, 1984, 2004; Onianwa 2001; Zeichmeister et al. 2003). Some
substantial properties that make the bryophyte mosses as good indicator are: they are
ectohydric species, which means that most of the species receive water as well as
mineral nutrients predominantly by atmospheric depositions, have a large surface to
weight ratio, the existence of large cationic exchange properties within the cell wall,
show a slow growth rate, are mostly growing in groups, show minimal morphological
changes during their lifetime, can survive in highly polluted environment and is
possible to determine the concentrations in the annual growth segments (Zechmeister
et al. 2003; Blagnyt˙ e and Paliulis 2010).
The use of native terrestrial ectohydric mosses as biomonitors is now a wellrecognized technique in studies of atmospheric contamination (Fernandez and
Carballeira 2000, 2002; Harmens et al. 2010, 2011, 2013a, b) and is applied as
a practical mode in establishing and characterizing deposition sources. Since the
1970s, mosses are used in large-scale monitoring surveys, providing valuable information on the relative spatial and temporal changes of trace metal deposition in
Europe (Rühling et al. 1987; Rühling 1994; Rühling and Steinnes 1998; Frontasyeva
et al. 2004; Harmens et al. 2015).
Moss biomonitoring in Albania started in 2010/2011 when our research group
from University of Tirana joined the European Moss Survey conducted within the
framework of the International Cooperative Programme on Effects of Air Pollution
on Natural Vegetation and Crops, ICP Vegetation (Harmens et al. 2013a, b) and
the doctoral studies conducted in Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana,
Albania. The survey was repeated in 2015, at the same period with the European moss
3
them, the bryophyte mosses can act as sensitive bioindicators as well as bioaccumulators of metal deposition in the environment (Rühling and Tyler 1973; Fernandez and
Carballeira 2000, 2002; Harmens et al. 2010, 2011, 2013a, b; Vujiˇ ci´ c et al. 2011)
are widely used as bioindicators. Moss biomonitoring is a passive biomonitoring
technique that uses living organism of the terrestrial moss species to investigate the
content of different contaminants (metals, nitrogen, and organic pollutants, POPs)
and to assess air quality (Gerdol et al. 2014). Passive biomonitoring with terrestrial mosses, i.e., the “moss biomonitoring technique”, becames a useful tool for
the study of air quality and, more specifically, the atmospheric deposition of heavy
metals (Fernandez et al. 2015), organic compounds (Harmens et al. 2013a, b) and
nitrogen deposition (Harmens et al. 2011) all in a large geographic scale (Harmens
et al. 2010, 2011). It is a relative and integrative measurement method that is based
on different sensitivity of moss living organisms to air pollution. The morphological and physiological features of moss species show a high ability to accumulate
different inorganic and airborne pollutants through the wet and dry deposition. Moss
biomonitoring repeated in a certain time interval, usually at five years interval, by
using the same moss species in the same study area that can investigate the temporal
trends of air quality and the differences on spatial distribution of the contaminants.
The bryophyte mosses have no vascular root system or waxy cuticle layer and
the nutrients and mineral adsorption occurs over their entire surface (Rühling and
Tyler 1973) directly from wet and dry depositions. The ability to retain potentially
toxic elements has led to the use of bryophyte moss as biomonitors of air pollution
(Rühling and Tyler 1973, 1984, 2004; Onianwa 2001; Zeichmeister et al. 2003). Some
substantial properties that make the bryophyte mosses as good indicator are: they are
ectohydric species, which means that most of the species receive water as well as
mineral nutrients predominantly by atmospheric depositions, have a large surface to
weight ratio, the existence of large cationic exchange properties within the cell wall,
show a slow growth rate, are mostly growing in groups, show minimal morphological
changes during their lifetime, can survive in highly polluted environment and is
possible to determine the concentrations in the annual growth segments (Zechmeister
et al. 2003; Blagnyt˙ e and Paliulis 2010).
The use of native terrestrial ectohydric mosses as biomonitors is now a wellrecognized technique in studies of atmospheric contamination (Fernandez and
Carballeira 2000, 2002; Harmens et al. 2010, 2011, 2013a, b) and is applied as
a practical mode in establishing and characterizing deposition sources. Since the
1970s, mosses are used in large-scale monitoring surveys, providing valuable information on the relative spatial and temporal changes of trace metal deposition in
Europe (Rühling et al. 1987; Rühling 1994; Rühling and Steinnes 1998; Frontasyeva
et al. 2004; Harmens et al. 2015).
Moss biomonitoring in Albania started in 2010/2011 when our research group
from University of Tirana joined the European Moss Survey conducted within the
framework of the International Cooperative Programme on Effects of Air Pollution
on Natural Vegetation and Crops, ICP Vegetation (Harmens et al. 2013a, b) and
the doctoral studies conducted in Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana,
Albania. The survey was repeated in 2015, at the same period with the European moss