124
representative because they have low relative frequency values. The IndVal method
analysis can be performed using the PC-ORD 4.0 software package (McCune and
Mefford 1999).
Statistical analysis of data obtained by lichen indication of air quality can also be
obtained by using stаtisticаl software packages, SPSS 19.0 (SPSS Science, Chicago,
USA), while Origin 9.0 (OriginLab Corporation, Massachusetts, USA) (Xu et al.
2018) is often used for charting and regression analysis.
4.6 Conclusion
Air quality is an important topic nowadays. Intensified urbanization and industrialization in the twenty-first century have led to the deterioration in air quality, which
has certainly affected human health. The number of patients with respiratory diseases, who in some cases had had a fatal outcome, has sharply risen. Therefore,
there is a need for a timely detection of air pollution levels and tracking changes.
Research on the biological indication of air quality is one of the powerful tools for
monitoring air quality, which aims to lead to the improvement of air quality and,
thus, to the improvement of human living conditions. Methods of biological indication include the use of indicator organisms, and lichens have proven themselves to
be very good indicator organisms of air quality. One of the more convenient and
reliable methods of lichen indication of air quality is the method of calculating the
value of the atmospheric purity index. Based on the mentioned values, a complete
picture of the air quality of an area, the spatial distribution of pollution, and the
types that can be indicators of air quality is formed. It is this exact method that has
been applied in the two case studies presented in this paper.
Based on this research, it can be concluded that the investigated area of the town
of Kuršumlija is characterized by relatively poor air quality. It is an urban area with
relatively well-developed motor traffic, and in addition, a large amount of harmful
substances is emitted daily from the exhaust openings of the wood industry, which
negatively affect air quality and the environment in general. The state of air quality
is also affected by individual household fireplaces. In a large number of cases, wood
and coal are used as basic raw materials for heating, the combustion of which
releases oxides of sulfur and carbon. The reason for this threat to air quality is
reflected in the poor distribution of industrial, residential, and other socially active
zones in relation to the prevailing geoclimatic factors. In the end, the lack of public
greenery in this urban settlement, which obviously cannot be compensated by sporadic greenery from the yards of family homes and city parks, is also one of the
indirect causes of reduced air quality.
The second case study, in Prolom Spa, where the air quality is at a high level,
painted a completely different picture. The obtained results of air quality research in
this area indicate the presence of an exclusively lichen “normal” zone.
Based on all of the above, it is possible to conclude that lichens are good indicators of air quality and could, in certain cases (e.g., when there is no possibility of a
S. Ristić et al.
representative because they have low relative frequency values. The IndVal method
analysis can be performed using the PC-ORD 4.0 software package (McCune and
Mefford 1999).
Statistical analysis of data obtained by lichen indication of air quality can also be
obtained by using stаtisticаl software packages, SPSS 19.0 (SPSS Science, Chicago,
USA), while Origin 9.0 (OriginLab Corporation, Massachusetts, USA) (Xu et al.
2018) is often used for charting and regression analysis.
4.6 Conclusion
Air quality is an important topic nowadays. Intensified urbanization and industrialization in the twenty-first century have led to the deterioration in air quality, which
has certainly affected human health. The number of patients with respiratory diseases, who in some cases had had a fatal outcome, has sharply risen. Therefore,
there is a need for a timely detection of air pollution levels and tracking changes.
Research on the biological indication of air quality is one of the powerful tools for
monitoring air quality, which aims to lead to the improvement of air quality and,
thus, to the improvement of human living conditions. Methods of biological indication include the use of indicator organisms, and lichens have proven themselves to
be very good indicator organisms of air quality. One of the more convenient and
reliable methods of lichen indication of air quality is the method of calculating the
value of the atmospheric purity index. Based on the mentioned values, a complete
picture of the air quality of an area, the spatial distribution of pollution, and the
types that can be indicators of air quality is formed. It is this exact method that has
been applied in the two case studies presented in this paper.
Based on this research, it can be concluded that the investigated area of the town
of Kuršumlija is characterized by relatively poor air quality. It is an urban area with
relatively well-developed motor traffic, and in addition, a large amount of harmful
substances is emitted daily from the exhaust openings of the wood industry, which
negatively affect air quality and the environment in general. The state of air quality
is also affected by individual household fireplaces. In a large number of cases, wood
and coal are used as basic raw materials for heating, the combustion of which
releases oxides of sulfur and carbon. The reason for this threat to air quality is
reflected in the poor distribution of industrial, residential, and other socially active
zones in relation to the prevailing geoclimatic factors. In the end, the lack of public
greenery in this urban settlement, which obviously cannot be compensated by sporadic greenery from the yards of family homes and city parks, is also one of the
indirect causes of reduced air quality.
The second case study, in Prolom Spa, where the air quality is at a high level,
painted a completely different picture. The obtained results of air quality research in
this area indicate the presence of an exclusively lichen “normal” zone.
Based on all of the above, it is possible to conclude that lichens are good indicators of air quality and could, in certain cases (e.g., when there is no possibility of a
S. Ristić et al.