Airborne metal elements from vehicles in transplanted lichens selected in the vicinity of Trabzon-Yomra highway in Turkey

Ten elements Hg, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Mn, Cu, Zn, Fe, and Al were analyzed in 11 lichen species of 11 different lichen genera Physcia adcenders, Xanthoria calcicola, Cladonia rangiformis, Collema erispum, Parmelia caperata, Dermatocarpon miniatum, Cetraria islandica, Diploschistes scruposus, Hypogymnia physodes, Pseadevernia furfuracea, and Peltiqera canina by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) method. The lichens used were transplanted either to the vicinity of streets of low volume and slow traffic or the vicinity of highways in the city of Trabzon. The highest Hg, Pb, Cd, and Fe concentrations were 1.24, 135, 19.7, 1963 mg/kg in Cladonia rangiformis the nearest a highway respectively. The highest Cr, Ni, and Al concentrations found were 32, 54, and 2779 mg/kg in Diploschistes scruposus respectively. The highest Mn, Cu, and Zn were 108 mg/kg in Dermatocarpon miniatum, 51 mg/kg Xanthoria calcicola, and 92 mg/kg in Physcia adcenders respectively.