Lead and Zinc Accumulation in Two Feather Mosses in Northwestern Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Comparisons were made of Pb and Zn in Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt. and in Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) B.S.G. Samples were collected inside Thunder Bay city limits (urban) and in immediately adjacent areas (rural). P. schreberi tended to have larger amounts of both metals but there was no significant difference in urban or rural samples. Concentrations of both metals were higher in both mosses in urban areas than in rural areas. Accumulations of the 2 metals were approximately equivalent to those in Scandinavia and the northeastern USA. Means were in ppm: P. schreberi Pb 97.7 .+-. 59.2, Zn 75.5 .+-. 19.5; H. splendens Pb 81.5 .+-. 50.4, Zn 71.2 .+-. 23.2.