Use of lichens in detecting environmental risk and in geochemical prospecting

This paper provides data on variations in the contents of As, Sb, Ni, V, Pb, Cu, Cr, Au, Zn, Sc, and Al, measured in the thalli of a saxicolous lichen species,Xanthoria calcicola Ochsner s.l., collected in northeastern Sicily, near an industrial zone and along a belt crossing areas of known ores containing sulfides of heavy metals. A total of 91 lichen samples were collected on roof tiles (39) and on rocks (52). In the industrial zone, analysis of lichen thalli revealed high contents of nickel and vanadium, decreasing at increasing distances from the source of contamination. The results have also revealed the versatility ofXanthoria calcicola in geochemical prospecting for heavy metals such as Pb, Zn, As, Au, Sb, Ni, V, and Cu. The contents of these elements in the analyzed lichens highlight the same geochemical associations observed in prospecting surveys on samples of river sediments and identify similar anomalies. Interpretation of data in terms of enrichment factors (EFs) turned out to be particularly useful.