A survey of metal concentrations in higher plants, mosses, and lichens collected on King George Island in 1988

Antarctica is considered to be one of the least polluted regions on earth, and therefore, it is important to survey and control the level of contamination. Antarctic vegetation is very sparse and is essentially restricted to seashore oases and nunataks. Therefore, any data concerning metal levels in plants and lichens are of crucial value for this area. Our first goal was to determine metal concentrations in two higher plants and the most dominant species of mosses and lichens collected in 1988. We then compared the results of our survey with recent studies employing similar methodology. In our study, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn concentrations in mosses, C. quitensis and D. antarctica were also higher than typical values for mosses and vascular plants from unpolluted areas indicating anthropogenic influence. Mosses were determined to be better bioindicators of metals than lichens. Hg concentrations in mosses were significantly higher than those in shoots of C. quitensis and D. antarctica. Increases in Cr, Pb, and V concentrations over time were observed in moss when concentrations from samples collected in 1988 were compared with more recent data from other studies. Our results for King George Island may apply at least to all the maritime Antarctic where climate and plant communities are similar.