Use of the aquatic lichen Dermatocarpon luridum as bioindicator of copper pollution: Accumulation and cellular distribution tests

Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the potential use of the aquatic lichen Dermatocarpon luridum as bioindicator of copper pollution. Lichen thalli were exposed to 0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 mM copper in synthetic freshwater to solve the problems of metal bioavailability. The mineral composition of this media was prepared so that it corresponded to the ion composition of natural waters in D. luridum ecosystems. Sequential elution procedures using NiCl2 or Na2–EDTA (20 mM) were used to determine the distribution of metals at different cellular sites. The copper concentration extracted from thalli was correlated with pollution intensity, the greater correlation being with the Na2–EDTA extractant. The malondialdehyde concentration in thalli can be used as indicator of copper pollution; however, similar membrane degradation was observed for 0.25 and 0.50 mM copper and for 0.75 and 1.00 mM copper. The copper concentration in thalli of aquatic lichens is correlated with pollution intensity.