EVALUATION OF HEAVY METALS LEVELS IN EVERNIADIVARICATA THALLUS, GROWING ON SPRUCE AT DIFFERENT ALTITUDES IN BUCEGI MOUNTAINS, BY EDXRF SPECTROMETRY

The study presents the researches concerning the dominant lichen species which are in a large expansion on conifers in many regions of the world, as well in Romania. We take in study one of the dominant lichen species Everniadivaricata, which is colonizing the conifers in Bucegi, because of the damages caused to trees, till a drying process. So, we have to establish the mainly heavy metals content of thallus in correlation with altitude. It is well known that the lichens are bioindicator for heavy metals pollution. The arboreal lichens were sampled from 900, 1200, 1500 and 1800 m altitude. The iron was found in the highest quantities in all samples collected from all four altitudes, between 526 ppm and 1824 ppm in lichen thallus. The other heavy metals investigated were in much lower quantities than iron (between 1 ppm and 73 ppm), at all four sampled stations. The metal content was different from one altitude to other.