Abstract: Lichens have been widely used in biomonitoring of atmospheric element deposition. However, assessment of environmental input of elements could be interfered by the differences in element concentrations among lichens. Two foliose lichen species, epilithic Xanthoria mandschurica (XM) and epiphytic Candelaria fibrosa (CAF), were collected from three sites around the Changzhi Basin, Shanxi Province, China. The concentrations of 51 kinds of elements in lichens were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The purpose was to compare element concentrations between the two lichens and to address the possible ecological reasons. The results showed that the concentrations of 40 elements differed greatly between XM and CAF, among which 36 elements (Al, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Ce, Cs, Dy, Er, Eu, Fe, Gd, Ge, Ho, La, Li, Lu, Mn, Na, Nb, Nd, Ni, Pb, Pr, Sc, Si, Sm, Sr, Tb, Th, Ti, Tm, U, V, Y and Yb) showed higher concentrations in XM than those in CAF, possibly due to the higher dry deposition on XM, higher susceptibility of XM to geochemistry of local rocks, but higher canopy interception on CAF. The concentrations of four elements (K, P, S and Zn) were significantly higher in CAF, probably due to the canopy leaching that carried more nutrients to the epiphytic lichens. Little differences between lichens were found in the concentrations of other 11 elements (As, B, Cd, Co, Cu, Hg, Mg, Rb, Sb, Se, and Tl). Our results indicated that the variations of lichen species, geochemistry of substrate, and vegetation should be considered when we monitor atmospheric deposition using lichens.

Key words: vegetation type, soil respiration, temperature sensitivity.