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Selecting suitable moss indicators for routine bioindication of roadside air pollution
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  • Published: 23 February 2026

Selecting suitable moss indicators for routine bioindication of roadside air pollution

  • Vítězslav Plášek1,2,
  • Katarzyna Łuczak3,
  • Grzegorz Kusza3,
  • Hana Režnarová1,4 &
  • …
  • Arkadiusz Nowak5 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

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We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Ecology
  • Environmental sciences
  • Plant sciences

Abstract

In the context of accelerating urbanization, industrial development, and climate change, accurate and cost-effective methods for monitoring air pollution are increasingly needed. Among biological tools, cryptogams—particularly mosses—have attracted considerable attention due to their physiological traits and wide distribution. Seeking effective indicator species, this study evaluates the bioindication potential of five common pleurocarpous mosses (Plagiomnium affine, Climacium dendroides, Hypnum cupressiforme, Pseudoscleropodium purum, and Thuidium tamariscinum) for monitoring air pollution using moss bags and a rapid, non-invasive method of magnetic susceptibility measurements. We focused on traffic-related heavy metals, including zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and iron (Fe), quantified by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry. The results revealed clear interspecific differences in pollutant accumulation, with Plagiomnium affine and Climacium dendroides performing best, likely due to favorable morphological and physiological traits such as high specific leaf area and open leaf architecture. All tested species are widespread and easily accessible, enabling efficient biomass collection for field applications. By linking functional traits with pollutant retention capacity, this study provides evidence-based recommendations for species selection in routine biomonitoring protocols across temperate habitats.

Data availability

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Dr. Łuczak (kluczak@uni.opole.pl), upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

Work of V. Plášek was carried out at MCBR UO (International Research and Development Center of the University of Opole), which was established as part of a project co-financed by the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund, RPO WO 2014–2020, Action 1.2 Infrastructure for R&D. Agreement No. RPOP.01.02.00-16-0001/17 − 00 dated January 31, 2018.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic

    Vítězslav Plášek & Hana Režnarová

  2. Institute of Biology, University of Opole, Opole, Poland

    Vítězslav Plášek

  3. Department of Land Protection and Spatial Management, University of Opole, Opole, Poland

    Katarzyna Łuczak & Grzegorz Kusza

  4. Polish Academy of Sciences Botanical Garden - Center for Biodiversity Conservation in Powsin, Warsaw, Poland

    Hana Režnarová

  5. Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland

    Arkadiusz Nowak

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  1. Vítězslav Plášek
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Contributions

Vítězslav Plášek: Methodology, Investigation, Data sampling, Writing – original draft, Writing—review & editing; Katarzyna Łuczak: Conceptualization, Laboratory Investigation, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing, Data curation; Hana Režnarová: Investigation, Data sampling, Writing—review & editing; Arkadiusz Nowak: Methodology, Investigation, Data sampling, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing; Grzegorz Kusza: Supervision, Methodology, Investigation, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katarzyna Łuczak.

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Plášek, V., Łuczak, K., Kusza, G. et al. Selecting suitable moss indicators for routine bioindication of roadside air pollution. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-40922-8

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  • Received: 28 November 2025

  • Accepted: 17 February 2026

  • Published: 23 February 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-40922-8

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Keywords

  • Airborne pollutants
  • Bioindication
  • Environmental monitoring
  • Magnetic susceptibility
  • Heavy metals
  • Moss bags
  • Specific leaf area
  • Species selection
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