Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The Use of Mosses in Biomonitoring of Air Pollution in the Terrestrial Environment: A Review

This paper is not about microplastics; it reviews the use of mosses as biomonitors for air pollution by metals and organic compounds.

2023 Ochrona Srodowiska i Zasobów Naturalnych - Environmental Protection and Natural Resources 10 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Global ambient air quality monitoring: Can mosses help? A systematic meta-analysis of literature about passive moss biomonitoring

Researchers conducted a systematic review of 123 studies on moss-based passive biomonitoring, finding that mosses can serve as natural sensors for atmospheric deposition of heavy metals and organic pollutants, offering a cost-effective complement to conventional air quality monitoring networks especially in developing regions.

2023 Environment Development and Sustainability 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Air Quality Assessment by Moss Biomonitoring and Trace Metals Atmospheric Deposition

Researchers used moss biomonitoring with Hypnum cupressiforme across Albania to assess atmospheric deposition of trace metals, identifying anthropogenic pollution hotspots and demonstrating that moss can serve as a cost-effective tool for monitoring air quality and microplastic deposition at national scale.

2022 Aerosol and Air Quality Research 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Fine-tuning the use of moss transplants to map pollution by Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in urban areas

Researchers evaluated the use of mossphere transplants to map atmospheric deposition of potentially toxic elements in urban areas, finding that the devitalized moss bags accurately reflect spatial pollution gradients and can be fine-tuned for city-scale biomonitoring.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Moss, Lichens and Phytobenthos Bioindicators of Pollution

This review discusses the use of mosses, lichens, and aquatic algae as biomonitors of heavy metal pollution in air and water, covering both monitoring techniques and recent case studies. It is focused on heavy metal monitoring rather than microplastics specifically, but biomonitoring methods discussed are relevant to broader environmental pollution assessment.

2020 Open Access Journal of Waste Management & Xenobiotics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of the air quality in an industrial zone using active moss biomonitoring

This paper is not relevant to microplastics — it uses moss-bag biomonitoring to assess heavy metal air pollution near a metallurgical industrial facility in Tula, Russia.

2023 International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Moss as a biomonitor for the atmospheric deposition of anthropogenic microfibres

Researchers used moss (Bryophyta) as a passive biomonitor to track atmospheric deposition of anthropogenic microfibres, finding that moss samples from various locations accumulated synthetic fibres reflecting local sources of airborne plastic contamination. The study establishes moss monitoring as a practical method for assessing microplastic atmospheric deposition without active collection equipment.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential Role of Mosses in Evaluating Airborne Microplastic Deposition in Terrestrial Ecosystems

This review examines the potential of mosses to serve as cost-effective biomonitors for tracking airborne microplastic deposition in terrestrial ecosystems. Preliminary studies indicate that mosses accumulate higher concentrations of microplastics than lichens, likely due to their physical structure. The study outlines steps needed to develop a standardized, reliable methodology for using mosses to monitor airborne microplastic pollution across both inhabited and remote regions.

2026 Journal of Xenobiotics
Article Tier 2

Ecological Roles of Lichens as Monitors of a Changing Global Environment

Researchers reviewed the ecological roles of lichens as sensitive bioindicators of environmental change, examining how their unique physiology — lacking a protective cuticle and absorbing water and nutrients directly from the atmosphere — makes them especially vulnerable to airborne pollutants, and how synergistic stressors from global change such as rising temperatures and shifting precipitation further compromise lichen diversity and ecosystem function.

2026 Biology
Article Tier 2

Determination of atmospherically deposited microplastics in moss samples

Researchers developed and evaluated methods for detecting atmospherically deposited microplastics in moss samples, adapting established moss biomonitoring frameworks used for heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants to enable both particle-based and mass-based microplastic analysis.

2024
Article Tier 2

Comparison of Lichens and Mosses as Biomonitors of Airborne Microplastics

Researchers compared lichens and mosses as biomonitors for airborne microplastics, finding that both organisms effectively capture and accumulate atmospheric microplastic particles, offering a simpler alternative to traditional labor-intensive sampling methods.

2023 Atmosphere 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and Their Impact on Moss Ecosystem Functions: A Comprehensive Review

This review examines the comprehensive impacts of microplastic pollution on moss ecosystem functions, synthesising evidence on how pervasive plastic particles affect terrestrial and aquatic moss communities and the ecological services they provide.

2024
Article Tier 2

Multivariate Analysis of Factors Influencing the Concentration of Persistent Organic Pollutants and Microplastics in Mosses Sampled Across Germany in 2020

Mosses growing across Germany were analyzed as living pollution sensors, and the results show that concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in mosses are driven by a combination of large-scale atmospheric drift and proximity to local industrial or agricultural sources. Microplastics in the mosses were harder to model statistically, with only styrene-butadiene rubber and polyethylene particles showing meaningful patterns linked to nearby sources. The study reinforces the value of national moss monitoring networks for tracking atmospheric pollution, but highlights that denser sampling is needed to reliably map microplastic deposition across a country.

2026 Atmosphere
Article Tier 2

Biomonitoring of Airborne Microplastic Deposition in Semi-Natural and Rural Sites Using the Moss Hypnum cupressiforme

Researchers demonstrated that the native moss Hypnum cupressiforme can serve as a biomonitor of atmospheric microplastic deposition, detecting synthetic fibers and fragments at semi-natural and rural sites in southern Italy and revealing that airborne microplastic contamination extends well beyond urban areas.

2023 Plants 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Moss Bags as Biomonitors of Atmospheric Microplastic Deposition in Urban Environments

Researchers tested moss bags as a biomonitoring tool for measuring atmospheric microplastic deposition across an urban gradient in southern Ontario, Canada. They found that moss bags effectively captured microplastics, with higher deposition in more urbanized areas. The study demonstrates that moss-based monitoring is a practical, low-cost method for tracking airborne microplastic pollution in cities.

2023 Biology 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Monitoring moss reveals widespread deposition of airborne microplastics across the UK – practical lessons and recommendations

Researchers evaluated the use of moss as a biomonitor for atmospheric microplastic deposition across the UK, drawing on established protocols for monitoring metals and nutrients in mosses. The study demonstrated that moss biomonitoring is practical for large-scale spatial surveys and provided recommendations for standardized collection, processing, and quantification methods.

2025
Article Tier 2

Accumulation of Atmospheric Metals and Nitrogen Deposition in Mosses: Temporal Development between 1990 and 2020, Comparison with Emission Data and Tree Canopy Drip Effects

Researchers analyzed 30 years of European moss monitoring data from 1990 to 2020, tracking temporal trends in atmospheric deposition of metals and nitrogen, with the 2020 campaign also including the first broad-scale measurement of microplastic accumulation in mosses.

2023 Pollutants 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Suitability of aquatic mosses for biomonitoring micro/meso plastics in freshwater ecosystems

Researchers evaluated the aquatic moss Fontinalis antipyretica as a biomonitor for meso- and micro-plastic pollution in freshwater rivers, comparing native samples to devitalized moss clones held in bags at the same sites. Results showed the moss effectively accumulated plastics from the water column, supporting its suitability as a passive biomonitoring tool for emerging plastic pollutants in river ecosystems.

2022 Environmental Sciences Europe 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of Atmospheric Pollution by Selected Elements and PAHs during 12-Month Active Biomonitoring of Terrestrial Mosses

This 12-month study used three species of moss to monitor atmospheric pollution from heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, finding that different moss species were better suited for tracking different pollutant types. Element concentrations increased steadily over time, while organic pollutants peaked around 5 to 6 months of exposure. While focused on air quality monitoring, these biomonitoring techniques could potentially be adapted to track airborne microplastic deposition in communities.

2024 Atmosphere 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Evidence on the effectiveness of mosses for biomonitoring of microplastics in fresh water environment

Sphagnum moss was tested as a biomonitor for microplastic pollution in freshwater, and the moss successfully intercepted and retained plastic particles including fibers and fragments from stream water. The study establishes mosses as practical, low-cost biomonitoring tools for tracking microplastic contamination in freshwater environments.

2018 Chemosphere 70 citations
Article Tier 2

Lichen Biomonitoring of Airborne Microplastics in Milan (N Italy)

Researchers used lichen transplants across Milan to monitor airborne microplastic deposition, finding that microplastic accumulation varied with land-use zones and traffic density, validating lichens as effective biomonitors for atmospheric plastic pollution.

2022 Biology 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Trends and Future Challenges for Lichen Biomonitoring in Forests

This review examines recent trends in using epiphytic lichens as biomonitors in forest ecosystems, which have historically been underrepresented compared to urban and industrial monitoring. Researchers discuss how lichens respond to air pollution and climate change in forested areas and identify future challenges for expanding lichen biomonitoring programs in these environments.

2023 Forests 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of urban atmospheric particulate matter on higher plants using Lycopersicon esculentum as model species

Tomato plants exposed to aqueous extracts of urban atmospheric particulate matter showed dose-dependent reductions in biomass and chlorophyll content, with higher doses causing clear phytotoxic effects and protein content paradoxically increasing at intermediate doses, suggesting that PM-associated nutrient content initially offsets chemical stress at lower concentrations.

2021 SN Applied Sciences 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Mapping of measured concentrations of persistent organic pollutants and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in mosses and correlation of their surface estimations with maps on modelled atmospheric deposition in Central Europe

Researchers conducted a German pilot moss survey analyzing persistent organic pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and microplastics to validate new analytical methods and map the spatial distribution of atmospheric contaminants across the country.

2025 University Library Vechta