Líquenes como bioindicadores de la calidad del aire en seis estaciones de la Red de Monitoreo de Calidad del Aire de la ciudad de Bogotá D.C. (Colombia)

Abstract

The present study was carried out in the city of Bogotá- Colombia using lichens as bioindicators of atmospheric pollution through the Atmospheric Purity Index (IPA). The research was carried out in the green areas surrounding six air quality-monitoring stations (Kennedy, San Cristóbal, Fairs, High Performance Center, Suba and Guaymaral), taking the Fraxinus uhdei (Wenz.) Lingelsh. (Urapán) species as a phorophyte, with 25 species of lichens in total. Data were obtained on the environmental variables and the criteria pollutants PM10, PM2,5 and O3 for each monitoring point for the years 2015 to 2019 this to find the Atmospheric Purity Index (IPA) and the Bogota Quality Index of the Air (IBOCA); Statistical correlation analyzes were performed with the data obtained from these three indices. It was found that lichens are affected by particulate matter PM10, PM2,5 and are tolerant to Ozone (O3), it was also found that the results of the IPA which resulted in poor air quality for the study areas does not have significant relationship with the data provided by the ICA and IBOCA since they register a regular to good air quality for the studied areas, which indicates that monitoring by means of lichens through the use of IPA is a tool with greater sensitivity to pollutants. The areas reported with the best air quality according to the IPA were as follow: Suba station followed by Guaymaral and Centro de Alto Rendimiento. The stations with the worst air quality were San Cristóbal, Ferias and Kennedy (Lichen desert). Canoparmelia carneopruinata, Lecanora caesiorubella, Physcia decorticata, and Flavopunctelia flaventior were identified as tolerant to contaminants, and Alyxoria varia, Caloplaca epiphora, and Parmotrema bangii as sensitive species.