Mosses as biomonitors of elemental deposition in the Dachnye Hot Springs Geothermal Area, Mutnovsky Volcano, Kamchatka, Russia: a pilot study.

Element accumulation in moss species (three biological replicates per species), Polytrichum commune, Sphagnum girgensohnii, and Hypnum cupressiforme - growing in the Mutnovsky Volcano geothermal area (Kamchatka, Russia) was assessed in a pilot study. The mass fractions of Na, Mg, Al, Cl, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Zn, As, Br, Rb, Sr, Mo, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Sm, Tb, Yb, Hf, Ta, Th, and U in the moss samples as well as in the underlying soils were determined using instrumental neutron activation analysis. The moss species differed in their elemental bioconcentration capacity, ranking in the following order: Hypnum cupressiforme >Sphagnum girgensohnii >Polytrichum commune. Correlation analysis indicated that the main group of elements had similar sources across all moss species, including associations such as Tb, La, Sm, Cs, V, Sr, Zn, and Ba, as well as Fe, Co, and Cr. Mosses from the study area showed strong enrichment in K, Rb, and Br, and moderate enrichment in As and Sb. The results of this study highlight differences in element accumulation among moss species and could serve as a useful reference for future studies in similar environments.