Fontinalis dalecarlica

Two species of freshwater aquatic mosses (Fontinalis dalecarlica, Platyhypnidium riparoides) exposed to concentrations between 0.5 and 6.5 pg Cd/L for 28 days had accumulation factors as high as 137,000 and 158,000, respectively (Gagnon etal. 1998). Accumulations increased with increasing cadmium concentration and decreasing water hardness. Cadmium tended to persist in these mosses. During a depuration period of 28 days following the 28-day exposure, only 37 to 48% of the accumulated cadmium was eliminated (Gagnon et al. 1998). 

Vuori et al. (1990) sampled tufts of the aquatic moss Fontinalis dalecarlica from the River Lestijoki in Western Finland. The concentrations of aluminum in the water were low (87-196 g/L [ppb]) due to the high pH values however, the concentrations in the young terminal shoots of F. dalecarlica appeared to be quite high (303-1,852 g/g [ppm] dry weight). The authors concluded that there was an effective accumulation of aluminum in the moss tissue. Albers and Camardese (1993) compared concentrations of aluminum and other metals in aquatic species of 3 acidified (pH 5) and 3 nonacidified (pH 6.5) constructed wetlands. They found that the metal content of Sparganium americanum (bur-reed) was only slightly affected by acidification. 

Vuori K-M, Witick A, Jokela S. 1990. Accumulation of aluminum in fontinalis dalecarlica br. eur. in a brownwater river in western Europe. Aqua Fenn 20 203-204. 

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