title: Characterization and speciation of mercury in mosses and lichens from the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau.
abstract: The accumulation and species of mercury (Hg) in mosses and lichens collected from high-altitude Tibetan Plateau were studied. The altitudes of the sampling sites spanned from 1983 to 5147 m, and a total of 130 mosses and 52 lichens were analyzed. The total mercury (THg) contents in mosses and lichens were in the ranges of 13.1-273.0 and 20.2-345.9 ng/g, respectively. The average ratios of methylmercury (MeHg) in THg in mosses and lichens were 2.4 % (0.3-11.1 %) and 2.7 % (0.4-9.6 %), respectively, which were higher than those values reported in other regions. The contents of THg in both mosses and lichens were not correlated with the THg in soils (p > 0.05). The lipid contents displayed a significantly positive correlation with concentrations of MeHg in mosses (r = 0.461, p < 0.01, n = 90), but not in lichens. The correlations between Hg contents in mosses and the altitudes, latitudes and longitudes of sampling sites indicated the mountain trapping and spatial deposition of Hg in the Tibetan Plateau.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.|College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Jun-Juan
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.|College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Cheng-Bin
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
authors.forename: Qing-Hua
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Jie
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
authors.forename: Rui-Qiang
authors.initials: RQ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China. jbshi@rcees.ac.cn.|Institute of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056, China. jbshi@rcees.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Jian-Bo
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2637-1929
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.|Institute of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.|College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Gui-Bin
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D044002:Bryophyta / Q000737:chemistry*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D008011:Lichens / Q000737:chemistry*; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000032:analysis; D018609:Tibet
chemical_list: D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Lichen; Mercury; Methylmercury; Moss; Tibetan Plateau