Lichens as indicators of air quality in balneological center Prolom Banja (Southern Serbia)

This paper deals with using lichens as a bioindicators of the air quality and it was conducted on the territory of balneological center Prolom Banja (Southern Serbia). The exploration was conducted in the year 2019. The analysis of the sample from 15 investigated points indicates the presence of 72 lichen taxa, which shows that this area is rich in lichen species. For each investigated point, the index values of atmospheric purity (IAP) and index of human impact (IHI) were calculated. The IAP values varied in range from 40 to 56, while IHI values ranged between 8 and 24. Therefore, the map showing the air quality of the investigated area was made. There is a presence of “normal lichen zone” on the map which indicates that the air quality in this area is quite good. There are no significant air pollution sources in this area, so the level of pollution is considered low or very low. In the investigated area there are not stations for the monitoring of physico-chemical parameters of air quality. The investigation of air quality on the territory of Prolom Banja has not been done until now.