BIOMONITORING OF ATMOSPHERIC HEAVY METALS DEPOSITION USING BRYOPHYTES: A REVIEW

Primary target of this study is to give an orientation about the atmospheric contamination caused mainly due to airborne heavy metals, sourced naturally or by anthropogenic activities. Further, an attempt is made to lay down a basic idea about the wide use of bryophytes as good bio-indicators or bio-monitors of heavy metals in the atmosphere due to their simple morphological and physiological characteristics. Bio-monitoring has become one of the main focuses of researchers and the scientific community, as they are very helpful in providing valuable toxicological data of the environment, its impact on the ecological system, and risk assessment and further help to devise a mechanism to fight against and mitigate its adverse effect.