Biomonitoreo de la calidad del aire en el cantón Cuenca, mediante los cambios en la diversidad de líquenes epífitos asociados con los niveles de material particulado sedimentable

Abstract

Air quality represents a challenge to sustainability, health of the population and the environment, due to the pollution generated by fixed and mobile sources. The present work was based on the study of air quality through the analysis of sedimentable particulate matter (SPM), corroborating whether the concentration levels comply with national regulations (TULSMA) and international regulations (WHO). An analysis of the diversity of epiphytic lichen species as bioindicators of atmospheric contamination was carried out using the Shannon-Wiener Index (ISW) and the air quality of the canton was analyzed using the Atmospheric Purity Index (IPA). The study area included the Industrial Park Sector, Historic Center, 12 de abril Avenue, Abelardo J Andrade Avenue, IESS Sector and South Control. For the collection of MPS, the gravimetric method was used to determine the soluble and insoluble particles in the ambient air, while to determine the diversity of lichens, a survey grid was used to obtain the frequency. The results showed that the Historic Center and Av. 12 de abril obtained the highest concentration of MPS, exceeding the stipulations of the regulations. Likewise, the ISW registered the lowest distribution of lichens, placing it in the “low diversity” classification. As for the IPA, the Cuenca canton was in the “medium contamination” category. Finally, the MPS values were correlated with those of the ISW where a very low negative correlation was obtained, indicating that there is no relationship