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Plants possess a wide range of cellular mechanisms that help them tolerate potentially toxic substances. Several studies that were carried out under laboratory conditions have demonstrated that the antioxidant compound glutathione plays a role in enabling mosses to tolerate high levels of heavy metals without toxic effects. However, until now, the antioxidant levels have not been studied in mosses under field conditions. In this study, we aimed to clarify the antioxidant concentrations of glutathione in the terrestrial moss Pseudoscleropodium purum growing in industrial environments characterised by high atmospheric levels of Cd, Ni, and Pb, and to evaluate the potential use of the compound as a biomarker. The results indicated the existence of a glutathione threshold response, which was significantly correlated with the metal toxicity and which may be influenced by metal bioavailability. Although future studies are needed to strengthen the findings, the present study suggests that total concentration of glutathione in P. purum could therefore be used as a biomarker in air pollution biomonitoring studies, provided that metal bioavailability is taken into account

Moss  Barbula  vinealis and  Rhodobryum roseum   used  as  biomonitor  of  metal   precipitation  at  Nainital  during 2004  -  2005  to  examine  deposition  of  Zn,   Cu,  Cd,  Pb  at  Nainital area,  around point  sources   in  all  the  four directions.  Moss  bags   were   transplanted at  8  sites for fixed   exposure time  in  sampling  seasons   (summer, monsoon   and  winter)  and    were   harvested periodically after  4 months   of  exposure.  An  increase in  amount of metals   in  2004  -  2005  reflects an  increase in  metals  in  air. High   metallic load  was  observed in  locations  in proximity of higher traffic  density. From   the result, it  is  concluded that local   sources in  Nainital,  especially due  to  enhanced tourism during  summer, contributes  to  elevated metal   deposition  in  comparison  to  winter and   monsoon   season. Active  monitoring  by  4  months of  exposure of  mosses   gives   reliable results on  metal contamination.  Study   also  aim  at  assessing the suitability  of  both   mosses   as  a biomonitor for  metal   deposition. Study   confirms that  in  Nainital, where  due  to  higher vehicular traffic,  wear and   tear of  vehicular parts  and beside   it    increasing   t