ABSTRACT
The identification of a model organism for investigations of fine dust deposits on moss leaflets was presented. An optical method with SEM enabled the quantitative detection of fine dust particles in two orders of magnitude. Selection criteria were developed with which further moss species can be identified in order to quantify the number of fine dust particles on moss surfaces using the presented method. Among the five moss species examined, B. rutabulum had proven to be the most suitable model organism for the method presented here. The number of fine dust particles on the moss surface of B. rutabulum was documented during 4 weeks of cultivation in the laboratory using SEM images and a counting method. The fine dust particles were recorded in the order of 10 µm-0.3 µm, divided into two size classes and counted. Under laboratory conditions, the number of particles of the fine fraction 2.4 µm-0.3 µm decreased significantly.
