Identification of environmental factors explaining the total nitrogen concentration in mosses collected in the Moravian Silesian borderlands

Mosses as biomonitors of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition were collected from 41 locations in the Moravian Silesian borderlands. Total N concentrations were determined via elemental analysis. Site-specific and local factors were investigated using geostatistical and statistical analyses at a local scale. To assess the correlation between moss N concentrations and chosen factors, Spearman Rank Correlation Analysis was used. Then Exploratory Regression was applied in order to find the factors explaining the spatial distribution pattern of N concentrations. The correlation analysis for the chosen factors showed the strongest correlation between the total N concentrations in mosses and the 7-day precipitation (r_s = -0.54), the Forested land use within 0.5 km radius around the site (r_s = -0.33) and the Agricultural land use within 0.5 km radius around the site and 1 km respectively (r_s = 0.34 and r_s = 0.31). The accurate regression model comprised four factors: the 7-day precipitation, the 3-month precipitation, Forested land use within 0.5 km radius and Agricultural land use within 0.5 km radius around the site, with calculated adjusted R-squared = 0.49. Analyses also identified the dependence of the total N concentration on the moss species but the statistical data set is considered too small to make further conclusions.