Abstract
Due to the technogenic transformation of ecotopes of ash and slag dumps of Burshtyn TPP, bioindications of the environment state in the zone of their influence are an urgent issue. The morphological reaction of Betula pendula Roth. leaves under the influence of man-caused factors of Burshtyn TPP ash and slag dumps was studied. The change in the shape of the leaf blades of B. pendula under the conditions of ash and slag dumps was analysed. The degree of modification of leaf blades was evaluated through the measures of shape coefficient and elongation coefficient. The use of morphological coefficients testified to their specificity. The form coefficient indicator proved to be a sensitive marker. The change in the area of leaf blades under the conditions of high levels of anthropopression was analyzed. On the territory of ash and slag dumps there was a decrease of leaf area. At the same time, a high level of necrotization of leaf blades was recorded. The condition of plants was assessed through the index of fluctuating asymmetry of B. pendula leaf blades. As a result of the study, the foliar morphometric parameters of B. pendula were determined, which showed high morphological reactivity under the influence of man-caused load and can be used as bioindication markers for assessing the state of the environment.
Highlights
The processes of technogenesis lead to a large-scale transformation of ecosystems
The condition of plants was assessed through the index of fluctuating asymmetry of B. pendula leaf blades
The results of this study indicate a difference on the level of variability of foliar parameters of B. pendula under the conditions of ash and slag dumps of Burshtyn TPP and in the territory of reference ecosystem
Summary
The processes of technogenesis lead to a large-scale transformation of ecosystems. This trend needs to be controlled and monitored. A reliable and informative method to assess the impact of factors of man-made influence on living organisms is a bioindication approach. A promising area of bioindication research is phytoindication, which involves the diagnosis of the state of ecosystems by the plant component of these ecosystems. The objects of bioindication research can be morphological rearrangements of the plant organism, which are recorded under the influence of man-made environmental factors. One of the most informative methods of the integrated assessment of environmental quality based on morphological features of plants is the indicator of fluctuating asymmetry
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