Using of Taraxacum officinale (L.) pollens for the urban park bioindication

Abstract

Palinoindication of 6 parks of the urban ecosystem of Kiev using Taraxacum officinale (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg. population, was carried out. There is a general trend towards an increase in the amount of nonviable pollen with an increase in anthropogenic load. In the example of T. officinale, this is manifested in a gradual increase to 27% of non-viable pollen on the pollution gradient. With the deterioration of the ecological situation in the studied test polygons, an increase in the number of teratomorphic pollen grains up to 41.10% in Babin Yar tract was recorded. According to the level of palynotoxic action (PE, %), only 2 gradations were revealed in the parks under study: initial and effective. The sublethal effect (highly toxic) has not been established, since the level of pollen sterility in our studies did not exceed 45,2%. The largest number of pollen grains with developmental pathologies (teratomorphic) – 41.10% – was recorded in the Babin Yar tract, the state of which, according to the anthropogenic load index (Jal), is characterized as poor. At the same time, the percentage of teratomorphic pollen grains in T. officinale plants in more favorable environmental conditions (control) does not exceed 16.50%. For the bioindication assessment of the park ecosystems state in the megalopolis, the most indicative were the index of sterility, palynotoxic effect and the content of teratomorphic pollen grains, which increases with the gradient of anthropogenic load.