Methods of complex bioindicative assessment of life state patterns of woody plants under industrial pollutions on urbanized territories

• Main Authors: Yu. V. Klad’ko, L. N. Skripal’shсhikova
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch Publishing House 2019-12-01
• Series: Сибирский лесной журнал
• Subjects: urban plantations; ecological zones; technogenic pollution; woody plants; stability
• Online Access: http://xn--80abmehbaibgnewcmzjeef0c.xn--p1ai/upload/iblock/b86/b86afe8ca3a533b46647516679aa3f77.pdf

A method of complex bioindicative assessment of life state pattern and sustainability of woody plants in greening growing under industrial pollution in urbanized areas has been developed. A wider set of indicators is used for the assessment in comparison with the well­known methods that point clearly to industrial air pollution impact: the symmetry of the crown, outer damage of the trunk and outer features of the bark and branches, crown density, premature yellowing of foliage, evidence of chemical burns on leaves and needles, evidence of damage to needles or leaves by insects and pathogens. The proposed method was tested on woody plants belonging to 8 species: Scotch pine Pinus sylvestris L., Colorado spruce Picea pungens Engelm., silver birch Betula pendula Roth, Siberian elm Ulmus pumila L., balsam poplar Populus balsamifera L., mountain ash Sorbus aucuparia L., Maack cherri Padus maackii Rupr., and dwarf apple Malus baccata (L.) Borkh., growing in greening of the city of Krasnoyarsk under conditions of technogenic pollution of various composition and intensity. Using the developed methodology, it was found that Scotch pine, silver birch, the Siberian elm and mountain ash were least tolerant to pollution from heavy traffic in comparison to the other species. Scotch pine, Colorado spruce, silver birch, Siberian elm, mountain ash and dwarf apple occurred sensitive to specific emissions from industrial enterprises, and these species might be used as indicators of industrial pollution level caused by specific sources. Balsam poplar and Maack cherri, according to the bioindication rating scale were less sensitive to industrial and vehicle pollution – these tree species can be used to create greenings in heavily polluted areas and industrial city districts and sanitary protection zones around industrial enterprises. The developed method can be recommended for practical application in the field of green construction and environmental monitoring in urbanized areas.