MOSSES - BIOINDICATORS OF POLLUTION.
The bulk of emissions into the atmosphere - 70.4 percent - come from the industrial centers of the republic, where large enterprises are concentrated. Heavy metals are transported in the atmosphere over long distances from the source of emissions and, when deposited, have a negative impact on the environment. Sulfur can serve as an indicator of anthropogenic impact on natural objects, as well as an indirect indicator of heavy metal emissions. Sources of pollution include thermoelectric devices, vehicles, industrial, municipal, as well as agriculture and forestry.
For scientists, green mosses and forest floors are reliable sources of information about pollution environment. Mosses are bioindicators of pollution; they accumulate heavy metals, oxides of sulfur, nitrogen and other substances from the air. Based on the chemical composition of mosses and litter, one can judge the sources, habitats, degree of environmental pollution, and also identify the main pollutants. The Forest Institute of the Karelian Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, with the financial support of the State Committee for Environmental Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan, conducted a study of environmental pollution with heavy metals and sulfur through chemical analysis of green mosses and forest litter.
Based on the results of the research, the book “Pollution of the forest territory of Karelia with heavy metals and sulfur” was published. Among the authors are N. Fedorets, V. Dyakonov, G. Shiltsova, P. Litinsky. The results of a study of the spatial distribution of heavy metals and sulfur throughout the territory of Karelia are presented. Regional background concentrations of metals in mosses and litter have been established. Color computer maps of the contamination of the territory of the republic with heavy metals and sulfur are presented, and an assessment of their content levels is given.
The work of scientists may be of interest to ecologists, soil scientists, geographers, botanists and other specialists in the field of nature conservation.
NATALIA FEDORETS, Head of the Laboratory of Forest Soil Science and Microbiology of the Forest Institute, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences.
EARLY SUMMER WILL NOT CHEAT.
The second ten days of April in the European part of Russia turned out to be surprisingly warm. Moreover, abruptly - literally in a week - we switched from warm raincoats almost to T-shirts.
But along with the warmth and freedom of clothing, a languid fatigue came to us, when in broad daylight we are so unexpectedly pulled into a deep sleep. Many people suffer from headaches and discomfort due to sudden changes in weather.
The phenomenon of spring fatigue has been of interest to doctors for a long time, says Dr. psychological sciences Sergey Zebrov. - Indeed, it is somewhat strange that when nature wakes up from hibernation, a person experiences constant fatigue, irritability, night sleep becomes restless and brings little relief.
Attempts to explain the phenomenon of “spring fatigue” have been made more than once. Basically, seasonal ailments were explained by vitamin deficiency - they say there are not enough vitamins and hence all the problems. But the widespread introduction of modern multivitamins did not help overcome spring fatigue.
Obviously, the essence of the issue is somewhat deeper.
Our research has shown that there are more people complaining of fatigue in April and May after switching to the so-called summer time, explains Sergey Zebrov. - But in general, for almost all people, the transition from winter torpor to spring awakening causes a certain stress in the body, which must be overcome competently and gradually.
So, what do experts recommend to combat spring fatigue? Firstly, strictly adhere to the daily routine. You should go to bed, even on weekends, no later than half past ten in the evening, and sleep for at least nine hours in a well-ventilated area. It's a good idea to take a half-hour walk before bed.
You should also not wake up in a hurry - soak up in bed for about fifteen minutes, make light movements with your arms and legs, and only then begin the main exercise and invigorate your soul.
Secondly, you should carefully monitor your diet, giving preference to fish and vegetarian dishes. It is no secret that after Lent, many people lean on meat, as if they want to make up for lost time; the stomach, unaccustomed to such food, transfers its “dissatisfaction” to the entire body. It is highly undesirable to abuse alcohol at this time. If a couple of glasses of vodka on a frosty or dank day not only evoked pleasant emotions, but also had a tonic effect on well-being, then during the changing seasons, alcohol leads to the opposite results.
And finally, to overcome spring fatigue, you should laugh more... which was recommended by the famous Viennese doctor Krafft-Ebing at the end of the last century. Laughter will quickly relieve fatigue, calm your nerves and put you in a calm mood.
An anecdote or humorous tale told by the boss will help defuse tension that could develop into a big conflict in the team.
By the way, on days when the weather changes, you shouldn’t bore yourself and those around you with conversations about what this summer will be like. Warm April weather does not mean it will be hot. So, in 1983, already on the first of April in Moscow it was twenty degrees Celsius. June turned out to be cool and very rainy.
Indicator plants are the subject of study of indicator geobotany and plant ecology. The principles of the theory of phytoindication (indication of environmental conditions using plants) were proposed back in 1910 and 1917. Russian botanist L.G. Ramensky (1938, 1971). To study the environmental conditions of communities, indicator ecological scales are used, containing point estimates of the ecological properties of plant species according to various factors environment. That is, the scales are tables in which for each species the limits of its distribution are indicated according to the factors of moisture, soil richness, salinity, grazing, etc. For example, according to L.G. Ramensky (1956) identifies the following factors: moisture, moisture variability regime, active soil richness and salinity, alluviality and pasture digression of the meadow. Also popular are the domestic environmental scales of D.N. Tsyganov (1983) and the European scales of G. Ellenberg (Ellenberg, 1974, 1979) and E. Landolt (Landolt, 1977).
In relation to soil acidity There are three main groups of plants: acidophiles - plants acidic soils, neutrophils - inhabitants of neutral soils, basiphiles - grow on alkaline soils.
In relation to soil moisture stand out: xerophytes - plants of dry habitats (cat's paw, hairy hawkweed, sedum (caustic, purple, large), feather feather grass), mesophytes, plants of provided moisture (This is most of the meadow grasses: timothy, meadow foxtail, creeping wheatgrass, hedgehog grass, clover meadow, mouse pea, meadow chin), hygrophytes - plants of abundant moisture, flowing or stagnant (blueberry, wild rosemary, cloudberry, spleenwort alternate-leaved, white beetle, marigold, meadow geranium, forest reed, marsh cinquefoil, meadowsweet, snakeweed, snakeweed, field mint, swamp guinea pig).
You can also determine from plants depths groundwater . According to the requirements for soil fertility plants form the following ecological groups: megatrophs - grow on the richest soils (raspberries, nettles, fireweed, meadowsweet, meadowsweet, celandine, hoofed grass, wood sorrel, valerian, meadow chin, awnless brome); mesotrophs - plants in soils sufficiently provided with mineral nutrition ( bifolia, lungwort, angelica, wintergreen, river gravel, meadow fescue, bathhouse, long-leaved speedwell), oligotrophs - plants of poor soils in mineral nutrition (sphagnum (peat) mosses, terrestrial lichens, cat's paw, lingonberry, cranberry, whitebeard, filamentous rush , fragrant spikelet).
In addition to general soil fertility, you can find out supply of soil with certain elements. For example, about high nitrogen content evidenced by nitrophilic plants - fireweed, raspberries, nettles; in meadows and arable land there is the growth of wheatgrass, cinquefoil, and knotweed (knotweed). With a good supply of nitrogen, plants have an intense green color. On the contrary, a lack of nitrogen is manifested by a pale green color of plants, a decrease in branching and the number of leaves.
High supply of calcium show calciophiles: many legumes (for example, crescent alfalfa). With a lack of calcium, calciumphobes dominate - plants of acidic soils: white grass, pike (soddy meadow grass), sorrel, sphagnum, etc. These plants are resistant to the harmful effects of iron, manganese, and aluminum ions.
Thus, in central Russia, different groups of plants can be found in meadows with different soil characteristics.
In dry meadows with acidic and poor soil, plant species often grow abundantly: Small sorrel (8-30 cm), Horsetail (10-15 cm), Sweet spikelet (20-40 cm), Cat's foot (5-15 cm).
In steppe meadows with calcareous soil you can find the following plant species: Crescent alfalfa (30-80 cm), Gorse (50-100 cm), Feather feather grass, Dying grass.
In meadows growing in conditions of excessive moisture, the following species are found and often predominate: Soddy pike, Fox sedge, Acute sedge, Meadow geranium, Peppermint, Swamp chickweed, Potentilla goose, Creeping buttercup.
In meadows with rich soil, such plant species grow as: Bonfire, Stinging nettle, Ivan angustifolia, Meadow chin.
For example, the following plants indicate high fertility: raspberries, nettles, fireweed, meadowsweet, celandine, hoofed grass, sorrel, valerian, meadow china, awnless brome, meadowsweet.
Indicators of moderate (average) fertility: bifolia, lungwort, angelica, wintergreen, river grass, meadow fescue, swimwort, longleaf speedwell.
Low fertility is evidenced by sphagnum (peat) mosses, terrestrial lichens, cat's paw, lingonberry, cranberry, whiteberry, filamentous rush, and fragrant spikelet.
Indifferent to soil fertility: caustic buttercup, shepherd's purse, meadow bluegrass, Chernogolovka, orchard grass. Scots pine has little demand for soil fertility.
In addition to the general concept of “soil fertility,” you can find out the supply of certain elements to the soil.
For example, a high nitrogen content is evidenced by nitrophilic plants - fireweed, raspberries, nettles; in meadows and arable land there is the growth of wheatgrass, cinquefoil, knotweed (knotweed). With a good supply of nitrogen, plants have an intense green color.
On the contrary, a lack of nitrogen is manifested by a pale green color of plants, a decrease in branching and the number of leaves.
Calciophiles show a high calcium supply: many legumes (for example, crescent alfalfa), Siberian larch.
With a lack of calcium, calcium-phobes dominate - plants of acidic soils: white grass, pike (soddy meadow grass), sorrel, sphagnum, etc. These plants are resistant to the harmful effects of iron, manganese, and aluminum ions.
Plants are indicators of soil water regime.
Indicators of different soil water regimes are hygrophytic plants, mesophytes, and xerophytes.
Moisture-loving plants (hygrophytes) are inhabitants of moist, sometimes swampy soils: blueberry, wild rosemary, cloudberry, spleenwort, white rose, marigold, meadow geranium, forest reed, swamp cinquefoil, meadowsweet, snakeweed, field mint, marsh chickweed.
Plants in places sufficiently provided with moisture, but not damp or swampy, are mesophytes. This is most of the meadow grasses: timothy, meadow foxtail, creeping wheatgrass, hedgehog grass, meadow clover, mouse pea, meadow chin, Phrygian cornflower. -In the forest these are lingonberries, stoneweeds, hoofweeds, golden rods, mosses.
Plants of dry habitats (xerophytes): cat's paw, hairy hawkweed, sedum (caustic, purple, large), feather grass, bearberry, white bentgrass, terrestrial lichens.
Plants - depth indicatorsoccurrencegroundwater
Establishing indicators of the depth of groundwater is important for clarifying the properties of soils and for developing recommendations for their reclamation. To indicate the depth of groundwater, groups of herbaceous plant species (indicator groups) can be used. For meadow soils, 5 groups of indicator species are distinguished (Table 1).
Table 1.
Indicator groups of plants - indicators of groundwater depth in meadows
(according to G.L. Remezova, 1976)
|
Indicator group |
Depth of soilwater |
|
I. Bonfire without awn, meadow clover, large plantain, creeping wheatgrass |
More than 150 cm |
|
II. White bentgrass, meadow fescue, mouse pea, meadow chin |
|
|
III. Meadowsweet, canary grass |
|
|
IV. Fox sedge, acute sedge, Langsdorff's reed |
|
|
V. Soddy sedge, vesicular sedge |
In addition to the named groups of plants, there are transitional species that can perform indicator functions, for example, meadow bluegrass, which can be included in both the first and second groups. It indicates the occurrence of water at a depth of 100 to more than 150 cm. Swamp horsetail - from 10 to 100 cm and marsh marigold - from 0 to 50 cm.
One species can also be used as a bioindicator if this species is widespread in a particular habitat.
The depth of soil-groundwater in forest ecosystems and the nature of soil moisture can be determined from Table. 2.
Table 2.
Plants-indicators of the depth of groundwater and the nature of soil moisture
(according to S.V. Viktorov et al., 1988)
|
Indicators |
Depth of soil |
|
|
plant groups |
||
|
1. Spruce forest |
European oxalis, European oxalis, double leaf mine |
|
|
2. Blueberry spruce forest |
Blueberries, wood sorrel, green mosses |
|
|
3. Long-growing spruce forests" |
Blueberries, wild rosemary, polytrichum moss |
|
|
4. Sphagnum spruce forests |
Ledum, andromeda, cassandra, sphagnum mosses |
|
|
5. Oak spruce forests |
Sweet woodruff, lungwort, lanceolate chickweed, green chickweed |
|
|
6. Sosnovo- spruce-oxalis forest |
Oxalis, ferns, green mosses |
|
|
7. Pine-spruce- blueberry |
Blueberries, lingonberries, sorrel, ferns, green mosses |
|
|
8. Lichen pine forest |
Cat's paw, hairy hawkweed, cladonia |
|
|
9. Lingonberry pine forest |
Lingonberries, green mosses |
|
|
10. Pine-blueberry |
Blueberries, sorrel, green mosses |
|
|
11. Bracken pine |
Bracken, wood sorrel, two-leaved mynika |
|
|
12. Long-mossy pine forest |
Blueberries, blueberries, moss polytrichum |
|
|
13. Sphagnum pine forest |
Ledum, cassandra, sphagnum |
|
Plants-soil acidity indicators
Acidity is one of the characteristic properties soils of the forest zone. Increased acidity negatively affects the growth and development of a number of plant species. This occurs due to the appearance in acidic soils of substances harmful to plants, for example, soluble aluminum or excess manganese. They disrupt carbohydrate and protein metabolism in plants, delay the formation of generative organs and lead to disruption of seed reproduction, and sometimes cause plant death.
Increased soil acidity inhibits the activity of soil bacteria involved in the decomposition of organic matter and the release of nutrients needed by plants.
In laboratory conditions, soil acidity can be determined using universal indicator paper, an Alyamovsky kit, or a pH meter, and in field conditions - using indicator plants. In the process of evolution, three groups of plants were formed: acidophiles - plants of acidic soils, neutrophils - inhabitants of neutral soils, basiphiles - grow on alkaline soils. Knowing the plants of each group, in the field conditions it is possible to approximately determine the acidity of the soil (Table 7.3).
Table 7.3.
Plants-indicators of soil acidity (according to L. G. Ramensky, 1956)
|
Bioindicator |
Soil pH |
|
|
Acidophilus 1.1. Extreme acidophiles |
Sphagnum, green mosses: hylocomium, dicranum; club moss, annual moss, oblate moss, hairy moss, vaginal cotton grass, polyfolia multifolia, cat's paws, Sphagnum, Cassandra, cetraria, whitebeard, soddy pike, horsetail, small sorrel |
|
|
1.2. Moderate acidophiles |
Blueberries, lingonberries, wild rosemary, marsh marigold, cudweed, poisonous buttercup, bearberry, European rosemary, swamp beetle, dog violet, meadow heartsickle, ground reed grass |
|
|
1.3. Weak acidophiles |
Male fern, buttercup anemone, lungwort, green chickweed, nettle-leaved campanula, broad-leaved campanula, spreading boron, hairy sedge, early sedge, raspberry, black currant, speedwell, snake knotweed, bracken, Ivan-da-Marya, hare's sorrel |
|
|
1.4. Acidophilic-neutral |
Green mosses: hylocomium, pleurosium, goat willow |
|
|
2. Neutrophils 2.1. Near-neutral |
European gooseberry, green strawberry, meadow foxtail, mountain clover, meadow clover, soapwort, hemlock, Siberian hogweed, chicory, meadow grass |
|
|
2.2. Neutral-basiphilic |
Coltsfoot, cinnamon grass, crescent alfalfa, keleria, hairy sedge, horned lambsfoot, goose foot |
|
|
2.3. Basiphyllum |
Siberian elderberry, slippery elm, warty euonymus |
Monitoring the level of environmental pollution is something that scientists constantly monitor, many technical devices They are recorded in the atmosphere for other not very positive things that negatively affect this very environment. But here’s what the scientist found interesting: inexpensive way, which allows you to learn about changes occurring in nature, and it has nothing to do with nanotechnology. This method grows directly on rocks and trees and - it's moss!
Moss is a natural bioindicator that reacts to pollution or, for example, drought; depending on what happens around it, it changes shape and density, and may disappear completely. Moss absorbs water and nutrients where it grows, and this can be a good indicator of changes in ecosystems. Watching these changes in natural environment(or even under certain human-defined conditions), scientists can determine the level of air pollution, which in turn can harm human health.
Japanese scientist Yoshitaka Oishi came to these conclusions; he conducted a study in the city of Hachioji in northwestern Tokyo, where there was for a long time drought, and also in this area, the moss showed high nitrogen pollution, which in turn caused concern to the researcher.
Of course, this research was carried out exclusively in Japan and by local scientists, but just think about the enormous potential this method has! Moss grows not only, for example, in forests, but also in city parks and can even be found on individual trees in the centers of megalopolises. Every year, 88 percent of urban residents are at serious risk; air pollution levels are increasing year by year, many times exceeding the World Health Organization's air quality recommendations. Today, the largest emissions into the atmosphere occur in Southeast Asia, the eastern Mediterranean, and Latin America and Africa. Moss can be a cost-effective monitoring method to find out how bad things are in these countries.
"Moss is a common plant in all countries of the world, so this monitoring method can be used in many cities...moss has great potential to be bioindicators," Oishi told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Indeed, moss can not only be a bioindicator, but also a good cleanser from various contaminants.
Of course, the Japanese scientist did not make any shocking discovery, but rather once again confirmed the effectiveness of this method. Brussels-based Green City Solutions is installing moss-growing mobile walls in city centers that act as small, portable absorbers.
USE OF X-RAY FLUORESCENCE ANALYSIS FOR BIOGEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CHANGES IN VEGANT COVER OF THE SOUTH BAIKAL REGION Matyashenko G.V., Chuparina E.V., Finkelshtein A.L. Institute of Geochemistry named after. A.P.Vinogradov SB RAS, Irkutsk, e-mail: [email protected] Mosses are successfully used as bioindicators of pollution of terrestrial ecosystems. Due to their physiological characteristics, they are able to absorb minerals both from the air and from the humus layer of the soil. Therefore, mosses are used to assess atmospheric pollution, as well as to test the condition of the top layer of soil cover. In the Baikal region, the mosses Pleurozium schreberi and Hylocomium splendens are widespread, which served as the objects of study in this work. We determined the contents of essential and potentially toxic elements in the mentioned mosses collected in the region of Southern Baikal in order to assess the possibility of their use as biomonitors. Mosses were selected on the northwestern macroslope of the Khamar-Daban ridge on permanent sample plots of 50×50 m established earlier (1972), on at different distances from the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (BPPM). The collection was carried out in early July 2011. Mosses were also selected on Olkhon Island (Lake Baikal), which belongs to an ecologically clean area. At each point (BPPM, Solzan village, Golansky Spring, Olkhon Island), combined samples taken from 5-10 clumps were compiled. After drying at 40 ºC to constant weight, the samples were cleared of debris and dead material, leaving only the green segments of the last three years. Part of the pre-prepared material was sent for analysis. The elemental composition of mosses was determined using X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF). Plant samples were ground in an electric coffee grinder. Additional grinding was carried out in a manual coffee grinder. At the same time, it was achieved required size particles (less than 100 microns). From a sample of 1 g of crushed material, an emitter was pressed onto a boric acid substrate with a force of 16 tons. The intensities of the analytical lines Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb, Sr, Zr, Ba and Pb were measured using a wave X-ray spectrometer S4 Pioneer (Bruker, AXS). Standard deviations characterizing the intra-laboratory precision of measurements did not exceed 5%. The accuracy of the results was assessed by comparing the XRF results with the certified values of element concentrations in the Polish standard material for the composition of grass mixtures INCT-MPH-2 and the Chinese RM (standard sample) for the composition of leaves and branches of shrubs (GBW 07602). Detection limit values were calculated using the 3σ criterion using standard samples with low element content. The detection limits were, in µg/g: Na (30); Mg (10); Al, Mn and Fe (5); Cl, Ti and Ba (4); Si, Zr and Pb (3); P, S, K and Sr (2); Cr (2.6); Ca, Ni, Cu, Zn, Br and Rb (1). The contents of some elements in mosses collected in areas with different technogenic loads are given in the table below. The table shows the minimum and maximum contents of elements in mosses. The last column of the table presents the range of element contents that were established for mosses collected in European territories with different anthropogenic loads. As can be seen, the content ranges of most elements taken from publications are wider, both in terms of minimum and maximum concentrations, compared to the data of our studies. This fact is explained by the fact that the literature data on different types of mosses from different natural areas differ in the degree of technogenic influence. Comparing the maximum concentrations, we can assume that the mosses of the Baikal region are less susceptible anthropogenic impact compared to samples from European territories. Table Contents of elements in mosses Element Content range P, % S, % Cl, % Fe, % Mn, µg/g Ni, µg/g Cu, µg/g Zn, µg/g Sr, µg/g Ba, µg/g Pb, μg/g 0.079-0.195 0.062-0.125 0.0010-0.0345 0.080-0.345 170-420 3-14 3-10.5 31-66 11-28.5 7-62 3-7 Literature data 0.070-0.283 0.061-0 .202 0.0045-0.38 0.0068 -2.073 22-2200 0.1-93.9 3-200 7.9-877 0.5-339 4-250 2.1-12.2 In Fig. Figures 1a and 1b show the distribution of elements in mosses depending on the sampling site. For both moss species, it was found that the concentrations of elements in samples from background areas are significantly lower than the values obtained for sampling sites subject to anthropogenic influence. The difference in the content of essential elements in the background and contaminated zones is significantly less than the difference in the content of microelements. Therefore, the use of microelements in mosses is preferable when assessing atmospheric pollution of areas. BPPM 0.6 key Golan Solzan 0.5 Cr *10 Cu *10 Zn Sr C, % BPPM BPPM key Golan Solzan Olkhon b 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 Ti Pl. schreberi 0.4 Olkhon Olkhon Olkhon BPPM Olkhon BPPM Olkhon 40 BPPM BPPM a Olkhon 80 Olkhon Olkhon C, µg/g 120 BPPM 160 BPPM Pl. Schreberi Ba Pb *10 0 Na *10 Mg P S K Ca Fig. Fig. 1. Distribution of toxic (a) and essential (b) elements in the Pleurozium schreberi sample depending on the sampling location. Thus, the X-ray fluorescence method of analysis provides the necessary data on the elemental composition of mosses. Analysis of these data showed that mosses are informative plant species indicating the state of the environment.
Among the variety of plants, there are those that are called indicator plants. They have a clear adaptation to certain environmental conditions. That is, these plants prefer certain types of soil and living conditions. For example, some often grow on acidic soils, others on clay soils, and others prefer limestone or shady places. In addition, plants can tell a lot about soil fertility.
So, on soils containing a lot of nitrogen, stinging nettle, sedum, quinoa, and caustic buttercup are often found. The increased amount of nitrogen gives these plants an intense green color. At the same time, wild carrots and sedum prefer soils with a small amount nitrogen. These plants have correspondingly pale green leaf color.
Soils with a high calcium content are preferred by many types of legumes, alder. These plants are also called calcephiles. Legumes, by the way, can extract calcium from the deep layers of the soil and then enrich the upper layers with it.
Neutral soils are suitable for odorless chamomile, field radish, clover, field bindweed, coltsfoot, creeping wheatgrass, shepherd's purse, nettle, quinoa, midge. Virtually all cultivated plants can be planted on such soils.
Acidic soils are suitable for horsetail, blueberries, mint, wild sorrel, plantain, tricolor violet, cranberries, and lingonberries. Among the cultivated plants, lupine, rhubarb, hydrangea, rowan, horseradish and some others can grow on them. But legumes cannot stand being too sour.
Clover, ferns, wheatgrass, coltsfoot, chamomile, and dandelion grow well in slightly acidic soil. From cultivated plants these are potatoes, parsley, gooseberries, currants, sea buckthorn, watermelons, pumpkins, zucchini, roses, daffodils, peonies, bells, cornflowers and others. Soil acidity can be reduced by adding lime.
Alfalfa, coltsfoot, lumbago, and buttercup grow well on limestone.
Alkaline soils are preferred by field violet, self-seeded poppy, bindweed, alfalfa, field mustard, and cereals. Among the cultivated plants on such soils, corn, cereals, poppy, and clematis can be planted. Chlorosis of plants is often observed in alkaline plants, that is, iron deficiency affects them.
Quinoa loves salty soils. Wetlands - field mint, horsetail, coltsfoot. Dry - wormwood, chamomile, chicory. Dense - creeping buttercup, large plantain, creeping wheatgrass, fragrant chamomile. Clay and loam - dandelion, mint, horsetail.
Fertile soils are preferred by celandine, gooseberry, raspberry, nettle, and sorrel. Less fertile - lingonberries, cranberries, peat mosses, lichens, small sorrel, bearberry, shepherd's purse.
Willow, oak, gray alder, sorrel, foxglove, hemlock, and coltsfoot prefer close proximity to groundwater. But apple and cherry trees grow poorly in such places.
Everyone knows that thanks to plants we get fresh air. But even here there are record holders. Thus, plants with pubescent leaves, such as silver maple, clear the air of dust. Black and balsam poplar, white willow, and smooth elm actively absorb sulfur gas. Carboniferous - alder, privet, spruce, aspen. Lead - heart-shaped linden, black poplar, horse chestnut.
Recently, connections between certain plants and deposits of certain minerals have been scientifically substantiated. For example, in Austria and China, with the help of plants that prefer soils with a high copper content, deposits of copper ore were discovered, and in America, with the help of plants, silver deposits were found. An inhabitant of the deserts, acanthophyllium, a thorn that no one paid attention to, when it lands on soil rich in sulfur, it does not bloom pink flowers, and white; Where there is zinc in the ground, the leaves of the plant acquire a yellowish tint.
Some flowers help geologists find zinc deposits. Its increased content in the soil is indicated by violets and pansies. It is on such lands that these plants have the most large flowers. By the way, violet helped geologists find the largest zinc deposit in Western Europe. On soils rich in lime, adonis and lilies grow; and the content of nickel and cobalt in the soil is indicated by sleep grass. If kachim (a plant from the carnation family) has bloomed in lush flowers, then there is copper somewhere nearby.
Often, by the ugly development of some plants, you can recognize the presence of many minerals in the soil. For example, on soils with a normal boron content, plants such as wormwood, prutnyak, and solyanka grow tall, and on soils with a high content of this element, these plants become dwarf. The altered shape of poppy petals indicates that there are deposits of lead and zinc underground, and stockrose flowers with abnormally dissected narrow petals indicate deposits of copper or molybdenum. It will help you find water and determine whether it is fresh or salty, licorice - large plant with dark greens and red-violet clusters of flowers. If the plant blooms magnificently, the water is fresh; if it blooms weakly and a light coating appears on the leaves, the water is salty.
Even a science has emerged - “indicative geobotany”, which studies plants that are sensitive to changes in environmental conditions and help to discover the riches of the earth’s interior.
Volcanologists claim that primroses are able to predict volcanic eruptions. For example, on the island of Java in the Pangranto Mountains, the royal primrose blooms only on the eve of a volcanic eruption. Biologists explain this prophetic ability of a flower by the effect of ultrasound on its capillaries, in which ultrasonic vibrations accelerate the movement of liquids. Probably, thereby, metabolic processes in the plant tissues are accelerated, and it blooms.
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS (bioindicators) - organisms that respond to environmental changes by their presence or absence, changes in appearance, chemical composition, behavior. In environmental monitoring of pollution, the use of biological indicators often gives more valuable information than a direct assessment of pollution by instruments, since biological indicators react immediately to the entire complex of pollution. In addition, having “memory”, biological indicators reflect pollution over a long period with their reactions. Necrosis (dying areas) appears on the leaves of trees when the atmosphere is polluted. The presence of some pollution-resistant species and the absence of unstable species (for example, lichens) determines the level of air pollution in cities.
When using biological indicators, the ability of some species to accumulate pollutants plays an important role. The consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant were recorded in Sweden when analyzing lichens. Birch and aspen may unnaturally signal increased levels of barium and strontium in the environment green leaves. Similarly, in the area of uranium dispersion around deposits, the petals of fireweed become white (normally pink), and blueberry fruits become dark blue White color etc.
To identify different pollutants, different types of biological indicators are used: for general pollution - lichens and mosses, for pollution with heavy metals - plums and beans, sulfur dioxide - spruce and alfalfa, ammonia - sunflower, hydrogen sulfide - spinach and peas, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) ) - impatiens, etc. So-called “living devices” are also used - indicator plants planted in beds, placed in growing vessels or in special boxes (in the latter case, mosses are used, the boxes with which are called bryometers).
“Living devices” are installed in the most polluted parts of the city. When assessing pollution of aquatic ecosystems, biological indicators can be used. higher plants or microscopic algae, zooplankton and zoobenthos organisms. IN middle lane In Russia, when water is polluted, hornwort, floating pondweed, and duckweed grow in water bodies, and in clean water- frog's watercolor and salvinia. With the help of biological indicators, it is possible to assess soil salinity, grazing intensity, changes in moisture regime, etc. In this case, the entire composition of the phytocenosis is most often used as a biological indicator. Each plant species has certain limits of distribution (tolerance) for each environmental factor, and therefore the very fact of their joint growth allows for a fairly complete assessment of environmental factors.
The possibilities of assessing the environment based on vegetation are studied in a special branch of botany - indicator geobotany. Its main method is the use of environmental scales, i.e., special tables in which for each species the limits of its distribution are indicated according to the factors of moisture, soil richness, salinity, grazing, etc. In Russia, environmental scales were compiled by L. G. Ramensky . The use of trees as biological indicators of climate change and environmental pollution levels has become widespread. The thickness of the tree rings is taken into account: in years when there was little precipitation or the concentration of pollutants in the atmosphere increased, narrow rings formed. Thus, on the cut of the trunk one can see a reflection of the dynamics of environmental conditions.
