ANNA SERGEEVNA OLKOVA* AND TATYANA ANATOLYEVNA ADAMOVICH
Department of Ecology and Nature Management, Vyatka State University, Russia, Kirov
*(e-mail: usr08617@vyatsu.ru; Mobile: +7 95313 39321)
(Received: July 30, 2023; Accepted: September 13, 2023)
ABSTRACT
Bio-indicative parameters can change both in responses to environmental pollution and in response to natural environmental factors. The purpose of the present work was to determine the correlation between the fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of leaves of the birch Betula pendula Roth and soil parameters. The 10 study sites were located in the vicinity of the city of Ukhta (Russia, northern taiga zone). FA was determined by five morphological parameters (n=100), as well as pH (water and salt extracts), the content of organic matter and the accumulation of mobile forms of metals in the soil. The Pearson correlation coefficient (r) was calculated. The FA varied from 0.064 to 0.076, while the norm was less than 0.04. It was shown that a decrease in the content of organic matter in the soil and a decrease in the pH level (salt extract) increased the FA in B. pendula: r = – 0.49 and r = – 0.42, respectively. The content of Pb, Mn and Cu also affected the FA of the leaves (r = 0.6, 0.36, 0.35, respectively), despite the fact that the standards were not exceeded. Thus, the asymmetry of birch leaves depended not only on air pollution, but also on the natural indicators of the soil and its pollution.
Key words : Betula pendula, fluctuating asymmetry, bio-indication, soil, heavy metals