Changes in the photosynthetic activity of wood plants under a coal terminal environment
The aim of our work was to study the photosynthetic pigment content in the leaves of native and introduced woody plants that are affected by the coal terminal activities, in order to select a resistant species that could improve the environmental conditions of the terminal site and the city of Murmansk in general. The objects of our study were the native (Betula sp., Salix sp., Sorbus gorodkovii Pojark, Pinus friesiana Wichura) and introduced plant species (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss, Larix sibirica Ledeb), growing within and outside the seaport territory (Murmansk). At the end of August 2017, medium-sized leaves of the plants were sampled. A spectrophotometric analysis of the raw sample alcohol extracts revealed the following photosynthetic pigments: chlorophylls a, b, and carotenoids. It has been revealed that the hardwood species had the highest photosynthetic pigment content. Chlorophyll a formed the major component of the light-harvesting complex. In Betula sp., Salix sp., Larix sibirica growing within the terminal territory, carotenoids prevailed over chlorophyll b. These pigments perform a protective function for the plants. For the majority of the tree species in the study (except for Sorbus gorodkovii), the pigment content in the seaport was higher than the content of the trees in the city. It has been shown that the coal terminal does not have a significant impact on the photosynthetic pigment content in the leaves of the plants under consideration. These plant species have successfully adapted to the existing conditions; therefore, we can recommend using them for protective forest belts to shield the city from dust.