Pinus sylvestris L. pollen teratomorphism under conditions of industrial pollution of the urban environment
N.V. Vasilevskaya, P.V. Osechinskaya
Section: Monitoring of natural and anthropogenically disturbed areas
The article presents the results of the palinological analysis of Pinus sylvestris L. growing in the Apatity industrial city, located above the Arctic Circle (Murmansk Region, Russia). Apatity is impacted by the Apatit JSC, which is one of the world leaders in the production of phosphate raw materials for mineral fertilizers. Four sample plots are laid in the impact zone of the apatite-nepheline processing plant (ANPP-2) and its tailing dump. At the end of June microstrobils with mature pollen (N = 35) are collected at each sample plot and fixed in a 40 % alcohol solution. For palynological analysis, the pollen was stained by Lugol’s solution. The studies were carried out by light microscopy, with a 200 magnification. As a result of palynomorphological analysis of pine pollen samples, 23 teratomorphs with various developmental anomalies were identified: without sacci, with their reduction, with a single saccus, with two dissimilar sacci, with their asymmetric arrangement and developmental disorders, with one lenticular or collar saccus, dwarf (including without sacci, with their reduction, with a single saccus, with a loop-like overgrown exine), with exine ruptures, with reduced body, giant with normally developed sacci or with their pathologies (with a single saccus, without sacci, with two dissimilar sacci, with their reduction, with a collar saccus and with exine disorders), with large transverse or longitudinal cracks in the center of the pollen grain body, polyads. The teratomorphic pollen content in the tested samples is very high (80.4–90.4 %). The most common teratomorphs are pollen grains of normal, dwarf and giant sizes with anomalies in the development of sacci. Such pollen loses not only its ability of long-range transport through air, but also its ability to pollinate and fertilize. From the adaptive evolution point of view, the bilaterally symmetrical sacci of coniferous pollen, first of all are balancers on the ovule nucellus. Violation of their morphological structure does not allow them to perform this function and limit reproduction. A large quantity of genetically abnormal P. sylvestris pollen forms and the peculiarities of its teratology indicate a high level of environmental pollution of the city of Apatity. Due to its sensitivity to pollutants P. sylvestris pollen can be used as a biomonitor to detect the phytotoxic and mutagenic effects of them.
ISSN 1995-4301
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