On the state of the pigment apparatus of conifers in the urbanized environment of Krasnoyarsk

The environment of each industrial city has its own characteristics of environmental and anthropogenic factors that limit the growth and development of vegetation. Plants, having high plasticity, are able to adapt to negative environmental factors, including through the transformation of the assimilation apparatus. The indicator characterizing the assimilation activity of plants is the content of photosynthetic pigments, and adaptive reactions are manifested in a change in the ratio between the content of chlorophylls and other pigments involved in the process of photosynthesis. To understand the mechanisms of physiological and biochemical adaptation of Pícea obováta, Picea pungens and Lárix sibírica to the conditions of an urbanized environment, we conducted studies characterizing the features of changes in the content of photosynthetic pigments in the conifers of plants growing in various environmental conditions of Krasnoyarsk: in roadside plantings and park area. Comparative analysis of the pigment content in the conifer Picea obovata, Picea pungens and Lárix sibírica revealed no species differences. The specificity of the reaction of the photosynthetic apparatus of conifers to the degree of pollution of the habitat has been established. The mass of chlorophyll a decreased in the plantings of the park zone, while its share in the pigment complexes remained at the control level. The mass of chlorophyll b decreased to a lesser extent, and its share in pigment complexes even increased. A more significant drop in the concentration of carotenoids, relative to green pigments, was accompanied by a decrease in their share in the structure of photosystems. Under conditions of roadside plantings, both the mass and the proportion of chlorophylls in the light-harvesting complex decreased. The degradation of chlorophylls affects the chlorophyll b fund to a greater extent. To a lesser extent, the carotenoid stock decreased, which was accompanied by an increase in its contribution to the composition of photosystems. The change in the ratio between the content of chlorophylls and carotenoids, apparently, reflects the specifics of the adaptation mechanisms in conditions of varying degrees of environmental pollution. 

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