Проект "Bioindication of pollution of urban ecosystem based on the research of woody plants` leaves"

State Budget Institution, School 2026 of Moscow

Bioindication of pollution of urban ecosystem based on the research of woody plants` leaves

done by students of the 6th form

project tutors:

the teacher of English, Shevchenko E.I.

the teacher of biology and ecology, Polina E.V.

Moscow, 2018

Introduction

Theoretical part

The history of Kosino-Ukhtomsky district, Moscow

The sources of pollution

The main types of pollution

Practical part

The technique of definition of lamina (leaf blade) area of woody plants

The description of the research

The results of the research

Conclusion

Bibliography

Appendix

Introduction

Kosino-Ukhtomsky is a young district of Moscow. Only in 1995 the settlement of Kosino was joined to Moscow. Large families, families of reserve officers, veterans of the Great patriotic war and young families got the flats in this district. People were attracted by the closeness of nature. There is Saltykovsky forest and Kosnsky lakes in the neighbourhood. All transport and household problems were gradually solved, but for the problem of fresh air. Every inhabitant of the district could feel unpleasant chemical smells and the smell of hydrogen sulphide, it was clear for everybody that the air contained impurities. These smells became stronger at nights, people had to close windows. People noticed strange qualities of a thick fog, that appeared in the lowland of Rudnevka river. This fog had also got an unpleasant smell and unusual colour. Many inhabitants of the district, especially children, obtained allergy. People couldn`t live without antihistamines and nasal drops. However, when people left their houses for holidays they stopped suffering from allergy. The residents of the district got interested what was neighbouring their houses. We can see a lot of trees along the roads and streets of Kozhukhovo such as tillet, canadian maple, Norway maple, common birch, elm. Unfortunately, nobody thought about the fact that trees can help to find the reasons of the pollution. Bioindication is the most  important  biological  method  of  environmental assessment according to the condition of its biota. Bioindication is a time-dependent, sensitive registration of anthropogenic or  anthropogenically  altered  environmental  factors, by  distinguished  dimensions  of  biological  objects and  biological  systems  under  defined  circumstances (Stocker 1980).It is based on the observation of the composition and number of indicators. Bioindication is used in ecological research as a method of exposure of anthropogenic pressure on the biocenosis. There are four main types of indicators, which are not mutually exclusive, including:

– ecosystem health assessment,

– human effects,

– human interventions,

– human health and well-being (Burger 2006).

Plants react the pollution of the environment not only morphologically, but also physiologically. All processes of the vital activity of plants including the growth of their different parts undergo variability due to the impact of numerous factors.

The hypothesis of the project: trees in Rudnevka street have the dirtiest and smallest leaf laminas as there are a lot of offices and shops in this street that can cause pollution.

The aim of the project is to determine the quality of the environmental condition using the technique of bioindication.

Tо achieve this aim we set the following objectives:

-to analize the literature about the history of the district, sources of the air pollution and influence of polluting substances on people`s health

-to study the technique of determination of the leaf blade area of woody plants in polluted and clean zones of the city

-to assess the quality of the environment in the area under study, taking the neighbourhood of Kosino-Ukhtomsky district as an example

-to learn how to deal with the heating appliances and get acquainted with safety regulations while working with the laboratory equipment.

Theoretical part

The history of Kosino-Ukhtomsky district

Kosino is one of the most ancient villages in Moscow area. Several lakes of ice age origin have preserved in the district. They are the White lake, the Black lake, the Saint lake. Archaeologists have  found ancient settlements and burial mounds on the banks of the lakes. The first written mention of Kosino can be found in the papers dating back to the 15th century. At that time it was under the rule of the Serpukhovsky earls.

In 1617 the first Romanov, Mikhail Fyodorovich presented the village of Kosino with the church of St. Nicholas to Telepnev. In 1673 a small wooden church was built instead of the old delapidated one. This church had existed for 300 years. Several years ago it was destroyed and after that restored with the help of old drawings.

In the 18th century Kosino was the part of the tsar lands. On the eastern bank of the White lake there was a wharf and a harbour. It is believed that Peter the Great built this wharf. Nowadays there is a yachting club on the bank of the lake. Once a year Brandov boat is launched solemnly onto water and the cannons shoot. It is the beginning of the celebration devoted to the founder of the Russian navy, Peter I.

After the Patriotic war of 1812 a merchant Dmitry Lukhmanov became the owner of the village, which was in awful condition. Lukhmanov tried to improve the life of peasants. He built wonderful stone churches: Assumption church (Uspenskaya) and St. Nicholas church. Only due to Lukhmanov`s efforts the villages in the area started to prosper. That is the reason why one of the streets of the district is named after Dmitry Lukhmanov.

The Rudnevka river gave the name to another street of the district. The length of the river is more than 3 kilometres. It joins the Chechera on the border of our district and Moscow area and they both flow into the Pekhorka which flows through many villages and towns such as Balashikha and Zheleznodorozhny. Nowadays the Rudnevka river looks more like a creek, it`s possible to step across it in some places. Rudnevka street is considered to be one of the central streets in our district.

The sources of air pollution in the district.

Our district has "dangerous neighbours”, these are the objects of the first (highest) class of ecological danger. The nearest of them are 2 plants of "Ecotechprom": incinerator #4 that burns 254000 tons of wastes per year (700 tons a day) and veterinary-sanitary plant "Ecologist". The name of the plant is a bit sarcastic as this plant burns 8000 biohazard and infected wastes a year including forfeited and expired meat, infected bodies of animals, expired medicines, syringes, etc. According to sanitary rules and standards these plants should have a sanitary protection zone no less than 1 kilometer. Not far from our district there are Lyuberetsy aeration fields, two dumps (Torbeevo and Kuchino), a crematorium of Nicholoarchangel cementry and indusrial enterprises.

Not only Kozhukhovo (Kosino-Ukhtomsky, Eastern Administrative District), but also such districts as Nekrasovka, Lyuberetskie polya and towns Lyubertsy and Zheleznodorozhny are in the zone of adverse impact of harmful discharge of the incinerator, "Ecologist" and other enterprises.

People`s petitions have had a certain effect, the authorities have made the decision to set a station of Mosecomonitoring "Kozhukhovo" on the boundaries of the incinerator.

Department of natural resources admits that Kosino-Ukhtomsky is one of the five unfavourable districts in Moscow because of the number of complaints of the air condition. However, it turned out to be impossible to find another place for the plants and the ecological situation is still difficult.

The main types of pollution

 For centuries man lived in harmony with nature until industrialization brought human society into conflict with the natural environment. Today, the contradictions between man and nature have acquired a dramatic character. With the development of civilization man’s interference in nature has increased.

 Every year the world’s industry pollutes the atmosphere with millions of tons of dust and other harmful substances. The seas and rivers are poisoned with industrial waste, chemical and sewage discharge. People who live in big cities are badly affected by harmful discharge from plants and city transport and by the increasing noise level which is as bad for human health as lack of fresh air and clean water. The biosphere of the Earth is greatly influenced by the increasing anthropogenic impact.

In this situation the role of plants growing in the city and its outskirts is extremely important as they contribute to creating a special microclimate and lessen the harmful impact of anthropogenic factors. However, they suffer from negative influence of the environmental pollution just like other organisms.

There are different kinds of industrial pollution of the city environment.

1. Chemical pollution of atmosphere.

• Emissions. Chemicals are emitted to the atmosphere by a range of sources. Anthropogenic emissions come from human activities, such as burning fossil fuel. Biogenic emissions are produced by natural functions of biological organisms, such as microbial breakdown of organic materials. Emissions can also come from nonliving natural sources, most notably volcanic eruptions and desert dust.

• Chemistry. Many types of chemical reactions in the atmosphere create, modify, and destroy chemical pollutants.
• Transport. Winds can carry pollutants far from their sources, so that emissions in one region cause environmental impacts far away. Long-range transport complicates efforts to control air pollution because it can be hard to distinguish effects caused by local versus distant sources and to determine who should bear the costs of reducing emissions.
• Deposition. Materials in the atmosphere return to Earth, either because they are directly absorbed or taken up in a chemical reaction (such as photosynthesis) or because they are scavenged from the atmosphere and carried to Earth by rain, snow, or fog.

 Primary Air Pollutants

Primary air pollutants are emitted directly into the air from sources. They can have effects both directly and as precursors of secondary air pollutants (chemicals formed through reactions in the atmosphere), which are discussed in the following section.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a gas formed when sulfur is exposed to oxygen at high temperatures during fossil fuel combustion, oil refining, or metal smelting. SO2 is toxic at high concentrations, but its principal air pollution effects are associated with the formation of acid rain and aerosols. SO2 dissolves in cloud droplets and oxidizes to form sulfuric acid (H2SO4), which can fall to Earth as acid rain or snow or form sulfate aerosol particles in the atmosphere.

Nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2, referred together as NOx) are highly reactive gases formed when oxygen and nitrogen react at high temperatures during combustion or lightning strikes. Nitrogen present in fuel can also be emitted as NOx during combustion. Emissions are dominated by fossil fuel combustion at northern mid-latitudes and by biomass burning in the tropics. Figure 4 shows the distribution of NOx emissions to the atmosphere in 2006 as determined by satellite measurements of atmospheric NO2 concentrations.

In the atmosphere NOx reacts with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon monoxide to produce ground-level ozone through a complicated chain reaction mechanism.

 It is eventually oxidized to nitric acid (HNO3). Like sulfuric acid, nitric acid contributes to acid deposition and to aerosol formation.

Chemical pollution of water supplies Water pollution is caused by the intentional or unintentional release of toxic chemicals/materials, contaminants and harmful compounds into various bodies of water such as rivers, lakes and the ocean. Without proper disposal or filtration of these pollutants they can spread throughout the water and affect all living animals and organisms that come into contact with it by contaminating any living thing that requires water for survival.

Water pollution may be caused by any hazardous substance or material that makes contact with the earth`s water supply.

This may include oil from oil tankers and oil refineries, garbage from construction sites, city streets and residential lawns, improper disposal of hazardous materials from garbage disposal companies, chemical spills and improper chemical disposal, sewage leaks and agricultural runoffs just to name a few.

Water pollution is generally caused by human actives but may also be caused by natural resources.

When water is polluted it is usually defined as either being polluted from point sources or non point sources.

Point source pollution occurs from a specific location by a single source such as a large factory, oil refinery or hauling ship that contributed a massive amount of pollution within a single area.

This large scale pollution can then be spread across large bodies of water affecting many miles of water, agricultural land, animal habitats and oceanic ecosystems.

Non point source pollution can occur from many different areas that all contribute to a body of water.

This can occur from large neighborhoods with poor residential lawn quality from sewage leaks and other types of contaminants, city streets where garbage and chemicals are not disposed of properly and large agricultural areas that use harmful chemicals which runoff into a body of water and contribute to other sources of water pollution.

When people rely on a specific body of water for drinking, cleaning and other purposes and that water becomes polluted it can become a major issue.

Once water becomes polluted it becomes unsafe for consumption due to the dangerous or toxic materials that are contained within the water.

If contaminated water is consumed it could lead to sickness, infections, exposure to diseases and even death.

While pollution is a growing concern determining what water is polluted isn’t always easy when observed by the naked eye or our taste buds.

Water may appear to be clean for consumption however it may have hidden pollutants that can affect our bodies as well as animals, plants and various other organisms.

In order to determine the health of water (especially clear, clean looking water) researchers and scientists often need to perform special tests.

If the water is considered contaminated it will need to go through a filtration and removal process before it can become drinkable or even sustainable for numerous animal species that inhibit that body of water.

Sadly the issue of water pollution is even more severe in third world countries where there is no way to properly dispose of poisonous chemicals/materials and polluted water cannot easily be cleaned or treated.

In these countries people often end up reusing polluted water which can lead to many of the issues described previously such as birth deformities, sickness, disease and death.

In addition to being affected by water pollution these countries do not have the medical staff or antibiotics necessary to deal with those who become sick and ill from water pollution.

Finding a way to develop cheap filtration systems and better waste disposal management systems is going to be a vital step towards improving the health of our drinking water and the bodies of water that surround us.

In addition to harming animals water pollution can also affect plants, trees, the soil and other natural materials and resources of the earth.

3. Soil pollution occurs when the thin layer of healthy and productive soil, which covers the earth’s surface, is destroyed. Solid waste or rubbish is the most visible form of pollution. Every year, people dispose of billions of tons of solid waste.

The solid waste produced in homes, schools, offices and shops is called municipal solid waste. It includes paper, plastic, bottles and cans and our left-over food.

Other waste consists of scrap metal, leftover materials from agricultural processes, and mining wastes known as spoil. Soil pollutants, mainly results from the industrial wastes, urban wastes, radioactive pollutants, agriculture practices, chemical and metallic pollutants, biological agents, mining, objects and soil sediments.

Noise pollution

Noise pollution takes place when there is either excessive amount of noise or an unpleasant sound that causes temporary disruption in the natural balance. This definition is usually applicable to sounds or noises that are unnatural in either their volume or their production. Our environment is such that it has become difficult to escape noise. Even electrical appliances at home have a constant hum or beeping sound. By and large, lack of urban planning increases the exposure to unwanted sounds. This is why understanding noise pollution is necessary to curb it in time.

All these types of pollution influence the environment greatly. The pollution lessens the adaptive qualities of plants.

Practical part

The technique of the determination of lamina`s area of woody plants in polluted and clean zones of the city.

We have made our research "Bioindication of pollution of urban ecosystem with the help of leaves of woody plants" using the method by M.S. Miller and L.V. Dorogan.

It is the most perspective methodology as :

Woody plants are widely spread

Trees which grow in the city are indicators

The technique is rather simple

It lets receive easily processed and revealing data

The technique used is a kind of breakthrough in the sphere of ecological monitoring and it has a number of advantages, being different from other known methods of monitoring. It is free from shortcomings that prevent its practical application. This techniques is integrative as living organisms that are used as the working indicators, sum up the impact of ALL factors operating at this territory. This technique is reliable and studies the reactions of living organisms to the condition of the environment. It is visual, convenient and universal

The most sensitive organ of woody plants is the green leaf of the plant. Good bioindicators in the city are the leaves of trees with good absorbing qualities the so-called  trees "orderlies": small-leaved linden, ash, lilac, poplar, birch.

There are several ways to measure leaf area. We have used the method where we could find the conversion factor knowing the length and width of the leaf.

Equipment and materials needed:

Paper, scissors, scales (apothecary or electronic), leaves of woody plants with a simple and small leaf plate: linden, canadian maple.

The leaves were harvested on September 30, 2016. This is the most favorable period for the collection of leaves, as they are already fully formed under the influence of environmental conditions. Samples were collected at 3 points along such streets of Kosino-Ukhtomsky district of Moscow as Luhmanovskaya, Svyatoozerskaya, Rudnevka. At each place we collected at least 10 leaves per plant. Then, we put the leaves under the press to have them dried. In November, December, January, February we performed the laboratory treatment of the material. Then the leaves were weighed on electronic scales, their length and width were measured.

Setting the conversion factor is based on a comparison of the mass of the square of paper with the mass of the leaf having the same length and width. For this purpose we took checker paper, and outlined the square equal to length and width, and then accurately outlined its contour. We calculated the area of the square of paper, cut and weighed it, then cut out the contour of the leaf and also weighed.

Picture 1.  Determining the mass of a square and a leaf

From the data obtained, a conversion factor is calculated by using formulas 1 and 2.

K is conversion factor

S is the area of the leaf (l) or square of the paper (kV).

P is the mass of a square of paper or a leaf

The ratio calculation is made on the basis of average factors (8 - 9 leaves). By the same calculation it is established separately for each type of plants.

Picture 2. Measuring the length and width of a leaf

Then we measured the length (a) and width (B) and multiplied by the conversion factor (K) (formula 3):

We obtain a number of values of variability of leaf area for each tree species in different environmental conditions.

For each series average arithmetic values are calculated, compared with each other.

In cases of a large sample, variational curves are constructed, compared with each other.

The following rules should be taken into account when collecting bioindication research material:

1.it is better to select widespread species of trees as a model object, in our case we have chosen heart-shaped linden and Canadian maple.

2. It is necessary to start collecting material after the end of intensive growth of leaves that approximately corresponds to the end of June and before their fall in autumn.

 Description of the study.

Taking into account all the above facts and materials, the following research objects were selected in the experimental part: heart-shaped Linden, Canadian maple.

All the collected leaves were dried, that gave us the opportunity to conduct a study in the winter.

For determining the weight of the notebook sheet and leaves we used methods of Dorohan', which is visually represented in figures 1 and 2.

The conversion factor was measured by using formulas 1, 2. The area of the leaf blade was determined by using formula 3. The data were put into the tables No. 1, 2.

According to the obtained data, variational series (table 5) and variational curves (Graphs 1-2) of the variability of the area of the leaf blade were constructed.

Comparing the results, we drew the appropriate conclusions and made recommendations to improve the living conditions of plants in the urban environment and increase their resistance to xenobiotics.

The work-performance on all stages was recorded in the form of photographs, maps of material collection, graphs that are placed in the appendix.

Results

 In the course of the study by using the above-mentioned technique, the value of the conversion factor for measuring the area of the plate was determined:

For heart-shaped Linden it is equal 0,673

For canadian maple it is 1,3852

Table 1.Calculation of conversion factor for heart-shaped Linden (17 Luhmanovskaya st.)

Table2. Calculation of conversion factor for платановидный maple (17 Luhmanovskaya st., in the yard of the house)

Table 3. The area of leaf laminas for heart-shaped Linden

Table 4. The area of leaf laminas for Norway maple

Table 5. A variational series of the variability of the area of leaf plates of heart-shaped linden. (this table is based on the data from table 3)

Table 6. Variation ranks of the variability of leaf plates of Norway maple

Conclusion

Having carried out the ecological research we have come to the following results:

1) We mastered the technique of definition of lamina area of woody plants (heart-shaped linden, canadian maple) collecting the leaves for our research in the streets of our neighbourhood such as Lukhmanovskaya (in the yard and near the road),  Rudnyovka street and Svyatoozerskaya.

2) Lukhmanovskaya st. turned out to be the street with the greatest contamination of the leaf blades of heart-shaped lime and canadian maple, as it is most open to air masses. That means that our hypothesis was not confirmed.

3) Leaves from Svyatoozerskaya st. were the least contaminated, because they were taken from the residential area, where there is less traffic flow, and the trees are protected from winds by blocks of flats.

4) We experienced the possibility of using the methods of biological indication in the assessment of quality of environmental conditions.

Bibliography

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3. Boguslaw Wilkomirski, History of bioindication (Historia bioindykacji), Monitoring Srodowiska Przyrodniczego, Vol. 14, s. 137–142.)), 2013
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