Scotch Pine Pollen under Conditions of Environmental Stress

Environmental conditions causing stress have a significant effect on the generative organs of Scotch pine. The parameters characterizing pine pollen are subject to significant interannual variations and are closely connected with weather and climatic conditions in the period of pollen formation. Airborne pollutants affect the quality of pine pollen, which is especially apparent in the years favorable for the formation of microspores. The ability of Scotch pine pollen to germinate and form pollen tubes in the regions with different technogenic loads proved to be significantly lower than in tree stands of the background areas.     

Factors of Richness of Urban Floras in the Ural–Volga Region

Original data on 14 urban floras in the Ural–Volga region have been analyzed to estimate the effect of the geographic location, topography, climate, size, and age of a city on the species richness of its flora. This parameter in different cities varied from 288 to 973 species, with the proportion of alien species varying from 21 to 41%. Factors of flora richness were estimated by multiple linear regression using principal component estimates obtained by factor analysis of 13 city characteristics as predictors. It has been confirmed that the richness of urban floras depends primarily on the city size, which accounts for greater proportions of variation in the number of native species (56%), the number of alien species (91%), and the total number of species (71%). In addition, variation in the number of native species is determined by terrain elevation (22%), increasing at higher elevations. The proportion of alien species in the urban flora does not depend on the size of the city and is negatively correlated with terrain elevation.