Ecogenetic Characteristics of Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale s.l.) Populations from the Techa River Floodplain Ecosystems

This study looks into T. officinale cenopopulations growing in the Techa River floodplain under conditions of chronic low-dose irradiation. It has been shown that the left-bank and right-bank cenopopulations differ from one another, as well as from the control (background) population, in the allozyme structure, viability, and radioresistance of the seed progeny and the mechanisms of antioxidant protection. In nature, cenopopulations differing in their phenogenetic structure may have different strategies of adaptation to the chronic influence of low radiation doses against the background of changing environmental conditions. The consequences of irradiation for such cenopopulations, including the viability and radiosensitivity of their seed progenies, may also differ considerably.     

The Use of Natural Taraxacum officinale Wigg. Populations for Assessing the State of Technogenically Disturbed Areas

Russian Journal of Ecology -     

Analysis of Local Dandelion (Taraxacum officinales.l.) Cenopopulations from Radioactively Contaminated Zones

Local dandelion (Taraxacum officinales.l.) populations were studied in the areas of the Eastern Ural Radioactive Trace and the floodplain of the Techa River in its upper reaches. In impact plots, the density of soil and plant cover contamination with ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs exceeded the background level by factors of 13–440 and 2–500, respectively; the radiation load exceeded the background level by factors of 1.5 to 45. The seed progeny of plants from these plots was characterized by a high proportion of abnormal seedlings and an increased level of chromosome aberrations in meristem cells. In some years, variation in the seedling viability, growth rate, and developmental rate in these plots exceeded the reaction norm of plants from the background plot, demonstrating both stimulation and inhibition of growth processes. The response of seeds to acute irradiation at high challenging doses varied depending on the level of background radiation in the plots.     

Specific Features of the Population Ecology of Creeping Thistle, Cirsium arvense(L.) Scop. s. l.

Two populations of creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense) growing in a field uncultivated for many years and on the sloping bank of an artificial pond were studied with respect to the demographic and chemical composition. The results showed that the contents of some elements in plants depend on specific features of the soil and plant population parameters (abundance, biomass, and ontogenetic composition). Some indices of the content of mineral substances in the population and soil proved to be difficult to interpret unambiguously.     

The European whitefish, Coregonus lavaretus (L.), under conditions of technogenic pollution in the Kostomuksha tailing pond

The population structure and biological parameters of the European whitefish, Coregonus lavaretus (L.), have been analyzed in a technogenically polluted water body. The biochemical state of the whitefish and the fauna and morphology of helminths parasitizing them have been assessed. It is shown that the species composition of the fish, plankton, benthos, and parasite faunas of this water body are depleted and the morphological parameters of common fish parasites are altered. It is noted that, in addition to adaptive rearrangements in biochemical metabolism, the whitefish from the transformed water body are characterized by a reduction in the level of protein synthesis in muscles and the rate of aerobic energy metabolism in the liver and muscles.     

Mutagenic properties of PM2.5 air pollution in the Padana Plain (Italy) before and in the course of XX Winter Olympic Games of "Torino 2006"

PM2.5 is one of the most important aspects of environmental health. This air pollutant is breathable and it is implicated in several chronic adverse health effects such as the decrease of respiratory functionality and cancer. Several in vitro bioassays are able to predict the mutagenic/carcinogenic activity of the environmental pollutants and mixtures of them. In this study PM2.5 air pollution was daily monitored in three cities located in the Northern part of Italy and the mutagenic properties of the PM2.5 organic extracts were also assessed. Samplings lasted 14 months and cover the period of the Winter Olympic Games of "Torino 2006". In this work, the levels of PM2.5, its mutagenic properties (detected with Salmonella typhimurium assay), the role of the Olympic Games as environmental factor and some meteorological data are discussed. The mean concentration of PM2.5 measured in Torino was 45.4 (+/-30.6) microg/m(3), in Pavia 37.6 (+/-25.6) microg/m(3), in Verona 43.1 (+/-28.5) microg/m(3). Findings of the monthly pool bioassay were in Torino 107 (+/-104) net revertans/m(3), in Pavia 108 (+/-89) net revertans/m(3), in Verona 128 (+/-109) net revertans/m(3). The Olympic Games period data show that PM2.5 pollution and its load of mutagenic potential are different and partially independent phenomena. The Olympic Games had not a great impact on the PM2.5 pollution. The exclusive PM2.5 gravimetric analysis shows a potential human risk if compared with the latest international guide values but it does not describe exhaustively the human health risk associated to the presence of this particular air pollutant. Moreover, the chemical and biological activity qualification of the PM organic extracts as a whole, can instead improve the knowledge.     

Intrapopulation Differentiation by the Rates of Rosette Growth and Individual Plant Development in Narrow-Leaved Hawk’s Beard (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Crepis tectorum</Emphasis> L.): Aftereffects of Long-Term Stress

Aftereffects of exposure to long-term chemical pollution with fluorine and sulfur compounds on intrapopulation differentiation of the rates of growth and development has been studied on Crepis tectorum L. progenies obtained from seeds collected in a pollution gradient and grown in a greenhouse under uniform ecological conditions. The results have shown that long-term stress (exposure to toxic gaseous pollutants) leads to significant changes in the intrapopulation structure, which are manifested in an increase in the proportion of plants with a low rate of development, a low relative rate of the linear growth of metameres (leaves), but a higher relative rate of their formation.__________Translated from Ekologiya, No. 4, 2005, pp. 243–251.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Trubina.     

Effect of Ecological Factors on the Accumulation of Fluorine by Larches, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Larix gmelinii</Emphasis> (Rupr.) Rupr. and <Emphasis Type="Italic">L. sibirica</Emphasis> Ledeb., in Eastern Siberia

The accumulation of fluorine in the trunk wood and branches of Larix gmelinii growing on soils with a naturally increased fluoride content and of L. sibirica growing in a zone affected by atmospheric emissions from an aluminum plant has been studied. Based on results of in vivo and in vitro experiments, it is concluded that larch trees manifest individual differences in their response to fluorine.