Assessment of the Antioxidant Potential of Plants in Urban Ecosystems under Conditions of Anthropogenic Pollution of Soils

The leaves of 22 woody and herbaceous plant species growing in urban ecosystems of Kalinigrad were analyzed for the total contents of water-soluble antioxidants (TAC) and polyphenol contents. The soils of test plots were assayed for lead contents in the accumulative horizon. A significant excess over the background Pb level was revealed in soil samples from residential and industrial/utility areas (42% of the city territory), and TAC in plant tissues was found to decrease with an increase in Pb concentration in the soil. The role of polyphenols in forming the antioxidant potential of urban plants growing under conditions of technogenic soil pollution was evaluated. Based on cluster analysis of the water-soluble antioxidant and polyphenol accumulation patterns, the plants were classified into four groups. The results of this study may be used for comprehensive assessment of the resilience of urban plants to anthropogenic impact and improvement of the approaches and methods for monitoring industrial pollution in urban areas.