Influence of Traffic Load and Air Pollution on Fluctuating Asymmetry Level in the Japanese White Birch on the Territory of the Aldan Raion of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (Yakutia) Republic
Environmental quality on the territory of Aldan town and along the federal highway «Lena» has been assessed using fluctuating asymmetry (FA) level in the Japanese white birch. Twenty three samples (21 150) of birch leaves collected in undisturbed and residential areas of the Aldan raion of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic have been examined, traffic load has been estimated, and statistical data on air pollution of Aldan city have been analyzed. The major air pollutants on the territory of Aldan are coal boiler stations and motor transport. FA level of the Japanese white birch on the examined territory varied within 0,045-0,061. A dependency of FA level on air pollution was revealed, with the main factor being the number of days when maximum permissible concentration (MPC) of particulate matter was exceeded. Traffic load of the territory in this study was not high: 20-148 vehicles per hour, which with toxicity coefficients taken into account equals 31-247 points. FA level was noted to be influenced by the proximity to the roadway and the condition of the road surface. High FA levels are characteristic of the trees growing along the roads and streets with gravel surface, which indicates negative influence of dust pollution on developmental stability of trees. For the roads with asphalt surface, negative influence of traffic load manifests itself when it is higher than 100 vehicles per hour (more than 150 points). The most significant deviations from the normal FA level are characteristic of the points along the federal highway, where close correlation between FA level and traffic load was registered.