@article{T.G. Krupnova_I.V. Mashkova_A.M. Kostryukova_2017, title={USING BIRCH LEAVES TO INDICATE AIR POLLUTION}, volume={13}, url={https://geomatejournal.com/geomate/article/view/1368}, abstractNote={<p>The present study investigated the utility of Bétula pubéscens L. leaves as a bioindicator of air <br>pollution within an industrial Russian city. The study focused on the effects of air pollution on fluctuating <br>asymmetry (FA) of leaves. B. pubéscens L. leaves (n=3800) were sampled from 190 trees growing at 38 <br>different sites in Chelyabinsk. The relationship between the data was determined using Pearson’s test with a <br>significance level of 0.05. Correlations were observed between the integral index of fluctuating asymmetry <br>(IIFA) and air pollutants such as suspended solids (P=0.527), nitrogen dioxide (P=0.313), sulfur dioxide <br>(P=0.355), inorganic dust SiO2 (P=0.790), and the air pollution index (P=0.607). The correlation was the <br>highest for inorganic dust since dust clogs the stomata on the leaves of plants, affecting their photosynthesis <br>and respiration. B. pubéscens L. could be considered as a bioindicator of air pollution of Chelyabinsk, Russia.</p>}, number={40}, journal={GEOMATE Journal}, author={T.G. Krupnova and I.V. Mashkova and A.M. Kostryukova}, year={2017}, month={Nov.}, pages={54–59} }