Siberian Bouquet

Russian version

• Start page
• About the project
• About us
• Sites
  • Shelekhov & Arshan
  • Camp
• Observations
  • Local plants
  • Floral Clock
  • Barometer
• Legends of Flowers
  • Collection of legends of Flowers
• Researches
  • Object & Metod
  • Work
  • Results
• Test
• Sources
• Credits

About the project

Plants are a basis of a life on the Earth. They form enormous quantity of an organic matter during photosynthesis at interaction of a solar energy, water and carbonic gas. Thus free oxygen is liberated which brings to an atmosphere. Its content in the atmosphere of the Earth is about 21% and is constantly supported at this level. All this oxygen is a biogenic origin. The matter formed during photosynthesis is the basic source of existence of herbivorous animals and as a result of predatory animals and other organisms. Thus the plants are a source of existence of people. They feed them, dress, treat, give habitation and fuel. The comprehension of the major role of plants in the life of all population of the Earth also has pushed us to begin the work an this project.
In this project we’d like to tell you about our researches. Julya and Asya as the most serious of us summarized materials of researches for some years during the 2004 summer practice. Those researches had been done by students of Shelekhov Lyceum. It show the reactions of plants for pollution of the atmosphere and the soil. Olya and Nikita were engaged in systematization of plants, collection of stories and legends that are connected with the plants. Sometimes magic legends had created a bright impression on them. So they wanted to paint the illustrations for those legends. Furthermore they had been watching closely for the motion of a floral clock and for display of a floral barometer since an early morning till the night. Of course, there is a common thing amount those different researches. It is the observation of the quiet life of other inhabitants in our planet. These inhabitants are plants. They can’t tell aloud about what they are felling. But a kind and careful student's look can open the secret of their significant silence. Do we behave as a part of the population of the Earth rightly? What do our neighbours by the planet feel beside us? What can we do for improving the real situation?
We’d like to answer for these and other questions by our project.

So the main "highlights" of our project are:

• the original pictures of the plants;

• the original illustrations of the legends about flowers;

• the photos of the wonderful places of Eastern Siberia;

• the publication of the results of long-term researches of students of Shelekhov Lyceum;

• and especial the soul of our team enclosed in each page of the project.

We hope that many people will find something interesting on these pages.

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About us

We live in a small town of Shelekhov and we are studing in Shelekhov Lyceum. Our town is situated near big Aluminium Plant. We know that our town is the area of bad ecological situation. But we were born there and we think that this place is our motherland. We want to improve the situation. So we should do everything that we can. First course that we can do now studying in our Lyceum is:
— to learn everything that is connected with living beings’ life in negative ecological conditions
— to analyse facts of experiments
— to do the conclusions that may be used for improving ecological situation in future.
We are involved in a researching assignment during the summer practice. This summer practice is led in two places: on the one hand – in an ecologically dirty territories over the industrial zone; on the other hand — in an ecologically clear place.
Every year, since 1995, a group of our students has been gone to the settlement of Arshan. The settlement of Arshan is supposed to be one more pearl of Eastern Siberia is a mountain balneal resort. It is located far from any industrial factories. That’s why we research local plants, variety of species there. There are a lot of species because this place has a different zoning. We collect stories and legends about the plants and observe plants’ behaviour during the day. We can find out the time by a floral clock and forecast the weather by a floral barometer. We test plants that will be named “background” later. We do it this way because further we will compare these tests with the tests from urban districts.
Teachers and students of Shelekhov Lyceum have been engaged in this work for some years.
A big experiment material has already been saved up. Therefore we want to tell you about the conclusions of researching. The main conclusion that has been made during the work is that plants don’t just watch what happens around them but react to the changes of nature sharply. There is a different reaction. But for some reasons plants react more often to people’s activities with pain. Perhaps it isn’t too late to correct something…

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Location

We live in Asia. Our town Shelekhov is situated in 10 kilometers from Irkutsk that is the center of Eastern Siberia in Russia. Not far from our town Lake Baikal is situated. It is the pearl of Russia and the deepest and cleanest lake in the Earth. The places around the Baikal amaze everybody by their beauty and richness of nature landscapes. But our town that is situated in 100 kilometers from the Baikal represents another picture. Shelekhov was built 42 years ago because of the big construction of Irkutsk Aluminium plant. The town was named by Gregory Shelikhov who is known as “Russian Columbus” and who was an Irkutsk merchant and founder of the first Russian settlements in Alaska.
Aluminium plant rises and increases its power every year. The majority of population of Shelekhov works in its shops. But the distance between the town and living areas isn’t enough – only 2.5 km! Unfortunately, aluminium is made from bauxites and it is a faulty technology. So, in the same time the plant feeds all people in the town and poisons them. Building of cleaning constructions doesn’t keep pace with the rise of production. And beautiful pine-trees forests that have been grown there gradually are disappearing. It is dolefully to see a grey smog over the town when you are driving up to it.

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Shelekhov & Arshan

Shelekhov is the town with a high concentration of industrial factories. There is Factory of ferroconcrete items, Cable plant, Lime factory and Tractor plant except Irkutsk Aluminium plant. At the same time discharges in the atmosphere as a result of motor transports’ working and stove heating are added to them. A pollution level of air in the town is very high. Average measures of concentration of substances during the year exceeded rated value of concentration. For example concentration of benzopiren is 12.9 times as much, of formaldehyde – 6.7 times as much, of fluoride – from 4 to 8 times as much, of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride – from 5 to 1.5 times as much and of dust – from 1.3 to 2.7 times as much.
Arshan Settlement is located in Tunka valley at a distance of 350 km from Shelekhov. There aren’t any industrial factories. Local population is Buryats. They think that a valley of the river Kyngarga where Arshan settlement is situated is a holy place for a religious worship. The fact is that mineral springs in the river and along its banks are gushing out from under the earth. So its water helps from many diseases. Not far from the settlement Dacan is situated. It is a buddhistic monastery. Buddhistic monasteries are built only in holy places where a powerful source of the space energy has been discovered. Exactly in that place Arshan settlement is situated with icy mountain river Kyngarga and hot mineral springs, violent waterfalls and blue mountain ranges of Eastern Saians stretching straight to the sky.

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Camp

Our life in the summer camp in Arshan settlement is a real exotic story in comparison with school weekdays. It is a holy place with the summer heat and wonderful mountain air. So in that place we take a rest for a long winter and studying and store up fresh energy and impressions. We have lived in the camp only for two weeks but have taken a shot of sprightliness for all year long. Except the rest we work. We have botany, biology and ecology lessons. Every year we take plants’ tests in the same areas of meadows, in the forests and foothills. We do it in order to conduct a longstanding observation. Teachers say that this way we “are involved into the idea about integrity and dialectics of natural complexes of our region“ and that we “improve the skills of a field research, office studies and analysis of materials”. At the same time we find out a lot of interesting things about plants, legends and stories about them and possibility to use plants in medicine. It is a grown-up view to the aims and problems of our camp. But this work is often very fine and interesting for us!

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Observations

During the summer practice we did not simple gather the plants for researches. Also we did some natural observations. It was the most interesting part of the practice Well, it was done like this: the schedule of field observations was done for the students. Two students had to observe and describe the life of the forest and field plants for two hours. Since the early morning till the dark night we could observe the plants. That observations told us that plant lifetime was being influenced by the definite biorhythms.
And the most definite daytime biorhythms were for the plants with big and bright petals.
In the same time these plants' flowers opened and closed. This plants’ ability is known for a long time. In the Ancient Grice and Rome special plants were put in the flower garden. That plants opened and closed their coronas in different time so they knew the time.
A popular botanist of 18-th century Charles Linney who had studying the plants for a long time discovered the law of their coronas’ opening and created a floral clock. That clock was in the town called Upsala in Sweden. Clock-face of this clock was divided into sections. Every section had a definite kind of plants that were selected by the time of their opening. During the sun day floral clock worked very well: every hour one plant opened its flower, then another plant opened its flower till the dusk.

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Local plants

There are the rich flora in Eastern Siberia. We tell about some local plants in the project:

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Floral Clock

We live in a different climate so we ratio our summer Floral Clock for our region.
What happens on the forest fields and flowering meadows of Eastern Siberia during the long summer days and short nights?
When the daybreak begins the first plant that opens the flower is a yellow salsify. Its petals have flashed since 3 to 4 hours in the morning. After that a blue chicory gets up, then red petals of a poppy appear and sunny spheres of dandelion and garden sow-thistle present themselves. A bush of a dog-rose shows its red flowers after some time. By 6 o’clock blue fields of a flax wake up, fields of a potatoes with white-purple flowers mote and a carnation break up into many red “coats”.
At 8 o’clock a water-lily and a bindweed swim up and straighten its petals. At 9 o’clock when the sunlight is everywhere a calendula and a foalfoot open their flowers.
By the middle of the day a field is full of different colors of plants and after that the plants that have been opened earlier start to fall asleep.
The first plant that closes its corona is a salsify. After it is a dandelion. After 5 o’clock a water-lily swims down the water and the flax field greens. But till the sunset we can observe the flowers of the dog-rose.
But there are the plants that open at the night.
After the sunset a wild orchid begins to be fragrant. In the dusk a ragged robin shows its snow-white corona. Its flowers seem to be like the stars, its sweet-scented flavour is feeling everywhere and it attracts butterflies-pollinators. Almost every night a flower has a white color and a nice strong spirit. They are so white because only white flowers are seen by insects-pollinators through the dark green glass. A strong flavour leads insects to the flower.
So “waking up” and “dream” of plants in a definite time of the day or night are plants' accomodation to insects-pollinators.

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Barometer

Floral clock has one special feature – it works by its own rhythm. It shows the time only in a cloudless sunny day and in cloudy days and before the change of the weather they don’t open or they close too early.
We have tried to learn this special feature of local plants and discovered some “barometers” amount them. The flowers of a yellow acacia waiting for the rain excrete a lot of nectar this flavour attracts bees and the bees’ swarms go around the bushes. By their buzzing we can forecast the rainy weather. But in nice days or before the dry weather an acacia and honeysuckle almost do not excrete nectar. The flowers of a sow-thistle, a flax and a dandelion do not open in the moisture weather. Before the long bad weather a clover pulls down its triple leaves.
But there are the plants that forecast the dry weather. For example, before the hot weather a fern twists its leaves. It is the form of protection from drying.
Flowers of a cornflower are very sensible for the changes of the weather. If they opened in spite of the cloudy morning you will be able to wait for the good weather. A violet is a good barometer. If the flower is open and it looks at the world by its funny purple eye then the weather will be good. This plant closes its flower and wilts before the bad weather. The same thing happens with a daisy. Before the bad weather its flower bends to surface of the ground very low. Let look at a bindweed. A bindweed can forecast the weather. A bindweed closes its flowers by the rain and it opens even at the cloudy weather.
You can see a thistle on litter wastes, in ravines, on precipices and on pastures. It is an excellent weather foreteller. Before the cloudy weather the thistle presses its thorns to its bulb densely and the thorns don’t absolutely prick. When it is the heat it turns up its thorns from the bulb, so its bulb is pricklier.
The white water-lily is one of the most beautiful our plant. The flower of white-lily is the original weather station. Sometimes the lily is late for going out to the surface. If it is the start of nine o’clock and the water-lily has just started to go out of the water it will be raining in the latter half of the day. And if the water-lily hasn’t already gone out of the water a long heavy shower or fall of temperature will be. You can make a permanent forecast by the leaves of this plant: if the leaves cover water surface thickly in spring frosts won’t be.
Waiting for the rain weather rose and dog-rose don’t open their buds too.
Conifers have one remarkable feature: they lower their branches before the rain and lift them up before the fair weather. A fir especially shows it. Centuries-old national practice shows that you have analyzed the whole row of plants can do permanent weather forecasts.
For example, everybody knows a birch tree. The birch is the most widespread deciduous sort of trees in Russia. There are a lot of descriptions that are connected with the birch. All of them have been saved up for many centuries. Would you like to know what weather will be in the next summer?
If the birch blossoms out its leaves before the alder-tree in spring summer will be dry. If the alder-tree is faster then the birch cold and rain will be. If there is a lot of birch sap in spring summer will be rainy.
Do you know that birches tell us about the spring weather in fall? Well, if the leaves begin to turn yellow from the top the spring will be early. If the leaves begin to turn yellow from the bottom the spring will be late. If the leaves begin to turn yellow evenly the spring will be middle.
Birches can forecast the winter weather too. If the leaves haven’t fallen off yet in the beginning of October snow will be late. If the leaves fall off on time long thaw will be in the end of January — beginning of February.
So, plants react to changes of the atmosphere conditions. But if you’d like to determine coming weather you ought to use some descriptions and compare them.
Observing on behaviour and life of plants we have learned how to forecast the weather exactly by hardly visible signs.

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Legends about flowers

We have made the collection of legends about plants which are in our edges.

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Researches

We would like to acquaint you with the content of the research works that have been made by students of Shelekhov Lyceum. We had gathered materials for these researches during the summer practice that were processed and analyzed later. The conclusions were done by the results of analyses corresponding. Julia generalized the results of three research works that had one general problem — the reaction of plants to the environmental pollution.
The principle of the researches in two works was the same: the birch leaves and the mossy bodies had been gathered, dried up and then the content of zinc and manganese was defined in samples. The principle of the research in the third work is the definition of pine needles suffering in percents. The samples for the experiences had been undertaken in a pure ecological zone (Arshan). We called them "the background samples", and some samples were gathered on several sites of Shelekhov. All of these samples were compared to the laboratory samples. The method used for calculation of the pine needles suffering was the most of the simple. This method is a visual analysis. But it was more difficult to definite the content of microelements because the special equipment was necessary.
And why was that principle laid down in a basis of the researches?
Many biologists and chemists of the past researched living beings and tried to find a special substance or “living force” tha t causes the organism functioning. But no substance, even any instructions on it were found. Scientists found out that organisms consist of the same chemical elements that form the air, water, rock and soil minerals.
There are 80 chemical elements in the mixture of living organism. The organism needs some elements in a big quantity (they are called macro-elements) and other elements in a negligibly small quantity (they are called micro-elements). It is important to know the role of each element in forming of a living organism vital function.
Frey Basling had paid attention to the fact that chemical elements necessary for the plants take a different position in periodic system. Further researches showed that chemical element life need isn’t determined only by the position in the periodic system but it determines by a whole row of characteristics such as an ionization potential, ionic radius, polarizability and ect. It is clear that element toxicity increases according to the increase of its atomic mass. Content of these elements is usually too little in the organism.
Microelements are the elements that content in living organisms doesn’t exceed 10%. Microelements take part in breathing, photosynthesis, protein synthesis, protein and lipid exchanges, humus synthesis and other processes.
On average content of Zn in the plant ashes is 10 and in the dry plant is from 15 to 70 mg/kg. A number of elements in soil doesn’t exceed 65 mg/kg and assimilated by plants is from 0.03 to 20 mg/kg.
Biological absorption factor (BAF) of Zn is 10. A feature of this element is its low chemical activity. That’s why it is partly involved into the second circulation. Zinc takes part in the intracellular regulation in plants.
The average content of Mn in the plants is 10 mg/kg and BAF swings from 0.1 to 100. In the plant cell maximum of Mn can be find in its cytoplasm. Manganese is a part of many ferments and chlorophyll.
And it stirs their formation to activity. Manganese takes an active part in breathing, photosynthesis, synthesis, nitric and nuclein exchanges. The activity of Mn in different physiological and biochemical processes isn’t determined only by its quantity in the plant but it is determined by the ratio of Mn to other chemical elements that take part in these processes. The ratio of Mn to Fe and Cu is especially important.
Iron comes to the plant as a part of chelates. It is has a bivalence condition. High concentrations of Fe (II) may influence on the plant toxically. Iron acidified and precipitates over Mn. But this process proceeds by a special ratio of these elements. If this ratio gets broken the following things happen:
- A lack of the content of Mn in the plant brings to an excessive Fe (II) concentration. This accumulation of Fe (II) can reach a toxic concentration.
- Fe (II) is transferred into Fe (III) with the help of Mn excess. Then Fe (III) accumulates in the form of organic-phosphoric Fe and a plant begins to suffer from the lack of Fe (II).
Copper influence on the content of manganese similarly. That cooperation is visible not only in the plants but in the soil. Manganese takes part in bud-formation. Soil horizons that are fortified by Fe are particularly illuvial and they contain the increased quantity of Mn.
What is need for normal organism functioning?
1. At first, the determination of microelements concentration in habitat.
2. Secondly, definite ratio of absorbed elements
3. Thirdly, definite forms of compound where microelements in habitat are situated.
Non-observance of these demands brings to violation of different biochemical processes. Increased or decreased concentration of microelements in habitat may cause the endemics.
Why was maintenance of zinc and manganese exactly determined in samples of plants?
Zinc also plays an important role in a plant life, that’s why increase or decrease of it causes different diseases of plants. Decrease of Zn results in delay or stopping of many plants growth. Small-leaves, rosette and defoliation are observed on trees. Chlorosis is observed on maize, leaves pairing – on tomatoes, leaves mottling – on citrus plants.
Shortage of Mn in soils brings down growth and development of the plant. At the same time iodine assimilability of many plants is decreased. Tannin formation of tanning plants is decreased, mottling and odor nuisance of oats and spottiness of beans become apparent. Many plants amass iron under the deficit of Mn and the content of Fe is decreased under the excess of Mn (that brings to chlorosis).
In a couple of “plant-soil” is observed the dependence between the content of chemical elements in the plants and in the soils. When there is a little quantity of the element in the soil plant absorbs all available quantities of this element forms in spite of the fact that the quantity of the element in the plant is decreased.
Under the optimal content of the element chemical composition of the plants mainly depends on the plant biological features and physiological role of that element.
This way a geochemical surrounding isn’t the limitative factor. So regulation machinery starts working in the plants. The content of an absorbent element is determined by a need of the physiological processes realization. It is clear that climatic conditions especially temperature and moistening influence on the plant’s absorb of the elements and therefore on the chemical composition. For example, in the northern regions the plants contain more Cu, Mn, Zn than here.
A chemical composition of the plants depends on the technogenic processes activity. A technogenic type of the elements migration appeared as a result of human activity isn’t submitted to nature factors but socio-economic laws and it presents a variety in accordance with its origins. Also it includes the transference of products of natural raw materials on long distances.
Fully unconsumed raw materials, solid and gaseous waste products of industry come to the atmosphere and solid and liquid waste products – to reservoirs. It begins to a sharp re-distribution of chemical elements that is called on a violation of biogeochemical circulation of such elements as C, B, P, Pb, Cu, Zn, Fe, Hg, Ag, Mn.
Distribution of chemical elements as a result of human economic activities is uneven that bring to a high concentration of chemical elements in local places with their following “diffusion” in more wide natural habitats. In other words technogenic anomalies that are connected with the work of industrial centres are formed.

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Object & Metod

Objects of researches
Students of Lyceum learned the content of zinc and manganese in the birch leaves and in mosses that were collected on the areas of Shelekhov and Arshan by theyself. Other students studied the needles of the pine-trees as the indicators of the pollution of the environment. Why were these the objects chosen?
1. We compared to per cents content of zinc and manganese in the clean birch leaves with per cent of content of zinc and manganese content in the dirty birch leaves gathered at the suburbs of Shelekhov and at Arshan (background sample). We find out that the birch leaves growing in the fields near the Irkutsk Aluminium plant contain zinc in twice more and manganese almost in ten times than the background leaves contain. What are the reasons of that fact?
2. Mosses belong to the plants that are the most sensitive for the pollution of habitat. That’s why they may be chosen for the object of analysis.
3. Xeromorphos needles of pine-tree have low gas resistance for some reasons:

a. A needle has a long lifetime. It is constantly exposed by the influence of gases during its lifetime.
b. A needle has a high sickness rate in comparison with deciduous species.

Process of needle forming and rise brakes because of pollutant influence. Because of it needle lifetime decreases to 2-3 years and in individual cases – to one year while it reaches to 6-9 years in young inviolate pine forests. Chlorosis and necrosis of assimilated plant organs belong to outside changes that are the results of man-caused pollutant influence. These features are of a big interest of diagnostic counse.
The plants that have been chosen for research are members of different departments like Mosses, Gymnospermae and Angiospermae. That gives us a possibility to learn not only the chemical composition of these plants but their taxonomy. That’s why our researches have a complex character.
In order to perennial observations for condition of plant components of biogeocenoses five monitoring areas (or sub territories) were placed. They had a square of 400 square meters and identical plant dominants and soils. Three control areas were placed around Shelekhov and two background areas – around Arshan settlement. On these areas total geobotanical and soil descriptions were done, samples of plants and soils were taken for chemical analyses. Common sampless were prepared by chair of botany and analytical researches were done by chair of physical methods of analysis of Irkutsk State University.

Method of researches of birch leaves and mosses
Roentgen-spectral fluorescent method of analysis (RSFA) was used for the determination of the chemical composition of the mosses and content of the chemical elements in the birch leaves.
Distinguishing feature of a modern RSFA is that it is used for the determination of elements in the biological objects and for the control of the pollution of the environment. In comparison with other physical methods of analysis (such as an atomic absorptive, an emissive spectral, a neutron activation) when apparatus with the energy spectrum decomposition is used RSFA has the following advantages:
1. A possibility to determine a big number of elements at the same time:
2. A conservation of the research sample’s materials that gives us the possibility for its second analysis by different methods:
3. A slight man-hours for analysis, an easy spectrum treatment, a possibility to use computers for the calculation of the concentration:
4. This method falls for automation easily.
The last two advantages are the most important for the realization of mass analyses.
Preliminary researches have showed that Mn, Fe, Zn, Nb Pb, Sr in the mosses may be determined by RSFA. So the aim of the present work is to elaborate the system of the Roentgen-fluorescent determination of Zn and Mn in the mosses that have a high rate of content of Zn and Mn rather than the content of other listed elements.
Five samples of mosses and birch leaves were selected for the realization of the researches in different places. The first two samples were selected in Arshan settlement. The second sample — at the suburb of Shelekhov at a distance of 3 km from the industrial zone, the third sample was selected at a distance of about 6 km from the industrial zone and the forth sample — at a distance of 0.5 km from Irkutsk Aluminium Plant. Samples that had been taken in Arshan were named as a background. The samples that have been selected at the suburb of Shelekhov were named as control. In other words not only influence of nature facts were estimated by them but also the influence of environment for the content of Zn and Mn.
Clean and dirty birch leaves and moss were analyzed independently after another. It was done for determination of the ways of Zn and Mn penetration in plant’s organism (from the soil or the atmosphere). Each sample of the clean and dirty birch leaves was analysed four times.

Apparatus
The researches were led by the roentgen fluorescent spectrometer VRA-30 that is produced by the firm “Carl Zeiss”. This spectrometer has one scanning channel and is completed by three roentgen pipes with different anodes (tungsten, rhodium and chrome). X-radiation decomposes into the spectrum using crystal-analysers LiF(200), LiF(220), PE, ADP, KAP, Si by Soller method.
Scintillation and flowing proportional counters are used for the registration of the radiation. The first one is used for K- radiation measuring of elements that have numbers Z>25 and for the radiation measuring of L-series of the elements with Z>60. The second one is used for X-radiation measuring of the elements those are from 9K to 29Cu and for K-radiation measuring of the elements with Z<60. All process of the regulation, measuring and inside control of the device are led by inside microcomputer.
During the experiments K-radiation activity was being registered under the conditions that the tension of the roentgen pipe was 40 kV, current strength was 40 kA, exposition lasted for 60 seconds and crystal-analyser LiF(200) and scintillation detector were used. K-lines of Zn and Mn were the analytical lines.

Method of research of pine-tree needles
The system that had been published in the book “Ecological monitoring” by F. Snakin (Moscow, 1996) was used for needles research. Observations had been continued for 3 years (2000, 2001, 2002). 10 branches of pine-tree that was 2 years old were selected from 10 trees on each area then general number of needles, numbers of healthy and injured needles were calculated.
There were chosen 3 classes of needles injury (or necrosis):
1. Needles without spots or healthy,
2. Needles with a few small spots,
3. Needles with a lot of black and yellow spots and completely yellow needles (or dried needles).

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Work

Preparation of sample of birch leaves for the analysis
Selected birch leaves had been dried with the limited sunbeam hit before the laboratorial samples were created. After that the sample was divided into two parts. The first part had being dried in desiccator till moisture completely removed. That part was called a clean leaf. The second part had left without changes. This part was called a dirty leaf. Then dried leaves were cut into very small parts about 1 mm with the pair of scissors. The six sample’s masses of 5 grammas were taken from the material of the sample after cutting and another mass was left without changes. And the others were being grinded with spirits into the agnatic mortar during 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 minutes accordingly.
The radiators were prepared by pills’ pressing at a substrate of boron acid in a special press-form.
Two grammas of materials were taken for 1 pill. So from each sample mass 2 pill-radiators were gotten. After that Co-lines of Zn and Mn activity was measured from each pill.

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Results

Birch leaves research results
Middle analysis results and their trusting intervals that have been calculated if probability is P = 0,95 are shown in the first table.
First table. Birch leaves analysis results:

It is clear from the table that the second and third samples content of Zn in the birch leaves (at a distance of 3 and 6 km from the industrial zone) is similar to the background sample content (in Arshan). The second sample contains Zn too less than the first sample. It is clear from these data that technogenesis processes don’t influence on the content of Zn in the birch leaves in this region.
But the sample of the birch leaves that was gotten in the immediate nearness from Irkutsk Aluminium Plant contains Zn twice as much as the background sample. So the increase of the content of Zn is the technogenesis processes action. The results of the clean and dirty leaves essentially differ from the results of each other. It shows that the pollution of Zn comes from the soil and through plant’s stomas with the dust. It needs to say that a standard laboratory sample of birch leaves that was created at Irkutsk geochemical institute contains Zn as much as the background sample.
The accumulation of Zn in the birch leaves happens because some intracellular processes go on.
May-be the increase of use of Zn is the result of pH level changes in the soil or if some elements or compounds are more or less than it is necessary.
Determining the content of Mn in the birch leaves we have noticed that it is a sudden decrease of content of Mn in all samples that have been gotten at the suburbs of Shelekhov in comparison with background (or Arshan) samples.
The content of Mn in Arshan sample conforms to the laboratory sample. So we can say about the defect of Mn in the Shelekhov's samples. Even more ratio of content of this element in clean leaves to content of it in dirty leaves allows us to say that Mn comes to the plant through the soil by rootage. Only the second sample is because its analysis results of clean and dirty leaves differ from each other. The similar exclusion is existed the Arshan birch.
The samples of clean and dirty leaves that had been selected in different areas of Shelekhov and Arshan were analyzed. It was found out that the content of Zn in two Shelekhov's samples doesn’t differ from the background (Arshan) a lot. But the exclusion from it is the fourth sample (Shelekhov, Irkutsk Aluminium Plant) that has the content of Zn twice as much as in the background sample.
The content of Mn in Shelekhov's samples of birch leaves is from 3 to 10 times as less as in the background sample. Probably the technogenic process influence is the cause of it.
There are some hypotheses about the reasons of under review fact. The content of Zn and Mn in clean and dirty leaves doesn’t differ from each other a lot. So it points at the fact that these elements mainly come to the plant through the soil by rootage.

Mosses research results
A group of mosses samples were analyzed by developed Roentgen-spectral fluorescent method (RSFA) system of determination of the chemical composition.
Analysis results are listed in the second table.
Second table. The results of analysis samples of mosses:

The second table information shows that the content of Zn and Mn in the mosses that were selected in the first area in Shelekhov (sixth sample) in other words in the industrial zone is 5 and 18 times as much accordingly than the content of those elements in mosses that were selected in the second area in Shelekhov (seventh sample). But those mosses belong to the same kind. In comparison with the samples of mosses of different kinds which were selected in other areas the content of Zn and Mn in the sixth sample is from 4 to 15 times as much. Furthermore preliminary researches had showed that mosses were selected in the first area in Shelekhov contain Ni, Fe and Pb from 1.5 to 2 times as much as the other mosses. It shows the strong industrial zone pollution of heavy metals. Probably the source of that pollution is Cable Plant.
It needs to increase a number of analyzable samples and to extend the group of determinate elements in particular to develop the systems of Roentgen-spectral determination of Pb, Fe and Ni for the final conclusion. At the same time it needs to find out the ways of heavy metals penetration into mosses that will be achieved by the analyses of clean and dirty samples.

Pine-tree needles research results
Research results are listed in the following third table:

Many researches established that appearance of more than 20 percent of the damaged needles is evidence of serious forest ecosystem violations. So our researches confirm that percent of defective needles in Arshan is contained in borders of the natural physiological process and climatic influence on needles (from 6 to 9 %). But the percent of the defective needles in the districts of Shelekhov is 30 – 50 % that shows a high rate of forest ecosystem violation.
Unlike 2000 and 2001 seasons in 2002 summer the system of the composition of the variation monitoring areas rows was used that concluded in monitoring areas established according to approach to or moving off from the pollution source. In that way 5 areas were placed in the southern direction from the industrial zone. The first area was at a distance of 15 km from the industrial zone, the second area was at a distance of 10 km from the industrial zone, the third area was at a distance of 7 km, the fourth area was at a distance of 6 km, the fifth area was at a distance of 4.5 km from the industrial zone.
Information about these areas forms the following table:

It is clear from the table that a number of needles with spots increases from 29% to 42% according to the approach to the industrial zone.
The needles are especially sensible for the high concentration of the compound of sulfur, fluorine and heavy metals.
So we can come to the conclusions:
1. A high concentration of toxic elements of industrial aero-discharges is amassed in the needle. That fact affects the surface changes.
2. A number of defective needles is directly proportional to the concentration of sulfur, sulphur dioxide and heavy metals in the air.
3. Visual assessment of the atmosphere pollution is possible by the ratio of healthy and defective needles to the general number of the needles in the branch.

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Test

We suggest you to define independently a level of your awareness about the materials of our site. This test does not assume an estimation. There can be some productive answers in each question.

Our test

1. What do you know about pine-tree needles?

2. Double fertilization is a characteristic of…

3. Mosses are plants that…

4. Which of the following plants belongs to gymnospermae?

5. Mosses belong to bioindicators because…

6. A birch is an angiosperm plant because…

7. An indicator of clean air is:

8. Plant cells’ membrane lets pass through:

9. Plant that can absorb pollutant gases from habitat and clean the air is:

10. Firs and pine-trees as other conifers pick out special volatile matter:

11. Arrange plants in order of their bloomings in floral clock:

12. Why is the worldly wisdom “everything is good fairly” right for plants too:

13. What is observed by the shortage of Zinc of a majority of plants:

14. What ecological factors have an influence on plants’ life:

15. What affects on forming of plants’ communities:

16. Can me say that succession is a process of:

17. What plants dominate in the forest plants’ community:

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Sources

Literature:

Busik V.V., Vodopyanova N.S., Ivanova M.M.Flora of Central Siberia. - Novosibirsk: Nauka, 1979.

Life of plants, ed. Fedorov A.A.- M.: Prosveschenie, 1980.

Biology: ed. Cheremushkina V.A. - Novosibirsk: Nauka, 2002.

Grin N., Staut U., Teylor D. Biology. T.I.- M.: Mir, 1966.

Ivlev A.M. Biogeochemistry.- M.: High School, 1986.

Nebel B. Science of ecology. T. 2.- M.: Mir, 1993.

Ponomarev V.D. Analytic chemistry.- M.: High School, 1982.

Losev N.F., Smagunova A.N. The basis of Roentgen-spectral fluorescent analysis.- M.: Chemistry, 1982.

Smagunova A.N., Tarasenko SV., Bazykina E.N., Karpukova O.M. Roentgen-fluorescent analysis in ecology // Journal of analytic chemistry.-1979.- T.34, N 2.- S 388-397.

Belochinskaya L.I., Mugnueva V.T. Influence of pollutants on physiological and biochemical characteristic of ancient plants.- Tomsk.

Legends about flowers.

Bazina I.G., Gamzikova O.V., Biryukova E.V. Dependence of the maintenance of zinc and manganese in leaves of a birch from an environment. Research work, Shelekhov Lyceum, 2000.

Karpov O.A., Rasputina N.V., Gruzdeva A.N. Development of a technique Roentgen-fluorescent definitions of zinc and manganese in mosses. Research work, Shelekhov Lyceum, 2001.

Efimushkin A.A. Needles of a pine ordinary as the indicator of a degree of environmental contamination of a zone of influence of Open Society "IrkAZ-Sual". Research work, Shelekhov Lyceum, 2002.

Links:

Science and Plants for Schools
Aboutflowers.com
Redbook of Irkutsk region
Moscow State University Botanical Server
Plants for People
Sacred Earth
Talking Flowers - UK flower delivery
MEANINGS & LEGENDS OF FLOWERS
Tunka's Alps
legends about flowers

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Credits

The team of Shelekhov Lyceum "Flowers of Life" consists from the students: Julia, Asya, Olga, Nikita; and the coachs: Evgenia, Elena.
Julia: the systematization and processing of materials of the summer practice, English translation, typing.
Asya: the search and processing of legends about flowers, English translation, typing.
Olga: painting.
Nikita: web-design, Java-Script, Flash-movies, painting.
Evgenia: the general manager.
Elena: the biologist consultant.
In this project photos that had been done by Elena Karpova and Yuri Scheogolev were used by their approbation. Our team expresses thanks of everybody who upholded us in the work on this project. Also we thank Paramonova Natalia, an English teacher, for consultation in English.

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