Bioecological features of Rosa rugosa Thunb. in urban ecosystems of the Kola North

Polar–Alpine Botanical Garden and Institute of KSC RAS, 184209 Apatity, Russia

^* Corresponding author: saltan.natalya@mail. ru

Abstract

This study presents the results of an assessment of photosynthetic activity and morphometric parameters of Rosa rugosa leaves and their Ni and Cu content from 2015 to 2017 in cities with different anthropogenic loads: Apatity, Murmansk, Monchegorsk. Over 3-year observation cycle we found that the amount of chlorophyll a and b in the leaves of Rosa rugosa increased in cities starting in 2016, relative to the control condition, with the highest values in Monchegorsk and Apatity. The carotenoids content in cities also increased and often prevailed over chlorophyll b. The Ni content in the leaves of Rosa rugosa was estimated to be higher than in the background territory (2.52 mg/kg) and varied from 4.16 mg/kg (Apatity) to 72.67 mg/kg (Monchegorsk). With regard to the amount of Cu, relative to the background (5.88 mg/kg), the excess was less significant: the highest values were found in Monchegorsk (11.98-23.25 mg/kg) and the lowest in Apatity (4.95-8.28 mg/kg). The morphometric analysis of the leaves showed different dynamics in the distribution of indicators in the cities and in the background territory. It was revealed that species is stable and has a high adaptive potential to the urban environment conditions of the Kola North.