Phytocenological study of environmental quality using the fluctuating asymmetry index Betula pendula Roth

The structure and species composition of communities of 9 areas within the city of Tobolsk (Tyumen region, Russia) and its surroundings were studied. The method used to assess the quality of the environment consisted in determination of the fluctuating asymmetry index of the Betula pendula Roth lamina. For spatial characterization of the state of the test object and assessment of the anthropogenic load, a bioindication map was drawn up using isolines. The environmental heterogeneity of environmental conditions and the degree of deviation from the environmental optimum were revealed. During the examination of groups of individuals, insignificant fluctuations in the nature of environmental conditions from conditionally normal (I point) to critical (V points) were noted. Such fluctuations are explained by the uneven distribution of pollution sources between the compared territories. It was established that under conditions optimal for a species, the smallest level of deviations from the norm is observed, and that the territory under study is heterogeneous in terms of the fluctuating asymmetry index.