Some reproductive parameters of Tilia cordata Mill. in Saransk

This paper examines a possibility of certain woody plants species use to monitor the state of the environment in urban conditions. Similar studies have shown that it is possible to use both vegetative and reproductive organs of Scots pine and birch warty. The authors propose the following studied parameters: a number of flowers in the inflorescence, a weight of one flower, a morphological usefulness (fertility) of pollen and its size. The investigations were carried out on several sites of Saransk, which differed in the technogenic impact. Determination of the viability of small-leaved linden plantations in different conditions of Saransk has shown them to be relatively satisfactory, however, under the conditions of the most powerful man-made press, the trees are sufficiently weakened. In the conditions of the controlled area, the smallest number of flowers in the inflorescence and the minimum mass of one flower are noted. In relatively polluted conditions of the city, the number of flowers in the inflorescence and the mass of the flower increases by 1,3–1,6 times. The low coefficient of variation in these areas is due to the strict selection of the species for a particular feature in man-made conditions. The quality and size of the linden pollen depends on the degree of anthropogenic impact, which allows using them in complex monitoring of the urban environment.