Taxonomic diversity of lichens of a protected area in an industrial city (as an example of the city of Dnipro, Ukraine)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to inventory the taxonomic diversity of lichens in the territory of the protected area of local importance "Novokodatskyi Park" located within the large industrial city of Dnipro (Dnipro region, Ukraine), taking into account the data of automated air monitoring. Along with the development of instrumental methods for studying the state of environmental components, biological monitoring is also relevant. After all, living organisms, namely their taxonomic diversity, number and its dynamics, etc., are integral indicators of the state of the environment. Numerous species of organisms are widely used as biomonitors of air pollution, the most famous of which are lichens, as it has been found that with an increase in the content of pollutants in the air, bushy, then leafy and finally scaling forms of lichens first disappear. Numerous studies have also shown a correlation between the number of lichen species and increased concentrations of pollutants in the air. The city of Dnipro is one of the largest industrial cities in Ukraine and has a high level of technogenic load. There are 10 industrial facilities of national and regional significance within the city of Dnipro, which are included in the List of the most environmentally hazardous facilities, and the largest metallurgical enterprises are concentrated in the Novokodatskyi district of Dnipro. During the survey of the territory of the Novokodatskyi Park, a nature reserve of local importance, 10 species of lichens from 6 families were registered. Let’s believe that the study of the taxonomic diversity of the lichen biota of large industrial cities and other settlements is a promising area of research in terms of lichen indication. After all, in this case, lichen diversity is an integral indicator, and the results obtained are quite clear