Pollen Quality in Woody Plants in the City Parks of Dnipro, Ukraine

Abstract

This research was conducted to study pollen quality in woody plants in the city parks of Dnipro, which are located at various distances from the sources of anthropogenic pollution. It has been revealed that sterile pollen in its greatest abundance was present in plant species in the Park of Memory and Reconciliation and Molodyozhny park, as both are situated within the range of emission transfer from the Western Industrial Complex, while the least abundant sterile pollen was detected in the park named after Yu. Gagarin and that named after V. Dubinin. According to sterility indices, the pollen in Betula pendula Roth. and that in Acer platanoides L. were most sensitive to environmental pollution. In the city parks, the amounts of shrunk and abnormally shaped pollen grains increases; giant forms with grain diameters exceeding standard, as well as dwarf forms are not rare in occurrence. The highest percentage of pollen grains of atypical shape and size was observed in the same parks where the pollen sterility index had its highest values.