Assessment of arboreal and shrubby plants widely used in greening of Orenburg by methods of ecological and phenological monitoring

Abstract

Green spaces in the urban environment are oppressed due to the high anthropogenic load in industrial cities. Methods of ecological and phenological monitoring (registration of phenological phases, study of the degree of flowering and fruiting) allow to assess influence of the environment on plant communities of urban ecosystems. The purpose was to study the features of seasonal development of some widespread woody and shrubby plants in the landscaping of Orenburg through ecological and phenological monitoring. Within the framework of this work, the course of seasonal development of 5 species of woody and shrubby plants with registering 6 vegetative phases and 4 generative phases of life cycles was studied. The intensity of their flowering was assessed and the level of fruiting was determined as indicators of their stable development in urban conditions. According to the results of the observations, only Aronia mitschurinii was found to be the most favorable type due to nature of its phenological developmen. Aronia mitschurinii, Sorbus aucuparia, Crataegus sanguinea and Syringa vulgaris have the best decorative characteristics, as well as a high level of fruiting. These species are characterized by high ecological plasticity. Therefore, despite the increasing rates of anthropogenic load, they are able to form a full-fledged green framework of the urban environment and act as biological filters of atmospheric air in the Orenburg region.

Keywords

• phenology, phenological spectrum, landscaping, flowering fruiting, aronia mitschurinii, sorbus aucuparia, crataegus sanguinea, syringa vulgaris, syringa josikaea