PECULIARITIES OF THE MACRO- AND MICROELEMENT ACCUMULATION BY LARIX GMELINII NEEDLE IN THE IMPACT ZONE OF HYDROTHERMS

The aim of this study was to investigate the peculiarities of accumulation of 26 chemical elements in Gmelin larch needles (Larix gmelinii (Rupr.), Pinaceae) in the impact zone of Kuchiger hydrotherms (Barguzin depression, Buryat Republic, Russia). We found that the concentrations of Ba, Cr, La, Li, Na, Ni, Sr, Cd, and Sc in tree needles varied greatly across the surveyed area (coefficient of variation (CV) >50%). Strong levels of variation (CV=36–50%) were observed for K, V, Ce, and As; high levels (CV=26–35%) for Ca, Mn, Al, and Zn; medium levels (CV=16–25%) for S, P, Mg, Fe, Cu Co, Pb, Ti, low level (Cv<15%) for Y. A distinctive feature of L. gmelinii needles in the impact zone of hydrotherms is the increased content of Li (by 5.9–8.9 times) and Na (by 1.9–3.1 times) compared to the background. The intensity of biological absorption was characterized by the biological absorption factor (BAF). In the background territory, the highest coefficients were found for P and S (BAF = 30.6–80.1). Elements with strong accumulation are Ca, K, Mg, Mn, Sr, Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, As, Cd (BAF = 1.4–9.9); while other elements were very poorly accumulated by plants (BAF = 0.03–0.9). Under the influence of hydrotherms, the intensity of chemical elements accumulation by trees has been changed. A linear dependence of the BAF on the temperature of thermal waters was established for Sr (r=0.92, P<0.05, n=15) and Cr, Ni (r=-0.85, P<0.05, n=15).