Biomics

Increasing of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and global warming have led to the creation of a network of carbon polygons in Russia, which are entrusted with the mission of assessing, accounting, and finding technological solutions in order to reduce the amount of these gases in the atmosphere. The UralCarbon polygon was created in the fall of 2021, and currently includes two sites, where the main forestforming species grow. The first is characterized by fir-spruce and spruce-fir forests, the second - by light coniferous forest of the southern taiga type. To assess the potential contribution of the Middle Urals forests to CO2 fixation, the dynamics of photosynthetic pigments in the needles of the first-year shoots was evaluated in three conifer species. The content of photosynthetic pigments was determined from June to October 2022 spectrophotometrically in ethanol extracts. It was shown that in Pinus sylvestris, the formation of the first year needles began later than in Abies sibirica and Picea abies. Despite the later formation, the content of chlorophylls and carotenoids in the needles grew exponentially and reached almost the same values for all three species in August. In all species, the maximal content of photosynthetic pigments was found at the beginning of autumn, therefore, it can be assumed that at that time the potential ability of conifers to fix CO2 is maximal, but in reality photosynthesis can be limited by weather conditions. Comparing the data received in 2022 with the results obtained earlier, it can be assumed that, under conditions of increasing temperature and CO2 concentration in the atmosphere P. sylvestris will more effectively fix carbon dioxide than A. sibirica and P. abies. It was shown that in the first year needles there was an advanced accumulation of carotenoids in comparison with chlorophylls with age, which can protect the photosynthetic apparatus from photooxidation in winter.

chlorophylls, carotenoids, carbon polygons, Picea abies, Abies sibirica, Pinus sylvestris

1. Andrianova Ju.E., Tarchevskij I.A. Hlorofill i produktivnost' rastenij. M.: Nauka, 2000. 134 s. [Chlorophyll and plant productivity] (in Russian)

2. Vinokurova R.I., Silkina O.V. Rostovye harakteristiki hvoi derev'ev pihty sibirskoj (Abies sibirica L.) i eli obyknovennoj (Picea abies L.). Vestnik PGTU. Serija: Les. Jekologija. Prirodopol'zovanie. 2008. №2. P.40-50. [Growth characteristics of needles of Siberian fir (Abies sibirica L.) and spruce (Picea abies L.)] (in Russian)

3. Voronin P.Ju. Kontinental'nyj rastitel'nyj pokrov kak global'nyj faktor fotosinteticheskogo stoka atmosfernogo ugleroda i jemissii organicheskogo ugleroda pri aridizacii klimata Severnoj Evrazii. Fotosintez: fiziologija, ontogenez, jekologija. Kaliningrad: Izd-vo FGOU VPO “KGTU”, 2009. P. 52−125. [Continental vegetation cover as a global factor of photosynthetic runoff of atmospheric carbon and organic carbon emissions during aridization of the climate of Northern Eurasia] (in Russian)

4. Golovko T.K., Jacko Ja.N., Dymova O.V. Sezonnye izmenenija sostojanija fotosinteticheskogo apparata treh boreal'nyh vidov hvojnyh rastenij v podzone srednej tajgi na evropejskom Severo-Vostoke. Hvojnye boreal'noj zony. 2013. №1-2. P. 73-78. [Seasonal changes in the photosynthetic apparatus of three boreal coniferous plant species in the Middle taiga subzone in the European Northeast] (in Russian)

5. Dymova O.V., Golovko T.K. Fotosinteticheskie pigmenty v rastenijah prirodnoj flory taezhnoj zony evropejskogo severo-vostoka Rossii. RJPF. 2019. V 66, № 3, s. 198–206. DOI: 10.1134/S001533031903003 [Photosynthetic pigments in native plants of the taiga zone at the european northeast Russia] (In Russian)

6. Nichiporovich A.A. Fiziologija fotosinteza i produktivnost' rastenij. Fiziologija fotosinteza. M.: Nauka, 1982. P. 7–33. [Physiology of photosynthesis and plant productivity] (in Russian)

7. Titova M.S. Sravnitel'nyj analiz nakoplenija karotinoidov v hvoe. Tihookeanskij medicinskij zhurnal. 2014. №2 (56). P. 48-50 [Comparative analysis of carotenoid accumulation in conifers] (in Russian)

8. Sofronova V.E., Chepalov V.A. Adaptivnye izmenenija sostava fotosinteticheskih pigmentov hvoi Pinus sylvestris L. pri ponizhenii temperatury. Prirodnye resursy Arktiki i Subarktiki. 2007. №2 P. 34-39. [Adaptive changes in the composition of photosynthetic pigments of Pinus sylvestris L. needles with a decrease in temperature] (in Russian)

9. Titova M.S. Sezonnaja dinamika soderzhanija pigmentov v hvoe sosny sibirskoj (Pinus sibirica) i sosny korejskoj (Pinus koraiensis). Vestnik KrasGAU. 2010. №8. P 77-81. [Seasonal dynamics of pigment content in conifers of Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica) and Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis)] (in Russian)

10. Kiseleva I.S., Sinenko O.S., Trubetskoy D.V. Photosynthetic CO2 assimilation by the main forest-forming coniferous species at the UralCarbon polygon. Materialy 3-ej Mezhdunarodnoj nauchnoj konferencii PLAMIC 2022 «Rastenija i mikroorganizmy: biotehnologija budushhego» 3-8 oktjabrja 2022 g., Sankt-Peterburg, 2022. P. 114.

11. Lichtenthaler H.K. Chlorophylls and Carotenoids: Pigments of Photosynthetic Biomembranes. Methods in Enzymology. 1987. V. 148. P.350-382. doi.org/10.1016/0076-6879(87)48036-1