The bioindicative characteristics of the Betula pendula Roth species in the dendrocenoses of the solid household waste landfill’s influence zone

Abstract

Due to the constant inflow of toxic substances into the air, soil, and groundwater, landfills not only physically occupy huge expanses of land but also have an increasing negative impact on the ecosystem and its constituent parts. As such, the research relevance is determined by the problem of landfill expansion as well as the size in Ukraine getting worse by the minute. An example of morphometric alterations in leaf indicators of the species Betula pendula Roth is used to assess the effects of the municipal solid waste landfill in Zhytomyr on the nearby dendrocenoses. The most revealing morphometric indications were identified by examining the dimensions and characteristics of the venation of leaf plates at various distances from the dump up to a radius of one kilometre. Moreover, the length of the leaf’s second vein of the second order was determined as the most stable parameter, while the difference in the lengths between the bases of the first and second veins of the second order was the most sensitive. Based on the data collected on the varying asymmetry of the leaf plates, it is concluded that variations exist in the morphometric indicators over the entire distance under investigation. These variations enable the determination of the environment within the range of “polluted” to “excessively polluted”. These findings can serve as a quick way to gauge how much of an influence landfills have on the ecosystems around them when sanitary protection strips are established, municipal waste dumps are built and outfitted, etc