ANATOMICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL, AND BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ORCHID EPIPACTIS PALUSTRIS ON TECHNOGENIC SUBSTRATES

The aim of this study was to investigate the anatomical, morphological, and biochemical parameters of Epipactis palustris (L.) Crantz growing in plant communities formed on ash dumps of the Nizhneturinskaya and Reftinskaya state power stations and in a natural plant community. Anatomical and morphological parameters of leaves were studied using the SIAMS Mesoplant image processing system. The content of pigments and non-enzimatic antioxidants, as well as the level of lipid peroxidation in leaves, were analyzed using standard spectrophotometric methods. It was shown that in E. palustris growing on ash dumps, the height of generative shoots, leaf area, and the number of flowers decreased. Plants growing in transformed habitats accumulated less nitrogen and phosphorus in leaves due to deficiency of these elements in the ash substrates. On ash dumps, E. palustris exhibited an increase in the leaf internal assimilating surface, which is photosynthetic apparatus adaptive response to increased insolation and reduced substrate water availability. In the leaves of plants growing on ash dumps, the content of chlorophyll a and carotenoids was decreased. Under such unfavorable conditions, the content of non-enzymatic antioxidants (ascorbic acid, proline, and soluble phenol) was increased in E. palustris leaves. The results of this comprehensive study indicate that disturbed habitats (ash dumps) can serve as temporary habitats for the conservation of the gene pool of E. palustris.