Mercury content in tree plants in the industrial area of Cherepovets, Russia

The aboveground organs of plants are natural bioindicators of atmospheric precipitation, and their study makes it possible to assess the state of the geochemical background of a number of elements, including mercury. Mercury is a highly toxic element for all living organisms. The mercury content was determined on the RA-915M mercury analyzer with PIRO attachment of the Regional shared services center of Cherepovets State University. The data on the content of mercury in the leaves of different types of woody and shrubby plants of the industrial area of Cherepovets are presented. The mercury content in the leaves of the studied plant species varied from 0.40 ng/g to 34.90 ng/g. It was noted that non-deciduous trees have the lowest levels of mercury in leaves – 9.80±1.01 ng/g, shrub forms have intermediate values – 12.47±0.92 ng/g and deciduous trees the highest concentrations –16 .95±0.56 ng/g. The results obtained can be used for scientifically-based regulation of the phytotechnology system of urbanized area and for more efficient landscaping

Dust-holding capacity of tree plantation in the industrial area of Cherepovets, Russia

An important property of green spaces is the ability to capture dust particles from the atmosphere, thereby reducing its pollution. The main organs adsorbing dust are leaves, therefore, in this work, the dust-retaining capacity of woody plants was determined by leaves. These studies are relevant for the selection of an assortment of woody plants with increased dust-holding capacity for urban areas. The research work presents data on the dust-holding ability of the leaves of the following plant species of the industrial area of Cherepovets: Betula pendula, Crataegus sp., Quercus robur, Acer platanoides, Acer negundo, Tilia platyphyllos, Sorbus aucuparia, Malus sp., Cornus alba. To determine the amount of dust deposited by plant leaves, in the summer of 2022, leaf plates similar in morphology and age were collected in the industrial area of Cherepovets. According to the results of the study, the leaf surface has the highest dust-holding capacity of Betula pendula – 6.16 g/m2, the leaf surface of Sorbus aucuparia has the lowest dust-holding capacity is 0.87 g/m2

Mercury content in the hair of residents of Babushkinsky district, Vologda region, Russia

Mercury is a highly toxic metal for all living organisms. Even low doses of the organic form of mercury can cause disruption in some functions of the human body. The content of mercury in the hair of residents (n=71) of Babushkinsky district, Vologda region, Russia was determined. Babushkinsky district is located away from industrial sources of mercury. Mercury concentrations were determined using a mercury analyzer RA-915M. The average mercury content in the hair of residents of Babushkinsky district, Vologda region was 0.398 mg/kg. 8% of the study participants had mercury levels in their hair above 1 mg/kg. There were no differences in the content of mercury in the hair between males (0.540 mg/kg) and females (0.344 mg/kg). The differences were established depending on age: under 30 years old (0.208 mg/kg), over 30 years (0.582 mg/kg). There is also a correlation between mercury in the hair and age. People who eat fish several times a week have twice as much mercury (0.538 mg/kg) as people who eat fish less than once a month (0.262 mg/kg)

Mercury content in the organs of small mammals in different geomorphological regions of the taiga zone of the European part of Russia

The content of total mercury in organs and tissues (brain, muscles, kidneys, and liver) has been studied in common shrew and in common vole, living in different geomorphological regions of the Vologda Oblast. Mercury content is statistically significantly higher (2–5 times) in common shrew than in common vole. In common shrew, average mercury content (μg/g dry weight) decreases in the series: kidneys (0.158 ± 0.016) > liver (0.086 ± 0.01) > muscles (0.084 ± 0.011) > brain (0.059 ± 0.006); in common vole, kidneys (0.026 ± 0.003) > brain (0.024 ±0.004) > muscles (0.016 ±0.003) > liver (0.013 ± 0.002). Mercury content in organs of common shrew and of common vole, caught in the western geomorphological region with high swampiness and a large number of lakes, is statistically significantly higher (2–3 times) comparing to those captured in the eastern geomorphological region with a developed river network

Effects of lipid extraction on stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in muscles of freshwater fish

The extraction of lipids by the Folch method from the muscles of all the fish studied led to statistically significant differences in the values of δ15N. At the same time, lipid extraction led to a statistically significant increase in δ13C in pike and roach, and to a statistically insignificant decrease in δ13C in perch and bream. Thus, lipid extraction cannot serve as a universal method of sample preparation for the analysis of the isotopic composition of carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/14N) in fish muscles. The differences between the δ13C values in the samples before and after lipid extraction were statistically investigated by different models. It is shown that mathematical correction method models can be used, but the results are depending on the fish types.</p