Ecological approach to phytoremediation in the new conditions of Donbass land-scapes anthropogenic transformation

Relevance. In the industrially tense region (Donbass), as a result of socio-economic upheavals since 2014, many lands have been withdrawn from agricultural use and are now abandoned and degrading. Areas of active military action create beligerative landscapes characterized by profound geophysical and geochemical transformations. These areas are hotbeds of toxic environmental impacts and require targeted restoration measures. Phytoremediation stands out among the most effective methods for optimizing natural-territorial complexes of the DPR as the most effective, economically advantageous and aesthetically attractive.

Materials and Methods. Agricultural and recreational ecotopes in the Central Donbass were studied. A field assessment of the state of local geosystems was conducted. Morphological analysis and description of plants, as well as calculations for determining life strategies (CSR), were applied. Analytical methods (atomic absorption, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and neutron activation) were used.

Results. A difference in the range of informative structural features variation of some indicator plants for use in phytoremediation purposes in post-conflict areas – sites of active military operations in Donbass – has been established. New geochemical anomalies were identified in post-conflict areas for a number of technophile elements (Mn, Р, Zn, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Cr, La, Co, Se, As, Cd). For the plant species Cichorium intybus L., Taraxacum officinale F.H.Wigg, Plantago major L., and Diplotaxis muralis (L.) DC., the implementation patterns of life-sustaining strategies (visualization of CSR in the Grime-Ramensky triangle) and ecological plasticity in areas affected by the militarization of the region were determined. Anatomical and morphological pathologies of the studied species were identified. The ecological valence of species allows them to support the initial stages of active succession during the first two to three years, forming a vegetation cover that performs anti-erosion and habitatforming functions. Based on plant morphopathologies and elemental composition data, geochemical anomalies were identified and a range of geochemical background values for elemental composition in plant samples was described. A phosphorus-lanthanum anomaly (P-La), a consequence of military operations in the DPR, is described for the first time.

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