Indication of Radioactive Contamination of Forest Ecosystems in the Zone of the East Ural Radioactive Trace Using Methods of Quantitative Wood Anatomy
摘要
Abstract
The anatomical structure of the annual rings of Scots pine, formed before and after the Kyshtym accident, is analyzed. In trees growing closer to the central axis of the East Ural radioactive trace (EURT), a decrease in the number of cells in the annual ring, as well as a decrease in the diameter of the lumens and the thickness of the cell walls, was noted. It is assumed that radiation-induced damage to the photo-assimilation apparatus of trees led to disturbances in physiological processes that were reflected in the anatomical structure of wood.