Preliminary Results of Plants Elemental Analysis on Dried Bottom of the Aral Sea

抄録

According to the latest scientific data, the decrease of Aral Sea water surface by more than 5.5 million hectares was registered. In a typical salt marsh, with the presence of salts and high mineralization level of groundwater, vegetation of annual halophytes is becoming more diverse. According to our research, the adaptation of various plants to the current natural environment is observed on the dried-up areas in the south-east Aral Sea. Halophytes were identified on the major dried areas with different levels of soil salinity. For elemental analysis, plant samples were obtained from various parts of dried area of the Aral Sea and, firstly, the concentration of 5 elements was determined. The content of chemical elements in plants varies considerably. For example, high natrium content in Kalidium capsicum, Climacoptera aralensis, Halostachys belangeriana, Haloxylon aphyllum and others was identified; high concentrations of chlorine were found in Kalidium capsicum. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of plant adaptation to stress environmental factors, as well as to development of strategy for periodic seeding of promising forms and plant species on dried bottom area of the Aral Sea.