Home – Home – Jornals – Contemporary Problems of Ecology 2026 number 4

The relevance of this work is determined by the increasing anthropogenic impact on the environment, including that associated with the spread of natural radionuclides. This work studies the accumulation of radionuclides (U, ²²⁶Ra, ²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁰Po) and their chemical analogues (Ba, Sr, Pb) in different organs (leaves, branches, wood, bark) of the common rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), growing in an area contaminated more than 60 years ago by radium mining waste, and also assesses the plant’s response to combined radiation and chemical stress. Specific patterns of element accumulation were identified. It was found that 226Ra, Ba, and Sr have the highest accumulation coefficients and are predominantly distributed in the bark and branches. ²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁰Po, and stable lead have low accumulation coefficients and accumulate mainly in the branches of the rowan. The biophilicity of ²¹⁰Po was higher, as indicated by the ratios of specific activities ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb > 1 in all organs except wood, where the ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb ratio was close to unity. Uranium was characterized by the lowest accumulation coefficients. Its content in plants in the contaminated area was comparable to or lower than control values, with the highest radionuclide concentrations observed in bark and leaves. Despite the high level of soil contamination and pollutant accumulation, key biochemical parameters (total antioxidant activity and polyphenol content) remained stable, indicating the relative resistance of rowan to chronic contamination. The obtained data are valuable for the development of bioindication strategies, the remediation of radioactively contaminated areas, and environmental risk assessment.