Effects of extremal technogenic pollution on structure of Phragmites australis photosynthetic apparatus

The accumulation of heavy metals, the content of photosynthetic pigments and structural parameters of photosynthetic apparatus of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex. growing on sites with varying degrees of technogenic pollution were investigated. It was shown that emission by Karabash copper smelter caused adaptive changes such as the increase in photosynthetic pigment content and some structural modifications of plant leaves: the increase of epidermis thickness and number of mesophyll cells. At the same time, reduction of mesophyll cell and chloroplast volume was observed.