WATER REGIME OF WOODY PLANT CELLS IN DIFFERENT GROWTH CONDITIONS

The water regime of woody plant cells in the urban ecosystem of Kamianets-Podilskyi was analyzed. It was found that anthropogenic factors cause significant structural and functional changes in plants, affecting all levels of their organisation. Soil pollution by man-made substances changes their properties, in particular the ability to accumulate and retain reserves of productive moisture.This leads to water shortages in urban plants, which disrupts the water balance of cells. The study was conducted in different ecological and phytocoenotic zones (EPZ). The relative water content, water-reducing and water-retaining capacity of leaf cells and their drought resistance coefficient were studied.The objects of the research were Acer platanoides L., Acer campestre L., Acer pseudoplatanus L., Betula pendula Roth, Aesculus hippocastanum L. and Tilia cordata Mill. It was found that the water regime of cells depends on both the species specificity and the growth conditions. In the areas with high traffic intensity, an increase in the relative water content in the leaf cells of T. cordata and A. pseudoplatanus and its decrease in A. hippocastanum were shown. A decrease in the water recovery coefficient of cells in all studied species and an increase in the water retention coefficient in A. hippocastanum, A. campestre, A. pseudoplatanus and B. pendula were also found. Deterioration of water supply conditions led to a decrease in the drought resistance coefficient. It was concluded that according to water exchange indicators, the most resistant in the conditions of street plantings of Kamianets-Podilskyi are A. platanoides, A. campestre and T. cordata, while A. hippocastanum has a low level of adaptation. We recommend using these species for creating park compositions and landscaping city streets.