VIABILITY OF SIBERIAN-FIR POLLEN IN DISTURBED FOREST ECOSYSTEMS OF THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHERN SIBERIA

The authors investigated Siberian-fir pollen collected from typical tr ees and ones that are drying out below the top, growing in disturbed f orest ecosystems in the Khamar-Daban, Western Sayan, and Eastern Sayan Mountains. It was shown that germination of fir pollen is satisfactor y in low mountains. In the mountains, sterile pollen is formed not onl y by trees with signs of drying-up, but also by morphologically health y trees. It is suggested that an index of the growth of pollen tubes f or Siberian fir be used as a bioindicator of the ecological situation.