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Results of laboratory, “green-house” and long-term field experiments carried out on different plant species to study ecotoxical effects of low doses and concentrations of most common environmental pollutants are presented. Special attention is paid to ecotoxic effects of chronic low dose exposures, synergistic and antagonistic effects of different factors’ of combined action. The results of long-term field experiments in the 30-km Chernobyl NPP zone and in the vicinity of a radioactive wastes storage facility are discussed. The data presented suggest that the further evolution of investigations in this field would issue in the development of a theoretical bases and practical procedures for environmental protection against radioactivity, taking into account the new experimentally confirmed facts on such essentially important singularities as the nonlinearity of a dose-effect relationship, radiation-induced genomic instability, phenomenon of radioadaptation, increased probability of synergetic and antagonistic effects of the combined action of different nature factors.

Since 1986, considerable data have been produced and published on all the above aspects of the Cs from soils to agricultural products. To date no critical evaluation of the available information has been undertaken. There is an obvious need to evaluate the relative importance of agricultural foodstuffs as a source of internal dose.

We utilize the model that incorporates also the species-specific site characterization of habitat conditions and major ecological factors that influence the status of a valued wildlife species population and its migration and behavioral pattern within habitat area. We are developing the software prototype that is a framework for spatially explicit risk assessment of contaminated terrestrial ecosystems. The analysis employs a spatially explicit foraging model that, when executed, provides a time series of soil and food contamination that receptors are projected to encounter during their daily movements. The model currently inputs information on: (i) geopositional parameters of the contaminated area, surrounding land, and habitat types found in each; (ii) density and distribution of ecological receptors; (iii) receptor home range; (iv) maps of contamination concentrations and habitat disturbance; and (v) size of the receptor’s foraging range. The model also employs habitat quality factors (so called the habitat suitability index, HSI) that account for differential attraction to various habitat types within the site and, therefore, condition receptor’s movement and duration of presence in specific areas.

Complex environmental challenges include elements of social and cultural viewpoints as well as the often-explored technical viewpoint. The (QnD) screening model system was created to provide an effective and efficient tool to integrate ecosystem, management, economic and socio-political factors into a user-friendly model/game framework. The model framework is utilized in a larger process of stakeholder participation in order to generate questions and decisions for the management of complex environmental challenges. The model is written in object-oriented Java and can be deployed as a stand-alone program or as a web-based (browser-accessed) applet. The QnD model links spatial components within geographic information system (GIS) files to the abiotic (climatic) and biotic interactions that exist in an environmental system. QnD can be constructed with any combination of detailed technical data or estimated interactions of the ecological/management/social/economic forces influencing an ecosystem. The model development is iterative and can be initiated quickly through conversations with users or stakeholders. Model alterations and/or more detailed processes can be added throughout the model development process.

Microalgae and cyanobacteria are blossoming in aquatic ecosystems giving rise to more or less dense blooms. Eutrophic conditions often favor such proliferations: for example it is the case of benthic dinoflagellates such as various which densely grow on coral reef disturbed by storm or engineering.

The frequency of cytogenetic disturbance in spring barley intercalar meristem cells was studies under a range of different stressors. There was a nonlinearly dependency on Cs, Cd, Pb and 2,4-D (dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) herbicide contamination concentrations in the exposure ranges used. The frequency of cytogenetic disturbance increased at the lower concentrations of the pollutants used more rapidly than at higher ones. Contamination of the soil by lead at the concentration meeting the current standards for permissible content in soil and by 2,4-D herbicide at the application rates recommended for agricultural use resulted in a significant increase in aberrant cell frequency. In these cases, the extent of observed cytogenetic disturbance was comparable with the effect induced by 137Cs soil contamination of 14.8 MBq/m2. The highest severity of aberrant cell damage was observed in soil contaminated with Cs.

Concerning the marine environment, in recent years, several projects and political actions at national and international level have been advanced in order to reduce the effects of eutrophication in the marine coastal areas. Preserving and improving the marine environment requires the achievement of a good ecological status of waters, without which the acquatic ecosystem and the human activities of marine coastal zones could be strongly at risk. This is the proposal of EU Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) which represents a major advance in European policy with the concepts of classes of water quality and water management. The matter of water quality was already pointed out by the Nitrate Directive 676/EC in 1991, by promoting as criteria of monitoring of fresh and coastal water quality not only the evaluation of nitrogen concentrations, but also assessment of the eutrophic state.The same Directive considers and promoted ecotoxicological tools for setting Environmental Quality Standards of substance. The aim of this study is to compare the experience of National and International Research Institution European, in the use of eutrophication indicators, in order to open new point of knowledge and find new approach to increase the environmental information for eutrophication among decision- makers and research Institutions. While the monitoring of coastal marine water is well known, the use of toxicity tests and bioaccumulation is still under development and/or validation.

Experimental evaluation of the Cs TF values for the different soil values and plant species, including forest, meadow and agricultural coenoses, was followed by cartographic extrapolation, overlaying several information layers by GIS: topographic map, landscapes and actual vegetation maps, land use types. By further reclassification of the multilayer matrix, the map of Cs TF values for the different coenoses was obtained Additional overlaying with the map of radiopollution density of soil, forms the basis for an estimation of potential pollution of the agricultural products, which are widely used in this region: potatoes, hay, milk, meat and forest products. Thus, the application of the GIS tecnologies gives the opportunity of easy manipulation of basic and evaluative maps, which are necessary, firstly, for the definition of the contribution of every separate landscape areal in the process of dose formation, secondly, for the revealing of the radioecologicaly critical landscapes and, thirdly, for the development of rehabilitation strategies and application of the countermeasures on polluted lands.

Thirty pots of clover ( cv. Geraldton), initially prepared in special chamber provided with charcoal-filtered air, were exposed in the field, in the National Botanical Garden of Kyiv (Ukraine), during summer of 2004. During the period of experiment, the ambient ozone concentrations were continuously monitored by a UV ozone analyzer.

Plant populations respond to pesticides by various ways. Response is by far more rigid in agroecosystems because of monoculture, lack of genetic diversity and selectivity pressure. The case is more apparent in weed communities because herbicides are planned to have a direct effect on weeds sparing the crop in the degree their selectivity mechanism allows it. From the biological point of view, response of weeds to repeated use of herbicides is resistance, which leads to its ecological consequence, namely a shift in the weed flora. This phenomenon, if not timely diagnosed, results in overdosing and consequently in ecological burden. A drastic weed species shift caused by herbicides in lettuce crops of Greece has been reported in 1988.