Abandoned anthropogenic sites are transformed when they come into use. In the present study, such objects were abandoned Evangelical cemeteries located in the Land of the Great Mazurian Lakes ...(northern Poland). This study aims to compare the concentrations of selected major (Ca, Na, Mg, Al, Fe) and potentially toxic elements (Zn, Cd, Pb) in the roots, leaves, and branches of Syringa vulgaris and buried necrosols and unburied soils in which this species grows. The soils analysed differ in their profile structure; in the case of burial necrosols, anthropogenic layers are present, while Brunic Arenosol has a natural horizon arrangement. Regarding pH, the soils analysed are characterised in the weakly acidic (6.6-6.8) to alkaline (7.2-8.6) range, both in KCl and Hsub.2O. Total phosphorus has high values in the humus and anthropogenic horizons, especially at coffin sites (Rudówka Mała: layer of Ccoffin-759 mg∙kgsup.−1; Szymonka-844 mg∙kgsup.−1). Necrosols are characterised by a slightly higher variation in major element content than soils outside the burial area. The highest elemental content in Syringa vulgaris is accumulated in leaves and roots. Potassium (K) has the highest content in the studied tissues, and cadmium (Cd) is the lowest. The study showed no significant differences in heavy metal accumulation for plants directly associated with necrosols and soils formed outside of burials, which is confirmed by analyses of environmental indicators. The study showed that plant chemistry is more influenced by the soil substrate and soil-forming process than the soil anthropogenisation associated with burials. There was no significant effect of burials on the chemical composition of individual parts of Syringa vulgaris.
Rahmonov O., Majgier L., Andrejczuk W., Banaszek J., Karkosz D., Parusel T., Szymczyk A.: Landscape diversity and biodiversity of Fann Mountains (Tajikistan). Ekologia (Bratislava), Vol. 32, No. 4, ...p. 388-395, 2013.
The aim of study is a presentation of main vegetation landscape diversity and biodiversity in case of endemic species in the Fann Mountains area, in horizontal and vertical approach. In terms of biodiversity, the high-mountain ecosystems of Central Asia include the most valuable areas in the world called as hotspot, and also are exposed to intense human pressure causing the destruction of habitats. Vegetation landscapes of Fann Mountains are very diverse because of high-mountain character of this area, local climatic conditions, topography and habitats. That differentiation leads up to biodiversity and formation of unique plant landscapes and endemic species. The vegetation landscapes in altitude order are represented by forbs meadow steppe, thymes, swamp, broad-leaf forest, juniper forests, flood-plain small-leaved forest, tugai, light deciduous forest, pistachio, forbs wormwood, almond, rare vegetation with cushion-shaped species, wormwood eurotia, steppe, thorny grasses with shrub-steppe, rocks and taluses with rare vegetation alpine zones. High level of endemism in Fann Mountains is connected to natural conditions such as geological structure, relief, high-mountain ranges and climate conditions. This fact has an influence on forming mosaic biotops, often isolated by orographic barriers.
Abstract
The article presents an analysis of directions of internal and international migrations undertaken by Polish pensioners. A typology of migration directions is proposed. We use the method of ...a table of signs to define five major types of pensioner migrations. We show the variability of these types over time, from the Type J (moderately mobile, consistent) in the 1990s to the Type H (moderately mobile, mixed) at present. A detailed analysis reveals a major difference between international and internal migrations: The former are mainly due to economic reasons and the latter to reasons related to housing. The obtained results allow us to conclude that pensioner migrations constitute an important factor in the social and economic development of local communities, especially in the day and age of society ageing and lengthening life expectancy.
Robinia pseudoacacia is a North American species and in Poland it is currently invasive in character. It is used to recultivate sand excavations and others, most often in order to make the process of ...plant and soil succession more advanced. It has been observed that in places were
R. pseudoacacia dominated in plantations, the herbaceous vegetation under the trees is poor and sometimes other vascular plants are not appearing at all. Plants usually overgrow the space out of the canopy shade. The positive influence of
R. pseudoacacia on a habitat is primarily connected with the chemical composition of plant litter, as well as with the biology of the species. Chemical composition of
R. pseudoacacia litter has been researched. The greatest accumulation of elements has been observed in the following parts: green leaves (Ca
>
K
>
Mg
>
P
>
Si
>
Na
>
Fe
>
Zn
>
Al
>
Mn) and leaf litter (Ca
>
K
>
Mg
>
Si
>
Fe
>
P
>
Na
>
Al
>
Zn
>
Mn). Similar regularities are observed in the remaining litter of
R. pseudoacacia. It must be emphasized that nitrogen occurs in similar quantities in particular samples and it varies from 1.01 to 2.65%. The plant litter reaction (pH) vary from acid to weakly acid. In a short period of time under the canopy of
R. pseudoacacia a 10
cm organic and humus horizont (O/A) has developed.
•Three stages of soil development are proposed based on sugars distribution.•During the first stage sucrose dominates.•Arabitol, mannitol and trehalose increase during II stage of soil ...development.•In stage III the contents of pinitol and myo-inositol considerable increase.•The relationships between sugars and TOC differentiated the soil crust development.
Saccharides are common constituents of soils, but their role and origin in the initial phases of pedogenesis remain unclear. Here we show the detailed composition of neutral sugars extracted from arenosols at different development stages, combined with additional lipids of diverse origins using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). During the first stage (I) of development sucrose is the most abundant saccharide in the soil crust at up to 45,000 µg/g TOC. Sucrose is also the predominant compound in the second and third development stages, but its concentration decreased to the range of 1600 to 16,000 µg/g TOC. Stages II and III of soil development were characterized by a gradual increase in arabitol, mannitol and trehalose, compounds typical for fungi and lichen. Their abundances increased from several percent (compared to the major sucrose) to 10–32% for mannitol and 34–54% for trehalose. Moreover, in stage III there was a considerable increase in the contents of the saccharides: pinitol, myo-inositol, scyllo-inositol, arabinose, together with non-sugar compounds: dehydroabietic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid and sitosterol. All these latter compounds are higher plant markers, mainly derived from conifer detritus. The relationships between the ratios of trehalose/sucrose vs. (mannitol + arabitol)/sucrose and TOC vs. (mannitol + arabitol)/sucrose differentiated precisely the top soil layer of arenosols which are covered by different stages of biological soil crust. Our study shows that free sugars, supplemented by lipid biomarkers and total organic carbon contents, are good indicators of soil in the initial phase of pedogenesis.
As an anthropogenic element of urban landscapes, coal heaps undergo changes due to both natural and anthropogenic factors. The aim of this study was to determine the common development of soil under ...the influence of vegetation succession against a background of environmental conditions. Vegetation changes and soil properties were analysed along a transect passing through a heap representing a particular succession stage. It was found that changes in the development of vegetation were closely related to the stages of coal-waste disposal, where the initial, transitional, and terminal stages were distinguished. The mean range of pH (H2O) values in the profiles was 6.75 ± 0.21 (profile 1), 7.2 ± 0.31 (profile 2), 6.3 ± 1.22 (profile 3), and 5.38 ± 0.42 (profile 4). The organic carbon (OC) content in all samples was high, ranging from 9.6% to 41.6%. The highest content of total nitrogen (Nt) was found (1.132%) in the algal crust and sub-horizon of the organic horizon (Olfh-0.751%) and humus (A-0.884) horizon in profile 3 under the initial forest. Notable contents of available elements were found in the algal shell for P (1588 mg∙kg−1) and Mg (670 mg∙kg−1). Soil organic matter content was mainly dominated by n-alkanes (n-C11-n-C34) and alkanoic acids (C5–C20). Phytene and Phytadiene were typical for the algal crust on the initial pedigree. The initiation of succession was determined by the variation in grain size of the waste dumped on the heap and the variation in relief and associated habitat mosaic. Algal crusts forming on clay–dust mineral and organic material accumulating in the depressions of the site and at the foot of the heap can be regarded as the focus of pedogenesis.
The work focuses on analyzing and reason of occurrences of rare and protected species by European and Polish low. These species are growing in the areas of former sand exploitations quarry and have ...different ecological requirements. The origin of such quarries is strictly connected strictly connection with development of coal mining in the Silesian Upland (Southern Poland). From the end of exploitation the processes of spontaneous vegetation ecosystems have been observed. The research was conducted in Southern Poland in the area of the Kuznica Warężyńska sand quarry with an area of approximately 8 km2, exploited in the years 1972 - 2003. In results of work has been confirmed by 2 types of habitats which are included in I Annex Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora forms in zone of groundwater outflow. They are 7140-transition mires and quaking bogs and 7230 - alkaline fens. In these communities, numerous population of 22 protects spiecies as Dactylorhiza maculata, D. majalis, Epipactis atrorubens, E. helleborine, E. palustris, Malaxis monophyllos, Lycopodiella inundata, Pinguicula vulgaris, including Liparis loeselii found in Annex II of the Habitats Directive occur. These are early-successional species, whose numbers in next successions phases decrease or after several years completely disappear. The analyzed flora differs in terms of life forms, ecological requirements related to the habitat mosaics. The fragments of sand quarry that were where are not reclaimed can play important role in nature conservation not only in local level but even on supra-regional scale. Hence, this object is a place for many rare, threatened with extinction species and plant communities as substitute habitats. The conservation of such species and plant communities in sand quarry needed active protection. It consists in maintaining the initial stages of succession and preventing the formation of the forest.
This study focuses on the concentration of trace-, microelement- and organic components in initial horizons of sandy soil (Arenosole) and of the tissues of Corynephorus canescens, a pioneer species ...typical of unstable environments that initiates pedogenic processes by enriching poor quartz sand in organic- and mineral matter from its own tissues. Soil samples were taken from a root-zone humus horizon (A) averaging ∼15 cm in thickness and from parent rock. Concentrations of Ca, Mg, K, Na, Fe, Si, Al, Zn, Mn, Co, Cd, Pb, Sr, Mo, C, N and P in plant material and soil were analyzed. High concentrations of Si (6368±16.3 mg·kg-1), K (2310±165.2), Ca (302±24.6 mg·kg-1), Fe (2196±316.3) are found in the above-ground part of the plant whereas Si (9150±20), Fe (5948± 43), K 3752±3.21) and Al (2370±52.6 mg·kg-1) dominate in the roots. Soil organic carbon (OC) contents in the humus horizon and in parent rock are 0.276±0.041 and 0.206±0.041%, respectively. The concentration of nitrogen in the humus horizon shows a high (0.92) correlation with OC. The soil shows both acid (4.2±0.51 in KCl) and low-acid (5.1±0.23 in H2O) characteristics. Heavy-metal contents differ significantly among the study sites. Organic compounds of Corynephorus canescens and of soil organic matter (SOM) were investigated by pyrolysis-GC/MS (Py-GC/MS). In the organic content of the grey hair-grass tissues, typical compounds such as normal chain aliphatics (29%), and furane- and pyrane derivatives (12%), dominate. Nitrogen-containing substances such as amines, nitro compounds, heterocycles and amines are also important (27%). The main ecopedological role of C. canescens involves the fixing of loose sand thanks to its well-developed root system. The xeromorphic structure of stems and leaves allows it to function in such extreme open areas of unstable ground and high insolation. The initial stage of the formation of a humus horizon involving Corynephores canescens is documented.
The paper presents soil features and chemical composition in a self‐heating coal‐waste dump. The investigations were carried out in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin. A fire zone in which the soil ...temperature exceeded 50°C was selected for our study. Soil analyses were carried out for three grain sizes – d > 1 mm, 0.063 mm < d ≤ 1 mm, and d ≤ 0.063 mm – enabling identification of the diversity of the chemical composition in soil fractions. The highest concentration of heavy metals is represented by Mn (212–6972 mg kg‐1), Zn (127–3283 mg kg‐1), Pb (33.6–1344.7 mg kg‐1), Cu (38.9–101.4 mg kg‐1), and major elements by Fe (14,300–117,400 mg kg‐1) and Ca (900–63,600 mg kg‐1). Soil chemistry showed variations within individual studied sites. The soil reaction ranges from acidic (4.3 in KCl and 5.26 in H2O) to moderate alkaline (7.96 in H2O and 7.31 in KCl), whereas TOC ranges from 1.21% to 14.60% and TN from 0.023% to 0.291%. The distribution of n‐alkanes clearly showed a low degree of transformation of organic matter and characteristic high values of Pr/Ph ratio for humic coals and coal waste in the region. Grains with diameters greater than 1 mm exhibited completely different features than those of fractions smaller than or equal to 1 mm. High organic carbon content (14.60) was detected in the samples along with PAHs. The influence of fire on the chemical composition of all samples was identified using geochemical indicators. PCA analysis showed that the values of the variables were more closely correlated in finer grains than in the coarsest fraction.
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