Evaluation of trace metal contamination of bottom sediments based on the example of lowland dam reservoir in slup in the Lower Silesia Region

Analizowano stan zanieczyszczenia metalami śladowymi (ołów, miedź, nikiel, cynk, kadm, chrom, kobalt) osadów dennych w zbiorniku zaporowym „Słup” na Dolnym Śląsku na tle potencjalnego wpływu emisji z kopalni miedzi. Stopień zanieczyszczenia osadów dennych określono na podstawie wartości współczynnika geoakumulacji metali (Igeo). Spośród analizowanych metali śladowych kadm, ołów i cynk przyjmowały wartości mieszczące się w grupie osadów niezanieczyszczonych (I klasa czystości osadów). Z kolei zawartość kobaltu i miedzi osiągała wartości przypisane osadom niezanieczyszczonym i umiarkowanie zanieczyszczonym (klasa I i II), a nikiel i chrom osadom umiarkowanie zanieczyszczonym (klasa II). Badania wykazały nieznaczny wpływ oddziaływania kopalni miedzi na środowisko wodne zbiornika zaporowego. Możne to wynikać z napływu mas powietrza na teren Dolnego Śląska najczęściej z kierunków zachodniego i południowo-zachodniego. Dlatego kopalnia miedzi, znajdująca się na północ od zbiornika, nie ma większego wpływu na jakość wód retencjonowanych w zbiorniku zaporowym.Degree of trace metal contamination (lead, copper, nickel, zinc, cadmium, chromium, cobalt) of bottom sediments from the Slup dam reservoir in Lower Silesia was analyzed considering potential effect of copper mine emissions. Degree of bottom sediment contamination was determined on the basis of a geoaccumulation factor for metals (Igeo). Among the analyzed trace metals, values for cadmium, lead and zinc were within the limits for the uncontaminated sediment group (class I). Cobalt and copper content were at the “uncontaminated” and “moderately contaminated” level (class I and II), while that of nickel and chrome — within limits for the moderately contaminated group (class II). The research pointed towards a negligible copper mine impact on the water environment of the dam reservoir. This could be explained by the inflow of air masses over the Lower Silesia Region mostly from the west and south-west. Therefore, the copper mine located to the north of the reservoir does not have a major effect on quality of the dam reservoir water

The Impact of Land Use Transformations on Zooplankton Communities in a Small Mountain River (The Corgo River, Northern Portugal)

Transformation of the river catchment and the river bed cause significant changes in the functioning of river ecosystems. The main effects of anthropogenic transformations are hydrological changes, such as lower current velocity or an increase of nutrient content, and higher temperature. Zooplankton reacts rapidly to the new environmental conditions in rivers, increasing its richness and abundance. We tried to answer two questions: what type of catchment use has a greater influence on the zooplankton communities in a river and how do dam impoundments influence the zooplankton communities downstream? The study was conducted in the Corgo river (drainage of the Douro river, Northern Portugal) at 17 sampling sites in the lotic, free-flowing sections. Crustaceans present in the Corgo can attain relatively high densities in the rural section, which offers them better trophic conditions. The urban catchment use and the presence of dams have a greater impact on the rotifer density and the increase of zooplankton density downstream. The results of this study confirm that zooplankton properties allow for the evaluation of the degree of river-bed transformation

Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) and Babesia canis (Piana et Galli-Valerio, 1895) as the parasites of companion animals (dogs and cats) in the Wroclaw area, south-western Poland

Tests performed in 2013 and 2014 revealed the occurrence of three tick species parasitizing pet cats and dogs in the Wrocław Agglomeration. In total, 1,455 tick specimens were removed from 931 hosts (760 dogs and 171 cats) in 18 veterinary clinics. The dominant tick species was Ixodes ricinus (n=1272; 87.4%), followed by I. hexagonus (n=137; 9.4%) and Dermacentor reticulatus (n=46; 3.2%). Females were the most often collected development stage among I. ricinus and D. reticulatus, and nymphs among I. hexagonus. Additionally, D. reticulatus ticks (n=337) were then collected from vegetation in the Wrocław area to detect Babesia canis; however, none was found positive. Only 9.0% of dog blood samples sent to VETLAB were positive for Babesia spp. Negative results for B. canis from ticks may result from the short period of the occurrence of D. reticulatus in the Wrocław area and therefore the vectorpathogen cycle may not have been fully established at the time of the study. Nevertheless, D. reticulatus is expanding its range, and the size of its population in the Wrocław Agglomeration is increasing. The presence of the pathogenic Babesia spp. combined with the occurrence of its main vector¸ D. reticulatus, suggests that the epizootiological situation in the area can change and may pose a new veterinary problem in the future