Soil Rotifers new to Hungary from the floodplain Gemenc (Duna-Dráva National Park, Hungary)

In summer and autumn 2010, we collected soil samples from the Gemenc floodplain of the Danube (Duna-Dráva National Park) from places with different flood regimes and vegetation cover and examined them for rotifers. We found a total of 31 species; 14 of them are new to the Hungarian fauna. The Hungarian occurrence of 8 further species is confirmed based on their first detailed data from the country. The genus Wierzejskiella Wiszniewski, 1934 is also new for Hungary. This study provides additional support to the conclusion that floodplains of large rivers have a diverse and sensitive biota

Diversity and distribution of tardigrades in soils of Edmonson Point (Northern Victoria Land, continental Antarctica)

This work contributes to the knowledge on distribution, diversity and ecology of the Antarctic soil biota. Different soil habitats from several ice-free coastal sites were sampled along the Victoria Land across 7° of latitude from 71° to 78°S during five austral summer seasons between 2003/04 and 2011/12. In this paper we report preliminary data on soil tardigrades (water bears) from Edmondson Point, Northern Victoria Land. Tardigrades were found to be present in 23 of the 41 examined soil samples (56%). Their presence was associated exclusively with soil samples collected from bryophytes communities and under cyanobacterial mats, whereas they were completely absent in fellfield and ornithogenic soils. Tardigrades were least numerous among all soil micrometazoans, their abundance in the positive samples was very variable and ranged from 3 to 1824 individuals per 100 g of soil DW. High water content seemed to be the major factor determining occurrence of tardigrades in the soils investigated. On the other hand low water content and toxic compounds from penguin guano seemed to act as a strong constraint on their existence in the Antarctic soils. Taxonomic evaluation of the extracted tardigrades revealed presence of only two species belonging to class Eutardigrada: Acutuncus antarcticus (Richters, 1904) and Milnesium antarcticum Tumanov, 2006. While A. antarcticus has already been reported previously as the most widespread and abundant tardigrade across the Victoria Land, the information on M. antarcticum is novel, both for Victoria Land and the continental Antarctica

Cryophilic Tardigrada have disjunct and bipolar distribution and establish long-term stable, low-density demes

Glaciers are inhabited by various cryophilic organisms ranging from single celled to multicellular, like Tardigrada (water bears). Owing to their scattered distribution, glaciers represent extremely fragmented habitats, and it remains unclear how their inhabitants survive and disperse among such isolated patches. This study investigates the biogeography of the tardigrade genus Cryoconicus, whose distribution, population stability, and interregional connectivity are examined by screening the collections from ~ 60 glaciers worldwide and by a phylogeographic analysis. We found that two Cryoconicus species occur at low densities on two Arctic glaciers in Svalbard, far from their previously reported Antarctic and Central Asian ranges. Screening of worldwide databases and DNA metabarcoding indicated that these species are absent or rare in the intermediate areas, suggesting large disjunctions in their ranges. In particular, the genetic data and multiyear resampling showed that Cryoconicus kaczmareki established a stable population on the Ebba Glacier (Svalbard), which has been isolated from its Asian core range since before the last glacial maximum. Our findings suggest that glacial invertebrates may possess wide yet largely disjunctive ranges. Interpolar- or intercontinental-scale movements of cryophilic meiofauna may occur, but migration connectivity is not sufficient to mitigate the differentiation of the local population. Revealed biogeographic patterns further demonstrate that inhabitants of extreme environments may establish isolated and highly fragmented populations that persist long term, even if at very low densities

Current Wildland Fire Patterns and Challenges in Europe : A Synthesis of National Perspectives

Changes in climate, land use, and land management impact the occurrence and severity of wildland fires in many parts of the world. This is particularly evident in Europe, where ongoing changes in land use have strongly modified fire patterns over the last decades. Although satellite data by the European Forest Fire Information System provide large-scale wildland fire statistics across European countries, there is still a crucial need to collect and summarize in-depth local analysis and understanding of the wildland fire condition and associated challenges across Europe. This article aims to provide a general overview of the current wildland fire patterns and challenges as perceived by national representatives, supplemented by national fire statistics (2009-2018) across Europe. For each of the 31 countries included, we present a perspective authored by scientists or practitioners from each respective country, representing a wide range of disciplines and cultural backgrounds. The authors were selected from members of the COST Action "Fire and the Earth System: Science & Society" funded by the European Commission with the aim to share knowledge and improve communication about wildland fire. Where relevant, a brief overview of key studies, particular wildland fire challenges a country is facing, and an overview of notable recent fire events are also presented. Key perceived challenges included (1) the lack of consistent and detailed records for wildland fire events, within and across countries, (2) an increase in wildland fires that pose a risk to properties and human life due to high population densities and sprawl into forested regions, and (3) the view that, irrespective of changes in management, climate change is likely to increase the frequency and impact of wildland fires in the coming decades. Addressing challenge (1) will not only be valuable in advancing national and pan-European wildland fire management strategies, but also in evaluating perceptions (2) and (3) against more robust quantitative evidence.Peer reviewe

Primární sukcese společenstev půdních vířníků na výsypkách po těžbě hnědého uhlí

The changes of rotifer soil communities along primary succession chronosequence was studied on brown coal post mining areas near Sokolov, NW part of the Czech Republic. The age of successional stages was 2, 11, 14, 20, 43 years. The rotifers were extracted from soil samples using modified method of Baermann funnel with combined light and temperature gradients. In total, 17 taxa of soil rotifers were identified throughout the study. Most common species were .i.Adineta vaga, Habrotrocha rosa, Macrotrachela quadricornifera./i.. The important were also .i.Encentrum arvicola, Habrotrocha elegans, Macrotrachela nana./i.. Total densities varied from tens to hundreds thousands individuals per m.sup.2./sup. and increased with the increasing age of the plot. Depressions of the surface relief hosted higher numbers of rotifers than elevations, but elevations were more rich in species. The species succession on chronosequence is well demonstrated in the genus .i.Encentrum./i.

Seasonal development and vertical distribution of soil rotifer populations in South-Bohemian beech forest

The soil rotifer community in a climax beech forest in South Bohemia was investigated during 2005 focusing on seasonal and vertical distribution changes. Samples 10 cm.sup.2./sup. large and 10 cm in depth were divided into 5 layers, which were processed separately. Altogether 31 rotifer species were determined during the investigation, of these 9 species were monogononts, while the rest were bdelloids. The most important species were .i.Encentrum arvicola, Wierzejskiella vagneri./i. among the monogononts and .i.Adineta steineri, Ceratotrocha cornigera, Habrotrocha filum, H. ligula, Macrotrachela plicata, Mniobia tentans, M. incrassata, M. granulosa./i. among the bdelloids. Mean Shannon diversity index varied from 1.99 to 2.63. Total rotifer abundance varied from 212 (± 63) to 513 (± 127) 10.sup.3./sup. ind. m.sup.-2./sup. year-round, with the highest numbers found in May, while the lowest were in July

The role of rotifer community in the ecosystem of Rimov Reservoir.

The role of the planctonic rotifers in the Rimov Reservoar ecosystem has been studied from the top-down and bottom-up points of view. As the best approach to the study of the rotifer population an analysis of abundances, natality and mortality of populations was used to estimate factors structuring the development and population dynamics of the rotifer community. Five main species were analyzed in the study: Polyarthra spp., Keratella cochlearis, K. quadrata, Synchaeta lakowitziana and Kellicottia longispina. Their different responses to structuring forces were traced and extrapolated.Available from STL Prague, CZ / NTK - National Technical LibrarySIGLECZCzech Republi

Dinâmica espaço‑temporal de rotíferos edáficos em uma floresta de faias no sul da Boêmia

The objective of this work was to determine seasonal variation and vertical distribution of the soil rotifer assemblage in a climax beech forest in South Bohemia. During 2005, soil rotifer was investigated to the species level. Soil samples of 10 cm2 and 10 cm in depth were divided into five layers, which were processed separately. Thirty one rotifer species were identified during the investigation. Dominant species significantly changed throughout the seasons. The most abundant species were Encentrum arvicola and Wierzejskiella vagneri among the monogononts, and Adineta steineri, Ceratotrocha cornigera, Habrotrocha filum, Habrotrocha ligula, Macrotrachela plicata, Mniobia tentans, Mniobia incrassata and Mniobia granulosa among the bdelloids. Mean Shannon diversity index varied from 1.99 to 2.63. Total rotifer abundance varied from 212±63 to 513±127 103 individuals m-2 along the year, with the highest numbers found in May, and the lowest in July. The great part of the community was concentrated in the upper (fresh litter) and second (partially decomposed litter) layers and significantly decreased in the soil vertical profile on all sampling dates. The highest rotifer density of 43 individuals g-1 was found in the upper layer in May.O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a variação sazonal e a distribuição vertical de comunidades de rotíferos edáficos em uma floresta de faias em clímax, no Sul da Boêmia. Durante 2005, as comunidades de rotíferos edáficos foram estudadas até o nível da espécie. Amostras de 10 cm2 de área com 10 cm de profundidade foram divididas em cinco camadas, que foram processadas separadamente. Trinta e uma espécies de rotíferos foram identificadas durante a investigação. Todas as espécies dominantes tiveram variações significativas durante as estações climáticas. As espécies mais abundantes foram Encentrum arvicola e Wierzejskiella vagneri entre os monogonontes e Adineta steineri, Ceratotrocha cornigera, Habrotrocha filum, Habrotrocha ligula, Macrotrachela plicata, Mniobia tentans, Mniobia incrassata e Mniobia granulosa entre os bdelloides. O índice médio de diversidade de Shannon variou entre 1,99 e 2,63. A abundância total de rotíferos variou entre 212±63 e 513±127 103 indivíduos por m2 ao ano, com os maiores números encontrados em maio e os menores em julho. A maior parte da comunidade estava concentrada na camada superior (liteira fresca) e na segunda camada (liteira parcialmente decomposta) e diminuiu significativamente no perfil vertical do solo em todas as datas de coleta. A maior densidade de rotíferos, de 43 indivíduos g-1, foi encontrada na camada superior em maio