Alien plant species in the protected landscape area of the Odra river meanders: habitat preferences and threats

The protected landscape area of ÑThe Odra River Meandersî is located in the south-west part of the province of Silesia, along the Odra river, on the border with the Czech Republic. This meandering fragment of the Odra river is one of the few places in Europe where natural geomorphological processes are still preserved. During botanical investigations, the occurrence of 363 vascular plant species was confirmed, including 95 species of alien origin. The participation of archaeophytes was 12%, kenophytes 10% and diaphytes 4%. A high participation of these groups of species was noted in habitats transformed by human activities, such as fields, roadsides and hedges, as well as in natural ones, such as steep escarpments and gravel sandbanks which have been shaped by the dynamic flow of the river. The first group of habitats was characterised by the highest proportion of archaeophytes, whereas in more natural habitats, the ascendancy of kenophytes (= neophytes) over older adventives was noted, e.g. the most common and widespread in this area were species from the Reynoutria (Fallopia) genus. The number of alien species in each habitat type was quite high and ranged from 1 to 62

Identification and structure of lampbrush sex bivalents prior to and after the reproductive period of the european domestic goose Anser anser

Lampbrush chromosomes (LBCs) present in bird oocytes are a new model in cytogenetics with particular significance for bird chromosome analysis. The fact that female birds are heterogametic makes it possible to observe both sex chromosomes in the form of decondensed structures typical of lampbrush chromosomes. A change in transcription activity associated with physiological processes in geese prior to and after the reproductive season is reflected in chromosome morphology. Lampbrush chromosomes obtained after the reproductive period have reduced side loops, sites of intensive transcriptional activity. However, noticeable characteristics in the chromosomes include inactive chromomeres. Chiasms, PBs, large side loops (ML) and telomeric loops (T, TLL, and GLL) are structures that undergo degradation latest after the termination of reproduction, and as a result, constitute the basis of identification of individual bivalents in different periods of the cell's transcriptional activity

An assessment of the Ambrosia L. pollen threat at a regional scale using the example of the town of Sosnowiec (Silesian Uplands, Poland)

The investigation of Ambrosia pollen counts in the air of Sosnowiec was carried out from 1998 to 2010 by means of the volumetric method. The pollen season which was determined by means of the 98% method started at the end of July and the beginning of August and lasted until the end of October. The highest Ambrosia pollen count was recorded in 1999 (222 grains x m-3) and the lowest in 2001 (18 grains x m-3). It was stated that the daily count of pollen grains depended on the wind direction and maximum air temperature. The strongest correlations were found with maximum temperature and with a wind direction from the south east. A high negative correlation coefficient was found between the frequency of inflows of air masses from the west and the annual total of pollen grains and the value of the maximum daily count. The closest sites of Ambrosia L. are at a distance of 25–40 kilometres from the sampling point. Significant correlations with the frequency of inflow of air masses can support the conclusion that Ambrosia pollen grains recorded in Sosnowiec were most probably carried not only from local sources but also, at least in part, from distant places

Changes in plant species richness in some riparian plant communities as an result of their colonisation by taxa of Reynoutria (Fallopia)

This study deals with the current issue of the synanthropisation of plant cover which manifests itself, amongst other ways, in the spreading of species outside the limits of their natural distribution range. The aim of the studies undertaken for the present report was to estimate the type and scale of threat posed by alien plant species to native plant diversity. The studies were carried out using the example of Reynoutria (Fallopia) species (knotweeds), which are considered to be invasive in our country as well as in other regions of the world. This is an attempt to determine the impact of these plants on the composition and diversity of the natural components of the herb layer in floodplain forest. Investigations were performed on permanent study plots localised in patches of floodplain forest which have been preserved in the valleys of the So≥a, Bia≥a and Jasienica rivers. The results of the field studies have confirmed the hypothesis that Reynoutria species exert a negative influence on the native components of the floodplain forest herb layer. This impact is, however, different with regard to the various life forms and ecological habitat groups of the plants. The increase of surface coverd by knotweeds does not significantly influence the development of early spring geophytes which are able to complete their full life cycle

Changes in plant species richness in some riparian plant communities as an result of their colonisation by taxa of Reynoutria (Fallopia)

This study deals with the current issue of the synanthropisation of plant cover which manifests itself, amongst other ways, in the spreading of species outside the limits of their natural distribution range. The aim of the studies undertaken for the present report was to estimate the type and scale of threat posed by alien plant species to native plant diversity. The studies were carried out using the example of Reynoutria (Fallopia) species (knotweeds), which are considered to be invasive in our country as well as in other regions of the world. This is an attempt to determine the impact of these plants on the composition and diversity of the natural components of the herb layer in floodplain forest. Investigations were performed on permanent study plots localised in patches of floodplain forest which have been preserved in the valleys of the So≥a, Bia≥a and Jasienica rivers. The results of the field studies have confirmed the hypothesis that Reynoutria species exert a negative influence on the native components of the floodplain forest herb layer. This impact is, however, different with regard to the various life forms and ecological habitat groups of the plants. The increase of surface coverd by knotweeds does not significantly influence the development of early spring geophytes which are able to complete their full life cycle

Classification of Expansive Grassland Species in Different Growth Stages Based on Hyperspectral and LiDAR Data

Expansive species classification with remote sensing techniques offers great support for botanical field works aimed at detection of their distribution within areas of conservation value and assessment of the threat caused to natural habitats. Large number of spectral bands and high spatial resolution allows for identification of particular species. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data provide information about areas such as vegetation structure. Because the species differ in terms of features during the growing season, it is important to know when their spectral responses are unique in the background of the surrounding vegetation. The aim of the study was to identify two expansive grass species: Molinia caerulea and Calamagrostis epigejos in the Natura 2000 area in Poland depending on the period and dataset used. Field work was carried out during late spring, summer and early autumn, in parallel with remote sensing data acquisition. Airborne 1-m resolution HySpex images and LiDAR data were used. HySpex images were corrected geometrically and atmospherically before Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF) transformation and vegetation indices calculation. Based on a LiDAR point cloud generated Canopy Height Model, vegetation structure from discrete and full-waveform data and topographic indexes were generated. Classifications were performed using a Random Forest algorithm. The results show post-classification maps and their accuracies: Kappa value and F1 score being the harmonic mean of producer (PA) and user (UA) accuracy, calculated iteratively. Based on these accuracies and botanical knowledge, it was possible to assess the best identification date and dataset used for analysing both species. For M. caerulea the highest median Kappa was 0.85 (F1 = 0.89) in August and for C. epigejos 0.65 (F1 = 0.73) in September. For both species, adding discrete or full-waveform LiDAR data improved the results. We conclude that hyperspectral (HS) and LiDAR airborne data could be useful to id

Allergenic invasive plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia in Poland : threat and selected aspects of biology

The study presents the current state of research on Ambrosia artemisiifolia in Poland within its wider scientific background and gives the results of some field and laboratory investigations. This annual plant is characterised by a high level of production of seeds, easily dispersed by different vectors. Ragweed pollen is a strong allergen considered to be one of the most dangerous pollen allergens in the world. Being a serious hazard to human health, it is also considered as an Ñenvironmental weedî causing economic threat. The main aim of the study is to verify the status of the species in the flora of Poland, to assess the threat and discuss possibilities to prevent its future spread

Molecular markers as a tool for studying plant invasions as exemplified by Acer negundo and Padus serotina case studies - plan of research project : [poster]

Even though the number of invasive woody species is not significant, it is considered that they exert high pressure on native flora and can significantly disturb nutrient dependencies in ecosystems. Such examples in Poland are Acer negundo (Boxelder) and Padus serotina (Black cherry). Both trees have been deliberately brought to Poland from North America: Boxelder as an ornamental tree and Black cherry as a biocenotic addition and as windbreaks in forests (Fragment tekstu)

A large-scale survey of genetic variation and genome evolution within the invasive Reynoutria complex : [streszczenie]

The taxa from the genus Reynoutria: R. japonica, R. sachalinensis, originating from Asia, and their hybrid R. ×bohemica are some of the most troublesome alien invasive species in Europe and North America, particularly dangerous to riparian ecosystems. Simultaneously, these taxa constitute a unique model system for the creation of hybrids and the initiation of evolutionary processes in an invaded range. The aim of the study was: (i) to examine the level of genetic diversity using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) markers in selected populations of three Reynoutria taxa from Poland, Hungary, Ukraine and Slovakia in comparison with Japan, (ii) to identify marked chromosomes in all taxa using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with rDNA sequences, and (iii) to establish genome size and ploidy level in the knotweed species using flow cytometry (FCM) (Fragment tekstu)