Natural and Anthropogenic Conditions of the Chemical Composition of Pit Lake Waters (Based on Example Pit Lakes from Central Europe)

The article presents a classification of hydrochemical types of waters in pit lakes. Although natural factors significantly influence the chemical composition of water, the differences between hydrochemical types are also determined by anthropogenic factors. The chemical composition of the water in pit lakes is primarily determined by the kind of rocks mined during the excavation, while secondary anthropogenic impacts can modify the chemical composition of the water. A multidimensional clustering analysis of the water was performed, which allowed three main types of hydrochemical reservoirs to be delimited for the pit lakes assessed in this study: a bicarbonate–magnesium–calcium water type ( HCO3–Mg–Ca), a bicarbonate–calcium water type ( HCO3–Ca), and a sulphate–calcium water type ( SO4–Ca)

The Hydrological-Hydrochemical Factors that Control the Invasion of the Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) in Succession in Areas with Opencast Mines

Studies on opencast mines have indicated that the spontaneous colonization of excavations and sedimentation tanks by vegetation is determined not only by the substratum and the land relief, but also by the hydrological and hydrochemical relations in the exploitation hollow. Sometimes, biological invasions can also disturb the natural revegetation. Robinia pseudoacacia L. black locust is an invasive alien species that frequently colonizes sandy habitats. Thirty study plots were randomly established on four types of sites: (1) sandy sediments, extremely dry places located mainly on heaps of post-washer slime; (2) sandy sediments, dry areas that are periodically flooded and have pulp; (3) clay sediments, damp areas that are periodically submerged, and (4) the control, a forest with R. pseudoacacia in its neighborhood. A total of 94 species of vascular plants and seven species of mosses were found. The vegetation at the sites differs and the role of the black locust increases along the dryness gradient and developmental phase of vegetation. Older phases of succession resemble a forest in the surrounding area. It is a R. pseudoacacia species-poor monodominant stand that has been forming for around 30 years. A lack of trees and dense grasses favor the successful invasion of the black locust on man-made sandy habitats

The Effect of Glacier Recession on Benthic and Pelagic Communities: Case Study in Herve Cove, Antarctica

Changes in macrobenthic and pelagic communities in the postglacial, partially isolated, lagoon Herve Cove in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, were investigated 15 years after the first comprehensive studies had been conducted in this region. The bottom area of the cove has enlarged from approximately 12 ha to 19 ha after the retreat of the Dera Icefall. Based on a photographic survey of the benthos and taxonomic composition of zooplankton, ecological succession and the colonization of new species have been observed. Several new species occur such as gastropods, seastars, sea urchins and isopods, and their presence in different parts of the cove, as well as breeding aggregations suggests that they reproduce there. The influence of glacial streams is notable in bottom assemblages. We propose that Herve Cove is a good research area for studies on ecological succession in newly opened areas. The colonization of this lagoon has been recognized to be in its developing stage, and research should be continued

The Hydrological-Hydrochemical Factors that Control the Invasion of the Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) in Succession in Areas with Opencast Mines

Studies on opencast mines have indicated that the spontaneous colonization of excavations and sedimentation tanks by vegetation is determined not only by the substratum and the land relief, but also by the hydrological and hydrochemical relations in the exploitation hollow. Sometimes, biological invasions can also disturb the natural revegetation. Robinia pseudoacacia L. black locust is an invasive alien species that frequently colonizes sandy habitats. Thirty study plots were randomly established on four types of sites: (1) sandy sediments, extremely dry places located mainly on heaps of post-washer slime; (2) sandy sediments, dry areas that are periodically flooded and have pulp; (3) clay sediments, damp areas that are periodically submerged, and (4) the control, a forest with R. pseudoacacia in its neighborhood. A total of 94 species of vascular plants and seven species of mosses were found. The vegetation at the sites differs and the role of the black locust increases along the dryness gradient and developmental phase of vegetation. Older phases of succession resemble a forest in the surrounding area. It is a R. pseudoacacia species-poor monodominant stand that has been forming for around 30 years. A lack of trees and dense grasses favor the successful invasion of the black locust on man-made sandy habitats

The Arctic soil bacterial communities in the vicinity of a little auk colony

Due to deposition of birds’ guano, eggshells or feathers, the vicinity of a large seabirds’ breeding colony is expected to have a substantial impact on the soil’s physicochemical features as well as on diversity of vegetation and the soil invertebrates. Consequently, due to changing physicochemical features the structure of bacterial communities might fluctuate in different soil environments. The aim of this study was to investigate the bacterial assemblages in the Arctic soil within the area of a birds’ colony and in a control sample from a topographically similar location but situated away from the colony’s impact area. A high number of OTUs found in both areas indicates a highly complex microbial populations structure. The most abundant phyla in both of the tested samples were: Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Chloroflexi, with different proportions in the total share. Despite differences in the physicochemical soil characteristics, the soil microbial community structures at the phylum level were similar to some extent in the two samples. The only share that was significantly higher in the control area when compared to the sample obtained within the birds’ colony, belonged to the Actinobacteria phylum. Moreover, when analyzing the class level for each phylum, several differences between the samples were observed. Furthermore, lower proportions of Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria were observed in the soil sample under the influence of the bird’s colony, which most probably could be linked to higher nitrogen concentrations in that sample

Environmental DNA as a valuable and unique source of information about ecological networks in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems

Arctic terrestrial ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to the effects of ongoing and predicted climate changes. The current states of environmental biodiversity and ecological networks in the Arctic need to be known and understood in order to monitor how they change and how these changes may influence the particular components of the ecosystem. Despite the fact that the Arctic tundra is generally poor in nutrients, it has a surprisingly high biodiversity, especially of invertebrates and microorganisms. Besides macroclimatic features, there may be local factors influencing biodiversity, such as microclimate, water availability or large seabird colonies depositing guano. This last can have a substantial impact on the soilâ s physicochemical features, and consequently the distribution, number and diversity of tundra-associated plants and animals in the vicinity of the colony. Changes in the Arctic biodiversity and the functioning of the ecosystem at all trophic levels are difficult to investigate using traditional methods. In this review, we discuss how modern molecular techniques, including next generation sequencing, influence our ability to investigate and understand this ecosystem at both the micro- and the macro-scale and how they can complement the more traditional approaches to studying ecological networks in the Arctic.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Polyhumous Dystrophic Pit Lakes: Hydrographic and Hydrochemical Characteristics on the Example of Reservoirs in the Włoszczowska Basin, Central Poland

The article presents the hydrographic and hydrochemical characteristics of post-exploitation reservoirs formed in peat excavations. Two natural bog lakes were selected as the control objects for the study. The research indicated that both the waters of post-exploitation peat reservoirs and natural bog lakes show low electrolytic conductivity (<100 µS/cm) and acidic water reaction (pH < 5.5). The concentration of major cations and anions is also very low. The concentration of calcium and magnesium does not exceed a few mg/L. Hydrochemically, all post-exploitation peat reservoirs are bi-ionic sulphate–calcium (SO42−-Ca2+). This distinguishes post-exploitation peat reservoirs from natural bog lakes in which multi-ion waters were found, for example, sulphate–chloride–calcium (SO42−-Cl−-Ca2+) and sulphate–calcium–sodium (SO42−-Ca2+-Na+). The calculated water humic state index (HSI) allowed the classifying of the examined reservoirs as polyhumous. The value of this index, in all reservoirs, was >50. Based on the calculated hydrochemical dystrophy index (HDI), it was found that all post-exploitation peat reservoirs are dystrophic. So far, no such hydrochemical type has been found in other post-exploitation peat reservoirs. Therefore, the examined objects should be classified as unique post-exploitation peat reservoirs