Plants accumulating heavy metals in the Sudety Mts

The Sudeten flora consists of some plants we can recognize as heavy metal accumulators. Between others there are: Thlaspi caerulescens, Arabidopsis halleri, Armeria maritima ssp. halleri s.l. and probably the endemic fern Asplenium onopteris var. silesiaca. The authors present the concentrations of some important heavy metals measured in aboveground plant dry weight. The highest concentration of zinc was 8220 ppm (Thlaspi), nickel - 3100 ppm (Thlaspi), lead - 83 ppm (Armeria), copper - 611 ppm (Arabidopsis) and cadmium - 28 ppm (Thlaspi). The concentrations depend rather on species or population specification than on ore deposit quality. There are no typical hyperaccumulator among plants we have examined, but some signs of hyperaccumulation of nickel, zinc and lead could be observed. There are no typical endemic taxa, only Asplenium onopteris var. silesiaca and Armeria maritima ssp. halleri may be recognized as neoendemic taxa, but still of unclear systematic position. During the study we tried to find out why some Sudeten vascular plants do not develop heavy metals hyperaccumulation and why they are rather latent hyperaccumulators. Finally, we suggest to protect some metallicolous areas in spite they are rather territories with low plant biodiversity

Ecological significance of some kenophytes in Lower Silesian national parks

The paper presents the results of several years investigations (2003-2007) on two invaders: the Himalayans Impatiens glandulifera and Asiatic Reynoutria japonica. The Sudety Mountains and their national parks are under strong pressure of both species, threatening the local vegetation. The four-year investigations have been carried out in field, glasshouse and in laboratory. Invasive species have their peculiar life histories which help them to occupy new areas. Those are above all the specific generative reproduction strategies (Impatiens) or vegetative reproduction strategies (Reynoutria). Both strategies secure the reproductive success and to capture more and more highly situated areas of the mountains. Very significant characteristics connected with the expansion of invaders is the excessively over and above the average production of seeds (Impatiens) and a huge annual increment aboveground biomass (Reynoutria). The investigated invasive species are probably not equipped with influence of allelopatic type as of greater importance is their competitive strength. The invaders can eliminate a part of the early spring flora belonging to the geophyte group and impoverish the regional biological diversity. Both the invasive plants enter also into some moist mountain forest communities

Method for the determination of the sensitivity zone of TDR probe

W niniejszej pracy przedstawiono metodę wyznaczania strefy czułości sensorów stosowanych do pomiaru wilgotności objętościowej w ośrodkach porowatych. Analizom poddano czujniki wykorzystujące reflektometrię domenowo czasową (TDR), wyprodukowane w Instytucie Agrofizyki Polskiej Akademii Nauk w Lublinie. Na podstawie przeprowadzonych badań laboratoryjnych stwierdzono, że zasięg strefy czułości sensorów typu laboratoryjnego i polowego jest zależny od zawartości wody w ośrodku, w którym prowadzone są pomiary. W przypadku czujnika laboratoryjnego (LP/ms), gdy oznaczenia prowadzone są w glebie całkowicie suchej, strefę czułości stanowi objętość prostopadłościanu o wymiarach 0,6 cm i 5,8 cm i grubości równej średnicy prętów sondy LP. Natomiast gdy gleba jest nasycona to strefę czułości stanowi walec eliptyczny o wysokości 5,5 cm i promieniach 0,5 cm i 0,8 cm. W przypadku czujnika polowego (FP/mts), gdy pomiary prowadzone są w glebie całkowicie suchej, strefę czułości stanowi walec eliptyczny o wysokości 10,2 cm i promieniach 0,3 cm i 0,4 cm. Natomiast gdy gleba jest nasycona wodą walec o wysokości 11,2 cm i podstawie koła o promieniu 1,7 cm.The paper presents a method for the determination of the zone of sensitivity of probes used for the measurement of volumetric moisture in porous media. The probes under analysis were TDR (Time-Domain Reflectometry) probes manufactured at the Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lublin. Based on the laboratory studies performed it was found that the extent of the sensitivity zone of the field- and laboratory-type probes depends on the water content of the medium in which measurements are conducted. In the case of the laboratory probe (LP/ms), when the measurements are conducted in a completely dry soil, the zone of sensitivity of the probe is the volume of a cuboid with dimensions of 0.6 cm by 5.8 cm and a thickness equal to the diameter of the rods of the LP probe. Whereas, when the soil is saturated with water the zone of sensitivity of the probe is an elliptical cylinder with height of 5.5 cm and radii of 0.5 cm and 0.8 cm. In the case of the field probe (FP/mts), when the measurements are conducted in a completely dry soil, the probe sensitivity zone is an elliptical cylinder with height of 10.2 cm and radii of 0.3 cm and 0.4 cm. Whereas, when the soil is saturated with water that zone is a cylinder with height of 11.2 cm and a circular base with a radius of 1.7 cm