<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The localities of Late Holocene fluvial sediments in the Podhale basin were subjected to malacological analysis. Two types of mollusc communities were found in these formations. The first type is characterized by a high proportion of species typical of open environments such as the zones of wide valleys. The predomination of shade-loving taxa is typical of the second type which is mainly associated with narrow, V-shaped type valleys. Malacological analysis allowed characterization of these communities and reconstruction of environmental changes over the last few hundred years. Particular attention was paid to the reconstruction of the history of human settlement in the Podhale region and its impact on the transformation of the environment. This impact resulted in massive deforestation and the introduction of wide-scale farming and pastoral practices. Application of this malacological analysis enabled the determination of the anthropogenic pressures, and changes in their intensity, over the last few hundred years.</p></abstract>

The localities of Late Holocene fluvial sediments in the Podhale basin were subjected to malacological analysis. Two types of mollusc communities were found in these formations. The first type is characterized by a high proportion of species typical of open environments such as the zones of wide valleys. The predomination of shade-loving taxa is typical of the second type which is mainly associated with narrow, V-shaped type valleys. Malacological analysis allowed characterization of these communities and reconstruction of environmental changes over the last few hundred years. Particular attention was paid to the reconstruction of the history of human settlement in the Podhale region and its impact on the transformation of the environment. This impact resulted in massive deforestation and the introduction of wide-scale farming and pastoral practices. Application of this malacological analysis enabled the determination of the anthropogenic pressures, and changes in their intensity, over the last few hundred years.

Molluscan communities in Late Holocene fluvial deposits as an indicator of human activity: A study in Podhale basin in South Poland

Chair of Environmental Analysis and Cartography, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland

Ekológia (Bratislava)

The localities of Late Holocene fluvial sediments in the Podhale basin were subjected to malacological analysis. Two types of mollusc communities were found in...

Molluscan communities in Late Holocene fluvial deposits as an indicator of human activity: A study in Podhale basin in South Poland

Published Online: Aug 24, 2013

Page range: 111 - 125

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/eko-2013-0010

This content is open access.