Macroinvertebrate communities on various microhabitats of a saline coal mine settling pond

To date, no studies have been conducted on macroinvertebrate communities in coal mine settling ponds used for temporary retention of saline mine waters. The objective of the research was to evaluate which habitat – Ruppia maritima, Phragmites australis or sediments without macrophytes – is the most favorable for the abundance and biomass of macroinvertebrate communities. The study was carried out in a hyposaline settling pond located in a mining and urban area in southern Poland. At this time, it is the only inland locality of R. maritima in Poland.

In the studied coal mine settling pond, the non-native, euryhaline amphipod Gammarus tigrinus dominated in the communities on all the habitats. The abundance of other taxa was small and similar on each type of substrate; only Corixidae were much more abundant on the widgeongrass beds. The highest abundance and biomass of macroinvertebrates was recorded at the sites with R. maritima. Our study highlights the importance of coal mine settling ponds as a substitute habitat for salt-tolerant invertebrates.