Volume 38 (2009): Issue 2 (June 2009)

The spatial distributions of basic water parameters in the Puck Bay, a small semi-closed water body located on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, were often typical of upwelling phenomenon. In such situations, like those observed in July of 1999, temperature decreased locally and water transparency increased locally. The present study analyzed conditions under which upwelling occurred using maps of horizontal currents at different depths, which were obtained from an operational hydrodynamic model. With north, northwest winds the upwelling in Puck Bay looked like the shallow-water upwelling arising as a direct dynamic response of the water body to the wind direction, without a distinct effect of the Coriolis force. However, upwelling water circulation during other wind directions, i.e. west and northeast winds, did not match this simple scheme and was affected by coastline configuration. The results of many years' measurements pointed at an important role of upwelling in hydrological regime formation in the shallow parts of the Puck Bay.

This study was carried out to assess the concentrations of various heavy metals and their distribution in a hyper-eutrophic urban Tumkur tank system, which is being polluted from industrial, domestic and sewage effluents. Samples of water, fish and soil sediment were analyzed for the concentration of seven heavy metals (iron, zinc, copper, nickel, chromium, lead and cadmium) using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The water-soluble (bioavailable) fractions of heavy metals correlated positively with their total concentration, exhibiting the following sequence of bioavailability: Zn > Cd > Ni > Pb > Cu > Cr > Fe. Cyprinus carpio exhibited a maximum bioaccumulation factor for copper (5500). The mean values of all types of collected samples were correlated with the corresponding mean values in a control tank (Teetha tank). The sequence of the order of the concentration of the metals in water, fish and sediment samples exhibiting higher values than those observed in the control tank was as follows: Cr > Pb > Cu ≈ Ni > Fe > Cd > Zn, Cr > Cd > Cu ≈ Zn > Pb > Fe ≈ Ni and Fe > Pb > Cr > Cu > Ni > Zn > Cd, respectively. The geoaccumulation indices of the heavy metals revealed that the tank is moderately to strongly contaminated. As Cyprinus carpio is extensively used for human consumption, there is a growing health risk that these metals could find their way into the human food chain.

Plant material from 42 common reed populations originating from various lakes and ponds in northwest Poland were investigated with respect to eight panicle traits and three peroxidase loci that were detected with electrophoresis. Genetic differences between populations were estimated based on allozyme frequencies. Electrophoretic data indicated that some populations contain an excess of heterozygotes, pointing to extensive gene flow, which is typical of panmictic, open-pollinated populations.

Submersed plants appeared in the impounded section of the Warta River as a consequence of low discharge in summer and were colonized by epiphytic fauna dominated by Hydra sp., Simuliidae, and Chironomidae. The three-spined stickleback consumed it voraciously, and their diet composition closely reflected the available food resources. In May their alimentary tracts were filled with Cladocera drifting from the reservoir, and then by the dominant taxa associated with macrophytes, especially chironomid periphyton scrapers. A comparison of dipteran head capsule width in the food resources and in the alimentary tract proved the three-spined stickleback preference for the largest larvae (optimal foraging strategy).

This paper reports the results of measurements of heavy metal concentrations in water, suspension, and bottom sediment samples collected at eight sites along the Mała Wełna River (western Poland). The samples were collected once a month from May to August 2006. The highest variations in the water of the Mała Wełna River were noted in the concentrations of Zn, Pb, and Cu. The results indicate that the suspension plays an important role in the transportation of pollutants contaminating the water and later in the accumulation of pollutants in the bottom sediments. The concentration of heavy metals in the bottom sediments were determined individually in grain size fractions: >2, 2-1, 1-0.5, 0.5-0.25, 0.25-0.1, 0.1-0.063, <0.063 mm. Concentrations of them were the lowest in the 0.5-0.25 and 0.25-0.1 mm fractions, and were the highest in the 0.1-0.063 and <0.063 fractions.

The purpose of this work is the designation of changes in the environmental preferences of mayflies in the prevailing conditions in a large lowland river little changed by human activity. During the study, the occurrence of the following species were recorded: Cercobrachys minutus (54.2%); Procloeon nana (24.5%); Pseudocentroptiloides shadini (7.6%); Ametropus fragilis (2.9%), which were numerously represented and formed a permanent element of the fauna, and Baetopus wartensis (0.1%) and Oligoneurisca borysthenica which were noted very rarely and were accidental species. The differences and similarities in the functionality of the psammophilous and other mayfly assemblages were assessed. The data from the last fifteen years of study was investigated and compared with those from other rivers which were more managed. PCA was used to distinguish the main factors influencing habitat selection at particular stages of life history and the tendency for drifting.

The cytotaxonomic characteristics of two species of the Chironomus genus from Lake Łuknajno (northwest Poland) were determined: Chironomus nuditarsis Strenzke, 1959 with the chromosome arm combinations of AB, CD, EF, and G (the "thummi" cytocomplex), and Camptochironomus tentans (Fabricius, 1805) with the chromosome arm combinations of AB, CF, DE, and G. A heterozygous inversion in arm F of the Chironomus nuditarsis chromosomes was detected. The polymorphism of Camptochironomus tentans as a homozygous inversion in arms A and E and a heterozygous inversion in arm F were revealed.

A Study of the chironomid community was undertaken in Lake Łękuk Wielki during the 1997-1999 period. Twenty six taxon belonging to the subfamilies Tanypodinae and Chironomini were identified. Taxonomic diversity decreased with increasing depth in the lake, but the occurrence of Chironomidae larvae was noted even in the deepest part of the lake. Chironomidae clearly indicated that Lake Łękuk Wielki is recovering.

The main aim of this study was to analyze the diel distribution of zooplankton communities within the zones of Nymphaea albae, Myriophyllum verticillatum, and Typha angustifolia, and, compared to that, in the open water area of a lake. It also aimed to analyze the relationship between zooplankton densities and the concentration of physicochemical factors and chlorophy11 a content.

A total of 149 zooplankton taxa were noted, and, despite the narrow range of the research in the analyzed lake, some rare species were noted, among which two - Colurella sinistra and Lecane inopinata - were recorded for the first time among Polish fauna. The rush zone was taxonomically the richest, while the open water area was the poorest. The highest number of individuals was observed in the Myriophyllum bed, while the lowest was noted in the zone dominated by Nymphaea alba.

The highest densities of zooplankton occurred at dusk, while the lowest occurred during the day, irrespective of the sampling station. Because Lake Wielkowiejskie is a shallow and macrophyte-dominated water body, the differences in the diurnal distribution of zooplankton communities may suggest horizontal migrations between the pelagic zone and the phytolittoral, as well as between particular macrophyte stands.

A positive correlation between the densities of some zooplankters and the concentration of chlorophyll a was found, while a negative relationship with the concentration of nitrites was recorded for Lecane quadridentata and Alonella nana.

Hydromacrophyte habitats, which can differ in a multiplicity of biometric parameters, are among the most important factors affecting zooplankton community structure. The main goal of this work was to determine the impact of plant habitat parameters expressed by density, biomass, and plant volume along with chemical features on the composition and dynamics of rotifer and crustacean communities.

A number of small water bodies of different origin (12) located in different catchment areas of the Wielkopolska region were analyzed.

It was found that helophytes and nymphaeids had the highest biomass and the lowest stem density, while elodeids were of the lowest biomass and the greatest stem density. Similarity analysis confirmed this distribution of biometric parameters among particular ecological groups of macrophytes.

The greatest numbers of zooplankton were noted among vegetated zones, which supports the idea of zooplankton using macrophytes as anti-predator refuge. Based on the study of a total of 23 plant stands, it was found that macrophyte biomass and the density of the plant habitat were the strongest predictors of three biometric parameters of zooplankton abundance.

The presented study is a review of available geochemical data concerning a dredge area in the Puck Bay. It is a small, semi-closed and degraded water body on the Polish Baltic coast. In this region very deep dredging was conducted in the years 1989-95. Five dredge pits were created in the bottom of the bay. Only two of them have been geochemically investigated so far. In the deepwater parts of both the dredge pits organic matter accumulation resulted in sulfate reduction and subsequent hydrogen sulfide production in the sediment, as well as elevated nutrient concentrations in the interstitial waters. Moreover, temporal oxygen deficits in the near bottom waters were observed. Such conditions favor nitrogen and phosphorus release to the water column and potentially enhance the eutrophication. The impact of deep dredging on the chemical conditions in the dredged area seems to be controlled by a complex interplay of the season, phytoplankton biomass production and hydrodynamic conditions. Areas with high biomass production and low water dynamic are probably more vulnerable to environmental degradation due to deep dredging. This implies that some of the dredge pits require different methods of recultivation than others. However the decision if, and with which methods, to remediate dredge pits in the Puck Bay requires successive research including all the pits in all four seasons.

This is a checklist of 51 pathogens of lamprey species found in Poland, including European river lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis (Linnaeus, 1758), European brook lamprey Lampetra planeri (Bloch, 1784), Ukrainian brook lamprey Eudontomyzon mariae (Berg, 1931), Danubian brook lamprey Eudontomyzon vladykovi Oliva and Zanandrea, 1959 and sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus Linnaeus, 1758.

Anotated list of centric diatoms (Coscinodiscophyceae) of fresh and brackish water bodies of the southern Russian Far East, based on the authors' data, supplemented by the published literature, is given. It includes 143 algae species (including varieties and forms - 159 taxa) representing 38 genera, 22 families and 14 orders.