Justyna Rybak

The assessment of water quality contaminated with arsenic based on macroinvertebrates (Złoty Stok, Lower Silesia)

The quality of three water bodies: Czysty Potok, Mąkolnica and Trujący Potok was assessed in the commune Złoty Stok, which was contaminated with arsenic in the past, derived from the activity of an ancient gold mine, and caused illnesses of commune residents. In our studies, the arsenic concentrations slightly exceeded the norm values only in Trujący Potok, in the rest of the studied waters the arsenic content was very low. However, the results of biological studies based on macroinvertebrates suggest the significant influence of all examined sites on the water biocoenosis, since all waters were classified as low quality, based on the Margalef biodiversity index. The biotic index BMWP-PL which does not take the number of specimens into consideration, and because of that is less accurate, classified the waters of Trujący Potok as low ecological quality, but two remaining waters Czysty Potok and Mąkolnica were recognized as moderate waters. To summarize, the applied indices enable to determine the ecological state of waters, and hence to assess the impact of pollutants on the water biocoenosis. The presence of the arsenic was not the only factor affecting the poor quality of all waters; the human activity in this area also contributed significantly to the inferior condition of environment.

Ecotoxicological studies on the impact of copper smelter “Legnica” on living organisms

Heavy metals constitute one of the major pollution sources in the environment and pose a constant threat to people and other living organisms. Mining areas are the most endangered and particularly highly exposed to the pollution. A good example of such area is a copper smelter plant „Legnica”. Therefore, the aim of the presented studies was to evaluate the toxicity within the area of smelter and, thus its impact on living organisms. The research hypothesis assumes that a copper smelter plant could have an adverse impact on the environment quality in the studied area. The studies were performed with ecotoxicological tests on plants and microorganisms. A potential susceptibility of the soil for the cultivation of crop plants was assessed as well. In our studies, a significant decrease in dehydrogenases activity was observed at the studied sites, although the permissible concentrations of copper were exceeded only at one site. The toxic effect on the length and development of examined plants was also recorded. Results show that heavy metals deriving from the copper smelter plant can still considerably influence the soil quality and living organisms.

Magnetic susceptibility of spider webs as a proxy of airborne metal pollution

The purpose of this pilot study was to test spider webs as a fast tool for magnetic biomonitoring of air pollution. The study involved the investigation of webs made by four types of spiders: Pholcus phalangioides (Pholcidae), Eratigena atrica and Agelena labirynthica (Agelenidae) and Linyphia triangularis (Linyphiidae). These webs were obtained from outdoor and indoor study sites. Compared to the clean reference webs, an increase was observed in the values of magnetic susceptibility in the webs sampled from both indoor and outdoor sites, which indicates contamination by anthropogenically produced pollution particles that contain ferrimagnetic iron minerals. This pilot study has demonstrated that spider webs are able to capture particulate matter in a manner that is equivalent to flora-based bioindicators applied to date (such as mosses, lichens, leaves). They also have additional advantages; for example, they can be generated in isolated clean habitats, and exposure can be monitored in indoor and outdoor locations, at any height and for any period of time. Moreover, webs are ubiquitous in an anthropogenic, heavily polluted environment, and they can be exposed throughout the year. As spider webs accumulate pollutants to which humans are exposed, they become a reliable source of information about the quality of the environment. Therefore, spider webs are recommended for magnetic biomonitoring of airborne pollution and for the assessment of the environment because they are non-destructive, low-cost, sensitive and efficient.