Mariola Krodkiewska

Freshwater oligochaeta in mining subsidence ponds in the Upper Silesia region of southern Poland

ABSTRACT I surveyed the benthic oligochaetes in three coal mining subsidence ponds in a heavily industrialized region of Upper Silesia, southern Poland. The fauna present differed in many respects from that living in natural and unpolluted water bodies. Nineteen species (11 Naididae and eight Tubificidae) were found. The two most consistently abundant species in all three ponds were Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri and Tubifex tubifx, both of which are ubiquitous and common in Poland. Potamothrix bavaricus, which is considered a rare species in Poland, was found consistently in the ponds.

The Importance of the Mining Subsidence Reservoirs Located Along the Trans-Regional Highway in the Conservation of the Biodiversity of Freshwater Molluscs in Industrial Areas (Upper Silesia, Poland).

The objectives of the survey were to analyse the structure of the mollusc communities in the mining subsidence reservoirs that were created as a result of land subsidence over exploited hard coal seams and to determine the most predictive environmental factors that influence the distribution of mollusc species. The reservoirs are located in urbanised and industrialised areas along the Trans-Regional Highway, which has a high volume of vehicular traffic. They all have the same sources of supply but differ in the physical and chemical parameters of the water. In total, 15 mollusc species were recorded including four bivalve species. Among them Anodonta cygnea is classified as Endangered according to the Polish Red Data Book of Animals and also as Near Threatened according to the European Red List of Non-marine Molluscs. Eleven of the 15 mollusc species are included on the European Red List of Non-marine Molluscs as Least Concern. Conductivity, pH and the concentration of calcium were the parameters most associated with the distribution of mollusc species. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that Potamopyrgus antipodarum, Radix balthica, Physella acuta, Gyraulus crista and Pisidium casertanum were associated with higher conductivity and lower pH values. A. cygnea, Anodonta anatina and Ferrissia fragilis were negatively influenced by these parameters of the water. The results of this survey showed that the mining subsidence reservoirs located in urbanised and industrialised areas provide refuges for rare and legally protected species and that they play an essential role in the dispersal of alien species as well.

The impact of environmental factors on the diversity of gastropod communities in sinkhole ponds in a coal mining region (Silesian Upland, Southern Poland)

Studies on the diversity of gastropod fauna were carried out in ten sinkhole ponds with varied sediments types, which were located in a coal mining area (Silesian Upland, Southern Poland). The water bodies with different bottom types were distinguished by their dissimilar water properties and the total organic matter in the sediment. A total of 11 gastropod species from four families were identified. Eleven species occurred in sinkhole ponds with a coal shale bottom, while in water bodies with sandy sediments nine species were found. The gastropod diversity and abundance were lower in water bodies with sandy sediments compared to the ponds with a coal shale bottom. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed the important factors that influence the gastropod distribution in the subsidence ponds that were studied.

The Oligochaeta Communities in the Benthos of Artificially Heated Rybnik Dam Reservoir (Poland)

ABSTRACT I evaluated the impact of heated water outflow from a power plant on the composition of Oligochaeta communities in Rybnik Dam Reservoir (southern Poland) by comparing the fauna from three sites in different thermal zones over a one year period. The percentages of Oliochaeta in the invertebrate fauna varied from 53.6% in the region of heated water inflow (30°C max.) to > 90% by the dam (24.3°C max.). The lowest densities of worms were found at all sites when bottom water temperatures were the highest. Species richness of Oligochaeta was low. At the warmest site only two species were found; only one species occurred at the coolest site; and four species were collected at the site with intermediate temperature. Only L. hoffmeisteri Clap. occurred during the whole study period.

New data on the biology and habitat preferences of the oligochaete species Ripistes parasita (Annelida: Clitellata: Naididae): a case study in a temporary woodland pond

Abstract Studies carried out in woodland ponds located in an industrial area of southern Poland revealed the occurrence of a large population of Ripistes parasita (Schmidt, 1847) in one of them. This is a naidid species that is not usually abundant in oligochaete communities. Its ecology and biology is poorly known and thus the aim of this study was to characterise the environmental conditions influencing the occurrence of R. parasita and to assess its population dynamics and life history pattern. R. parasita occurred in a pond with soft water and a low level of mineralisation, a pH ranging from 6.1 to 7.0, and a high content of nitrogen and phosphorus. During our investigation, considerable seasonal changes in the occurrence and population density were detected. Specimens of this species inhabited alder leaf deposits in winter and early spring while in summer and autumn they occupied in large number floating Nuphar lutea leaves. A stepwise regression analysis showed a relationship between the temperature and dissolved oxygen content in the water and the density of R. parasita. The R. parasita reproduced asexually by paratomy (between May and November). The mean doubling time (days) for the population was 22.4. Only a few individuals (less than 1% of the population) matured in September and October.

A New Locality of Alien Oligochaete Species Branchiura sowerbyi in Upper Oder River in Poland

ABSTRACT A new locality of the Asian thermophilic aquatic oligochaete Branchiura sowerbyi Beddard, 1892 (Oligochaeta, Naididae) was recorded in the Upper Oder River. Until now, this species has been only noted in a few localities in Poland: in the Szczecin Lagoon at the mouth of Oder River to Baltic Sea, in the heated Konin lake system (West Poland) and in the middle course of the Oder River. In our study, B. sowerbyi was found on one site (108 km of the river course) that is located more than 400 km from its previous recordings in the Oder River. This finding may show that B. sowerbyi has spread upstream. It should be noted that, as a rule, low abundance of this species may be the reason for the small number of its recordings, so further studies related to distribution and impact of B. sowerbyi on native oligochaetes are needed.

Assessing the diversity of the benthic oligochaete communities in urban and woodland ponds in an industrial landscape (Upper Silesia, southern Poland)

Studies were carried out in two mining pond complexes in an industrial landscape. The first complex (consisting of six ponds) was located in an urban area and the second one (consisting of six ponds) in a woodland area. The aims of the study were to assess the diversity of benthic oligochaetes and to evaluate which environmental variables are most important in determining variations in the community structure in ponds of varying location. In total, 21 oligochaete species were recorded (7–11 in the urban ponds, 11–15 in the woodland ponds). Aulodrilus pluriseta, Aulodrilus japonicus and Ophidonais serpentina were only found in the woodland ponds, while Potamothrix bavaricus only occurred in the urban ponds. Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, Limnodrilus claparedeanus, Chaetogaster diaphanus and Ophidonais serpentina dominated in the woodland ponds, whereas Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, Limnodrilus claparedeanus, Potamothrix bavaricus and Tubifex tubifex prevailed in the urban ponds. The total density of oligochaetes was higher in the urban ponds thought the values of the diversity indices were higher in the woodland ponds. The local diversity of the ponds was high, while the among-site diversity made only a small contribution to the regional diversity. Nonetheless, a cluster analysis divided all of the ponds into two distinct groups depending on their location. CCA analysis showed that conductivity, pH, total hardness, alkalinity, the concentration of chlorides and the content of organic matter in the bottom sediments were most associated with the distribution of some oligochaete species among the ponds studied.