Faunistic analysis of the section Leb 1 in the Gardno-Łeba Coastal Plain, northern Poland

Abstract

The article presents results of the faunistic analysis of the Leb 1 sediment core collected from the marginal zone of the Lake Łebsko. The 5 m long core contained 10,603 specimens of freshwater and brackish-marine fauna, represented by 13 taxa of molluscs, 3 species of ostracods, 2 taxa of foraminifers and a species of the order Coleoptera, and genera Balanus and Gammarus. Lithology of the sediments and species composition of the fauna permitted distinguishing 3 development phases of the Lake Łebsko: brackish-marine phase (500–400 cm), limnic phase with varied salinity (400–100 cm) and swamp phase (100–0 cm), indicating progressive overgrowing of the marginal zone of the lake since the 13th century.