Beskydy Mts Research Articles

Fagivorina arenaria (Geometridae, Lepidoptera) endangered species of preserved mountain beech forests: new records from the Czech Republic

Abstract We summarize the published data on occurrence of Fagivorina arenaria (Hufnagel, 1767) in the Czech Republic. The species belongs to the European endangered moths. It occurs only very locally and rarely in the Czech Republic. Published records come mainly from the border mountain ranges. Newly we present records from the Beskydy Mts. and the Hrubý Jeseník Mts. On the basis of our observations and published data, F. arenaria can be considered as a representative species of preserved mountain herb-rich beech forests. Due to the very local occurrence of the species, particular associations with mountain primeval forest and decline from some former localities, we argue that the species should be listed in the Red List of Invertebrates of the Czech Republic in the higher categories of threat, i.e. endangered or critically endangered.

Assessment of sediment connectivity using modelling and field-based approaches in the Slavíč River catchment (Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts, Czech Republic)

Assessment of sediment connectivity using modelling and field-based approaches in the Slavíč River catchment (Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts, Czech Republic)

Pozoruhodne vysoký vek netopiera brvitého (Myotis emarginatus) a netopiera Brandtovho (Myotis brandtii) na Slovensku (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

Remarkably high age found in Myotis emarginatus and Myotis brandtii from Slovakia (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). New longevity records of the Geoffroy’s bat (Myotis emarginatus) and Brandt’s bat (Myotis brandtii) were made in eastern Slovakia with the help of ringing. The minimum age of twenty years and two months was evidenced for a Myotis emarginatus individual re-captured at a small cave near Beňatina in the Východné Beskydy Mts. on 2 September 2016 (first caught and ringed at the same site on 2 August 1996). It is the second highest age found in this bat from Slovakia, where the known longevity maximum is 22 years and eight months. In Myotis brandtii, the minimum age of 28 years was recorded, when a male was netted in a forest near Priekopa in the Vihorlat Mts. on 12 August 2022 that was first caught and ringed at a very close site on 14 August 1994.

UV radiation and drought interact differently in grass and forb species of a mountain grassland

Among abiotic stressors, drought and enhanced ultraviolet radiation (UV) received a lot of attention, because of their potential to impair plant growth. Since drought and UV induce partially similar protective mechanisms, we tested the hypothesis that UV ameliorates the effect of reduced water availability (WA) in selected grass (Holcus mollis and Agrostis capillaris) and forb species (Hypericum maculatum and Rumex acetosa). During 2011–2014, an outdoor manipulation experiment was conducted on a mountain grassland ecosystem (Beskydy Mts; Czech Republic). Lamellar shelters were used to pass (WAamb) or exclude (WA–) incident precipitation in order to simulate reduced water availability (WA). In addition, the lamellas were made from acrylics either transmitting (UVamb) or blocking (UV–) incident UV. Generally, both UV exposure and reduced WA enhanced epidermal UV-screening, while exposure to both factors resulted in less than additive interactions. Although UV radiation increased epidermal UV-screening rather in the grass (up to 29 % in A. capillaris) than forb (up to 12 % in H. maculatum) species and rather in well-watered than reduced WA plants, such acclimation response did not result in significant alleviation of reduced WA effects on gas exchange and morphological parameters. The study contributes to a better understanding of plant responses to complex environmental conditions and will help for successful modelling forecasts of future climate change impacts.

Regionally unique lichens of the ukrainian carpathians and perspectives of their protection

The Carpathian Mts, showing the highest lichen biodiversity in Ukraine, i.e. 1,395 species of 2,106 of the total Ukrainian lichens, have been found to contain the highest proportion of regionally unique taxa (i.e. so far recorded only from the Carpathian Mts) (i.e. 551 species, or 39.5% of the Carpathian and 26.2% of the total Ukrainian lichen flora). Species diversity of widely distributed lichens (i.e. which hitherto known from all five macroregions of Ukraine), as well as ‘scarcely distributed’ lichens (i.e. missing at least in one or more macroregions) are also discussed. Representation of these three groups of lichens in the geomorphological districts of the Carpathian Mts and the administrative oblasts Zakarpattia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi is shown.The Chornohora Mts, a district of the Carpathian Mts, found to show the highest proportion of species so far recorded from this district of the Carpathian Mts, while the Eastern Beskydy and the Gorgany Mts are characterised hitherto by the highest species diversity of lichens. That is established that among geomorphological districts of Zakarpattia oblast, the Eastern Beskydy and the Gorgany Mts parts of Zakarpattia oblast territory are characterised by the highest number of species of lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi in the Carpathian macroregion (674 and 611 species, respectively), and the proportion of regionally unique taxa in these two florae is also the highest (483 species or 71.6% and 453 species or 74.1%, respectively). Lichens of the Chyvchyn Mts of Ivano-Frankivsk oblast are found to be the most diverse in this oblast (344 species totally), and they include the highest proportion of regionally unique taxa (171 species or 49.7%). The Eastern Beskydy Mts, part of Lviv oblast territory, the only part of this oblast in the Carpathian Mts, are found to be represented by 224 lichen species of which 32 (i.e. 14.3%) are regionally unique to the Carpathian Mts.List of the rarest taxa of the regionally unique group (hitherto known from single or a few localities) proposed as candidates for including to regional red lists of Zakarpattia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi oblasts since the whole nature protection activity in Ukraine is done according to oblast division. 254 lichen species are proposed for including in the red list of Zakarpattia oblast, while 44, 4 and 9 species in the red lists of Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and Chernivtsi oblasts, respectively. The smallest amount of these taxa is proposed for the red list of Lviv oblast, which includes also the Forest zone of the Ukrainian Plains.

Moth flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) of the Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts. and Podbeskydská pahorkatina Uplands, Czech Republic, III.

Abstract Here, we present the latest findings on moth fly (Psychodidae: Diptera) species richness in the Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts. and Podbeskydská Pahorkatina Uplands, based on both previously published and unpublished data and new samples collected between 2007 and 2020. Two species new to the fauna of the Czech Republic were recorded (Sycorax feuerborni Jung, 1954 and Jungiella (Jungiella) revelica Vaillant, 1972), bringing the total number of moth fly species in the Czech Republic to 180 (Ježek et al. 2021). In addition, five species were recorded for the first time in the area of interest: Trichomyia parvula Szabó, 1960 (second locality in the Czech Republic); Paramormia (Phyllotelmatoscopus) acuta (Krek, 1971) (third record in the Czech Republic); Philosepedon (Philosepedon) perdecorum Omelková & Ježek, 2012 (third locality and fourth record); Pericoma (Pericoma) ljubiniensis Krek, 1969 (second finding and third locality); Tonnoiriella pulchra (Eaton, 1893) (sixth area and first finding in the Czech Carpathians). The finding of Jungiella (Jungiella) valachica (Vaillant, 1963) confirms its historical occurrence in the region. In the latest survey, we collected 108 species from 29 localities, of which 16 are critically endangered, eight endangered and three vulnerable. Nine localities were evaluated as species-rich, i.e. Hluchý 1. (58 species), Vysutý 2. (56), Hluchý 2. (53), Vysutý 4. (49), Skalická Morávka 2. (46), Chladná voda 3. (44), Hluchý 3. (43), Morávka - spring and Obidová 1. (both 42). The total number of moth flies found within the Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts. and Podbeskydská pahorkatina Uplands now stands at 124 species, representing 68.9 % of total Czech fauna.

Stoneflies (Plecoptera) of the Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts. and the Podbeskydská pahorkatina Uplands, Czech Republic. I. Systellognatha

Abstract Publications up to 2011 record 21 species of stonefly, infraorder Systellognatha, as occurring in the Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts. and Podbeskydská pahorkatina Uplands; however, seven of these cannot be considered part of the fauna of this area as they probably never occurred there, and one species (Perla abdominalis Burmeister, 1839) was not confirmed, despite being demonstrably recorded in 2000. In the present study, the current stonefly fauna was confirmed at 14 species, belonging to three families and eight genera. The occurrence of Isoperla sudetica (Kolenati, 1859) is published for the first time. Among the most important findings are confirmation of the occurrence of two endangered species (Perla grandis (Rambur, 1841) and Arcynopteryx dichroa (McLachlan, 1872)) and one near threatened species (Isoperla buresi Raušer, 1962). Equally important is confirmation of the occurrence of Perlodes intricatus (Pictet, 1841), based on egg morphology and DNA barcoding.

Maximální rozšíření pleistocenního ledovcového štítu ve Vnějších Západních Karpatech a Východních Sudetech – současné znalosti a nový důkaz

A single find of erratic Baltic flint in the Slezské Beskydy Mts. represents a rare evidence of glaciation in the area. The find originates from fluvial deposits of Weichselian valley terrace of the Hluchová Stream, tributary of the Olza River. The erratic was reworked from Elsterian sediments deposited by the Scandinavian Ice Sheet in a very marginal position near its maximum extent in Outer Western Carpathians. Based on morphological analysis, the surface of the erratic was abraded by wave action in the source area on the Baltic shore and subsequently by glacial and (glacio)fluvial transport. Position of the find proves the glaciation of the Olza River valley by a greater ice lobe, than previously assumed.

Campanian–Paleocene Jaworzynka Formation in its type area (Magura Nappe, Outer Carpathians)

The Campanian–Paleocene Jaworzynka Formation, a part of the Magura Nappe succession in the Polish Outer Carpathians, is described in terms of its detailed litho- and biostratigraphy. The formation stretches along the marginal part of the Siary Unit, from the Jaworzynka stratotype area in the Silesian Beskid Mts up to the Mszana Dolna area in the Beskid Wyspowy Mts. Its equivalent in the Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts of the Czech Republic is the Soláň Formation. In the stratotype area, the formation displays complex structure. We distinguish four lithological units, i.e., Biotite Sandstone and Shale (I), Shale (II), Mutne Sandstone Member (III) and Thin-bedded Turbidite (IV) and provide the first detailed biostratigraphy of particular units. The first unit forms the most prominent part of the formation. It was deposited in the Middle Campanian–earliest Maastrichtian within the upper part of Caudammina gigantea Zone up to the lower part of the Rzehakina inclusa Zone. The second unit occurs only locally and its age is limited to the Maastrichtian, to the Rzehakina inclusa Zone. The third unit is composed of thick-bedded sandstones that in some parts may form more than the half of the total thickness of the formation. It is Late Maastrichtian–Danian in age and is placed in the upper part of the Rzehakina inclusa Zone and the lower part of the Rzehakina fissistomata Zone. It is usually covered by a thin package of thin-bedded turbiditic sandstone and shales of Danian–Thanetian age with foraminifera of the Rzehakina fissistomata Zone.

The Growth Responses of Picea abies (L.) Karst. to Increment Borer Wounding

As the use of the increment borer is supposed to be invasive, there is a question of how coring affects subsequent growth or the health of various tree species. Ten Picea abies (L.) Karst. trees in the Beskydy Mts. (Czech Republic) were analysed nine years after coring by an increment borer (June 2011) to determine their anatomical and growth responses to the coring. Cores (13 per tree) were extracted at regular vertical and horizontal distances to evaluate the spatio-temporal pattern of the responses. Sixty percent of trees reacted to the increment boring by creating a vertical crack at the end of year 2011. Traumatic Resin Ducts (TRDs) appeared in all trees relatively soon after coring, with a predominance in the vertical axis. In the horizontal axis, TRDs gradually disappeared with increasing distance from the old coring hole. Overall the spatio-temporal occurrence of TRDs varied in the tree trunk. The immediacy of the response was indirectly dependent on the distance from the 2011 core. Trees responded by growth release the following year after coring as well. The duration of growth disturbances reached three years on average. The results show that P. abies trees are not critically endangered by increment borer coring.

Bryophytes recorded in the Radhošť National Nature Reserve (Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts) during the survey in 2020

Abstract The article presents results of the recent bryological survey in the Radhošť National Nature Reserve. Totally, 133 bryophyte taxa were found, of which 40 species of liverworts and 93 taxa of mosses. Among the most important records can be mentioned liverworts Chiloscyphus pallescens, Liochlaena lanceolata, Nowellia curvifolia, Riccardia latifrons, Riccardia palmata or Scapania mucronata and mosses Brachydontium trichodes, Campylostelium saxicola, Fissidens pusillus, Lewinskya striata, and Oxystegus tenuirostris.

First record of Microterys turanicus Sugonjaev, 1965 (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) from Europe

Abstract Microterys turanicus Sugonjaev, 1965 (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is added to the fauna of the Czech Republic and the whole of Europe on the basis of a record from the Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts, Morávka (North Moravia, NE Czech Republic). The distribution and biology are reviewed and notes on the identification of the species are given along with illustrations of its habitus and some diagnostic characters.

Sedimentology of the Godula Formation in the Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts. (Outer Western Carpathians, Czech Republic)

The present account summarizes the results of lithological and facies analysis of representative sections of the Godula Formation, in order to contribute to the understanding of the lithofacies structure of this formation, the processes involved in its development and the character of the depositional environment. The sedimentology of different parts of the Godula Formation was investigated in six representative sections in the western and central parts of the Moravskoslezske Beskydy Mts. The Godula Formation is made up mainly of Upper Cretaceous siliciclastic turbidites and was formed during the most significant depositional phase of the filling of the deep-sea Silesian Basin. On the basis of sedimentological research, five facies classes (including four subclasses) were defined: 1) conglomeratic sandstones, 2) sandstones, 3) sandstones with mudstones, 4) mudstones with sandstones and siltstones, and 5) mudstones with siltstones. The methodology of facies analysis allowed the identification of several facies association, corresponding to the medial and distal parts of a turbidite fan and associated siliciclastic apron. The facies of depositional lobes, lobe transitions and the apron are described. The sandstone and mudstone facies (F3) occurs mostly in the depositional lobes. The sandstone facies (F2) and mudstone with sandstone and siltstone facies (F4) are present only to a lesser degree. The facies of the lobe transitions include lithologic associations of the lobe fringe and channel levee environments. They comprise mainly the mudstones with sandstones and siltstones (F4) and the mudstone with siltstone facies (F5). In the apron deposits, the sandstone facies (F2) and the conglomeratic sandstone facies (F1) predominate. Palaeocurrent analysis from measurements made in selected profiles showed that in the Moravskoslezske Beskydy Mts., the dominant direction of sediment transport was from SW to NE. After applying correction of the known counterclockwise rotation of the nappes of the Outer Carpathians, this corresponds to a longitudinal direction along the original axis of the basin.

The impact of drought on total ozone flux in a mountain Norway spruce forest

In order to understand the impact of summer drought on dry deposition of tropospheric ozone (O<sub>3</sub>), we compared severe and mild drought periods of summer 2018 in a mountain Norway spruce forest at Bílý Kříž, Beskydy Mts. An eddy covariance technique was applied to measure diurnal courses of the ecosystem O<sub>3</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes. Low O<sub>3</sub> deposition was recorded in the morning and evening, while the highest CO<sub>2</sub> and O<sub><sup>3</sup></sub> fluxes were recorded during the central hours of the day. Total O<sub>3</sub> deposition during severe drought (soil humidity 13%) was significantly higher than the deposition during the mild drought period (soil humidity 19%). Our data indicate that high vapour pressure deficit and low soil humidity during severe drought led to the stomatal closure, while non-stomatal O<sub>3</sub> deposition, associated with chemical reactions of O<sub>3</sub> with NO and volatile organic compounds, are responsible for higher total O<sub>3</sub> deposition during the severe drought period. Therefore, we assume that under severe drought stomatal O<sub>3</sub> uptake decreases but non-stomatal depositions to forest ecosystems substantially increase.

Efficiency of pitfall traps and snap traps in small terrestrial mammals depends on their diet composition

We compared the monitoring of small terrestrial mammals among forest stands by pitfalls and snap traps. The captures took place in the Czech Republic in the Moravskoslezske Beskydy Mts. (2007?2012) on 16 plots in adult beech and spruce stands between 910 and 1220 m a.s.l. In total, 14 species of small mammals were captured (12 in the snap traps and 10 in the pitfalls). Snap traps captured the broader species spectrum and they were more successful in capturing larger species of small terrestrial mammals consuming a higher proportion of plant food (mice, and in particular voles). The pitfalls were more effective in capturing smaller species with a predominance of animal food (shrews). To cover the widest species spectrum of small mammals, it is appropriate to use both types of traps. To observe the functional diversity of the community in terms of food composition, it is sufficient to use snap traps.

Tree ring based estimation of landslide block displacement: Evaluation of a new experimental approach

The mechanisms and velocities of landslide movements are important information for assessing hazards associated with landslides. This contribution introduces a new approach in reconstructing the past rate of landslide displacement using dendrogeomorphic methods. The principle of this method is based on the analysis of exposed roots in tension cracks or scarps of active landslides. The identification and dating of anatomical changes in root ring series in various root segments, induced by gradual root exposure due to crack spreading, enable the estimation of the rate of root exposure and the calculation of the displacement rate of landslide blocks. We analysed anatomical reactions of 87 root cross sections in tension cracks of an active landslide the Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts. in the Outer Western Carpathians. Microscopical analysis of microcuts from cross sections showed the reduction in the earlywood vessel sizes, indicating the year of root exposure. We identified 17 years of exposure between 1997 and 2015. We calculated the individual displacement rates of the landslide expressed as the segment rate between the two adjacent samples of tension crack spreading and the mean spreading rate for all roots crossing one tension crack. The average total spreading rate for each tension crack was 3.2 cm year−1, with a maximum of 4.3 cm year−1 and a minimum of 1.7 cm year−1. Although this new approach has some uncertainties and limitations, it remains a low-cost technique that allows us to reconstruct the minimal past rate of landslide displacement without the need of long-term monitoring.

10Be dating reveals pronounced Mid-to Late Holocene activity of deep-seated landslides in the highest part of the Czech Flysch Carpathians

Although the highest part of the Czech Outer Western Carpathians lacks significant recent landslide activity, the vast area (∼20%) of their territory is occupied by relict deep-seated landslides and deep-seated gravitational slope deformations. Dating these deformations might help to determine degrees of present-day landslide hazard in that area. Based on the 10Be exposure dating of eight rocky scarps and walls of ridge-top trenches, we estimated the minimal ages of the deep-seated landslides (DSLs) and one deep-seated gravitational slope deformation (DSGSD) in the Satina River basin in the Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts. The obtained ages (∼9.7–2.9 ka) suggest Holocene slope instability in the area with a pronounced cluster of ages spanning from ∼6.0 to 2.9 ka. Except for one DSL, the ages reveal rather episodic activity of gravitational movements. Mid-to early Late Holocene activity of large landslides in the study area corresponds to the ages of several previously dated landslides both in an adjacent region as well as within the Central European context. With respect to the historical quiescence of the DSLs and DSGSDs in the area and because the slopes have not been destabilized, even during the most extreme hydrometeorological events within the last few decades, we infer that the hydrometeorological thresholds necessary for their activation are seldom exceeded in this area. Therefore, the highest parts of the Carpathians built by rigid thick-bedded lithology reveal a rather lower frequency of events in comparison with adjacent parts formed by claystone-dominated flysch, where several large DSLs originated in the last few decades as a consequence of heavy rainfalls.

The quantity and attributes of woody accumulations in the Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mountains streams

Wood accumulations are important morphological agents forming the character of high-gradient streams in the Moravskoslezske Beskydy Mts. The aim of the research is to define both the extent and character of the impact of wood accumulations on the streams. A total of 126 accumulations have been identified of the total wood volume of 503 m3 that is unevenly distributed within the studied streambeds. The wood volume in the studied streambeds is particularly dependent on the age and species composition of vegetation, channel morphology, and the geological bedrock resistance to the action of the stream, especially in forced alluvial reaches. The research revealed the deposition of fine-grained material immediately upstream of the wood accumulations, creating gravel bars and capturing fine organic debris. On the other hand, immediately downstream of the accumulations fine-grained fractions are carried away and coarser material is deposited, creating pools and plunge pools, evorsion potholes and bank scours. The research further showed a low intensity of the transport of woody material through the streambeds. The accumulations usually occur in the place where the stream has been dammed by a fallen tree member or in structurally predisposed streambed segments. As a result, discontinuities in energy and material flow occur that help to increase the streambed heterogeneity.

The mapping of soil taxonomic units via fuzzy clustering – A case study from the Outer Carpathians, Czechia

The paper presents a new method for the digital mapping of taxonomic soil units via fuzzy taxonomy and fuzzy clustering. In principle, this respects the continuous character of the soil but can result in traditional crisp soil maps. A part of the Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts. (Czech Republic) was the testing area. Fuzzified taxonomic soil information from 106 soil pits with 75 geomorphometric parameters (potential environmental covariates of soil units) derived from a 10 m LIDAR Digital Elevation Model (DEM) was used for the input data. Another 60 soil pits were used for the validation of the results. Generalized linear models (GLM) of the relationship between fuzzified taxonomic soil information (membership of soil pits to particular soil types) and all geomorphometric parameters were used for the selection of 8 geomorphometric parameters as environmental covariates of soil taxonomic units (Catchment Slope, Elevation, Local Upslope Curvature, Gradient Difference, Melton Ruggedness Number, Slope Height, Modified Catchment Area, Multiresolution Index of Ridge Top Flatness). The fuzzy c-means clustering of selected covariates led to the delimitation of soil-landscape units. The taxonomic meanings of the soil-landscape units (membership of the particular soil type to the particular type of soil-landscape unit) were determined on the basis of membership of soil pits to the soil types, and membership of the pixels with soil pits to the given type of soil-landscape unit. Every pixel obtained an individual membership to each soil type in this way. The defuzzification process (the assignment of a given pixel to only one resultant soil subtype) considered the first and second largest membership of pixels to particular soil types. To express the scientific reliability of the results, methods for measuring uncertainty and two modified confusion indexes are calculated. This approach shows 26% full agreement, 64% partial agreement and 10% disagreement between the modelled and observed point data. The result significantly exceeds the accuracy of conventional soil maps in the tested area, as well as in some other previously investigated regions of the Western Carpathians.

Shortage of declining and damaged sun-exposed trees in European mountain forests limits saproxylic beetles: a case study on the endangered longhorn beetle Ropalopus ungaricus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

European mountain forests are unique ecosystems, and they harbour specific saproxylic beetle fauna, including relict species such as the longhorn beetle Ropalopus ungaricus (Herbst, 1784). This endangered species is endemic to European mountain forests and is considered to be monophagous on living sycamore trees (Acer pseudoplatanus L.). Insufficient knowledge of the species ecology limits its effective conservation. Hence, to investigate its habitat requirements, 175 sycamore trees (87 occupied and 88 unoccupied by the species) were surveyed in the Hrubý Jesenik Mts. and Moravskoslezske Beskydy Mts. in northern Moravia (Czech Republic) in 2016. The species strongly preferred trees with reduced vitality, including variously damaged trees. The species was also documented to be much more abundant on sun-exposed trees, and the parts of the trunk mantle (south- and east-facing quarters) with the warmest microclimates were preferred. Surprisingly, trunk diameter seems to be an unimportant characteristic for this species (the diameters of occupied trees varied between 5 and 72 cm). In conclusion, R. ungaricus is a specialised species whose survival depends upon a continuous supply of sun-exposed declining and damaged sycamores in mountain forests. Based on the results of the present study, we suggest concrete conservation measures to support the species, and these will benefit other saproxylic species associated with the same habitat.