Ljubljansko Barje Research Articles

Travniški postavnež <i>Euphydryas aurinia</i> (Rottemburg, 1775) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) na Ljubljanskem barju: prvi vpogled v gostiteljske rastline in pregled razširjenosti

The article presents the first insight into the host plants of the marsh fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia) in the Ljubljansko barje region and provides recent information on the species distribution in this area. There are two permanent populations of the marsh fritillary in the region, i.e. in the Draga Valley near Ig and the valley of Strajanov breg stream. The main larval host plant at Ljubljansko barje is devil's-bit scabious (Succisa pratensis). Preadult stages have also been found on willow gentian (Gentiana asclepiadea) and southern succisella (Succisella inflexa). The expanding diversity of host plants increases the likelihood of long-term survival of the species. Therefore, understanding the local ecology of the preadult stages is crucial for planning effective management strategies for the species.

Impact of Long-Term Floods on Spatial Dynamics of Myrmica scabrinodis, a Host Ant of a Highly Threatened Scarce Large Blue (Phengaris teleius).

Extensively used wet meadows with high species diversity are under threat in Europe by anthropogenic pressure. The increasing frequency of prolonged flooding is emerging as an additional threat to this fragile environment. In our study, we investigated how prolonged flooding affects the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics (through mortality and recolonization process) of the host ant species Myrmica scabrinodis, which is essential for the survival of the endangered Scarce large blue (Phengaris teleius). The study was conducted in the flood-prone Ljubljansko barje plain situated on the southern edge of the species' global range. Prolonged flooding in the study area, possibly affecting the past and current distribution of the host ant M. scabrinodis, was recorded in 2010, 2013, and 2017. In 2020, we set 160 ant traps to estimate the distribution of host ants in a system of meadows covering the entire gradient of flood history. Results indicate that M. scabrinodis survives the flooding for up to three days, starting to disappear if flooding persists longer. After the flooding recedes, ants gradually recolonize empty habitats from the surrounding upland refugia. Our spatial analyses predict that the average recolonization speed was about 29 m per year and that in a year, ants compensate for the mortality effects of 1.8 days of flooding by recolonization in a year. These results show that flooding should be considered as an additional (in some areas, a major) threat to the endangered P. teleius through its deleterious effects on the host ant species.

Evidence of Woodland Management at the Eneolithic Pile Dwellings (3700–2400 BCE) in the Ljubljansko Barje, Slovenia?

It is assumed that people practiced woodland management, i.e., coppicing and pollarding, in prehistory, but details are poorly known. This study aims for a better understanding of woodland exploitation through time in the wetland basin of the Ljubljansko barje, Slovenia, from 3700-2400 BCE (Before Common Era). To do so, uncarbonized, waterlogged wood from 16 Eneolithic pile dwellings situated in two geographical clusters that cover a time span of c. 1300 years were subjected to age/diameter analysis. It is the first time that age/diameter analysis has been applied to multiple sites from the same region. The investigated posts represent a wide range of taxa, but oak (Quercus sp.) and ash (Fraxinus sp.) represent 75% of the total, indicating selective use of wood for this purpose. Diameter selection of ash may have taken place as well. At both site clusters, the age/diameter data do not reveal any unequivocal evidence for woodland management. Only at the youngest sites do the data possibly show some gradually changing practices. The outcomes are discussed within the framework of recent discussions about woodland management in Europe.

First insight into host ant use of the scarce large blue Phengaris teleius (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in Ljubljansko barje (Central Slovenia)

First data on the host ant use of the scarce large blue Phengaris teleius in Ljubljansko barje are presented herewith. A survey was carried out in 2021 in the vicinity of the Bevke village. Altogether, 59 Myrmica ant nests were surveyed for the presence of scarce large blue caterpillars, 58 of M. scabrinodis and one of M. rubra. We found four caterpillars of the scarce large blue in three M. scabrinodis ant nests. Our results indicate that M. scabrinodis is probably the main host of Phengaris teleius in Ljubljansko barje, the same as in other regions of Europe.

Interspecific interactions between golden jackals (Canis aureus) and other mesocarnivores at bait stations in Ljubljansko barje

Considering the recent expansion of the golden jackal's (Canis aureus) range, we set out to determine its interspecific interactions at potential food sources with other mesocarnivores in Ljubljansko barje, the area where the first territorial groups in Slovenia were recorded. We set bait and camera traps at six different locations. When analysing the recordings, it seemed that red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were in all probability avoiding jackals at stationary food sources on a fine spatial scale. In addition, we recorded a case of the possible interference competition between the golden jackal with the European badger (Meles meles).

A multi-level system for planning compensatory habitats as a new tool to prevent biodiversity loss in protected areas due to development plans

Background
 In Slovenia, compensatory habitats (CH) are currently determined on the basis of a subjective expert judgement and without using any clearly defined methodology, due to which the success rates of CH implementation are low. The aim of this research is to fill in a methodological gap and propose a new multi-level system for planning CH. The system assures a transparent and more objective determination of the size of a CH in the processes of appropriate assessments (AA).
 Materials and methods:
 The system was developed by using a multi criteria decision analysis, a multi-attribute decision support model and the DEXi modelling tool. It was tested on a study case the Škofljica bypass road with its impact to a Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) at Natura 2000 site Ljubljansko barje.
 Results:
 The system with three modules and a possibility of what-if analysis was developed to assess the species endangerment and the size of the CH. The system identified that the case study has significant impacts to the Whinchat, therefore the CH of a slightly larger size than the habitat lost was proposed. In addition, the system indicated that only one of the three potential locations of the CH is suitable for implementing the CH.
 Conclusions:
 The system allows a transparent and more objective assessment of the spatial plan. It is a new, easy-to-use, adjustable, cost- and time-efficient method that can be used to make reliable and transparent decisions during the assessment processes.
 Keywords:
 Natura 2000; Offsetting; Ecological compensation; Habitat (re)creation; Appropriate Assessment; Sustainable development;

Scanning Electron Microscopy Protocol for Studying Anatomy of Highly Degraded Waterlogged Archaeological Wood

Waterlogged archaeological wood (WAW), approximately 4500 years old, from the prehistoric pile-dwelling settlement at Ljubljansko barje, Slovenia, was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We propose a simplified protocol for sample preparation and the SEM technique for the study of highly degraded WAW of Quercus, Faxinus, Acer, Salix and Populus, representing taxa with different wood properties. We present the advantages of the proposed technique for wood identification, the observation of various anatomical features and for the study of cell wall degradation. SEM, equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), allowed us to detect significant amounts of Fe, S and Ca with different appearances, amounts and distributions in the wood of the studied taxa. In the case of Populus, an increased amount of Si was also detected. The applied SEM protocol allowed characterisation of the anatomy of the highly degraded WAW while reducing the time required for sample preparation and examination under the microscope, as well as extending the lifetime of the SEM components (e.g., tungsten filament), compared to the situation when we analyse wood samples with a greater volume.

Population dynamics of the Corncrake Crex crex in Slovenia in the 1992–2021 period

Abstract The first national Corncrake Crex crex survey in Slovenia was performed in 1992/93, followed by further five in 1999, 2004, 2010, 2015 and 2020. In 2004, annual monitoring of eight most important Corncrake Natura 2000 sites (SPAs) began. Both datasets showed a moderate population decline since 1992. After Slovenia’s accession to the EU in 2004, Corncrake population steeply declined at SPA Breginjski Stol and moderately declined at SPA Dobrava - Jovsi due to scrub encroachment, whereas moderate decline at SPA Ljubljansko barje can be attributed mostly to intensive grassland management and the conversion of grasslands to arable land, resulting in nest and habitat destruction. In 2020, the number of calling males in Slovenia was smaller by 55 % compared to 1999, when the highest number ever was recorded (683). The highest average number of Corncrakes in the 1992–2021 period was counted at SPA Ljubljansko barje (139 calling males/year), whereas the smallest number was recorded at SPA Snežnik - Pivka (8 calling males/year). A comparison of target values for Corncrake population size on individual SPAs from the national Natura 2000 management programme for the 2015–2020 period with counted population sizes showed that, with the exception of SPA Lake Cerknica, all SPAs are falling behind the target values by 32–90%, depending on the site. Likewise, the majority of sites are far from reaching target values for the enrolment of agri-environmental measure VTR (first cut after 1 Aug). The article also discusses the weaknesses of current VTR, its reform in 2021, as well as other potential measures and financial sources for Corncrake conservation.

A multi-level system for planning compensatory habitats as a new tool to prevent biodiversity loss in protected areas due to development plans

Background In Slovenia, compensatory habitats (CH) are currently determined on the basis of a subjective expert judgement and without using any clearly defined methodology, due to which the success rates of CH implementation are low. The aim of this research is to fill in a methodological gap and propose a new multi-level system for planning CH. The system assures a transparent and more objective determination of the size of a CH in the processes of appropriate assessments (AA). Materials and methods: The system was developed by using a multi criteria decision analysis, a multi-attribute decision support model and the DEXi modelling tool. It was tested on a study case the Škofljica bypass road with its impact to a Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) at Natura 2000 site Ljubljansko barje. Results: The system with three modules and a possibility of what-if analysis was developed to assess the species endangerment and the size of the CH. The system identified that the case study has significant impacts to the Whinchat, therefore the CH of a slightly larger size than the habitat lost was proposed. In addition, the system indicated that only one of the three potential locations of the CH is suitable for implementing the CH. Conclusions: The system allows a transparent and more objective assessment of the spatial plan. It is a new, easy-to-use, adjustable, cost- and time-efficient method that can be used to make reliable and transparent decisions during the assessment processes.

Ships and boats of late Prehistoric and Roman Nauportus. New evidence and some remarks on the transfer and innovation in the shipbuilding technologies on the northern fringes of the Mediterranean 2nd century BC – 1st century AD

Abstract: This paper discusses the archaeological evidence regarding the unique navigational environment of the Ljubljansko barje (Ljubljana Marshes) in the 2nd – 1st centuries BC. The evidence consists of the renowned and almost completely preserved flat- bottomed boat of sewn construction from Lipe (1890), the newly discovered sewn boat of a presumably similar size and technology from the Ljubljanica River at Vrhnika (2015), and the very large oak logboat also from Vrhnika featuring complex repairs and other unusual technical solutions. The construction details of all three watercraft originate in Mediterranean shipbuilding practices, but arguably lean on local tradition embedded in the broader socio-cultural environment of the pre-Roman populations of the northern Adriatic and its immediate hinterland.

Eneolithic pile dwellers captured waterfowl in winter: Analysis of avian bone remains from two pile dwellings in Ljubljansko barje (Slovenia)

AbstractThis study presents the results of an ornitho‐archaeological analysis of avian bones from Stare gmajne and Blatna Brezovica, two Eneolithic pile dwelling sites in the area of Ljubljansko barje, Slovenia. Avian bone remains, together with remnants of huts, tools, mammal bones and bones of other vertebrates, represent the material remnant of a pile dwelling culture from the second half of the fourth millennium BC.A total of 2091 avian bones or fragments thereof were excavated. The avifauna includes 682 taxonomically identified remains (NISP), assigned to 15 bird taxa. Taxonomically, species from the Anatidae group predominate (68.7% of NISP), mainlyBucephala clangula(40.3% of NISP). Also abundant isFulica atra(26.2% NISP) from the family Rallidae. In the ecological context, species inhabiting aquatic or marshy habitats prevail. Representatives of three ecomorphological groups of waterbirds were found: diving birds (Podicepssp.,Phalacrocorax carbo,Aythya fuligula,B. clangulaandMergussp.), waterbirds (Cygnussp.,Ansersp.,Anassp. andF. atra) and the marsh species group (Ardea cinerea).The absence of medullary bone and the abundance of wintering species in the area are consistent with the hypothesis that the birds were captured during the winter season. Taphonomic evidence (burned bones) suggests that the studied assemblages were human food waste. The abundance of avian bone remains supports the hypothesis that the native peoples were skilled hunters of aquatic birds.

Deschmann’s pile-dwelling sites near Ig and the cultural-chronological attribution of the Late Copper Age Ljubljana culture

The contribution presents the results of a comprehensive study of the Late Copper Age Deschmann’s pile-dwelling sites near Ig in the Ljubljansko barje, central Slovenia. It opens with a history of research and goes on to tackle the main topics associated with the cultural attribution of the sites. A re-examination of the recovered pottery and available archival records, coupled with a new typological and chronological analysis of the small finds has enabled a cultural and chronological redefinition of the Ljubljana culture and its characteristic pottery. In addition to the typical vessel forms, usually decorated with whipped-cord impressions, the newly-defined Ljubljana culture includes common ware that reveals influences primarily from the Somogyvár-Vinkovci culture in the Carpathian Basin. Some of the vessels of the Ljubljana culture also follow the tradition of the Vučedol culture, while others reflect the influences and maybe contacts with the Corded Ware, Globular Amphora and Bell Beaker cultures.

The Wetland Contract as a Tool for Successful Wetland Governance: A Case Study of Ljubljansko Barje Nature Park, Slovenia

Our research focuses on implementing multilevel governance of wetlands to achieve an effective participatory process and its overall positive effects on wetland ecosystems and their protection as well as on local sustainable development. The aim of the research is to develop a methodology for establishing the Wetland Contract, a voluntary agreement to foster sustainable management and development of wetlands, to ensure greater coordination and consensus building between various stakeholders involved in management and to limit conflicts between preservation issues and economic activities in wetlands. The Wetland Contract and the integration process for establishing it in Ljubljansko barje Nature Park proved itself able to overcome conflicts between institutional and legal jurisdiction and is showing itself to be a dynamic path capable of activating a desirable relationship between various interests and supporting new forms of multi-sectoral stakeholder participation in wetland management. It has also contributed to a dialogue and shared responsibility among stakeholders.

Population genetic structure of the highly endangered butterfly Coenonympha oedippus (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) at its southern edge of distribution.

The Slovenian False Ringlet Coenonympha oedippus populations are under serious threat, as in the last two decades have witnessed a sharp decline in population distribution and size due to destruction, fragmentation and/or habitat quality degradation through intensive agriculture, abandonment of use and urbanization. We investigated the genetic diversity and structure of C. oedippus from the entire range of the species in Slovenia. Our results showed that the genetic variation in the Slovenian C. oedippus populations agrees with the geographical structure and the ecotypes previously determined by morphological and ecological data. We confirmed the existence of four genetically divergent and spatially non-overlapping geographical groups (Istria, Karst, Gorica, Ljubljansko barje) and two ecotypes ("wet" and "dry"). Despite small sample sizes due to critically threatened species, the results indicated significant nuclear and mitochondrial genetic diversity within the spatial groups. By gaining new insights into the evolutionary history of the C. oedippus population, we have recommended to consider the Slovenian population as one Evolutionary Significant Unit, and four spatial populations as Management Units for conservation purposes.

Synthesis of past isotope hydrology investigations in the area of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Water isotope investigations are a powerful tool in water resources research as well as in understanding the impact that humans have on the water cycle. This paper reviews past hydrological investigations of the Ljubljansko polje and Ljubljansko barje aquifers that supply drinking water to the City of Ljubljana, with an emphasis on hydrogen, oxygen and carbon stable isotope ratios. Information about the methods used and results obtained are summarised, and the knowledge gaps identified. Overall, we identified 102 records published between 1976 and 2019. Among them, 41 reported stable isotope data of groundwater, surface water and precipitation and were further analysed. Isotope investigations of the Ljubljansko barje began in 1976, while groundwater and surface water investigations of the Ljubljansko polje and along the Sava River began as late as 1997. Isotope investigations of carbon started even later in 2003 in the Ljubljansko polje and in 2010 in the Ljubljansko barje. These investigations were performed predominantly in the frame of short-term groundwater research projects at five main wellfields and sites along the Sava River. Almost no large-scale, long-term stable isotope studies have been conducted. The exceptions include groundwater monitoring by the Union Brewery in Ljubljana (2003- 2014) and precipitation in Ljubljana since 1981. Since 2011, more detailed surveys of the Ljubljansko barje were performed, and in 2018, the first extensive investigation started at wellfields and objects that form part of the domestic water supply system. Given the number of available studies, we felt that publishing all the numerical data and appropriate metadata would allow for a better understanding of the short and long-term dynamics of water circulation in the urban environment. In the future, systematic long-term approaches, including the appropriate use of isotopic techniques, are needed.

Maharski prekop, Stare gmajne and Blatna Brezovica settlements and the vegetation of Ljubljansko barje (Slovenia) in the 4th millennium cal BC

In the 4th millennium cal BC the hinterlands of Ljubljansko barje basin were covered by beech-fir (Abies-Fagus) and mixed oak (Quercus) forests. People of several Eneolithic cultural groups were cutting/burning forests to open the landscape for fields and pastures. This paper focuses on high-resolution palynological analyses of pile-dwelling settlements Maharski prekop, Stare gmajne and Blatna Brezovica to investigate human impact on the vegetation, and to compare past economy and vegetation history in various parts of Ljubljansko barje. The results revealed that there were no major changes of vegetation throughout the 4th millennium cal. BC, neither were there any major differences between vegetation of the selected study sites. Cultural layers from archaeological sites (in larger quantities than off-site cores) contain pollen of plants that were brought to the settlement by people: cereals and other cultivars (Cereal t., Linum), weeds (Centaurea), grazing indicators (Plantago lanceolata, Campanula, Ranunculaceae), ruderal taxa (Chenopodiaceae, Artemisia), (gathered) shrubs (Corylus) and herbs. Traces of anthropogenic impacts from older settlements were detected in sediments below archaeological cultural layers at all study sites.

The use of Cornus sanguinea L. (dogwood) fruits in the Late Neolithic

Numerous fragments of Cornus sanguinea (dogwood) fruit stones were found in the cultural layer of the Late Neolithic pile dwelling site Strojanova voda at Ljubljansko barje, Slovenia, which indicate the Late Neolithic use of dogwood fruits. While these fruits are considered to be inedible, the research question about their use arose. Ethnobotanical and archaeobotanical sources were examined and experimental work on processing and using fresh C. sanguinea fruits was done, followed by chemical analyses of modern fruits (endocarps, mesocarps and exocarps) and archaeological fruit stones from the site. All these various approaches together suggest some possible uses. Fresh dogwood fruits can be crushed to give a soapy, creamy and oily emulsion with an exfoliant effect on the skin, which proved to be applicable, besides for oil, for cleaning and washing bodies, clothes and/or dishes. It can be concluded that Late Neolithic pile dwellers had a great knowledge of wild plants and their properties, and not only for food, and that the use of C. sanguinea fruits, at least south of the Alps, has been undervalued until now.

The Daily Routine of the Pile-Dwellers at Ljubljansko Barje

Ljubljansko barje is best known in archaeology for the remains of the lives of the pile-dwellers who settled it, albeit with intermissions, from approximately the middle of the 5th until the second half of the 2nd millennium BC. These remains are an exceptional source of information about life in prehistory, and it is planned to carry out interdisciplinary research to enable a relatively reliable insight into the daily routine of the time.

Late-Copper-Age decorated bowls from the Trieste Karst (north-eastern Italy): What can typology, technology and non-destructive chemical analyses tell us on local vs. foreign production, exchange systems and human mobility patterns?

Twenty-two Late-Copper-Age decorated cross-footed bowls from the Trieste Karst (north-eastern Italy) and the Deschmann's pile dwellings (Ljubljansko barje, Slovenia), recently investigated using X-ray computed microtomography (microCT), have been studied and chemically analysed using non-destructive prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA). The main aim of our research was to determine whether the cross-footed bowls found in the Trieste Karst were locally produced or if they might have been imported from central Slovenia or even from more distant regions. The PGAA results, combined with the microCT ones, have shown that only 1 bowl from the Karst might have been imported from Ljubljansko barje, while other 4 Karst vessels were most probably imported but not from central Slovenia. In more detail, K2O contents, higher than values reported from local Karst and Slovenian soils, have been recorded in two of these Italian bowls. The Karst bowls represent, according to their morphology and rich ornamentation manly consisting of cord impressions, a special variant of cross-footed bowls with relevant typological comparisons in the Carpathian basin (Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic). A possible central European origin of some Karst bowls would be in agreement with high K2O soil contents in some areas of the Czech Republic. Cross-footed bowls from the Trieste Karst might be considered as evidence of long distance connections, movements of ideas, artefacts and/or even movements of people, triggered by large-scale migrations from the north Pontic steppe region to central Europe, revealed by recent genetic studies.

LIGHT POLLUTION IN SLOVENIA IN 2019 WITH SPECIAL REGARD TO NATURA 2000 AREAS

Light pollution in Slovenia in 2019 with special regard to Natura 2000 areas The article shows the state of light pollution in Slovenia. Remote sensing data from the Suomi satellite were analysed. Light pollution is shown by radiance expressed in nW/(sr cm2 ). In Slovenia, there are large differences in state of light polution. The most polluted areas are located in the area of larger settlements and in areas with higher levels of infrastructure. The spread of light does not stop at the borders of protected areas, so we also analyzed the state of light pollution in Natura 2000 sites in Slovenia. It turns out that the most lightpolluted areas are those that lie around larger settlements or suburbanised regions (Ljubljansko Barje, Šmarna gora, Drava).