Masurian Lake District Research Articles

Durability of changes in phosphorus compounds in water of an urban lake after application of two reclamation methods

The study was conducted on Długie Lake (area 26.8 ha, maximum depth 17.3 m), located in the town of Olsztyn, in north-eastern Poland (the Masurian Lake District). For 20 years starting in the 1950s, Długie Lake was used as a receiver of raw domestic and storm sewage in quantities oscillating between 350 and 400 m(3) day(-1). This led to complete degradation of the lake, known as saprotrophy. After some preliminary protective treatments in the catchment, the lake has been renewed by artificial aeration with thermal destratification and the phosphorus inactivation methods. Long-term reclamation of the reservoir has resulted in distinct and durable improvement of water quality. Before the restoration, the average phosphorus concentration in the surface water layer was 0.079 mg P L(-1) and in the over-bottom water it reached 2.277 mg P L(-1). The total phosphorus (TP) level also was very high, i.e. up to 3.5 mg P L(-1). After the restoration, these values have declined to 0.001-0.017 mg P L(-1) in the case of mineral P, and the current TP concentrations do not exceed 0.350 mg P L(-1).

Periphytic diatom communities in the littoral zone of the urban lake Jeziorak Mały (Masurian lake district, Poland).

This study on plant periphyton (epilython, epiphyton, and periphyton communities on artificial substratum – separator pipes) was carried out in the littoral zone of lake Jeziorak Maly in 2002 and 2003. In addition to floristic analysis, changes in the abundance and biomass of periphytic diatoms with respect to physio-chemical water parameters in the season between April and October were analyzed. The highest number of periphytic diatoms was found in the pipes in June, and the highest biomass of epilython was established in September, in conditions of high contents of Ca and Si biogenes. Moreover, the indicator potential of diatoms was used to determine the trophy and saproby of the lakes waters. The largest participation of eutraphents in the biomass in all the diatom communities generally indicates the eutrophic character of the lakes waters, the dominance of meso-saprobes and amoderate content of organic matter. Moreover, alarge proportion of alpha-mesosaprobes (dominant Navicula gregaria) in the biomass of periphytic diatoms in the pipes indicates the highest degree of contamination by organic matter there in comparison to other substrates, while the epilython had the highest biomass of beta-alpha-meso-saprobes (dominant Diatoma vulgaris), an average degree of contamination with adominance of beta-meso-saprobes (subdominant Cocconeis placentula) and the least degree of contamination by organic matter.

Use of Ornamental Trees in Dating of Abandoned Cemeteries on the Example of Thuja Occidentalis and Thuja Orientalis

Abstract Due to the lack of maintenance, abandoned cemeteries are often incorporated into the landscape. In many cases the information about the age of the cemetery is unavailable. To find out the approximate time of the formation of the cemetery the information recorded in the annual tree and shrub rings can be used. One of the most common tree species, planted for ornamental and symbolic purposes on the cemeteries, are Thuja orientalis and Thuja occidentalis. Alien to the Polish flora, these species adapted well to the local habitat and climatic conditions. The paper presents an attempt to apply dendrochronological dating to determine the age of the abandoned cemeteries in the region of the Great Masurian Lakes, part of the Masurian Lake District (north-eastern Poland). The study included five abandoned cemeteries. In total, 15 cores were taken from the trees. After applying the standard dendrochronological method, local chronologies for the studied species were established. The research indicated that the oldest found specimens - over 70 yrs old - are Thuja occidentalis individuals growing at the Słabowo cemetery. At the other sites the specimens of both Thuja species date back to the 1960s and early 1970s. Compared to the historical information regarding the age and origin of the studied objects, thujas growing there are much younger than the age of the cemeteries foundation. The presented method proved to be very helpful in understanding the time of Thuja occidentalis and Thuja orientalis introduction at the investigated cemeteries.

Heavy metal status of Polish Konik horses from stable-pasture and outdoor maintenance systems in the masurian environment

Among domestic animals, cattle and horses kept on pasture and fed with hay and straw are exposed most prominently to environmental pollution. Determination of the status of heavy metals in bodies of horses is important for two reasons. Firstly, it helps to assess the level of environmental contamination. Secondly, heavy metals can have considerable influence on animals living outdoors. The aim of the study has been to verify whether the level of Cr, Mn, Cu, Cd, Pb and Ni in the coat hair and cornified structures of hooves may differ between horses maintained alternately in a stable and on pasture and living outdoors all year long, with Polish Koniks from Mazury (the Masurian Lake District) taken as an example. Possible effects of the feeding season and age of horses were considered. In total, 35 Polish Konik horses were examined, either kept in a stable-pasture system in Popielno or outdoors in Wojnowo. Sixty-two samples of summer and winter coat hair, 28 samples of hoof horn, as well as 10 samples of pasture plants and water were analyzed. The data were elaborated with the use multi-factor analysis of variance, T-Tukey-Kramer test and Pearson’s correlation. The results show that Polish Konik horses bred in Mazury have a low heavy metal concentration in the coat hair and hoof horn. The stable-pasture and outdoor maintenance systems hardly differentiate the element content, whereas the winter feeding results in

Baeothryon alpinum (L.) T.V. Egorova (Cypercaeae) in the Polish Lowlands: distribution, population decrease and implications for conservation

A total of 47 localities of <em>Baeothryon alpinum</em>, hosting population of more than 100 000 shoots, were recorded in the lowland part of Poland during field surveys in the years 2003-2009. Among them were 25 populations discovered for the first time. Out of 57 sites of the species known from literature and unpublished (including herbarium) sources, 35 were not confirmed during the survey, 27 of them being definitely extinct. <em>B. alpinum</em> shows a clear pattern of distribution in Poland, with three main areas of occurrence: 1) the north-easternmost Poland (Lithuanian Lake District with the adjacent parts of the Masurian Lake District and the upper Biebrza river valley in North Podlasie Lowlands), which is part of the species boreal main range; 2) scattered localities in north-western Poland; 3) mountain mires at higher altitudes in the Sudetes and Tatra mountains and the adjacent part of southern Poland. The main aggregation of localities is found in Augustów Forest (including the Sejny Lakeland and Wigry National Park), and in the Góry Sudawskie region with adjacent areas. The biggest Polish population in the "Kobyla Biel" fen near Augustów consisted of several dozens of thousands of shoots. The Lithuanian Lake District is an area of general importance for the conservation of <em>B. alpinum</em> in Poland. The species is threatened, first of all, due to secondary succession (mires overgrowing with shrubs, trees and reed) and requires conservation measures as well as establishing nature reserves in places where it occurs. The degree that <em>B. alpinum</em> decreases in number is strikingly different in particular regions of Poland - it has lost most of its localities in north-western Poland and in Masurian Lake District, while in the Lithuanian Lake District and the upper Biebrza valley there are minor losses only. Depending on the region (from the west to the east and from the south-west to the north-east), the species should be given extinct or critically endangered (regions of north-western and southern Poland), endangered (Masurian Lake District), vulnerable (North Podlasie Lowlands) and near threatened (Lithuanian lake District) status. Although the disappearance of the populations beyond the species main range is a common phenomenon, the presented pattern is man-related and connected with differences in land management.

Fallowing of selected arable fields in a farmland mosaic affects processes on landscape level: a case study of small mammal communities

In 2008 on six 1-ha plots the structure and species diversity of small mammal community inhabiting a narrow belt of coastal zone of the Łuknajno Lake (Masurian Lake District, North-East of Poland) were studied. The results obtained were compared with the results of similar studies carried out in the same area in 1981, when still intensive agricultural activities were present around the lake (abandoned in 1991 by leaving the agricultural fields fallow). In comparison with 1981, a decrease in the number of species inhabiting the fringe of the lake was discovered, as well as some significant changes in the domination structure of the community. Currently, the dominant forest species - the bank vole Myodes glareolus (Schreber 1780) and the yellow-necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis (Melchior 1834) - replaced the most numerous in 1981 - the striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius (Pallas 1771). Taking into consideration the fact that environmental conditions at the coastal zone have not changed, it was suggested that the changes in the community of small mammals were caused by setting aside arable lands around the lake. The results obtained lead to the conclusion that the range of the ecological effects of local changes in the landscape mosaic may include an area much larger than the one directly affected by these changes. They constitute the basis for a discussion on the relationship between various elements of environmental mosaic in heterogeneous landscape.

Abundance and Structure of Microbial Loop Components (Bacteria and Protists) in Lakes of Different Trophic Status

The abundance, biomass, size distribution, and taxonomic composition of bacterial and protistan (heterotrophic and autotrophic nanoflagellates and ciliates) communities were investigated in six lakes of Masurian Lake District (north-eastern Poland) differing in trophic state. Samples were taken from the trophogenic water layer during summer stratification periods in the years of 2004 and 2006. Image analysis techniques with fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) as well as [3H]-methyl-thymidine incorporation methods were applied to analyze differences in the composition and activity of bacterial communities. The greatest differences in trophic parameters were found between the humic lake and remaining non-humic ones. The same bacterial and heterotrophic nanoflagellate (HNF) cell size classes dominated in all the studied lakes. However, distinct increases in the contributions of large bacterial (>1.0 microm) and HNF (>10 microm) cells were observed in eutrophic lakes. The bacterial community was dominated by the beta-Proteobacteria group, which accounted for 27% of total DAPI counts. Ciliate communities were largely composed of Oligotrichida. Positive correlations between bacteria and protists, as well as between nanoflagellates (both heterotrophic and autotrophic) and ciliates, suggest that concentrations of food sources may be important in determining the abundance of protists in the studied lakes.

The occurrence ofCyathostoma(Cyathostoma)microspiculum(Skrjabin, ) (Nematoda: Syngamidae) in the great cormorant [Phalacrocorax carbo(L., 1758)] in north-eastern Poland

The nematode Cyathostoma (Cyathostoma) microspiculum (Skrjabin, 1915) was found in 37 out of the 491 great cormorant [Phalacrocorax carbo (L.)] individuals from north-eastern Poland (the Vistula Spit, the Vistula Lagoon and the Masurian Lake District) that were examined. The nematode occurred at 7.5% prevalence, 3.6 mean intensity (1-16 intensity range) and 0.27 mean abundance. This is the first Polish record of C. microspiculum and the first properly documented record of the nematode in Europe. Significant age-dependent differences in prevalence and mean intensity were found; the heaviest infection (13.7%; 4) was found in immature birds, followed by that found in chicks (8.1%; 3.7) and mature individuals (4.4%; 3). No significant habitat-dependent differences in the infection parameters were found but, for chicks, the nematode was present exclusively in those found in the breeding colony located on the Vistula Spit. It may be related to their life cycle, probably associated with a marine environment. Morphology and biometry of the C. microspiculum individuals examined are described in detail. The results are compared with data in the literature. Syngamus hexadontus Chin, 1950 is recognized as an older synonym of C. microspiculum.

Evaluation of the status of lakes located in the City of Olsztyn (Masurian Lake District, N-E Poland) by the macrophytoindication method (MPhI)

Evaluation of the status of lakes located in the City of Olsztyn (Masurian Lake District, N-E Poland) by the macrophytoindication method (MPhI)

Syncuaria squamata (Linstow, 1883) (Nematoda: Acuariidae) in the Great Cormorant [Phalacrocorax carbo sinensins (Blumenbach, 1798)] in northern Poland

Abstract Of the 105 great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensins) from northern Poland (the Vistula Lagoon and Masurian Lake District), examined in 2000–2001, 67 proved hosts of the nematode Syncuaria squamata (Linstow, 1883). The prevalence, mean intensity, and intensity range amounted to 63.8 %, 36.2 specimens, and 1–120 specimens, respectively. The infection was heavier in the immature birds (84.6 %, 40.9 inds, and 1–120 inds) than in the adults (3.7 %, 1 ind.). The nematodes were dominated by gravid females (n=1846), followed by males (n=157), immature females (n=79), and L4 larvae (n=2). Measurements of the parasite are provided. S. squamata is a new species for the parasite fauna of Poland.

Trace Metals in Tripton, Zooplankton, Zoobenthos, Reeds and Sediments of Selected Lakes in North‐Central Poland

AbstractThe trace elements Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn were assayed in settling particles (tripton), biota (zooplankton, Asellus aquaticus, midge larvae, the moss Drepanocladius fluitans and the reed Phragmites australis) and profundal and littoral sediments from a dam reservoir of the Vistula River and a nearby forest lake and from six further lakes within the Masurian lake district and the Brodnica Park area. The amounts of metals in tripton differed greatly between lakes, while concentrations in zooplankton were almost homogeneous; only for an acidified clearwater lake (pH 4.8) were exceptional Pb and Cd levels recorded in zooplankton (56 mg Pb kg−1 and 12.8 mg Cd kg−1 d.w.). Similarly elevated levels were found in A. aquaticus, suggesting a metal‐mediated retardation in growth of isopods in this lake. Great variability was also noted for profundal sediments, with highest concentrations in the Vistula dam reservoir, reaching 9–12 mg Cd kg−1 and 580–730 mg Zn kg−1 d.w. Apart from these exceptional values, most of our data were well within the reported literature range. Nevertheless, only Cu concentrations in profundal sediments of the lakes investigated are (with two exceptions) smaller than threshold effect levels below which biological effects are unlikely to occur.

Transformations of nitrogen forms in epilimnion of the eutrophic Glebokie Lake (Masurian Lake District, Poland)

Transformations of nitrogen forms in epilimnion of the eutrophic Glebokie Lake (Masurian Lake District, Poland)

Contributions to the knowledge of fresh-water Bryozoa of the Masurian Lake District

Contributions to the knowledge of fresh-water Bryozoa of the Masurian Lake District

Exclusion of phytoplankton in the proximity of dominant water‐soldier (Stratiotes aloides)

SUMMARY. Profuse growth of the submerged macrophyte, Stratiotes aloides, in two similar locations, one in central Sweden and one in the Masurian lake district of north‐eastern Poland, exerted a negative influence upon contiguous populations of phytoplankton. The Polish location offered an additional possibility to investigate chemical and biological gradients between the littoral community of S. aloides and the prevailing limnetic population of cyanophytes (mainly Anabaena planctonica and Oscilatoria spp.). A considerable decline in planktonic chlorophyll was accompanied by decreases in electrolytic conductivity, carbonate alkalinity and contents of calcium, potassium and sodium. Low concentrations of molybdate‐reactive phosphorus in the water of the Stratiotes community was credited to co‐precipitation with calcium carbonate on the leaf surfaces of the submerged plants. Thus, rather than allelopathy, competition for esssential nutrients together with changes in the ionic composition of the water seemed to be a more likely explanation for the decline in phytoplankton.