Polish Part Research Articles

Mass occurrence of Ixodes vespertilionis (Acari: Ixodidae) in caves, on bats roosting in caves and in a nursery colony

Long-legged bat tick, Ixodes (Eschatocephalus) vespertilionis Koch, was observed and collected from bats roosting in caves and a nursery shelter in the Polish part of the Carpathians between 2010 and 2012. Free-living unfed ticks occurred on cave walls in great numbers. Females and males were the most abundant. High parasite loads were noted on lesser horseshoe bats Rhinolophus hipposideros (Bechstein) roosting in caves and in a nursery shelter. Immature stages predominated on bats.

Ewolucja i tektonika staropaleozoicznego kompleksu strukturalnego południowego Bałtyku

Przedstawiono charakterystyke tektoniczno-strukturalną utworow starszego paleozoiku poludniowego Baltyku i przyleglej strefy lądowej, wyrozniając 21 jednostek. Na podstawie analizy paleostrukturalnej zrekonstruowanej na 6 mapach odtworzono zmiennośc rozwoju subsydencji basenu staropaleozoicznego od wendu - kambru poźnego po dewon gorny. Określono wiek powstania syneklizy baltyckiej i czas jej uformowania udowadniając, ze jest ona, tak jak strefa T -T, strukturą heterochroniczną. Evolution and tectonics of the Lower Palaeozoic structural complex in the southern Baltic Structural foundations of the Baltic Syneclise should be connected with a pre-platform stage of evolution of the Southern slope of the Baltic Shield. Fragments of the oldest cover, dated as Jotnian (about 1.5 MA) are known among others from Gotska Sandon Island. In the majority of the area the sedimentary cover begun with the Vendian clastic deposits described as fluvatile fan deposits (K. Jaworowski, 1979, 1982) gradually passing into the Lower Cambrian deposits. According to K. Łydka et al. (1984) the Vendian series may continue higher on than it was assumed. The Precambrian sedimentary rocks are separated by well marked disconformity from the younger rocks of Caledonian tectonic cycle only locally in the eastern part of the syneclise. Configuration of the Vendian-Lower Cambrian sedimentary basin was reconstructed on the basis of simplified palaeostructural analysis (Fig. 2); the meridional hemianticlinal Oland Elevation, parallel Klaipeda Elevation and diagonal Kaliningrad Elevation were distinguished. The subsidence index for Vendian-Lower Cambrian is 0.91 to 4.1 mm/l000 years, for Lower Cambrian 3.3-15 mm/l000 years. In the Middle and Upper Cambrian took place a structural reconstruction and transformation of early palaeostructures (Fig. 3). The subsidence index in Middle Cambrian was 4.35 to 14.3 mm/1000 years, in Upper Cambrian merely 0.95 mm/l000 years. A next reconstruction of the basin took place in Ordovician (Fig. 4); palaeostructures of Bornholm and Slupsk were well marked. The subsidence axis was displaced north-east and in the Liepaja region an immersion exceeded 2000 m; the subsidence index is small and is equal from 0.75 to 3.7 mm/l000 years. These palaeostructures were transformed as a result of the Lower Silurian subsidence (Fig. 5), which rapidly increased near the marginal zone of the platform. The subsidence index ranges from 11.5 to 115 mm/l000 years. Deepending on the basin bottom continued in Upper Silurian and exceeded 250 mm/l000 years near the marginal zone. The Devonian subsidence was considerably lower, the system of labile zones (Fig. 6) differed from that of Silurian. In the area of the Polish part of the Baltic Syneclise, within the Caledonian structural complex the following structural stages were distinguished: Vendian - Middle Cambrian, CambrianTremadocian and Arenigian - Gedinnian. After W.J. Chajn (1974) in the Caledonian tectonic cycle there were distinguished in the syneclise the early stage represented by the red continental subformation and transgressive terrigenous formation (Vendian - Tremadocian), middle stage - carbonate clayey (Arenigian - Wenlock), late stage - regressive marine terrigenous-clayey and evaporite-carbonate formation. The Baltic Syneclise is a heterogenous structure, differentiately shaped in time. The Masovian- Byelorussian Massif building the SE framework of the syneclise was uplifted as first (Lower – Middle Devonian), the north-western part as the latest (after Visean). The end of differentiated uplifting movements in the eastern part took place in Zechstein - Lower Triassic (F. Stolarczyk, 1980). Influence of the Alpine tectonic epoch expressed mainly by development of discontinuous tectonics was more dominant in the SW near-margin part of the platform than in the central and eastern area. Recently, the Baltic Shield and most part of the Baltic Syneclise influences isostatic uplifting movements, most intensive in the Bothnia Gulf (Fig. 8). The Lower Palaeozoic complex has been divided into 21 strongly dislocated structural units (Fig. 9). There have been distinguished a lot of lineaments that may determine deep fractures in the crystalline basement or in sedimentary cover. A part of lineaments overlaps with fault lines, determined by geophysical-geological survey (Fig. 9). NW - SE and NNE - SSW directions are dominant; the magnitude of the faults thrust in the western part is tremendous (over 3 km) but in the remaining area is multiply smaller - tens to one hundred meters. These faults were formed in various tectonic epochs, often they were regenerated over old structural foundations. The Variscan dislocation are dominant.

Primary Rock Temperature Fields in Czech and Polish Part of the Upper of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin / Pole temperatury pierwotnej skał w czeskiej i polskiej części górnośląskiego okręgu węglowego

Knowledge of the temperature of rock mass is no doubt of substantial meaning, both for the solution of economicaly demanding protection of mine workers in difficult microclimatic environment and for perspective usage of geothermal energy from the depth of the earth. International cooperation of our and Polish specialists is in this sense more than welcome, also because the exploitation of coal seams takes place in the same Upper Silesia rock coal basin. This profesional article is concentrated on complex analysis of temperature fields of the Ostrava- Karviná district, mainly from results of thermologging measurements in geological survey boreholes both on surface and underground, and also from the actual temperature measurements in the coal mines. One chapter of this article describes the original approach to the survey of temperature field and its prognosis in the Polish part of the Upper Silesia coal basin by a researcher from GIG Katowice. The most suitable method of analysis of primary temperature field seemed the preparation of isocurves of temperature(isothermal lines) for the existing mine working areas, even if the method of obtaining them was different. The Czech method is based on determination of the quantitative dependence of temperature on the rock mass depth from the abovementioned measurement results, calculation of geothermal gradients and the following recalculation of real temperature values for various depth levels. Then isothermal lines for these depth levels are created together with colour distingushing of their value limits. The Polish method is sufficiently described in a dedicated chapter. The conclusion of the article underlines the decisive role of the structuraly tectonic composition of the rock mass on the temperature field in the long term thermic evolution of the Earth.

Moss species diversity in the glacial cirques of the Polish Karkonosze Mts. and its changes during the 20th century

Abstract Bryo-floristic data from the 19th century and the first decade of the 21th century were compiled and compared to find trends in moss flora transformations during the analysed period. The total number of moss species reported from the glacial cirques in the Polish part of the Karkonosze Mts. amounted to 229 (230 taxa) and the comparison showed 49% of species replaced; 68 taxa were not refound and 45 were reported for the first time. But it seems highly probable that a great number of “newcomers” occurred only in the past and were omitted or overlooked by the 19th century researchers. 23 species among those persistent during the 20th century were found presently in no more than half of the previous localities, so they seem to demand care as probably threatened. Full list of taxa recorded from the individual objects in the studied period, including results of herbarium specimen revision, is provided.

Organochlorine, Organophosphoric and Organotin Contaminants, Aromatic and Aliphatic Hydrocarbons and Heavy Metals in Sediments of the Ports from the Polish Part of the Vistula Lagoon (Baltic Sea)

The concentrations of polycyclic aromatic and petroleum hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, organochlorine and organophosphoric pesticides, tributyltin and metals were determined in sediments of the approach fairways to the main ports in the Polish part of the Vistula Lagoon and of the Elbląg River. Analyzed sediments contained low concentrations of all contaminants, except petroleum hydrocarbons. The average petroleum hydrocarbons’ (PHCs) concentration was 630 mg kg−1, indicating significant pollution with petroleum hydrocarbons. The highest concentrations of analyzed contaminants were identified in the vicinity of Elbląg, part of the Vistula Lagoon under the most anthropogenic pressure.

The Petřkovice Member (Ostrava Formation, Mississippian) of the Upper Silesian Basin (Czech Republic and Poland)

The Petřkovice Member (Carboniferous, Mississippian, Early Namurian) is in many ways the most interesting lithostratigraphic unit of the paralic part of the Carboniferous coal-bearing Upper Silesian Basin (described as the Ostrava Formation in the Czech part or as the Paralic Series in the Polish part). Petřkovice Member represents a transition between the non-coal-bearing Carboniferous flysch sedimentation of the Moravian-Silesian Basin and the coal-bearing sedimentation of the Upper Silesian Basin. The paper includes maps of the basic sedimentological parameters of this unit — thickness, sand content and coal-bearing capacity. The thickness of the Petřkovice Member ranges from approximately 50m in the east of the basin to around 770m in the west and has a clear polarity in the NNW-SSE direction. Sand content ranges from 23% in the west of the basin to more than 90% in the east. Its polarity is approximately the same as its thickness. The greatest coal-bearing capacity, expressed as total thickness of the coal layers with a thickness greater than 10cm, is known from the Czech part of the basin, where it exceeds 25m in places. In the majority of the Polish part of the basin the Petřkovice Member's total coal content is less than 5m, at times up to 7m. However, in this part of the basin their level of recognition is very low. On the basis of the above parameters 3 assumed zones of differing mobility in the basin's bedrock are defined in the Petřkovice Member's area.

Phrasal Verbs in learner English: a semantic approach. A study based on a POS tagged spoken corpus of learner English

Phrasal Verbs (PVs), understood as a verb and a particle, though very common in native speech, are reportedly difficult to learn by non-native speakers (NNSs) of English (see Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman 1999). The hypothesis is therefore put forward that for Polish learners of English too the range of PVs is generally significantly smaller than for English native speakers (NSs) and that their degree of use of the semantic categories of PVs is inversely proportional to the PVs’ level of idiomaticity. In other words, Polish learners have little trouble with transparent verbs, more with semi-transparent and most with opaque ones (see Dagut and Laufer 1985). In order to verify this hypothesis, we have used the evidence from the PLINDSEI corpus, that is, the Polish part of the LINDSEI (Louvain International Database of Spoken English Interlanguage), containing advanced English as spoken by NSs of Polish, and from the LOCNEC (Louvain Corpus of Native English Conversation), which we have used as a reference corpus. The comparison of PV usage by Poles as NNSs of English and by English NSs has been performed employing the scheme of contrastive interlanguage analysis (Granger 1996). We show learner over- and underuse of items and illustrate the searches conducted for identifying patterns of use. The methodology applied consists in a partially automatic extraction and a subsequent manual filtering of PVs from a POS-tagged NNS corpus and its reference NS corpus. A semantic analysis of the extracted PVs based on the notion of compositionality (see Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman 1999; Armstrong 2004) has been performed and the hypotheses verified.

Palaeogeographic and palaeoclimate factors of salinity fluctuations in the eastern part of the Late Permian (Zechstein) European Basin: case study from the salt basin in Poland

Abstract A study of the bromine content and facies in the salt successions (representing PZ1, PZ2 and PZ3 cycles) from the Late Permian (Zechstein) salt basin in Poland evidences fluctuations in mother brine concentrations. The study indicates that the local (better recorded in facies of the shallow basin and its margins) and regional changes were the result of Late Permian climate variations and eustatic sea-level rises and drops. The observed trend for a lowering of brine concentration is attributed to more humid climate periods accompanied by frequent rainy seasons. Such a change from arid to more humid climatic conditions was observed in all three studied cycles, proving the variations of a dominant warm and dry climate, assumed for the inner part of the Pangea supercontinent in the Late Permian. The coastal zone of the Pangea supercontinent was more affected by the atmospheric perturbations, which were more frequent at the boundary between the continent and the ocean. The intracontinent areas were characterized with a more stable climate, thus interpreted by the authors, that the climate changes in the successions coming from the inner part of such intracontinental basin, far from the continent coasts (as the Polish part of the European Permian Basin) as the evidence for climate instability in the whole Zechstein period. The authors recorded the climate fluctuations in an area, which should be characterized with the most constant climate, particularly during the evaporite deposition. The prolonged more rainy periods that succeeded the warm and arid periods were recorded in the central part of the continent. Eustatic sea-level fluctuations, responsible for large changes in brine concentrations, became independent from the climatic variations. Sea-level rises initiated huge marine water input and caused extreme refreshing of the bottom salt brine in deep-water basin parts. Two such events were registered in salts of the PZ1 cycle, and a further three in the evaporite succession of the PZ3 cycle. A single rapid drop in sea-level, resulting from a postulated tectonic close of the narrow North Atlantic seaway that conducted ocean water to the evaporite basin, was detected in the lower part of the PZ2 salt succession. This caused the evaporite basin cutoff, its successive desiccation and, consequently, the production of potash-bearing salts.

Orthopterans (Orthoptera) of the Tatra Mountains and Podhale (Poland)

The results of faunistic studies on Orthoptera fauna of the Tatra Mountains and the Podhale region in Poland are presented. The material of Orthoptera collected in 2008 and 2009 contained 24 species. The review of the material from the earlier collections stored in MIZ PAS in Warsaw and ISEA PAS in Cracow as well as the field notes made in the 1950's and 1960's by Polish entomologist Wladyslaw Bazyluk, showed that 32 Orthoptera species were noted in total from the study regions. Comparison of data collected at different times spanning more than a century shows the dynamics of change in the Polish part of the Tatra National Park fauna.

Scope and data set of the phytosociological database ‘Grasslands in the Polish Carpathians’

The phytosociological database as a tool for synthetic and comprehensive study of semi-natural meadows in the Polish part of the Carpathians is presented. It has been developed in the Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences since 2007. All accessible phytosociological relevés were digitalized and stored in a TURBOVEG database. As of January 2013, 4620 relevés have been collected in the database, chiefly from mesic meadows of <em>Arrhenatherion</em> alliance (76%) and mat-grass swards of <em>Nardo-Callunetea</em> class (18%). They were recorded between 1923 and 2012 at an altitude range of 195–2000 m above sea level. For improving territorial coverage of the region by vegetation sampling, since 2009 an extensive field survey has been carried out to collect data from previously unexplored areas and record the actual stage of semi-natural grasslands. As a result 1146 recent unpublished relevés were collected. The statistics of available resources, discussion on the data quality and the application prospects of the database are outlined. The database “Grasslands in the Polish Carpathians” is an intrinsic part of the research on the diversity of vegetation in the Polish Carpathian grasslands, as well as a record of the changes it undergoes.

„Angielka w Paryżu”. Listy Haliny Korn-Żuławskiej do męża (maj–czerwiec 1950)

Halina Korn-Żuławska (1902–1978), a painter, sculptress, author of memoirs Holidays End in September is completely unknown in Poland, though many of her works are housed in the National Museum in Warsaw and in museums and private collections all over the world. Introduced as an artist from the circle dubbed naive she completely escapes that classification. The works of Halina Korn (she signed them that way), thanks to her sensitivity and intuitive sense of colours, despite sometimes lacking in workshop (being rather her asset) aims towards conscious, mature simplicity. After World War II she lived in London, where thanks to her husband—Marek Żuławski (also a painter) she entered the artistical environment there, mainly the Polish part. During her stay in Paris in 1950, she saw the current exhibitions, sketched a lot and met with the owners of the Parisian galleries, trying to organise (without success) her own exhibition. In her vast correspondence with her husband, being a kind of Paris journal 1950 she describes Polish artistic circles in Paris and sketches the silhouettes of Karol Sterling, Roman Palester, Ludwik Lille and others.

Spread of Veronica filiformis (Scrophulariaceae) in the Sudetes

Abstract Veronica filiformis is an alien plant species widely distributed, across Central and Western Europe. The first observation of the species in the Sudetes was reported in 1942. Until 2000, only a few scattered sites were known in south-western Poland. During the last decade, V.filiformis was observed more frequently in many ranges of the Sudetes. In 2007, field works intended to discover new sites of the species were conducted as well as a critical revision of herbarium specimens stored in WRSL was performed. The number of known localities totals 37. Almost 65% of them were discovered during the last decade. The data are now summarized to bring up to date the known distribution and invasion scale of V. filiformis in the Polish part of the Sudetes.

The role of land-use visions for protection of forest landscapes: the Białowieża Forest (Poland)

Resumen en: The work concentrated on relations between the issues of use and protection that developed in the Polish part of the Bialowieza Forest last century, part...

Origin of marls from the Polish Outer Carpathians: lithological and sedimentological aspects

Origin of marls from the Polish Outer Carpathians: lithological and sedimentological aspects

Modernizacja statystyki działalności gospodarczej w krajach Unii Europejskiej

The paper discusses basic purposes and executive assumptions of the project leading to the modernization of methodology of statistical surveys related to business statistics and an assessment of quality of their results realized within the framework of the European Statistical System „Methodology for Modern Business Statistics” (ESSnet MeMoBuSt). This is venture of eight countries: the Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Italy and Greece. The group operates from 2011 and intends to release a new version of the methodological handbook concerning these issues in 2013. Specialists from the eight countries will take into account the newest scientific achievements in this field and work out directions of their effective application. The current methodological handbook has been in 1997 and the group focuses on disadvantages and gaps existing in the information contained there in relation to modern realities and challenges. Next component of this presentation is a characteristics of assumptions of the current version of the handbook. It includes also a degree of its consistency with commonly used in European and world statistics scheme of organization of statistical surveys GSBPM (Generic Statistical Business Process Model), adopted by UN, OECD and Eurostat. A description of current statements and divergences concerning detailed vision of the content of particular chapters and review of the already written fragments are discussed. The paper is supplemented with an analysis of the role of the Polish part in this venture and the issues which our country has contributed to this project and which it can contribute in the future.

Assessment of hydrocarbon potential of Jurassic and Cretaceous source rocks in the Tarnogród-Stryi area (SE Poland and W Ukraine)

Assessment of hydrocarbon potential of Jurassic and Cretaceous source rocks in the Tarnogród-Stryi area (SE Poland and W Ukraine) The Jurassic/Cretaceous stratigraphic complex forming a part of the sedimentary cover of both the eastern Małopolska Block and the adjacent Łysogóry-Radom Block in the Polish part as well as the Rava Rus'ka and the Kokhanivka Zones in the Ukrainian part of the basement of the Carpathian Foredeep were studied with geochemical methods in order to evaluate the possibility of hydrocarbon generation. In the Polish part of the study area, the Mesozoic strata were characterized on the basis of the analytical results of 121 core samples derived from 11 wells. The samples originated mostly from the Middle Jurassic and partly from the Lower/Upper Cretaceous strata. In the Ukrainian part of the study area the Mesozoic sequence was characterized by 348 core samples collected from 26 wells. The obtained geochemical results indicate that in both the south-eastern part of Poland and the western part of Ukraine the studied Jurassic/Cretaceous sedimentary complex reveals generally low hydrocarbon source-rock potential. The most favourable geochemical parameters: TOC up to 26 wt. % and genetic potential up to 39 mg/g of rock, were found in the Middle Jurassic strata. However, these high values are contradicted by the low hydrocarbon index (HI), usually below 100 mg HC/g TOC. Organic matter from the Middle Jurassic strata is of mixed type, dominated by gas-prone, Type III kerogen. In the Polish part of the study area, organic matter dispersed in these strata is generally immature (Tmax below 435 °C) whereas in the Ukrainian part maturity is sufficient for hydrocarbon generation.

Deciphering the upper Famennian Hangenberg Black Shale depositional environments based on multi-proxy record

Presented for the first time in this paper are the results of a detailed multi-proxy investigation conducted on the Hangenberg Black Shale (HBS) from the Polish part of the Laurussian Shelf, which provide details about the environmental conditions in existence during deposition of the shale and the role played by anoxic conditions in the mass extinction events that occurred at the end of the Devonian times. Inorganic and organic redox indicators indicate that bottom water redox conditions changed periodically from being mainly anoxic/euxinic to oxic or being partially depleted in oxygen. U/Th values above 1.25, Ni/Co values above 7 and V/(V+Ni) values above 0.8 recorded from the lower part of the HBS all point to anoxic/euxinic conditions being present, as do high total organic carbon contents (TOC) above 10% and degree of pyritisation (DOP) values around 0.75%. However, the presence of benthic fauna over the lower part of the HBS attests to opportunistic colonisation of the seafloor during oxic episodes. Evidence for similar episodes has also been recognised over the middle part of the HBS, e.g., U/Th values below 1.25, Ni/Co values below 4, V/(V+Ni) values below 0.8, TOC values of 3% to 5.5% and DOP values of 0.4% to 0.75%, plus the common occurrence of benthic fauna. Anoxic conditions returned during the deposition of the upper part of the HSB, though they were not as well developed as when the lower part of the shale was laid down.Of interest is the presence of small pyrite framboids and isorenieratene biomarkers in all the analysed samples, which suggest that euxinic conditions persisted in the photic zone of the water column. A twenty centimetre thick layer of volcanogenic deposits (tuffites) is present in the middle part of the HBS, the geochemical characteristics of which are typical of ocean floor basalts. The occurrence of volcanogenic material below and within the HBS, together with an absence of calcium carbonate over its upper part, the presence of abundant tetrads just above the black shale and a drastic decrease in faunal frequency in the upper part of the HBS imply that volcanism may have caused oceanic acidification (or hypercapnia) that in turn potentially may have influenced the Hangenberg mass extinction event.

Changes in diversity of the mountain beech forest herb layer as a function of the forest management method

Development of more sustainable forest management methods is heavily reliant on the profound understanding of interactions between management methods and the forest vegetation. This study presents an analysis of changes in the interactions between the diversity of the tree and herb layers over the past 50years in the previously over-exploited Eastern Carpathian beech forests. After the anthropogenic pressure related to large scale forest clearings, intense forestry and agricultural use ceased, the regeneration processes accompanied two distinct routes (1) implementation of more sustainable forest management (shelterwood system) and (2) complete cessation of land use. The vegetation diversity and its dependence on the biotic and abiotic factors has been examined based on the data collected from 62 semi-permanent plots during two sampling periods: 1955–1962 and 2005–2009. The plots were located within the polish part of the “Eastern Carpathian” International Biosphere Reserve. The analysis included forest management methods, diversity indicators specific to different vegetation layers, indicator species groups, individual tree species, canopy density and the height of the forest stand.The main direction in changes indicates an increase in strength of the correlation between the diversity of tree and herb layers, caused by a change in the factor differentiating the diversity of the tree layer from a historical one related to general use of the land by the autochthonous people to an environmental one. Sycamore has been identified as a highly important species responsible for maintaining the stability and diversity of the herb layer structure. It has also been verified that analysis conducted using general diversity indicators does not truly reflect the interrelations between the tree and herb layer vegetation. A better representation of these interactions is provided by an analysis incorporating individual tree species and indicator species groups. Three distinct diversity patterns of the tree and herb layers have been distinguished, depending on the developmental stage of the forest and the management method implemented. First one, specific to heavily disturbed, overexploited maturing forests from the period between 1955 and 1962 is characterised by a weak relationship between the diversity of the tree and herb layer vegetation and a major role of sycamore in development of the herb layer structure. The second pattern was identified in mature forest stands, where more sustainable management methods were implemented. The second pattern is characterised by a strong relationship between the diversity of the tree and herb layer with a concomitant decrease in the importance of sycamore and an increase in the negative effects of beech exerted on the herb layer structure, which consequently undergoes homogenisation due to a decrease in habitat heterogeneity. The third pattern was described for unmanaged, mature forests, in which an emerging relationship between the diversity of tree and herb layers accompanied by a more diverse structure of the herb layer maintained by the presence of sycamore within the forest stand as well as the presence of large quantity of coarse woody debris has been identified.

Paoliida, a Putative Stem-Group of Winged Insects: Morphology of New Taxa from the Upper Carboniferous of Poland

New representatives of a stem group Paoliida attributed to family Paoliidae (Insecta: Protoptera) are described from the Upper Carboniferous (Langsettian) sphero-sideritic concretions of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB) in Poland. Zdenekia silesiensis sp. nov. is based on forewing venation and supplemented by material of isolated hindwing similar in venation pattern. Darekia sanguinea gen. et sp. nov. differs from all other paoliid genera by the presence of a short contact between veins MP and CuA behind the division CuA and CuP. Composition of insect fauna exhibits high abundance of paoliid insects in the early Late Carboniferous ecosystems known also from other European localities such as Hagen Vorhalle in Ruhr Basin (Germany), and South Limbourg (Belgium and the Netherlands). It is the first record of true paoliids from the Polish part of paralic USCB supplementing a single historical record of Stygne roemeri considered as a taxon closely related to Paoliidae. The high abundance of paoliid insects ...

Miocene coniferous woods of the Polish Carpathian Foredeep

This paper presents the results of analysis of the Miocene woods collected from three sampling sites in the Polish part of the Carpathian Foredeep. The location in the stratigraphic profile and the state of fossil preservation indicate that the woods were transported by waters flowing from highland or from mountainous regions and then deposited and fossilised in delta areas. Fragments of 16 lignified or silicified woods were collected for anatomical research. The fossil woods were classified as Piceoxylon piceae, Juniperoxylon pachyderma, Cupressinoxylon canadense and Cupressinoxylon polonicum. Disturbance zones observed in Cupressinoxylon polonicum are interpreted as frost rings. Frost rings suggest that despite the documented existence of warm and humid climatic conditions during the Miocene period, the temperatures in mountainous areas could temporarily drop below freezing point.