Variable Water Conditions Research Articles

Benthic macroinvertebrates as bioindicators to detect the level of water pollution in the upstream segment of Brantas River Watershed in Malang, East Java, Indonesia

Abstract. Hertika AMS, Sudaryanti S, Musa M, Amron K, Putra RBDS, Alfarisi MA, Hidayat MR, Pertiwi M, Halimah MF. 2024. Benthic macroinvertebrates as bioindicators to detect the level of water pollution in the upstream segment of Brantas River Watershed in Malang, East Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 25: 632-643. The Brantas River is the second longest river on the island of Java after the Bengawan Solo River. The current condition of the Brantas River is facing a worrying decline in water quality due to community activities in the surrounding area. This decline can have a negative impact on both aquatic biota and community welfare. To assess water quality, one method involves the use of biological indicators, specifically benthic macroinvertebrates. The objective of this research is to assess the water quality upstream of the Brantas River by using benthic macroinvertebrate as bioindicators. The assessment is based on the community structure, Biological Monitoring Working Party-Average Score Per Taxon (BMWP-ASPT) method and physico-chemical water parameters. This research was conducted at 10 sampling stations with 5 stations located in Batu City and 5 stations located in Malang City. The benthic macroinvertebrate result consists of 8 classes, 53 families. namely Bivalves (2 families), Clitellata (2 families), Gastropoda (5 families), Hirudinea (1 family), Insecta (35 families), Malacostraca (4 families), Oligochaeta (2 families), Polychaeta (1 family), and Turbellaria (1 family). The abundance of macroinvertebrates ranged from 181-2879 individuals/m2, while the diversity index ranged from 0.563-2.988. The evenness index ranged from 0.208-0.870, while the Simpson dominance index ranged from 0.061-0.799. The ASPT range of the upstream segment of Brantas River was found to be between 2.80-6.19, indicating a variation in water conditions from poor to excellent. The physico-chemical water as supporting parameters is still optimal, except for ammonia, total organic matter, and total dissolved parameters that exceed the quality standard. The results of this research show that based on benthic macroinvertebrates as bioindicators, the BMWP-ASPT index and water quality parameters as support, upstream to downstream the Brantas River watershed in Malang City has poor to very good quality. This is due to anthropogenic activities in land use which can disrupt the quality of aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, local governments need to manage waterfall ecosystems well by controlling human activities around them.

Arbuscular mycorrhizae are important for phosphorus uptake and root biomass, and exudation for nitrogen uptake in tomato plants grown under variable water conditions

Arbuscular mycorrhizae are important for phosphorus uptake and root biomass, and exudation for nitrogen uptake in tomato plants grown under variable water conditions

Water availability dominated vegetation productivity of Inner Mongolia grasslands from 1982 to 2015

Vegetation productivity is controlled by multiple climatic variables such as temperature, precipitation, and radiation, while the driving mechanism remains unclear in Inner Mongolia grasslands. Since climatic factors change geographically and seasonally, we need to know their spatiotemporal patterns and how they impact plant growth. Here, we investigated vegetation responses to climatic changes by analyzing both climatic data and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) for 34 years (1982 to 2015). Our results indicate that water availability dominated the variability of vegetation productivity, regardless of grassland types. The vegetation productivity was more sensitive to variations in water conditions than to variations in temperature, especially in the northern region. The results are of great significance for formulating adaptation and mitigation strategies against climate impacts on grassland productivity in Inner Mongolia and provide an invaluable comparison for grassland studies in other regions.

Using stable isotopes to investigate differences of plant water sources in subalpine habitats

AbstractLocated along the northeastern edge of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau in China, the Qilian Mountains are an important ecological barrier in Northwest China. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the plant water sources in subalpine habitats for understanding the ecological and hydrological processes in the Qilian Mountains. Here, based on the samples of precipitation, xylem water, soil water, river water, and spring water collected during May–October 2019 from subalpine habitats on the northern slope of the Qilian Mountains and the measured hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope values (δ2H and δ18O, respectively), the present study gained further insight into plant water sources in this region using the IsoSource model. Water absorption characteristics of shrubs were similar in subalpine habitats. Specifically, plants absorbed water primarily from the topsoil layer (0–30 cm) and rarely from the deep soil layers. Nevertheless, in the dry and growing seasons with high water demand, subalpine shrubs competed for water resources at similar depths. As a result of this competition, the utilization rate of deep soil water improved in some shrubs, expanding the differences in water sources of subalpine shrubs within the same habitat. In addition, in the dry and growing seasons, the water sources of the same subalpine shrub varied across different habitats. Compared with other subalpine shrubs, Salix cupularis Rehder, Salix oritrepha Schneid., Potentilla fruticosa L., Salix sclerophylla Anderss., Rhododendron anthopogonoides Maxim., and Rhododendron przewalskii Maxim. could alter their water use strategies with variations in water conditions, exhibiting a greater drought tolerance. These findings provide valuable information for understanding the subalpine region's eco‐hydrological processes and contribute to the selection of suitable species for the restoration of the subalpine ecological environment under the background of global change.

WUSCHEL-related homeobox family genes in rice control lateral root primordium size

The development of a plastic root system is essential for stable crop production under variable environments. Rice plants have two types of lateral roots (LRs): S-type (short and thin) and L-type (long, thick, and capable of further branching). LR types are determined at the primordium stage, with a larger primordium size in L-types than S-types. Despite the importance of LR types for rice adaptability to variable water conditions, molecular mechanisms underlying the primordium size control of LRs are unknown. Here, we show that two WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) genes have opposing roles in controlling LR primordium (LRP) size in rice. Root tip excision on seminal roots induced L-type LR formation with wider primordia formed from an early developmental stage. QHB/OsWOX5 was isolated as a causative gene of a mutant that is defective in S-type LR formation but produces more L-type LRs than wild-type (WT) plants following root tip excision. A transcriptome analysis revealed that OsWOX10 is highly up-regulated in L-type LRPs. OsWOX10 overexpression in LRPs increased the LR diameter in an expression-dependent manner. Conversely, the mutation in OsWOX10 decreased the L-type LR diameter under mild drought conditions. The qhb mutants had higher OsWOX10 expression than WT after root tip excision. A yeast one-hybrid assay revealed that the transcriptional repressive activity of QHB was lost in qhb mutants. An electrophoresis mobility shift assay revealed that OsWOX10 is a potential target of QHB. These data suggest that QHB represses LR diameter increase, repressing OsWOX10 Our findings could help improve root system plasticity under variable environments.

Durum wheat ideotypes in Mediterranean environments differing in water and temperature conditions

Ideotypic characteristics of durum wheat associated with higher yield under different water and temperature regimes were studied under Mediterranean conditions. Six semi-dwarf cultivars with contrasting agronomic performance were grown during two consecutive years under winter-planted rainfed and winter-planted support-irrigation conditions and a late-planting trial under support irrigation, at the INIA station of Colmenar de Oreja (Madrid). Different traits were assessed to inform on: water status, root performance, phenology, photosynthetic capacity, crop growth, grain yield and agronomic yield components. Under support irrigation and normal planting, genotypes with higher grain yield exhibited better water status (lower δ13C and canopy temperature), assimilation of more superficial water (higher δ18O), earlier heading and greater plant height and ear density. Under water-limited conditions (rainfed), the best genotypes also exhibited better water status (lower δ13C) and earlier heading, but higher specific root length with extraction of water from deeper soil layers (lower δ18O), more efficient N metabolism (higher δ15N and NBI) and consequently stronger growth (plant height and NDVI), and greater ear density and thousand grain weight. Under warmer conditions (late planting), the best genotypes also exhibited better water status (lower δ13C) and greater plant height and photoprotective mechanisms (higher flavonoid content and lower chlorophyll content). However, the strong differences in drought between consecutive years determined other specific ideotypic traits within each of the three growing conditions and the particular year. Our study suggests specific ideotypes when breeding durum wheat under different agronomic scenarios, but also stresses that interannual variation in water conditions, typical of Mediterranean conditions, should be taken into account.

Disentangling the influence of water limitation and simultaneous above and belowground herbivory on plant tolerance and resistance to stress

Abstract Plants face multiple biotic and abiotic stressors simultaneously. Many species can tolerate and resist stress, but countermeasures differ between roots and leaves. Since herbivores and environmental conditions modulate costs and benefits of plant defence traits, stress responses are context‐dependent. We examined whole‐plant tolerance and resistance responses to individual and combined effects of above and belowground herbivory under variable water conditions. We manipulated water availability and access by two common herbivores (Spodoptera exigua caterpillars and Meloidogyne incognita nematodes) to Solanum lycocarpum. Plants were either watered based on historical regional averages or the 30% reduction predicted by IPCC studies. Herbivory treatments included isolated above (AG) and belowground (BG) attacks, simultaneous (AGBG) attacks and no‐herbivory controls. We then parameterized generalized linear mixed‐effects models with data on plant survival, leaf and root biomass accumulation, root complexity and terpenoid concentration. Foliar herbivory increased terpenoid concentrations in roots relative to no‐herbivory plants under control water but decreased concentrations in both roots and leaves under drought. Similarly, root feeders increased concentrations of terpenoids in leaves under control water but decreased concentrations only in roots under drought. Plants challenged with AGBG herbivory had greater whole‐plant biomass (i.e. tolerance) and lower total concentrations of defensive compounds (i.e. resistance) than plants exposed to no‐herbivore controls, regardless of water conditions. Importantly, the capacity of plants to grow or produce terpenoids changes when herbivory level is considered. In plants exposed to AGBG herbivory, greater nematode infection was related to decreases in whole‐plant biomass and marginal increases in total terpenoid concentration. Ultimately, accounting only for individual AG and BG responses would have led to different conclusions and underestimated the magnitude of S. lycocarpum's compensatory responses. A ‘whole‐plant’ approach revealed that belowground herbivory is the primary driver of tolerance in plants surviving moderate water stress. Synthesis. Whole‐plant responses to stress in variable environments are complex, and their comprehensive understanding requires accounting for belowground herbivores and root responses.

Repeated large-scale mechanical treatment of invasive Typha under increasing water levels promotes floating mat formation and wetland methane emissions

Invasive species management typically aims to promote diversity and wildlife habitat, but little is known about how management techniques affect wetland carbon (C) dynamics. Since wetland C uptake is largely influenced by water levels and highly productive plants, the interplay of hydrologic extremes and invasive species is fundamental to understanding and managing these ecosystems. During a period of rapid water level rise in the Laurentian Great Lakes, we tested how mechanical treatment of invasive plant Typha × glauca shifts plant-mediated wetland C metrics. From 2015 to 2017, we implemented large-scale treatment plots (0.36-ha) of harvest (i.e., cut above water surface, removed biomass twice a season), crush (i.e., ran over biomass once mid-season with a tracked vehicle), and Typha-dominated controls. Treated Typha regrew with approximately half as much biomass as unmanipulated controls each year, and Typha production in control stands increased from 500 to 1500 g-dry mass m−2 yr−1 with rising water levels (~10 to 75 cm) across five years. Harvested stands had total in-situ methane (CH4) flux rates twice as high as in controls, and this increase was likely via transport through cut stems because crushing did not change total CH4 flux. In 2018, one year after final treatment implementation, crushed stands had greater surface water diffusive CH4 flux rates than controls (measured using dissolved gas in water), likely due to anaerobic decomposition of flattened biomass. Legacy effects of treatments were evident in 2019; floating Typha mats were present only in harvested and crushed stands, with higher frequency in deeper water and a positive correlation with surface water diffusive CH4 flux. Our study demonstrates that two mechanical treatments have differential effects on Typha structure and consequent wetland CH4 emissions, suggesting that C-based responses and multi-year monitoring in variable water conditions are necessary to accurately assess how management impacts ecological function.

Removal process of phosphorus during the settlement of particulates with runoff and its implication for reservoir management.

Substantial particulates and phosphorus (P) loads are carried into the reservoir by flood runoff and the P exchange between water and settling particulates under variable water conditions in the reservoir after flooding is critical to the removal of active P from water. To investigate the impact of particulate sedimentation on P changes in reservoir water, runoff samples were collected at four locations in the upstream channels of two reservoirs after a rainstorm. Two batches of particulate sedimentation simulations were conducted separately in four plexiglass columns to analyze the changes of water P and environmental factors during particulate sedimentation. The results showed that the contents of total P (TP), total particulates P (TPP), and phosphate (PO43-) decreased with the settlement of particulates. The correlation between the environmental factors and the amount of PO43- in water changed from uncorrelated to correlated with particulate settlement, implying that the rapid settling of particulates might weaken the effect of environmental factors on P exchange between water and particulates. Particulates firstly release PO43- rapidly in river or reservoir and then adsorb PO43- slowly during settlement in reservoirs. Coarse particulates release more and adsorb less PO43- during settlement, and fine particulates play an important role in the removal of water PO43- due to the slow sedimentation rates. Therefore, to mitigate the reactive P content of reservoir water, the loss of coarse particulates from the watershed should be controlled, and the discharge of water with particulates downstream should also be avoided during the flood season.

Morphological Features of Plants on Ash Settling Ponds. Case Study.

Owing to variable water conditions, chemical conditions of water or ash substrate, ash settling ponds belong to anthropogenic objects which do not easily undergo plant succession. However, there are plants exhibiting biological traits allowing colonisation of a substrate characterised by variability in terms of acidity and heavy metal content. The aim of the study was to determine differences in morphology of plants colonising spontaneous surfaces of ash settling ponds with variability moisture level. We identified also differences in morphology of the plants. Identified: Agrostis stolonifera, Atriplex patula, Juncus bufonius, Phragmites australis, Poa pratensis and Ranunculus sceleratus. The obtained results broaden the knowledge on the bioremediation of degraded areas, indicate species that inhabit the surface of ash settlers. Lower water level in ash settling pond I created more favourable conditions for growth of the aboveground parts of plants, and higher waterlevel in ash settling pond II contributed to a more intensive development of the root part of plants. Considering the generative factors and measurement values of the aboveground part of plants, the best adapted species were Juncus bufonius and Atriplex patula. Due to changing water level in ash settling ponds, the species to be monitored is Phragmites australis—most deeply colonising the surface of ash settling ponds.

Tracking the seasonal calcification of Cyprideis torosa (Crustacea, Ostracoda) using Mg/Ca-inferred temperatures, and its implications for palaeotemperature reconstruction

Abstract Ostracod shell chemistry data are widely used for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Despite this, there has been little systematic research into the implications of the timing of calcification or the duration of each moult stage. Consequently, it is unclear whether palaeoenvironmental reconstructions are recording restricted (inter-seasonal) time periods or reflect the mean annual conditions. The seasonality of shell formation can therefore have implications for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions based on geochemical signatures, especially palaeotemperature, particularly in environments that show large inter-annual variations in water conditions. Cyprideis torosa is a geographically widespread and eurytopic species that has great potential for a range of palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, but inhabits environments with large seasonal and inter-annual variation. Using hourly water and air temperature data, ostracod shell and surface water chemistry from a shallow coastal pond in SE UK, we improve knowledge of the timing of Cyprideis torosa calcification, and thus our understanding of the potential seasonality of signals in palaeotemperature datasets. We suggest seasonal calcification in spring and autumn, with persistence at the adult life stage for up to 12–18 months. Sr/Ca values of C. torosa appear to reflect a Sr/Cawater control on calcification timing and have no temperature dependence. For Mg/Ca, we show a minimum temperature control on calcification of 7 °C, with C. torosa Mg/Ca-inferred temperatures broadly tracking spring and autumn temperatures.

Pore pressure profiling in Siercza landslide colluvium in the Carpathian flysch using a Cone Penetration Test (CPTU)

This study identifies zones with significant changes in pore water pressure influenced by landslide processes. Measurements were taken in the near-surface strata of the Carpathian flysch, in colluvium of the Siercza landslide, near Krakow. Measurement of pore water pressure in flysch deposits is complicated due to the strongly heterogeneous properties of the medium and by variable water conditions, which are strongly influenced by rainfall intensity. Pore pressure profiling was performed in six series using a cone penetration test with a NOVA Acoustic cone. The tests were carried out in the colluvium to a depth of ~6.0 m under varying water conditions. The cone pore pressure results were compared to results of inclinometer measurements in the research area. Five zones with significant differences in pore pressure have been identified. Changes in both cone pore pressure and inclinometer displacement are evident at a depth range from 1.5 to 2.5 m. Two slip surfaces are likely present in this section. Such information can be used in engineering practice for more reliable assessment of slope stability in the Carpathian flysch

Analysis of novel immune–related genes and microsatellite markers in the transcriptome of Paphia undulata

Increasingly, exogenous stressors such as pathogen infections, variable water conditions, and pollution are resulting in high mortality of Paphia undulata, deleteriously affecting the quality of clam harvests. The foot is a burrowing organ in clams. Physical damage and constant contact with the external environment cause the foot to be highly sensitive to pathogen invasion and water condition variation. In the present study, the foot tissue transcriptome was analyzed to identify genes involved in immune and stress responses. The P. undulata transcriptome included 5 286 668 078 bp reads generated by Illumina Hiseq2000 sequencing and were assembled into 1 785 226 contigs by de novo method. The contigs were clustered into 99 339 transcripts and further grouped into 60 201 unigenes. Of them, 22 260 unigenes were successfully annotated using public databases. Twelve genes that were response to immune and stress were identified with abundant expression levels, including heat shock protein 70, cold shock protein, complement C3, cathepsin L, ubiquitin carboxyl–terminal hydrolase L5, and translationally controlled tumor protein. Furthermore, 566 unigenes were found homologous to genes involved in the immune response systems of pathogen discrimination, signal transduction, and immune effector, such as lectins, toll–like receptors, complement pathway, toll–like receptor signaling pathway, heat shock proteins, antioxidant enzymes, lysozymes, and mucins, indicating that P. undulata could have a complete set of innate immune mechanisms. In addition, 4 270 microsatellite markers (SSRs) were identified from 60 201 unigenes, of which trinucleotide repeats were most abundant and 16 SSRs were tested to be polymorphic. The present study provides a new insight into innate immunity and stress response mechanisms in P. undulata.

Early direct competition does not determine the community structure in a desert riparian forest

In riparian zones along the Tarim River in northeastern China, the co-dominance by Populus euphratica and Tamarix ramosissima at the early succession stage shifts to P. euphratica dominance in the late stages. However, little is known about how this shift is mediated by the highly variable water conditions in riparian zones. Here we conducted a mesocosm experiment in which we measured the physiological and morphological traits of these two co-occuring species grown in mixtures under simulated favorable groundwater condition and no groundwater availability. Results indicated that T. ramosissima, in comparison to P. euphratica, had much lower WUE, less proportion of root biomass under favorable groundwater condition. Under no groundwater condition, T. ramosissima also showed higher maximal quantum yield of PSII which allowed it to accumulate higher aboveground and total biomass. Therefore, regardless of groundwater conditions, T. ramosissima exhibited superior competitive advantages against P. euphratica under direct competition condition, which demonstrates that the dominance shift was not resulted from the direct competition at seedling stage. Our findings further imply that a strategy of “sit and wait” in P. euphratica might favor its growth and survival when suffered flooding disturbances, thus allowing P. euphratica not being excluded through competition at early successional stage.

Preliminary results of pore pressure profiling on theTęgoborze-Just landslide

In this study, we present the preliminary results of deep profiling of pore pressure in the near surface formations of the Carpathian flysch, on the Tęgoborze-Just landslide near Nowy Sącz in Southern Poland. The aim of the study is to identify zones with significant changes in pore pressure influenced landslide processes. These pore pressure changes correspond to a greater change in the degree of saturation or water flow paths. Profiling was performed in four series using a CPTU static probe with a NOVA Acoustic cone. The measurement of pore pressure in flysch formations is very complicated due to the strong heterogeneity of the medium properties and variable water conditions, which are strongly influenced by the intensity of precipitation. The tests were carried out in a colluvium to a depth of approx. 5.0 m, i.e. to the border of a less weathered bedrock, under varying water conditions. The results obtained indicate the presence of four zones of significant changes in pore pressure. The location of these zone is consistent with the location of the greater displacement measured with the inclinometer. There is a greater probability that these weak zones may form a rupture surface.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEASON VARIATIONS AND DEPTH LEVEL ON THE GROWTH AND SURVIVAL RATE OF PEARL OYSTER SEEDS (Pinctada maxima) IN KAPONTORI BAY, BUTON ISLAND

The pearl oyster (P. maxima) farming particularly in the Kapontori Bay, Buton Island waters and in other areas had complained for the mass mortality of pearl oysters saplings on the shell width between 3-4 cm. The mass mortality, was allegedly as a result of changing in environmental conditions and triggered by the shift in seasons. This research aimed to determine the effect of seasonal variations in water conditions at different depth levels on growth and survival of seedlings of pearl oysters conducted on March 27, 2007 to February 28, 2008. This research was very useful for pearl oyster farming in an effort to suppress the mass mortality rates based on the appropriate level of depth and seasons. The variance analyses showed that depth levels affected the survival rates of the pearl oyster seeds significantly (P<0.01). Based on honest significantly difference test, it also showed that the percentage number of survival rate was found higher within the depth of 2m (93.33%). Based on the relationship analyses between length and weight of shell body in all depths indicated a similar growth pattern of minor allometric (b<3). The growth, survival rate, and environmental conditions based on depth levels on pearl oyster saplings were discussed in this paper. Keywords: Seasonal variation, survival rate, growth, pearl shell (P. maxima), depth level

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEASON VARIATIONS AND DEPTH LEVEL ON THE GROWTH AND SURVIVAL RATE OF PEARL OYSTER SEEDS (Pinctada maxima) IN KAPONTORI BAY, BUTON ISLAND

<p>The pearl oyster (<span style="text-decoration: underline;">P</span>. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">maxima</span>) farming particularly in the Kapontori Bay, Buton Island waters and in other areas had complained for the mass mortality of pearl oysters saplings on the shell width between 3-4 cm. The mass mortality, was allegedly as a result of changing in environmental conditions and triggered by the shift in seasons. This research aimed to determine the effect of seasonal variations in water conditions at different depth levels on growth and survival of seedlings of pearl oysters conducted on March 27, 2007 to February 28, 2008. This research was very useful for pearl oyster farming in an effort to suppress the mass mortality rates based on the appropriate level of depth and seasons. The variance analyses showed that depth levels affected the survival rates of the pearl oyster seeds significantly (P<0.01). Based on honest significantly difference test, it also showed that the percentage number of survival rate was found higher within the depth of 2m (93.33%). Based on the relationship analyses between length and weight of shell body in all depths indicated a similar growth pattern of minor allometric (b<3). The growth, survival rate, and environmental conditions based on depth levels on pearl oyster saplings were discussed in this paper.</p> <p>Keywords: Seasonal variation, survival rate, growth, pearl shell (<span style="text-decoration: underline;">P</span>. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">maxima</span>), depth level</p>

Early Triassic (early Olenekian) life in the interior of East Gondwana: mixed marine–terrestrial biota from the Kockatea Shale, Western Australia

A new terrestrial–marine assemblage from the lower beds of a thin outcrop section of the Kockatea Shale in the northern Perth Basin, Western Australia, contains a range of fossil groups, most of which are rare or poorly known from the Lower Triassic of the region. To date, the collection includes spinose acritarchs, organic-cemented agglutinated foraminifera, lingulids, minute bivalves and gastropods, ammonoids, spinicaudatans, insects, austriocaridid crustaceans, actinopterygians, a temnospondyl-like mandible, plant remains, and spores and pollen. Of these groups, the insects, crustaceans and macroplant remains are recorded for the first time from this unit.Palynomorphs permit correlation to nearby sections where conodonts indicate an early Olenekian (Smithian) age. The locality likely represents the margin of an Early Triassic shallow interior sea with variable estuarine-like water conditions, at the southwestern end of an elongate embayment within the East Gondwana interior rift–sag system preserved along the Western Australian margin. Monospecific spinose acritarch assemblages intertwined with amorphous organic matter may represent phytoplankton blooms that accumulated as mats, and suggest potentially eutrophic surface waters. The assemblage represents a mixure of marine and terrestrial taxa, suggesting variations in water conditions or that fresh/brackish-water and terrestrial organisms were transported from adjacent biotopes. Some of the lower dark shaly beds are dominated by spinicaudatans, likely indicating periods when the depositional water body was ephemeral, isolated, or subjected to other difficult environmental conditions.The biota of the Kockatea Shale is insufficiently known to estimate biotic diversity and relationships of individual taxa to their Permian progenitors and Triassic successors, but provides a glimpse into a coastal-zone from the interior of eastern Gondwana. Specialist collecting is needed to clarify the taxonomy of many groups, and comparisons to other Lower Triassic sites are required to provide insights into the pattern of biotic decline and recovery at the end-Permian crisis.

Conditions Favoring the Occurrence of Ignis Fatuus Phenomenon Over a Mass Grave in Niepołomice (S Poland)

A phenomenon of glowing clouds occurred at the border of Puszcza Niepołomicka in the vicinity of Niepołomice near Craco. Especially at spring and autumn nights, The most plausible explanation includes oxidation of gaseous P–bearing compounds with formation of phosphine, diphosphine and hydrogen. In the environment of variable water conditions in Pleistocene sands bedded by Miocene clays, phosphorus contained in bone remnants of the mass grave in the form of calcium hydroxyapatite alters to phosphides in the subsoil to gaseous forms of phosphor hydrogen compounds. This phenomenon is favored by microorganisms, including those from human digestive system, slightly acidic reaction of the soil (pine tree needles), the presence of heavy elements in soil (also from ammunition cartridges), high relative moisture of the air at night and the presence of the inversion air layer.

Site Selection and Nest Survival of the Bar-Headed Goose (Anser indicus) on the Mongolian Plateau

Waterbirds breeding on the Mongolian Plateau in Central Asia must find suitable wetland areas for nesting in a semiarid region characterized by highly variable water conditions. The first systematic nesting study of a waterbird dependent on this region for breeding was conducted on the Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus). The purpose of this study was to document Bar-headed Goose nesting locations, characterize nests and nesting strategies, and estimate daily nest survival (n = 235 nests) from eight areas of west-central Mongolia across three summers (2009–2011) using a modified Mayfield estimator. Bar-headed Goose daily nest survival ranged from 0.94 to 0.98, with a 3-year average nest success of 42.6% during incubation. Bar-headed Geese were found to primarily nest on isolated pond and lake islands as previously reported, but were also documented regularly, though less frequently, along rocky cliffs in several regions of west-central Mongolia. Daily nest survival was higher for cliff nests than for island nests. Information-theoretic models indicated that nest survival decreased with nest age and varied annually with changing environmental conditions. Results of this study suggest that while Bar-headed Geese primarily rely on nesting island sites these sites may be more susceptible to anthropogenic disturbance and predation events influenced by seasonal variation in environmental conditions, and that higher daily nest survival values documented for the less frequent cliff nest strategy may provide an important alternative strategy during poor island nest success years. Thus, conservation efforts for this and other waterbird species in the semiarid region should be focused on conserving nesting islands and protecting them from disturbance in areas of high livestock densities experiencing a rapidly warming climate.