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An approach to the recent environmental history of Pilica Piaski spring (southern Poland) using diatoms

  • PALAEOLIMNOLOGY
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Abstract

Diatom floras from springs have received little attention until recently, despite the fact that springs provide specific conditions that cannot be found in any other aquatic system, and remain of great importance in terms of general environmental changes. Due to pollution of the Kraków-Częstochowska upland aquifers, the chemical composition of spring waters in the area is anthropogenically modified, and far from the natural state. In order to generate a baseline diatom flora for springs, a paleolimnological study was applied as one of the best recognized and applied methods used to track long-term environmental changes worldwide. Little is known, however, about the direction and nature of such changes in aquatic environments fed by springs. The present article focuses on shifts in diatom assemblages preserved in sediments collected from a small pond, situated close to several spring outlets. They were interpreted as a record of environmental changes that had taken place during the last century. For most of the history of the pond—as recorded in this 84 cm long core—the diatom assemblage was dominated by small Fragilaria spp. The major shifts in species composition began in a core depth of 65 cm with a decline in Fragilaria construens var. venter (Ehrenberg) Grunow and Fragilaria pinnata Ehrenberg complexes, and a concurrent increase in Achnanthidium minutissimum (Kützing) Czarnecki. The second change was recorded at the depth of 45 cm with a sharp decline of A. minutissimum, which again was replaced by the small Fragilaria spp. In recent years, further changes in the diatom assemblage occurred, with a notable increase in Cyclotella delicatula Hustedt. The assemblage shifts recorded at this site appear to be consistent with environmental changes triggered by land use (e.g. agriculture intensity) and/or possible changes in spring water discharge.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the valuable suggestions of anonymous reviewers. We are grateful to Professor Wojciech Chełmicki and MSc. Maria Baścik (Dept. of Hydrology, Jagiellonian University) for discussions and suggestions concerning springs in the Krakowsko-Częstochowska upland, Dr. Elżbieta Wilk-Woźniak for logistic support during field works, and MSc. Agnieszka Kierzek Szczecin University for preparation of figures. The authors highly appreciate the linguistic correction of the manuscript by Dr. Collin Archibald. The senior author (A. Z. Wojtal) expresses special gratitude to her husband Piotr for his continuous help and encouragement during the research and preparation of this work. The work was partly supported by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education for 2008–2011 (grant N304 092834), and 2004–2007 (grant P04G 09826).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512, Krakow, Poland

    Agata Z. Wojtal

  2. Department of Paleoceanology, University of Szczecin, Mickiewicza 18, 70-383, Szczecin, Poland

    Andrzej Witkowski

  3. Ellhornstr. 21, 28195, Bremen, Germany

    Burkhard Scharf

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  1. Agata Z. Wojtal
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  2. Andrzej Witkowski
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Correspondence to Agata Z. Wojtal.

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Guest editors: K. Buczkó, J. Korponai, J. Padisák & S. W. Starratt

Palaeolimnological Proxies as Tools of Environmental Reconstruction in Fresh Water

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Wojtal, A.Z., Witkowski, A. & Scharf, B. An approach to the recent environmental history of Pilica Piaski spring (southern Poland) using diatoms. Hydrobiologia 631, 267–277 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-009-9815-8

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