Vol. 9(2): 101–113 THE 17TH POLISH MALACOLOGICAL SEMINAR –WHATDOWEDO? SEMINAR REPORT The previous (16th) Malacological Seminar was where some of us stayed. A few people stayed at the held in a place in the very north of Poland, on the Bal- Field Station of the Academy, and most had to be con- tic Coast. This year we met in the very south of the tent with private accommodation (as far as I know country. The village of Ojców is located very close to they were all very glad). Cracow. The village itself, with its few but very nice Participants were not very many, no doubt partly and rather loosely scattered houses, is beautiful and because of the fact that only a few months had passed unlike any typical Polish village. It is situated in the since the previous Seminar (September 2000), and midstof a karstarea, in a limestonevalley withmany partly because the academic year was just coming to caves, rocks, interesting plants and – what more im- its end, and some people simply could not leave their portant – snails. The village lent its name to the Ojców respective universities. National Park, small, but unique in many respects. On the first day we were welcomed by the main or- The Seminar started on May 30th and ended on ganizer, and by the Director of the Ojców National June 1st – after two autumn seminars (15th and 16th) Park; then the Vice-Director told us about scientific we have switched to the spring schedule again. The studies in the Park, and Prof. ANDRZEJ SZEPTYCKI (en- main organizer was Dr. hab. EWA STWORZEWICZ (to tomologist, Institute of Systematics and Evolution of whom mostof our thanksshould go), aided by some Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences) – aboutthe of her colleagues from the Institute of Systematics Park’s fauna, its origin and peculiarities. and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences There were about40 of us, with20 papers and (Cracow) and some members of the Staff of the Ojców about as many posters, in five oral plus one poster ses- National Park. sion, some very enthusiastic malacologists having as Ojców is not a typical tourist place, that is to say many as three papers/posters. Of three introductory people usually come there only to see the valley with lectures (first session) one (by Prof. ANDRZEJ its magnificent landscape, and then depart without FALNIOWSKI, Jagiellonian University) dealt with mole- staying for the night. It has one and not very big hotel cular methods in malacology, another (by the author of this report) with the evolution of land pulmonate life cycles, the third (by Dr. MARIANNA SOROKA, Uni- versity of Szczecin) with speciation mechanisms from genetical viewpoint. The topics of papers and posters varied considerably (we are a mixed lotafterall, and the only thing that truly unites us is THE MOLLUSC) – the problems discussed included genetics, host- -parasite relations, physiology, ecology, dispersal, snail farming, fossil assemblages, molluscan pests etc., and even impressions of a malacologistwho had taken partin a Pacific cruise (luckily thesailor-malacologist is also a very good photographer and could show us her wonderful slides). Abouthalf of thepa - pers/posters dealt with aquatic malacology–aten- Fig. 1. Welcoming address by the Main Organizer dency observed also during some of the previous Dr. hab. EWA STWORZEWICZ Seminars. 102 Seminar report Fig. 2. During the General Assembly. From right to left: Presi- Fig. 3. Listening to a lecture dent of the Association – Dr. Adam Wojciechowski, author of this report – Dr. hab. Beata M. Pokryszko, Treasurer – Dr. hab. Andrzej Lesicki It seems that we have something to brag about: spring 2002) would be organized by the University of quite many malacologists (and among these quite Szczecin. many young people), and a great variety of topics and The official social events were two (unofficial approaches, with increasing quality of work (see also events were many): grill & beer at a small restaurant earlier seminar reports in Folia Malacologica and the and a long evening walk in one of the nearby valleys. Editorial in Folia 9(1)) and – though our Seminars There was no need to organize an excursion – just be- are called Polish Seminars – we are getting really in- ing in Ojców was enough. ternational, with guests from neighboring countries As usual, brief abstracts of all the presentations in- taking part in our meeting (see abstracts below). cluded in the Abstract Book, are presented below. Some of us go as far as writing malacological books Only very few authors submitted really short texts, from time to time. During the Seminar we could buy and some included even graphs and tables (the edi- (ata favourable price) “Drogi i bezdro¿a ewolucji tors of the Abstract Book had a hell of a time to put miêczaków” – a very interesting book about mollusc the thing together, especially that some authors sent evolution by Prof. ANDRZEJ FALNIOWSKI. their texts the very last minute). As usual, the Abstract The official sessions and papers, of which during Book was in Polish. All the texts were translated and thelast17 years we had many, are notthemostimport - most quite drastically abbreviated, all this behind the ant thing. In my opinion much more important is that authors’ back, by Yours Truly. we – most of us – have an opporunity to meet once a year, discuss outproblems, startco-operationand BEATA M. POKRYSZKO help each other, during which process young people Museum of Natural History, Wroc³aw University, learn and old people become young again. 50-335 Wroc³aw, Poland The General Assembly of the Association of Polish (e-mail: [email protected]) Malacologists decided that the next Seminar (18th, ABSTRACTS OF THE 17th POLISH MALACOLOGICAL SEMINAR, OJCÓW 2001 FAISUA, OSTRAS, CHOLGAS AND ALMEJAS – ka. The route led from the Chilean Island of Chiloe, NOT ONLY MALACOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS through Valdivia (Chile), Robinson Crusoe island and FROM A PACIFIC CRUISE CHILE–NEW ZEALAND Polynesian islands: Marquesas, Samoa and Tonga, to ON A YACHT MARIA New Zealand. All along the route of 9,000 sea miles the crew of three took samples of crustacean plankton ANNA ABRASZEWSKA-KOWALCZYK from the depth of 50 m and conducted whole-day ob- Katedra Zoologii Bezkrêgowców i Hydrobiologii, servations of sea birds. Physical parameters of air and Uniwersytet £ódzki, £ódz surface layer of water were measured twice a day. Ma- From April 2000 till January 2001 the author took rine invertebrates such as corals, crustaceans and mol- part in the Pacific stage of a round-the-world expedi- lusc shells, were collected on volcanic and reef islands, tion on a yacht Maria, owned by captain Ludomir M¹cz- focusing on species used by local people. Seminar report 103 HOLOCENE MALACOFAUNA OF SMALL KARST be distinguished within the last 700 years: the first FORMS OF THE OJCÓW PLATEAU warm phase – mediaeval climatic optimum (14th – 17th c.); the first cool phase (14th/15th c.); – a warm- STEFAN WITOLD ALEXANDROWICZ ing including 18th/19th c.; – a cooling in the second Polska Akademia Umiejêtnoœci, Kraków half of the 19th c.; – a warm phase of the 20th c. Small karstforms are common in valleys in thevi - cinity of Cracow. They contain deposits abounding SNAILS OF THE FORMER IRONWORKS AREA with mollusc assemblages. The studies included over OF THE STAROPOLSKI INDUSTRIAL REGION 60 localities, 34 being analysed in detail. The deposits IN THE ŒWIÊTOKRZYSKIE MTS are usually up to 1 m thick. The assemblages include 64 land snail species of three main ecological groups JADWIGA BARGA-WIÊC£AWSKA (shade-loving, of open habitats and mesophilous). Zak³ad Zoologii, Instytut Biologii, The following species reach the highest values of con- Wy¿sza Szko³a Pedagogiczna, Kielce stancy and dominance: Carychium tridentatum, Vallonia The development of iron production in the costata, Pyramidula rupestris, Alinda biplicata, Discus Œwiêtokrzyski region during Roman times started a rotundatus and Chondrina clienta. The malacofauna in- deforestation of considerable areas in the Œwiêto- dicates a varied age of the deposits: assemblages char- krzyskie Mts; the intensity of mining was the highest acteristic of the Vistulian contain Succinea oblonga, in the 18th–19th c. The regeneration of natural envi- Pupilla muscorum, Semilimax kotulai and Clausilia dubia. ronment still continues. Malacofauna of seven locali- Early Holocene deposits harbour Discus ruderatus, ties in the former ironworks area in Starachowice was Acicula polita, Vallonia costata and Vitrea contracta. Most studied in order to estimate succession. A total of 44 assemblages correspond to climatic phases of the species of land snails were recorded; Bradybaena Meso- and Neoholocene. Discus perspectivus, found in two of the valleys, is indicative of climatic optimum. fruticum, Laciniaria plicata, Cochlicopa lubrica and Dis- Three typesof assemblages representabouthalf of cus rotundatus dominated in Starachowice; Laciniaria the material. They are faunae typical of open and plicata in Samsonowo; Helicella obvia and Vallonia epilithic habitats, as well as faunae with a dominance pulchella in Machory. Dominance structure has been of widely tolerant species. The former contain numer- developed only in three sites associated with storage ous Chondrina clienta, Pyramidula rupestris, Vallonia of calcareous rock. The succession is slow and associ- costata and Truncatellina cylindrica, the latter – ated with ruins and use of calcareous stone. Carychium tridentatum, Vertigo pusilla, Vitrea contracta and Clausilia parvula. Successions of assemblages in DREISSENA POLYMORPHA (PALL.) ON VARIOUS the deposits 0.6–1 m thick are very diverse, indicating SPECIES OF MACROPHYTES IN THE LAKE only changes of local conditions. HAÑCZA BEATA BINEK,ANDRZEJ KO£ODZIEJCZYK SHIFTS OF TIMBERLINE IN THE TATRA MTS WITHIN HISTORICAL TIMES IN THE LIGHT Zak³ad Hydrobiologii, Instytut Zoologii, OF MALACOLOGICAL ANALYSIS Uniwersytet Warszawski, Warszawa Dreissena polymorpha is the dominant macroinverte- WITOLD PAWE£ ALEXANDROWICZ brate in the lake Hañcza.