POLISH JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 59 1 153–163 2011 (Pol. J. Ecol.) Regular research paper Paweł KOPERSKI1, Elżbieta DUMNICKA2*, Joanna GALAS2 1 Department of Hydrobiology, Warsaw University, Banacha 2, 02-095 Warszawa, Poland, e-mail:
[email protected] 2 Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mickiewicza 33, 31-120 Kraków, Poland, *e-mail:
[email protected] (corresponding author) ABIOTIC PARAMETERS DETERMINING FAUNA COMPOSITION IN KARSTIC SPRINGS ABSTRACT: The biotic diversity of springs mentioned above had other abiotic determinants is specific, which makes them valuable sites im- such as alkalinity, NO3 and temperature. portant for nature protection. Springs located in the Krakow-Częstochowa Upland (southern Po- KEY WORDS: macroinvertebrates, multi- land) are characterized by low variability of en- variate analysis, springs, crenobiology, Poland vironmental conditions, but their benthic fauna composition is considerably different. Benthic 1. INTRODUCTION invertebrates, water chemistry as well as sediment characteristics of 25 springs were studied four Springs are sensitive to various kinds of times in 2003. The relationships between fauna anthropogenic changes (encasing, tourist composition and abiotic parameters were ascer- impact, water exploitation etc.) which dep- tained using multivariate statistical analyses. In total, fifty families or subfamilies and four higher redate unique benthic fauna communities by taxa of invertebrates were identified in the springs destroying their habitats. Springs in Poland studied. Only Gammarus fossarum (Amphipoda) are usually protected as inanimate nature occurred in all of the springs, whereas crenophilic monuments (Baścik 2004) but the diversity taxonomic groups such as Turbellaria, Bythinel- of their benthic fauna and the occurrence of linae, Nemouridae, Limoniidae, Limnephilidae rare or endangered species have not been tak- and Enchytraeidae as well as ubiquitous taxa such en into account.