Folia Malacologica 14: 75–82
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FOLIA Folia Malacol. 28(2): 141–155 MALACOLOGICA ISSN 1506-7629 (print)•ISSN 2300-7125 (on-line) The Association of Polish Malacologists Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University Bogucki Wydawnictwo Naukowe Poznań, March 2020 https://doi.org/10.12657/folmal.028.011 TERRESTRIAL GASTROPODS OF THE NATURE RESERVE STARY ZAGAJ AND THE TOWN OF SKĘPE (DOBRZYŃSKIE LAKELAND). THE MALACOCOENOSIS STRUCTURE AS AN INDICATOR OF ANTHROPOGENIC INFLUENCE IN NORTH-CENTRAL POLAND ElżbiEta KuźniK-KowalsKa1*, Marta FrasunKiEwicz1, bEata M. PoKryszKo2 1Department of Invertebrate Systematics and Ecology, Institute of Biology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Kożuchowska 5b, 51-631 Wrocław, Poland (e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]); EKK https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5509-0336 2Museum of Natural History, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland (e-mail: [email protected]); https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3631-3044 *corresponding author abstract: Thirty nine species of terrestrial gastropods were recorded from the little studied Dobrzyńskie Lakeland (north-central Poland): the nature reserve Stary Zagaj and the town of Skępe (30 from the nature reserve, 27 from the town, 18 species in common, 9 town only, 12 reserve only). The number of species per site ranged from 8 to 21 (mean 13.88), the number of specimens from 38 to 1,224 (mean 347.7). The aim of the inventory was to fill the gaps in the distribution knowledge and to identify symptoms of anthropogenic influence on the malacocoenoses. Most species were euryoecious and/or widely distributed. The results were compared to other biogeographically and ecologically similar, but mostly less human- affected areas. The studied habitats showed unbalanced dominance structure, small between-site similarity and small proportion of forest-dwellers, combined with the near-absence or absence of clausiliids and other tree-climbing and/or timber-dependent species. These seem to be crucial symptoms of anthropogenic changes in effect at present or in the past. KEy words: gastropods, nature reserve, N-C. Poland, anthropogenic influence INTRODUCTION The gastropod fauna of northern Europe is a ously unrecorded native species (HorsáK & HájEK result of post-glacial colonisation from the south. 2005, scHEnKová et al. 2012, zając et al. 2012, Compared to the areas situated south of the bound- KsiążKiEwicz et al. 2015, PoKryszKo et al. 2016). ary of Pleistocene glaciations, it is not rich, and the However, the coverage of the country is very uneven, number of species increases from north to south no doubt depending on the malacological attractive- (caMEron & PoKryszKo 2004, 2005). ness of the various parts of Poland. For a long time it The gastropod distribution in Poland is rather was believed that the northern malacocoenoses were well recognised and the list of species is generally species-poor. It was the potentially rich fauna from complete (riEdEl 1988, wiKtor 2004). The only re- the south of the country, with its many preserved nat- cent additions to the faunal lists are introduced spe- ural habitats, partly calcium-rich substratum and its cies (e.g. PiEńKowsKa et al. 2018) whose number varied topography, that attracted attention. Relatively has increased in the last years, and records of previ- modern inventories of terrestrial fauna exist for most 142 Elżbieta Kuźnik-Kowalska, Marta Frasunkiewicz, Beata M. Pokryszko regions in the south (e.g. dyducH 1980, PiEcHocKi the country has experienced more pronounced an- 1981, PoKryszKo & caMEron 2005, caMEron et al. thropogenic changes (mainly economic exploitation 2011). Only recently it has been found that, besides and fragmentation of forests) compared to the neigh- Białowieża Forest which is well-known for its natu- bouring regions; even though some of its fragments ral character, some areas in the north hold equally are protected, they offer a good opportunity to study rich faunas (caMEron & PoKryszKo 2006, MarzEc the effect of human activities on the original snail 2010). fauna. Here, we set out to compare the studied area Some of the publications deal exclusively with to some geographically and environmentally close faunal records (see the cycle of papers in Folia areas in order to specify the possible indicators of Malacologica 2006–2016), and only few are based on anthropogenic influence among the features of their modern methods of assessment of diversity and struc- malacocoenoses. ture of malacocoenoses (caMEron & PoKryszKo Faunistic data on the Skępe municipality are lim- 2004, 2006, MarzEc 2010). There are relatively re- ited to the information that the common species is cent papers on the malacocoenoses of certain vegeta- the Roman snail, with no information on other spe- tion formations (dzięczKowsKi 1972, caMEron et cies (raPort 2018). The literature data on the mal- al. 2010). Virtually all these data pertain to relatively acofauna of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province are natural forests. The north-central part of the coun- very scanty. Faunistic studies on the molluscs of the try is still data-deficient, and constitutes a gap in the province were done by Drozdowski in 1950–1995. knowledge of the fauna, and especially the structure However, none of his publications (for references see of malacocoenoses. On the other hand, this part of riEdEl 1988) specified which of the recorded spe- Fig. 1. Location of the study area (inset) and distribution of the sampling sites Terrestrial gastropods of the Dobrzyńskie Lakeland 143 cies were found in the Dobrzyńskie Lakeland. In his Besides identifying the parameters of malacocoe- publications (drozdowsKi 1980, 1997) expressed onosis structure that would reflect anthropogenic in- an opinion that the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province fluence, we sought to inventory the area’s fauna, to was among the best malacologically studied parts of fill the gap in the knowledge of the country’s fauna, Poland, referring mainly to pre-war publications and providing a list of the region’s gastropod species, and his own research of 1950–1995. Actually, there are to identify the possible refugia as well as endangered no modern inventories for the region, and it seems and rare species. to be among the least studied. STUDY AREA AND SAMPLING SITES The Dobrzyńskie Lakeland (Dobrzyńska Upland) Table 1. Characteristics of sampling sites is a natural mesoregion situated in the southern part Site Habitat type Coordinates of the Chełmińsko-Dobrzyńskie Lakeland (Fig. 1). It 1 Railway embankment 52°52.32'N, 19°20.41'E 2 is 2,800 km in area (KoPlińsKi et al. 2010). It holds 2 Lake shore 52°51.85'N, 19°20.47'E glacial forms dating from the Vistulian: moraine hills 3 Borek Park 52°51.99'N, 19°20.28'E and kames, parallel drumlin banks and eskers. The 4 Thermophilous oak forest 52°48.72'N, 19°18.55'E oPlińsKi altitude is up to 100–150 m (K et al. 2010). 5 Currant-alder carr 52°49.02'N, 19°18.21'E The Dobrzyńskie Lakeland is agricultural, 6 Ash-alder riverine forest 52°49.08'N, 19°18.51'E abounding in various kinds of mostly poor soils. It 7 Subboreal mixed forest 52°49.23'N, 19°18.41'E is much transformed anthropogenically, with few 8 Subcontinental oak- 52°49.15'N, 19°18.19'E semi-natural habitats in the form of parks or mixed hornbeam forest and coniferous forests which occupy only small ar- eas. The lakeland has many small lakes, the largest of them (Żalskie) is 162 ha in area (KoPlińsKi et al. this pertains especially to submerged plants. 2010). Agricultural areas are extensive. The region is Overall, the region’s lakes are eutrophic, with mostly deforested, not very densely populated, with rather lush but species-poor vascular vegetation little industry. (KęPczyńsKi 1960). The lake shore trees are few, Field studies were done in the nature reserve Stary and human-transformed habitats – meadows Zagaj and in the town of Skępe from May to October with short grass – predominate next to the lake. 2015. Each site was sampled in three different sea- The soil is very damp and the lake margin is peri- sons: spring, summer, and autumn, by two persons, odically flooded. at least one of them an experienced collector. The Site 3. Borek Park. The park (Fig. 4) is ca. 10 ha location of the study area and the sampling sites are in area and is a remnant of the once extensive shown in Fig. 1, their numbers, characteristics and Mazovian Forest. Trees are diverse, with predomi- geographic coordinates in Table 1. nance of native species: oak, sycamore maple, pine, spruce, Norway maple and linden. Besides, exotic ANTHROPOGENIC HABITATS IN THE TOWN OF shrubs and trees have been introduced, such as SKĘPE white horse-chestnut, blue spruce, Chinese juni- per, pea-fruited cypress or red oak (KoPlińsKi et The town of Skępe, located in the eastern part al. 2010). of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province, has 3,688 in- habitants (nowaK et. al. 2013). Parks and lakes are SEMI-NATURAL HABITATS – NATURE RESERVE within the town’s boundaries, and its environs are STARY ZAGAJ forest-covered. The soils in the town and its sur- roundings are brown, humus and rusty soils. Smaller The nature reserve is situated in the marginal, fragments hold black, podzol and peaty soils. most fertile part of a large forest complex – part of Site 1. Railway embankment. The site (Fig. 2) is the Głęboczek Forest Division, south of Skępe (cen- much human-transformed, with railway tracks tral point of the reserve: 52°49.12'N, 19°18.72'E). It bordered by stones and adjacent meadow with is located on a small stream, a tributary to the Mienia few shrubs. It is well insolated, mostly dry, but River. Its surface area is ca. 130 ha. Established in with patches of wet soil in places.