Hydrobiologia (2020) 847:3257–3275 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04327-6 (0123456789().,-volV)( 0123456789().,-volV) PRIMARY RESEARCH PAPER From oxbow to mire: Chironomidae and Cladocera as habitat palaeoindicators Mateusz Pło´ciennik . Dominik Pawłowski . Lorenzo Vilizzi . Olga Antczak-Orlewska Received: 20 November 2019 / Revised: 3 June 2020 / Accepted: 9 June 2020 / Published online: 1 July 2020 Ó The Author(s) 2020 Abstract Chironomidae and Cladocera are useful European river valley of Poland. Summer air temper- palaeoindicators to describe long-term dynamics in ature and hydrological conditions were found to be the biodiversity of freshwater aquatic communities. How- main drivers of Cladocera and Chironomidae popula- ever, palaeoecological studies relying on these aquatic tions, causing a cascade effect in assemblage compo- invertebrates have generally focused on post-glacial sition. At the local habitat scale, there were lakes, with relatively few applications to floodplain autecological differences in both taxonomic groups water bodies such as palaeo-oxbow lakes. In this reflecting different responses to abiotic and biotic study, zone-level (stratigraphic) trends in Chironomi- factors. Specifically, Cladocera responded distinctly to dae and Cladocera assemblage composition were plant vegetation and fish predation during the Late analysed from a small palaeo-oxbow lake in a Central Glacial lake phase, whereas Chironomidae were more sensitive to paludification processes and disappeared in the Northgrippian dry phase of the mire. Both Handling editor: Jasmine Saros groups indicated fluvial activity of the River Grabia, M. Pło´ciennik (&) although the response was different. Also, species Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, richness was higher in the more taxonomically diverse Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Chironomidae compared to Cladocera. As both groups University of Lodz, 12/16 Banacha St, 90-237 Lodz, responded to the same factors in a different way, it is Poland e-mail: [email protected] recommended that they should be used in parallel in palaeoecological research studies. D. Pawłowski Institute of Geology, Faculty of Geographical and Keywords Palaeoecology Stratigraphy Late Geological Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University, 12 Á Á Krygowskiego St, 61-680 Poznan, Poland Glacial Á Holocene Á Min–max autocorrelation factor analysis (MAFA) L. Vilizzi Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, 12/16 Banacha St, 90-237 Lodz, Poland Introduction O. Antczak-Orlewska Laboratory of Palaeoecology and Archaeobotany, Several palaeoindicators have been employed to Department of Plant Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, 59 Wita Stwosza St, describe the long-term dynamics in the biodiversity 80-308 Gdansk, Poland 123 3258 Hydrobiologia (2020) 847:3257–3275 of freshwater aquatic communities under environmen- environmental factors in a palaeo-habitat that turned tal change (Birks & Birks, 2004). Amongst these from oxbow to mire. It is anticipated that the outcomes palaeoindicators are Chironomidae and Cladocera, of the present study will contribute to the use of which live mostly in lakes, ponds and streams, and are Chironomidae and Cladocera as proxies in palaeoen- distributed up to high latitudes and altitudes (Porinchu vironmental and palaeoclimatic reconstructions based & MacDonald, 2003; Szeroczyn´ska & Sarmaja-Kor- on data from sediments of lakes, flood plains and jonen, 2007). The ecological preferences of these two valley mires. A novel analytical approach is also taxonomic groups are relatively well known (Ar- implemented that can be applied more widely in mitage et al., 1995; Vallenduuk & Moller Pillot, 2007; palaeolimnological studies. Błe˛dzki & Rybak, 2016) and make them good indicators to infer palaeoenvironmental conditions of Study area lakes, including their trophic status, water-level fluc- tuations, pH and fish abundance (e.g. Korhola & The Pawłowa site (51°3001900 N; 19°1905900 E) is Rautio, 2001; Brooks et al., 2007;Ga˛siorowski & located in the Ło´dz´ region of Central Poland (Fig. 1a) Kupryjanowicz, 2009; Davidson et al., 2010). Chi- at an elevation of 185 m a.s.l. in the middle part of the ronomidae are also very useful in the reconstruction of course of the River Grabia (Fig. 1b) and in the mean July air temperatures (Brooks, 2006), and marginal part of a valley floor that occupies a slight Cladocera are an important proxy for quantitative depression within the flood plain (Fig. 1c). The hydroclimatic reconstructions of Late Glacial (e.g. catchment of the Pawłowa mire is about 7.7 ha and Luoto et al., 2011; Zawiska et al., 2014) and Holocene is presently covered for the major part by an alder palaeolakes (e.g. Nevalainen et al., 2012; Nevalainen swamp and meadows. An area surrounding the Grabia & Luoto, 2017). Also, Cladocera have been used valley consists of glacial and glaciofluvial deposits successfully in mean July air temperature transfer that accumulated during the Saalian glaciations, function and water depth inference models (Ne- especially of the Warthanian Cold Stage (the last valainen, 2011; Nevalainen et al., 2012; Pawłowski, one to cover the Ło´dz´ region: Klatkowa, 1984), and 2017). In this regard, the use of appropriate statistical fluvial sediments (Late Glacial and Holocene allu- methods for the reconstruction of palaeoenvironmen- vium) that fill the main part of the valley. General tal conditions has proved an important component of descriptions of the geological and geomorphological palaeolimnological studies (e.g. ter Braak & Juggins, characteristics of the study site, including lithology 1993; Birks, 1995; Korhola et al., 2000; Birks et al., and chronology of sediments, are provided by 2012; Nevalainen & Luoto, 2017). Pawłowski et al. (2016a) (Fig. 2). Whilst palaeoecological studies relying on Chi- Currently, the Ło´dz´ region has a temperate climate ronomidae and Cladocera have generally focused on influenced by westerly airflow from the Atlantic and post-glacial lakes, relatively few investigations based by eastern Eurasian high-pressure cells (Wos´, 1999). on these aquatic invertebrates have dealt with flood- Mean annual temperature in the study area is 7.7°C, plain water bodies such as palaeo-oxbow lakes. This is mean temperature of the warmest month (July) 18°C a notable knowledge gap, as paludification is a and of the coldest month (January) - 3.3°C. Average common process that in Europe has intensified since annual precipitation is 590 mm, ranging from 438 to the Greenlandian (lower age of the Holocene), with 937 mm (Kłysik, 2001). river valleys in Central Europe undergoing transfor- mation from the Late Glacial (end of Pleistocene) to the Meghalayan age (uppermost Holocene) and with Materials and methods valley stagnant waters turning from lakes in the Younger Dryas to mires in the Northgrippian (middle Sample collection and processing age of the Holocene) (Vandenberghe, 2003; Starkel et al., 2013). A 450-cm sediment core from Pawłowa consisting of The present study investigates the responses of gyttja and various types of peat was taken in the Chironomidae and Cladocera in assemblage compo- southern part of the mire (Fig. 1c, d), where the sition and abundance to regional and habitat-related thickest organic deposits were found, using a manual 123 Hydrobiologia (2020) 847:3257–3275 3259 Fig. 1 Location of the Pawłowa site: (a) Central Poland; (b) Southern part of the Ło´dz´ region; (c) Study area with indication of organic thickness of the Pawłowa mire; (d) Geological cross-section of the River Grabia valley (after Pawłowski et al., 2016a) Russian Corer with a diameter of 5 cm and a length of Chironomidae subfossils were analysed at 8 cm 50 cm. The chronology of the core was determined resolution. Preparation methods for larval head cap- based on AMS 14C dating. Pollen biostratigraphy was sules (HCs) followed Brooks et al. (2007), with based on the results of radiocarbon dating analysis of sediments passed through a 63 lm sieve. As HC sediment deposits and on the sequence of eight local concentrations in the upper core sequence were low, pollen assemblage zone points from the Oldest Dryas kerosene flotation was used (after Rolland & Laroc- to the Subatlantic (upper Meghalayan) periods que, 2007). Taxon identification followed mainly keys (Fig. 2). by Klink & Moller Pillot (2003) and Brooks et al. 123 3260 Hydrobiologia (2020) 847:3257–3275 Fig. 2 Lithology, chronostratigraphy and representative plant and animal macrofossils and geochemical elements from the Pawłowa site (after Pawłowski et al., 2016a). Lithology: 1 = fluvial sands; 2 = gyttja; 3 = mid-decomposed peat; 4 = well-decomposed peat (2007), and ecological preferences of the identified (1972, 2000), Bjerring et al. (2009) and Błe˛dzki & taxa were based on Brooks et al. (2007), Vallenduuk & Rybak (2016). Moller Pillot (2007) and Moller Pillot (2009, 2013). [The reference collection is deposited at the Depart- Statistical analysis ment of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, University of Lodz.] The number of zones (and sub-zones) in the biostrati- Cladocera subfossils were analysed at 4 cm reso- graphic sequence was determined after Bennett lution. One cm3 of fresh sediment was prepared in the (1996), using optimal sum-of-squares partitioning laboratory following standard procedures (Frey, (Birks & Gordon, 1985; Birks, 1986) using the ZONE 1986), with each sample boiled in a 10% KOH software (Lotter and