The causes of the mechanical degradation of the loess lands of Chernihiv Polesie have been determined, in particular, the ability of the loess to be washed out and subside easily, deforestation (the end of the 13th – the beginning of the 14th centuries) and the excessive increase of the anthropogenic pressure on the agricultural lands (the end of the 19th – the beginning of the 21st centuries). It has been cleared that the degradation of the loess “islands” soils of Chernihiv Polesie is manifested in the form of erosion and suffusion. The areas at the fifth stage of erosion prevail. The largest percentage of the eroded areas is on the Mykhailo-Kotsiubynsk and Ripky-Chernihiv loess “islands”. The lands with suffusion forms dominate on the Berezna-Mena-Sosnytsia loess “island”. Long-term use of the arable lands contributed to the increase of erosion and suffusion forms of the relief. The potential places of the beginning of the mechanical degradation are post-sowing, neglected lands, which were repeatedly violated mechanically. The plant communities, which are the indicators of different stages of mechanical degradation of the lands, have been identified. The plant communities of Digitario sanguinalis-Eragrostietea minoris Mucina, Lososova et Silc 2016 and Bidentetea Tx. et al. ex von Rochow 1951 are the indicators of eroded lands at the stages of formation, expansion and deepening of washouts. The phytocenoses of Bidentetea tripartiti are the indicators of the initial stages of suffusion, and the complexes of Magnocaricetalia are the indicators of suffusion increase and deepening. Over the past 120 years, there has been a slight increase in the area occupied by plant communities other than agrocenoses on the loess “islands” due to the anti-erosion planting of Pinus sylvestris and Robinia pseudoacacia. The agronomic, fitomeliorative and prohibitive measures that can slow down the pace of the mechanical degradation of the loess lands of Chernihiv Polesie have been suggested.

Street trees grow in extreme habitat conditions and are exposed to high anthropogenic pressure. This study presents changes that occurred in the resources of street trees in the selected part of Praga-North, a district located near the center ofWarsaw, between 2011 and 2016. During this period, the number of dead and removed trees was determined and the assessment of the lost value was conducted. The compensatory value was evaluated as well. The replacement value was estimated in the examined area based on the difference between the value of the removed and newly-planted trees.The study also shows the real number of conducted compensatory planting for the environmental loss. The research was conducted with the objective to determine the changes in the urban forest in the selected, highly-urbanized part ofWarsaw. The study evaluated the extent of losses between the removed and newly-planted trees that allowed to assess the range of substitutes needed to be planted.

The paper presents the concept of an ecological corridor system developed for spatial planning based on the case of the Pomerania Province. More attention was paid to the corridors along watercourses and river valleys. The study included e.g. spatial relationships between the proposed network of regional eco-corridors and the national network as well as areas of protected nature areas, including Natura 2000 sites. The main threats to the valley corridors in the area were identified. Depending on the level of impact and the geographical range, three different land corridors were distinguished: supraregional, regional and subregional. Due to the landscape and nature diversity, spatial distribution of physico-geographical units, terrain and river valleys, almost all communes and districts of the Pomerania Province have appropriate conditions to perform the functions of ecological corridors of various ranks. In some communes, they account for more than 50% of the total area and 28% of the province’s area, and a significant part of them are valley ecosystems. The aim of the paper is to document the role of river valleys in shaping the conditions of spatial connectivity of ecosystems and to indicate their significance for spatial planning processes.

Ecosystem services (ES) are the benefits that society and economy derive from the environment through natural processes of ecosystems. Urban ecosystems contribute to public health and improve the quality of life of urban residents and should be taken into account when making decisions on sustainable urban development and revitalization. Recreational parks are very important components of green urban infrastructure. The aim of the study was to define the types and subtypes of ecosystem services in nine recreational parks located in the downtown zone of Łodź, Poland, using my own classification scheme (a case study). The research shows the diversification of ES depending on the park, and suggests that the potential of parks is currently not fully used. The planned revitalization of downtown Łodź could extend the range of ecosystem services.

The Enterobacteriaceae family is a very diverse group of microorganisms. Especially, it contains in its composition a unit of a pathogenic nature causing serious illnesses and health problems of people and animals. They are a huge problem in the environment of animal husbandry, processing and waste management.The purpose of this work was to determine the amount of contaminants with Enterobacteriaceae bacteria species after the slaughter of different poultry species. The study used a pre-selective propagation technique on MacConkey’s liquid medium. To confirm the presence of Enterobacteriaceae bacteria, the inoculation onto VRBDA medium was made. The numbers of population and results of the tests allowed for calculating the MPN and the titre of tested bacteria group. Tested samples contained feather waste after slaughter of poultry, i.e. chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys. Material was collected at different dates from three poultry slaughterhouses in Western Poland.Based on the results obtained, the numerous presence of Enterobacteriaceae family bacteria has been confirmed in the waste feathers of various poultry species following the slaughter. The number of Enterobacteriaceae bacteria differed significantly in different materials and dates of measurement, which could be due to the heterogeneity of the animals supplied to the plants.

The aim of the study was to determine the impact of the increase in the organic matter content in the bottom sediments on the benthic fauna structure. The research was carried out in a strongly rheolimnic the Wloclawek Dam Reservoir (Poland). The samples were taken on eight dates from March 1988 to February 1989. The sampling sites were located at the following depths: 1 m, 2 m, 5 m, 8 m and 10 m. The organic matter content in the bottom sediments increased with depth from 0.6% at a depth of 1 m to 13.2% at a 10 m depth. To a depth of 8 m, the bottom fauna was relatively rich in quality. The significant decline in the diversity and, above all, the number of taxa of the macrozoobenthos groups, only at a depth of 10 m were found. In turn, the abundance (density and biomass) of the bottom fauna increased with depth of the site. The analysis of the increase in Oligochaeta abundance with depth suggests that at the level of about 4% of the organic matter content in the bottom sediments, the food conditions are no longer a factor limiting the Oligochaeta occurrence.

The authors investigated the dynamics of ephemeral plant communities in the Stryzhen’ river estuary (N51°29’17’’, E31°18’57’’; Chernihiv, Ukraine; Eastern Polesia) after exposure to stress factors. The study of plant communities was carried out with generally accepted geobotanical methods. Samples of soil and water were analysed (in laboratory) using colorimetric methods and stripping voltammetry. The research shows that edaphic and hydrological conditions in the riverside alluvial sediment near the Stryzhen’ river estuary have changed under the influence of meteorological factors (mainly rainfalls). These changes have induced vegetation succession. In the monitored area, we observed a decrease in the concentration of nitrate, an increase in ammonia nitrogen content, the accumulation of sulphates, phosphates and salts of Zn2+, Pb2+, Cu2+, which came from rainfall and melt water. The accumulation of heavy metal salts did not reduce the formation of plant communities. The prognosis of further vegetation changes in the monitored alluvial area has been made. An increase in the area of communities on rich, low salified soils (order Agrostietalia stoloniferae Oberdorfer in Oberdorfer et al. 1967) is anticipated. Locations of Crypsis schoenoides (L.) Lam. and Dichostylis micheliana (L.) Nees. were identified for the first time in the Chernihiv region. Diaspora of these plants arrived in the Stryzhen’ river estuary through hydrochory along the northwest migratory route and the upper river that originates near the border of Ukraine and Belarus.

The study was carried out in the Kostrze housing estate in Krakow. In the 2015 vegetation season, 35 releves were taken with the Braun-Blanquet method. The aim of the study was to compile the current characteristics of the vegetation in intermittently wet Molinia meadows and to identify changes that occurred within 25 years. The analysed meadow stands comprised 129 species of vascular plants. The releves showed the presence of 17-50 species (on average 36). The characteristic species exhibited high abundance and high degrees of constancy. In total, 16 characteristic species of the alliance Molinion were recorded. Molinia caerulea , Galium boreale , and Sanguisorba officinalis were the dominant species in a majority of the analysed stands. The average number of species occurring in the purple moor-grass meadows in Kostrze is currently higher than 25 years ago (an increase from 28 to 36). The list of characteristic species has not changed substantially (three new species were noted: Betonica officinalis , Carex tomentosa , and Ophioglossum vulgatum ), and the differences in the floristic composition are mainly related to sporadic species. Abandonment of land use triggered succession and a decline in the surface area of the analysed meadows. Therefore, species characteristic for other habitats, primarily tree and shrub seedlings as well as expansive grasses ( Calamagrostis epigejos , Phragmites australis ) have appeared in these meadow stands.

This preliminary study examined the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) status of native plant species in the Molinia meadows of Folusz in the Kujawy region, Poland. Root samples from ten plant species characteristic of Molinia meadows ( Betonica officinalis , Dianthus superbus , Galium boreale , Inula salicina , Ostericum palustre , Sanguisorba officinalis , Selinum carvifolia , Serratula tinctoria , Silaum silaus , and Succisa pratensis ) were collected in August 2014. Root colonization by AM fungi was considered an indicator of symbiosis development. AM was found in all plant species examined. The frequency of mycorrhizal structures ranged between 68% and 99%. The intensity of mycorrhizal colonization in roots varied with the plant species, ranging between 3.9% ( O. palustre ) and 40.1% ( B. officinalis ). To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the mycorrhizal status of three species: D. superbus , O. palustre , S. carvifolia . Because AM colonization depends on plant genotype and environmental factors, further studies should examine seasonal variability in plant root colonization and the compositions of AM fungal communities, which may serve as indicators of site conditions

The lichen biota of the Karnieszewice Forest Division (N Poland) is presented. Despite it is predominantly a strongly managed woodland area, 270 lichen species were found there including many rare species for Poland, as well as for European Lowland. Near 20% of the whole lichen biota are considered to be threatened in the country (categories CR, EN, VU), and 34 species are protected by law in Poland. Agonimia flabelliformis is reported for the second time from Polish lowlands.