Abstract:The study was conducted on six sites that are dominated by Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica) and that vary in the level of industrialization and habitat transformation by humans. The aim of the research was to investigate the chemical-physical features of soil under a closed and dense canopy of R. japonica, the chemical composition of the R. japonica leaves, and to compare the content of certain elements in the soil-plant-soil system. The soil organic carbon (C org ) content varied from 1.38±0.004% to 8.2±0.047% and the maximum in leaves was 49.11±0.090%. The lowest levels of total nitrogen (N tot ) in soil were recorded on the heavily disturbed sites (till 0.227±0.021%). Soil pH varied greatly, ranging from acidic (pH=4.0) to neutral (pH=7.7). Heavy metal content differed significantly among the study sites. At all of the sites, both in the case of soil and plant leaves, Zn was a dominant element and its concentration ranged from 41.5 to 501.2 mg·kg -1 in soils and from 38.6 to 541.7 mg·kg -1 in leaves. ) were observed on the site that had been influenced by agricultural practices. The results obtained showed that R. japonica is able to accumulate high levels of heavy metals.

Abstract:The paper shows the occurrences of cemetery soils and the physico-chemical features of soils in the cemeteries Słabowo and Szymonka (Great Mazurian Lakes District). Necrosols are anthropogenic soils and belong to Urbanosols. They form only in the area of cemeteries. Four soil profiles (Necrosols) were investigated in terms of morphological description and chemical properties especially phosphorus (Pt), organic carbon (OC) and nitrogen (Nt). These profiles were compared with the reference profile (Rusty soil, according to WRB 2007 Brunic Arenosol) made outside the cemetery. On the basis of research Necrosol has been defined as a soil formed by special human activity in cemeteries and burial grounds with specific soil horizon sequence, and also physical and chemical properties.

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Ekológia (Bratislava) 388 landsCape diversity and Biodiversity of fann mountains (tajikistan) oiMahMad rahMonoV, lESzEk MaJgiEr, WiaczESłaW andrEJczuk, JaroSłaW BanaSzEk, doMinik karkoSz, toMaSz paruSEl, artur SzYMczYk university of Silesia, faculty of Earth Sciences, Bedzinska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, poland; e-mail: oimahmad.rahmonov@us.edu.pl abstract rahmonov o., Majgier l., andrejczuk W., Banaszek J., karkosz d., parusel t., Szymczyk a.: landscape diversity and biodiversity of fann Mountains (tajikistan). Ekológia (Bratislava), Vol. 32, no. 4, p. 388-395, 2013.The aim of study is a presentation of main vegetation landscape diversity and biodiversity in case of endemic species in the fann Mountains area, in horizontal and vertical approach. in terms of biodiversity, the high-mountain ecosystems of central asia include the most valuable areas in the world called as hotspot, and also are exposed to intense human pressure causing the destruction of habitats. Vegetation landscapes of fann Mountains are very diverse because of high-mountain character of this area, local climatic conditions, topography and habitats. That differentiation leads up to biodiversity and formation of unique plant landscapes and endemic species. The vegetation landscapes in altitude order are represented by forbs meadow steppe, thymes, swamp, broad-leaf forest, juniper forests, flood-plain small-leaved forest, tugai, light deciduous forest, pistachio, forbs wormwood, almond, rare vegetation with cushion-shaped species, wormwood eurotia, steppe, thorny grasses with shrub-steppe, rocks and taluses with rare vegetation alpine zones. high level of endemism in fann Mountains is connected to natural conditions such as geological structure, relief, high-mountain ranges and climate conditions. This fact has an influence on forming mosaic biotops, often isolated by orographic barriers.Key words: biodiversity, fann Mountains, endemic species, landscape diversity. introduction in terms of biodiversity, the high-mountain ecosystems of central asia belong to the most valuable areas in the world called as hotspot, and are also exposed to intense human pressure which causes the destruction of habitats. Vegetation landscapes of fann Mountains are very divers according to high-mountain character of this area, local climatic conditions, topography and habitats. That differentiation leads up to biodiversity and formation of unique plant communities and endemic species. high level of endemism in fann Mountains is connected to natural conditions such as geological structure, high mountains ranges and climate conditions. This fact has an influence on forming mosaic biotops, often isolated by orographic barriers. a problem of landscapes diversity and biodiversity of this region was mentioned in Vol. 32, no. 4, p. 388-395, 2013Vol. 32, no. 4, p. 388-395, doi:10.2478Vol. 32, no. 4, p. 388-395, /eko-2013 Unauthenticated Download Date | 5/12/18 7:10 AM 389 many works in the last century (zakirov, 1955, 1961 Stanyukovich, 1963; Sidorenko et al., 1964; konnov...

Abandoned anthropogenic sites are transformed when they come into use. In the present study, such objects were abandoned Evangelical cemeteries located in the Land of the Great Mazurian Lakes (northern Poland). This study aims to compare the concentrations of selected major (Ca, Na, Mg, Al, Fe) and potentially toxic elements (Zn, Cd, Pb) in the roots, leaves, and branches of Syringa vulgaris and buried necrosols and unburied soils in which this species grows. The soils analysed differ in their profile structure; in the case of burial necrosols, anthropogenic layers are present, while Brunic Arenosol has a natural horizon arrangement. Regarding pH, the soils analysed are characterised in the weakly acidic (6.6–6.8) to alkaline (7.2–8.6) range, both in KCl and H2O. Total phosphorus has high values in the humus and anthropogenic horizons, especially at coffin sites (Rudówka Mała: layer of Ccoffin—759 mg∙kg−1; Szymonka—844 mg∙kg−1). Necrosols are characterised by a slightly higher variation in major element content than soils outside the burial area. The highest elemental content in Syringa vulgaris is accumulated in leaves and roots. Potassium (K) has the highest content in the studied tissues, and cadmium (Cd) is the lowest. The study showed no significant differences in heavy metal accumulation for plants directly associated with necrosols and soils formed outside of burials, which is confirmed by analyses of environmental indicators. The study showed that plant chemistry is more influenced by the soil substrate and soil-forming process than the soil anthropogenisation associated with burials. There was no significant effect of burials on the chemical composition of individual parts of Syringa vulgaris.

Due to the lack of maintenance, abandoned cemeteries are often incorporated into the landscape. In many cases the information about the age of the cemetery is unavailable. To find out the approximate time of the formation of the cemetery the information recorded in the annual tree and shrub rings can be used. One of the most common tree species, planted for ornamental and symbolic purposes on the cemeteries, are Thuja orientalis and Thuja occidentalis. Alien to the Polish flora, these species adapted well to the local habitat and climatic conditions. The paper presents an attempt to apply dendrochronological dating to determine the age of the abandoned cemeteries in the region of the Great Masurian Lakes, part of the Masurian Lake District (north-eastern Poland). The study included five abandoned cemeteries. In total, 15 cores were taken from the trees. After applying the standard dendrochronological method, local chronologies for the studied species were established. The research indicated that the oldest found specimens - over 70 yrs old - are Thuja occidentalis individuals growing at the Słabowo cemetery. At the other sites the specimens of both Thuja species date back to the 1960s and early 1970s. Compared to the historical information regarding the age and origin of the studied objects, thujas growing there are much younger than the age of the cemeteries foundation. The presented method proved to be very helpful in understanding the time of Thuja occidentalis and Thuja orientalis introduction at the investigated cemeteries.