We studied the effect of climate variations on the structure of the assemblage of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in a wetland and surrounding watershed forest. We analyzed the changes in the structure of the assemblage of ground beetles provoked by a two-year dry period against the background of studies carried out during the two-year wet period. Aridization influenced the structure of the assemblage of ground beetles more in wetlands than in forests. It was shown that despite the stabilizing effect of the forest on the structure of assemblages of terrestrial arthropods, the two-year dry period had a negative impact on the assemblage of ground beetles in the studied area. The Simpson dominance index of 4.9 during the wet season increased to 7.2 during the drought period. Although the total number of species during the dry period did not significantly decrease in comparison with the wet period—from 30 to 27 species—changes occurred in the trophic structure: during the drought period, the number of predators decreased. It is concluded that the resistance of forest habitats to climate aridization is somewhat exaggerated and, very likely, the structure of the community of arthropods in forests will change significantly.

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The surface water quality assessment could be based on a combined physical and chemical analysis, but it could also be determined with bioindication methods. Classical physicochemical analysis is in most cases more expensive and time-consuming than the bioindication methods. This type of analysis also requires expensive equipment and shows the situation in the water only at the moment of sampling. Although the bioindication methods are often complicated, they allow a relatively inexpensive estimation of the water quality. Moreover, during their implementation, the substances harmful to the environment are not generated, and the obtained results usually reflect the total interaction of all factors and substances to the analyzed living organisms. Indicator organisms or their communities applied to the research, with identified ranges of tolerance to selected factors, could help to determine the physical and chemical parameters of water. This paper presents a bioindication study with an effect of stormwater system on the receiver-the Bystrzyca river, in Lublin, Poland. The level of saprophyty of the river sector was calculated based on the selected species of algae (diatoms and green algae) and the influence of the stormwater discharge on the communities of these organisms was determined.

Rivers and their floodplains offer a wide variety of habitats for invertebrates. River ecosystems are subject to high anthropic influence: as a result the channel morphology is changed, swamps are drained, floodplains are built up, and rivers are polluted. All this has radically changed the environment for the inhabitants of the floodplains, including riparian stenotopic species. Although riparian arthropods are oriented primarily to the production of hydro-ecosystems, the type of water body—lentic or lotic—has a determining effect in the structure of communities. Most riparian arthropods have evolutionarily adapted to riverbanks with significant areas of open alluvial banks. This paper considered the structure of assemblages of ground beetles associated with the riverbanks and the shores of floodplain lakes and their differences. The banks of rivers and the shores of floodplain lakes were considered separately due to the differences in the habitats associated with them. Our results showed that riverbanks, which experience significant pollution, were actively colonized by vegetation and were unsuitable for most riparian ground beetles. The shores of floodplain lakes, being an optional habitat for riparian arthropods, cannot serve as refugia. Thus, the transformation of floodplain landscapes and river pollution creates a problem for the biological diversity of floodplain ecosystems, since riparian stenotopic species of the riverbanks become rare and disappear.

This article presented the results of a comparative analysis of carabid species compositions (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in urban green areas of the City of Lublin, Eastern Poland. In this study, the occurrence and abundance of ground beetles were analysed according to habitat preference and dispersal ability. A total of 65 carabid species were found in the three green areas. Obviously, the high species richness of ground beetles in the greenery of the Lublin is determined by the mostly undeveloped floodplain of the river Bystrzyca. The species richness of carabids and their relative abundance decrease in the assemblage of green areas under the effect of isolation of green patches and fragmentation of the semi-natural landscape elements in the urban environment. Generalists and open-habitat species significantly prevailed in all green areas. The prevailing of riparian and forest species at floodplain sites of the river Bystrzyca demonstrated the existence of a connection of the carabid assemblage with landscape of river valley. The Saski Park and gully "Rury" are more influenced by urbanization (fragmentation, isolation of green patches) and recreation that is consistent with the significant prevalence of open-habitats species in the carabid beetle assemblage.

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The assemblages of ground beetles of forest areas of the northern part of Ukraine were studied: Polisky Nature Reserve (PNR) and urban parks of Kyiv City. In general, 88 species of carabids of 29 genera were observed in the studied areas. Thirty-one forest species were found in the studied territories, of which 22 species were registered in urban parks, and 17 species within the PNR. In all investigated areas, the number of forest species was lower, than open-habitat species and generalists species. Today, based on data on the occurrence and abundance of carabid species, forests in urban areas can be considered as refugia for many forest species, in particular, protected and endangered species — Abax parallelus, Carabus glabratus, Carabus menetriesi and Cychrus caraboides. The results of cluster analysis, non-metric multidimensional scaling and detrended correspondence analysis showed the difference between the forests of the PNR and the urban parks. In addition, the species richness of the PNR were lower than in urban parks. The results of the study showed that urban parks can be considered as important elements for the future management and conservation of landscapes.

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