The adaptation of activated sludge from the Hajdow sewage treatment plant in a laboratory SBR was studied. The structure of the ciliate assembly was considered as a criterion. 32 ciliate species were found during the experiment. The composition and changes in the ciliate community structure during the process of activated sludge adaptation was examined. In the process of adaptation, reduction was observed in the number of ciliate species together with an increase in assembly total abundance. The decrease in the Shannon diversity index and equitability index in the adaptation process was observed. In the process of adaptation, two states of ciliate assembly were marked out - unstable transient period and stable period. During the transient period, reduction of ammonium utilization efficiency down to 50% and its subsequent increase up to 80% in the stable period were observed. In the transient period, the Simpson dominance index remained low but increased in the stable period. At a temperature of 10°C, the transient period lasted from six to nine days. After the stabilization process, the diversity of the ciliate assemblage remained at a lower level. Rarefaction methods showed that the number of potential ecological niches of ciliate amounted to 30 in the adaptation period, whereas there were only 15-20 ecological niches in adapted sludge.

This paper presents results of the studies of ciliate assemblage in benthos of lowland river influenced by sewage discharged from the municipal wastewater treatment plant. During the presented research the 47 ciliate species, including 45 species from the benthos of the river and 18 from the activated sludge of aeration chamber were identified. Only two species registered in the activated sludge were not observed in the river. Against the background of the lowest number of species in the point located in the distance of 50 m below the discharge of sewage the maximum amount and biomass of these species were observed. Whereas, 200 m below the discharge the decrease in number and biomass of ciliate to the level noted for location before the discharge was observed. Thus, generalizing, one may state that influence of municipal WWTP sewage discharge for ciliate assemblage in the river's benthos was clearly visible but local.

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Abstract:The protists notably ciliates and testate amoebas in the conditions of modernized wastewater treatment plants "Hajdow" (Lublin, Poland) and the nitrogen removal efficiency were studied. Sampling took place every week during the period of August-September 2010. The total of 31 taxa of ciliates and 3 taxa of testate amoebas were identified. Most of the species were registered during the whole research period. Significant abundance reached the following species: Acineria uncinata, Aspidisca cicada, Aspidisca lynceus, Vorticella aquadulcis, Vorticella infusionum, Arcella vulgaris, Euglypha acanthophora and Pyxidicula operculata. In September increase in efficiency of nitrogen removal process was registered. The research shows that the increase of nitrogen reduction efficiency was accompanied by increase of ciliates quantity, mainly due to peritrichid ciliates.

We monitored the succession of nitrifiers in a newly opened wastewater treatment plant for five weeks. After the first distinct decrease in total nitrogen, we began monitoring the appearance, size and number of nitrifying bacteria colonies using the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method. Ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) colonies were visualized under green excitation as red, and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) colonies were visualized under blue excitation as green. The changes in protozoan community were monitored simultaneously. Ciliates were divided into four functional groups: predatory, bacterivorous free-swimming, bacterivorous crawling, and sessile. The results showed that at the time of the first distinct total nitrogen decrease, the mean length of both AOB and NOB were relatively low, but the colonies, especially those of nitrite oxidizers, were abundant. In time, the distribution of ammonia oxidizer colonies shifted towards larger sizes, but their quantity decreased. In the case of nitrite oxidizers, a similar trend was noticeable but less pronounced. These changes corresponded with an increasing number of crawling bacterivorous ciliates dominated by the "scavenger" genus Aspidisca. The increasing size of nitrifier colonies may have been due to the growing grazing pressure from crawling bacterivorous ciliates. The strong grazing pressure did not negatively affect N-NH(4)(+) removal effectiveness.

Ciliates on the Macrophytes in Industrially Heated Lakes (Kujawy Lakeland, Poland). Babko R., Fyda J., Kuzmina T., Hutorowicz A. -The ciliate assemblage on the macrophytes was examined in 2005 during the vegetation period in the Koninśkie Lakes which are heating by post-cooling waters from thermal electric plants. As a result of changed temperature regimen the alien thermophilic macrophyte Vallisneria spiralis is becoming increasingly common in the littoral zone. A total of 150 ciliate taxa belonging to 27 orders were found. Greater ciliate species diversity was found on architecturally complex, submerged forms such as Ceratophyllum demersum and Myriophyllum spicatum. By contrast the ciliate compositions on emergent macrophytes with simple architecture in their submerged parts, such as Typha, Sparganium, or Acorus, were less species rich. Despite the simple architecture of Vallisneria leaves, the ciliate diversity on them was high. The results show that replacement of native macrophytes by the alien form V. spiralis in heated lakes did not impoverish the ciliate diversity.K e y w o r d s: ciliate, macrophytes, diversity, lakes.Ðåñíè÷íûå ïðîñòåéøèå íà ìàêðîôèòàõ â îçåðàõ, ïîäâåðaeåííûõ òåïëîâîìó çàãðÿçíåíèþ (îçåðíûé êðàé Êóÿâû, Ïîëüøà). Áàáêî Ð., Ôûäà ß., Êóçüìèíà Ò., Õóòîðîâè÷ À. - òå÷åíèå âåãåòàöèîííîãî ïåðèîäà 2005 ã. èçó÷àëè àññàìáëåþ ðåñíè÷íûõ ïðîñòåéøèõ íà ìàêðîôèòàõ â Êîíèíñêèõ îçåðàõ, ïîäâåðaeåííûõ òåïëîâîìó çàãðÿçíåíèþ, êîòîðîå âûçâàíî ïîñòóïëåíèåì ïîäîãðåòûõ âîä ñ òåïëîýëåêòðîñòàíöèè. Âñëåäñòâèå èçìåíåíèÿ òåìïåðàòóðíîãî ðåaeèìà âîäîåìîâ, â èõ ëèòîðàëè äîìèíèðóþùåå ïîëîaeåíèå ñðåäè ìàêðîôèòîâ çàíÿë àäâåíòèâíûé âèä Vallisneria spiralis. Âñåãî íà ìàêðîôèòàõ áûëî çàðåãèñòðèðîâàíî 150 òàêñîíîâ ðåñíè÷íûõ ïðîñòåéøèõ, îòíîñÿùèõñÿ ê 27 îòðÿäàì. Áîëüøåå ðàçíîîáðàçèå âèäîâ ðåñíè÷íûõ ïðîñòåéøèõ îáíàðóaeèâàëîñü íà ïðîñòðàíñòâåííî ñëîaeíîîðãàíèçîâàííûõ ïîâåðõíîñòÿõ òàêèõ ìàêðîôèòîâ, êàê Ceratophyllum demersum è Myriophyllum spicatum. Íà ìàêðîôèòàõ ñ ïðîñòîé àðõèòåêòóðîé, òàêèõ êàê, íàïðèìåð, Typha, Sparganium è Acorus, êîëè÷åñòâî âèäîâ áûëî ìåíüøèì.  òî aeå âðåìÿ, íåñìîòðÿ íà ïðîñòóþ àðõèòåêòóðó ëèñòüåâ Vallisneria, ðàçíîîáðàçèå ðåñíè÷íûõ ïðîñòåéøèõ íà íèõ áûëî âûñîêèì. Òàêèì îáðàçîì, âûòåñíåíèå àáîðèãåííûõ ìàêðîôèòîâ àäâåíòèâíûì âèäîì V. spiralis â óñëîâèÿõ ïîäîãðåòûõ îçåð íå ïðèâîäèëî ê ñíèaeåíèþ ðàçíîîáðàçèÿ ðåñíè÷íûõ ïðîñòåéøèõ.

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.

Abstract. This paper presents the results of studies on the Uzh River (Ukraine, Zakarpattia Oblast) near the effluent point of a sewage treatment plant in Uzhgorod. The samples were taken at various sites of the treatment plant along the stages of purification process, as well as in the river, at a number of different points above and below the wastewater discharge. At each of these objects, the temperature and O 2 were measured. The structure of ciliate assemblage was analyzed along the stages of the treatment process in the WWTP and in the river before and after the sewage discharge. A total of 26 ciliate taxa were observed and included in the analysis. All the studied stations were considered as a continuum in which populations of protozoa spread freely according to their ecological preferences. The majority of ciliate species were encountered in each of the examined stations, but their quantitative development differed significantly, reflecting their response to the environmental conditions at the stations. The analysis of the qualitative and quantitative distribution of ciliate populations by the stations enabled to group them in respect to the peculiarities of the local conditions. The study showed that the majority of the ciliate species, typical of bioreactors, are equally common at the stations of the Uzh River below wastewater discharges. The ciliate assemblage in the oxygen gradient demonstrated a wide spectrum of ecological tolerance at the species level. These findings confirm that ciliates are very good indicators of the environmental quality, provided that detailed information about their environmental priorities is available.