Spider Assemblages of Tree Branches in Managed and Primeval Deciduous Stands of the Białowieża Forest

The Białowieża Forest is an important biodiversity hotspot on a European scale, and therefore its preservation should have a high priority. However, forest management conducted over a large area of the forest, intensive logging, and elimination of dead trees pose serious threats to many species in the forest. The main aim of this study was to determine the species composition of spider assemblages inhabiting tree branches of the Białowieża Forest and to compare their species richness and the abundance of individuals (adults and juveniles) between managed and primeval stands. Between April and November 2000, we sampled three forest types (oak–lime–hornbeam forest, ash–alder riparian forest, and alder carr) in protected primeval stands within the Białowieża National Park and in managed stands. We collected 1761 specimens from 14 families and identified 41 species. Tree branches were inhabited mainly by juveniles. Species richness was smaller in managed stands compared to primeval stands. The highest number of species was found in primeval alder carr. Our study shows a negative effect of forest management on spider assemblages in terms of species richness. We emphasize the important role of alder carr forests as potential biodiversity hotspots.

SPRAWA PUSZCZY BIAŁOWIESKIEJ PRZED TRYBUNAŁEM SPRAWIEDLIWOŚCI UNII EUROPEJSKIEJ – UWAGI Z (ODPOWIEDNIEJ) PERSPEKTYWY CZASU

The judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 17 April 2018 in Case C-441/17 (failure of a Member State to fulfil obligations), brought by the European Commission against Poland, concerning “logging” in the Białowieża Forest, was widely reported in the media and on the scientific forum (naturally, also in the doctrine of international and European law). Analysing this decision and referring to the jurisprudence and achievements of the doctrine, commentators cautiously (but, in essence, not always correctly) indicated what decisions and actions constituted the basis of this dispute, which ultimately led to Poland’s defeat before the Court, considering the judgment an end to the case and, at the same time, the canon for the subject knowledge. It should be emphasised, however, that the judgment itself did not resolve the dispute as to which model of protection of the Białowieża Forest is appropriate. In particular, it has not contributed to determining whether the previous activities of the State Forests (although it proved them formally inconsistent with EU law) were beneficial (or harmful) to the protection of the Białowieża Forest stand. By emphasising the imperfection of the situation, the authors try to constructively draw from it conclusions de lege lata and de lege ferenda.

Poems from closed forest. Draft about trees in Michał Książek’s works

Paper aims to explore forest clues in Michał Książek’s works. The main one is book of poetry called Północny wschód ,which contains poems about tree cut in Białowieża Forest. Poet was against that cut and took an active part in protest. Author of the paper contemplates bonds between humans and trees, also experiencing forest by all senses. She tries to examine temporality that is written into woods, too.

Fungal microbiota in seeds, seedlings and mature plants of raspberry (Rubus ideaus L.)

Presently, there is an intensive search for fungal endophytes to be used in agriculture for the protection and condition improvement of plants and in medicine. We screened for the presence of endophytes in raspberry, which occurs naturally in the Białowieża Forest. The fungal isolates representative of each morphotype were analysed using the molecular markers ITS1 and ITS2. In total, we found 34 taxa of endophytic fungi. The majority were potential pathogens. As many as 27 taxa were found in the leaves of mature plants. No fungi could be isolated from the surface sterilized seeds obtained from these plants. Seedlings were grown from the seeds deposited in the soil seed bank in the Białowieża Geobotanical Station of the University of Warsaw in Białowieża. 8 taxa of endophytic fungi were found in seedlings. It could be due to a possibility of seed infection with these endophytes in soil conditions.

European silver fir – an alternative for the dying Norway spruce in Białowieża Forest?

The condition of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) in the Białowieża Forest is categorized as a crisis. It is believed that due to the cooling in the Holocene, the then-relict species of the forest, silver fir (Abies alba Mill.), disappeared from its ecosystems and then spruce appeared. Today’s climate change presents challenges to our civilization, including to forestry. However, there is no information at all about how this affected the silver fir in the Białowieża Forest. In the Polish part of the forest (subcompartment 498 Сi, Białowieża Forest District), for the first time a comprehensive study has been carried out on the condition of mature fir trees planted by man and on their progeny. The results indicate high forestry-taxation indicators of trees, resistance to the abiotic factor and competitiveness. Their constitution corresponds to local environmental conditions. However, the disproportionately small number of adult natural regeneration of old firs indicated some kind of malfunction in the mechanism of natural generational change.

Shifts in Lichen Species and Functional Diversity in a Primeval Forest Ecosystem as a Response to Environmental Changes

Research highlights: shifts in the composition and functional diversity of lichen biota reflect changes in the environment caused by climate warming and eutrophication. Background and objectives: studies on lichen functional diversity and refinement in the functional traits of lichen biota under the pressure of changing environmental factors are currently of great scientific interest. The obtained results are interpreted in relation to specific habitat properties and their modifications due to the potential effects of climate change and atmospheric pollution. The aim of the work was to investigate changes in lichen species composition and functional diversity, as well as to identify factors responsible for them at different forest ecosystem scales. Materials and Methods: we identified factors responsible for changes in lichen biota in a unique Białowieża Forest ecosystem by analyzing shifts in species optima and functional diversity at the forest community, tree phorophyte, and substrate levels. We examined individual lichen species’ responses and temporal shifts in the species composition for each historical and resampled dataset using a community-weighted means of functional lichen traits and Wirth ecological indicator values. Results: the most evident change took place at the level of individual species, which shifted their realized optima: 25 species demonstrated a shift to co-occur with lichens of higher nitrogen demands, 15 demonstrated higher light demands, 14 demonstrated higher temperature preferences, and six demonstrated lower moisture preferences. At the level of forest communities, biota shifted towards the higher proportion of nitrogen-demanding and the lower proportion of moisture-demanding species. At the level of phorophyte species, biota changed towards an increased proportion of lichens of higher temperature preferences. For the substrate level, no directional shifts in lichen species composition were found. Conclusions: climate change has influenced lichen biota in Białowieża Forest, but the main driver of lichen species composition was found to be eutrophication. We suppose that other overlapping factors may contribute to biota shifts, e.g., the extinction and expansion of phorophyte tree species.