Pinus mugo shrubs on peat bogs in the Tatra National Park

Pinus mugo shrubs on peat bogs in the Tatra National Park (TNP) were for the first time described as a separated plant association by Obidowicz (1975) from only two mires. Since then, there have been no studies on peat bogs in the TNP and they have not been mentioned in the list of vegetation types of the Park. The research regarding the dwarf pine shrubs on mires in the Tatra Mountains was carried out in 2019. We mapped all patches of such vegetation (total – ~2 ha) on which we made 26 relevés. P. mugo shrubs on peat bogs occur within the complex of mire habitats, such as Norway spruce bog woodlands, raised bogs and poor fens. The shrub layer is dominated by Pinus mugo with admixture of dwarfish Picea abies. Typical plants of the herb layer are Vaccinium myrtillus, V. vitis-idaea, Eriophorum vaginatum and Oxycoccus palustris, whereas the most common mosses are Sphagnum magellanicum, S. capillifolium, S. russowi, Pleurozium schreberi. P. mugo shrubs on peat bogs in the TNP belong to the association Sphagno magellanici-Pinetum mugo.

„Naprzeciw Tatr” — Gorce jako tatrzańskie peryferie?

The Tatra Mountains and the Gorce Mountains are mountain ranges lying next to each other. The widespread knowledge and popularity of the Tatra Mountains and the anthropopressure occurring in them indicate the dominant nature of these mountains in the consciousness of Polish society. The Gorce Mountains, meanwhile, are unknown to many, often overlooked and unpopular, both among tourists and writers. The peripheral nature of the Gorce region is related to the establishment of the center of Polish mountains in the Tatras. Their myth and majesty cast a shadow on the lower, unpopularized Gorce and contribute to creating a way of experiencing them. The article analyzes the relationship between the Gorce and the Tatra Mountains. The model of the center–periphery in the horizontal approach, proposed by Elżbieta Rybicka, was used to describe the phenomenon.

O zakopiańskich rezydentkach

The residents of Zakopane are the group of permanent inhabitants who were not born in the Podhale region, but it was their choice to connect themselves to it. The formation of this group is the result of the social-demographic changes in the Tatra mountains at the beginning of the 20th century and in the interwar period. It is a group that is diversified and therefore difficult to define. It figures as a link between the highlanders who are ingrained into the space of Podhale and those who treat it in a pragmatic and utilitarian way. The residents constitute the cultural phenomenon present in literary works as well as in the cultural life of Zakopane during the end of 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The main subject of the article is a portrayal of the residents — historical figures and literary heroines — taking into account their functions in the society of Zakopane of those times: the groups which have been highlighted are schoolgirls, the women who provide accommodation to the tourists, and the organizers of literary saloons.

CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE ON THE VARIABILITY OF AROLLA PINE WOODLANDS OF THE NORTH-EASTERN TATRA MOUNTAINS

Knowledge of the overall syntaxonomic and habitat variability of forest communities with Arolla pine (Pinus cembra) within the Tatra Mountains (Western Carpathians) is still insufficient as field research was hindered by their hardly accessible localities and deforestation for high mountain grazing. Arolla pine woodlands were traditionally classified within the association Pino cembrae-Piceetum Myczkowski et Lesinski 1974, but recent surveys recognize more numerous units. Hitherto unpublished releves from the north-eastern part of the Tatra Mountains document the occurrence of several floristically and ecologically distinct Arolla pine communities: (1) acid woodland of Homogyno alpinae-Pinetum cembrae on nutrient-poor habitats over quartzitic bedrock, and (2) calcareous woodlands of species-poor Pyrolo rotundifoliae-Pinetum cembrae of sites with a well-developed, tangled humus soil horizon, Cystopterido montanae-Pinetum cembrae on habitats influenced by both limestones and quartzites, Primulo elatioris-Pinetum cembrae bound to sites with the most favourable humidity, and Seslerio tatrae-Pinetum cembrae with the most pronounced calcareous character.

Antibacterial, Antifungal and Anticancer Activities of Compounds Produced by Newly Isolated Streptomyces Strains from the Szczelina Chochołowska Cave (Tatra Mountains, Poland)

Resistance of bacteria, fungi and cancer cells to antibiotics and other drugs is recognized as one of the major problems in current medicine. Therefore, a search for new biologically active compounds able to either kill pathogenic cells or inhibit their growth is mandatory. Hard-to-reach habitats appear to be unexplored sources of microorganisms producing previously unknown antibiotics and other molecules revealing potentially therapeutic properties. Caves belong to such habitats, and Actinobacteria are a predominant group of microorganisms occurring there. This group of bacteria are known for production of many antibiotics and other bioactive compounds. Interestingly, it was demonstrated previously that infection with bacteriophages might enhance production of antibiotics by them. Here, we describe a series of newly isolated strains of Actinobacteria that were found in caves from the Tatra Mountains (Poland). Phage induction tests indicated that some of them may bear active prophages able to produce virions upon treatment with mitomycin C or UV irradiation. Among all the examined bacteria, two newly isolated Streptomyces sp. strains were further characterized to demonstrate their ability to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria (strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, Enterococcus sp., Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and fungi (different species and strains from the genus Candida). Moreover, extracts from these Streptomyces strains reduced viability of the breast-cancer cell line T47D. Chemical analyses of these extracts indicated the presence of isomers of dichloranthrabenzoxocinone and 4,10- or 10,12-dichloro-3-O-methylanthrabenzoxocinone, which are putative antimicrobial compounds. Moreover, various previously unknown (unclassified) molecules were also detected using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, suggesting that tested Streptomyces strains may synthesize a battery of bioactive compounds with antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities. These results indicate that further studies on the newly isolated Actinobacteria might be a promising approach to develop novel antibacterial, antifungal, and/or anticancer drugs.

Frost in the Tatra mountains (on the “Tatra” crime series by Remigiusz Mróz)

Remigiusz Mróz is the best-known author of popular literature in Poland. The object of the present article are six crime novels whose plots relate to the space of the Tatra mountains and the town of Zakopane. The text presents the role of this space in generating the plot and constructing characters. It also reconstructs the poetics and the ideology of the “Tatra” series.