Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) sea lilies (Crinoidea) from central Poland (Łódź Depression)

Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) limestones of central Poland (southern border of the ?ód? Depression) are in places extremely rich in crinoid remains. These latter are represented by very well preserved columnals/pluri-columnals, isolated brachials and cirrals/pluri-cirrals, assignable to the following species: Isocrinus amblyscalaris (Thurmann, in Thurmann and Éttalon), Isocrinus cf. pendulus (von Meyer), Balanocrinus brachiospina Hess, Balanocrinus pentagonalis (Goldfuss), Balanocrinus subteres (Münster, in Goldfuss), Balanocrinus sp., and Millericrinida indet. The commonest species, Balanocrinus brachiospina, is recorded for the first time from Poland. Critical revision of Polish occurrence of balanocrinids is provided. It is suggested that some of the previous balanocrinid finds from Poland assigned to Balanocrinus subteres should be now addressed as B. brachiospina. Furthermore, it is probable that the Callovian B. hessi Salamon and Zatoń should be synonymized with B. pentagonalis. Crinoid material at hand is also associated with asteroid and echinoid remains. Among this material, a complete test of Pleurodiadema nudum Cotteau is illustrated for the first time from Poland. Taphonomic observations of echinoderms from the Kimmeridgian limestones of the ?ód? Depression suggest that they did not undergo a long post-mortem transport. The high degree of disarticulation, however, supports their prolonged post-mortem seafloor exposure.     

The beginnings of rye (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Secale cereale</Emphasis>) cultivation in the East Baltics

In this paper we review the earliest Secale (rye) records, both pollen and macroremains, from the eastern Baltic region (northeast Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland) in order to understand the processes evident in the beginnings of rye cultivation. By taking note of the abundance of recovered Secale grains and pollen in relation to other cereals found in published archaeobotanical data, we try to understand when rye began to be used regionally as a staple food. The clarification of the timing of Secale in the East Baltic, that had social and economic implications, is of particular importance. In this publication we also present a radiocarbon date directly derived from dating a Secale grain from a Roman period hillfort in Lithuania. The date obtained constitutes the earliest record of Secale in the eastern Baltic region, showing that rye cultivation traditions and concomitant innovations in agricultural technology started there much earlier than previously suggested.     

Cyrtocrinids (Crinoidea) and associated stalked crinoids from the Lower/Middle Oxfordian (Upper Jurassic) shelfal deposits of southern Poland

Five cyrtocrinid crinoid taxa previously unknown from the epicratonic deposits of Poland, as well as associated millericrinids and isocrinids, are described. The studied materials were derived mainly from the Lower and Middle Oxfordian, but crinoids are also from uppermost Callovian and/or lowermost Oxfordian sediments of the Polish Jura Chain (southern Poland). The crinoids, preserved as more or less complete (e.g., basal circlets) cups, include Lonchocrinus dumortieri, Phyllocrinus belbekensis, Remisovicrinus polonicus, Remisovicrinus aff. polonicus, Tetracrinus moniliformis and Sclerocrinus sp. The occurrence of Remisovicrinus polonicus in the late Middle Oxfordian of the southern Poland is confirmed. Moreover, the present study extends the geographic range of all cyrtocrinid species studied and discusses their unusual environmental adaptations.     

New information on the invasive to Europe aphid species <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brachycaudus divaricatae</Emphasis> Shaposhnikov, 1956 (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Brachycaudus divaricatae (Hemiptera: Aphididae), a recent invader to Europe, has already reached Czech Republic. Partial sequences of mitochondrial COI and nuclear EF-1α genes have been analysed across the sixteen Czech samples of B. divaricatae, together with morphometric analysis of the same samples based on eighteen morphological characters of the apterous viviparous females. For comparative studies, thirteen samples from the Eastern Baltic region of Europe (Latvia, Lithuania and Poland) were used. All sampled populations appeared similar in their genetic and morphological characters studied. One haplotype of mitochondrial COI gene was predominant; it was characteristic for all samples from Czech Republic and 8 out of 13 samples from Eastern Baltic region. Two other haplotypes were found in the Eastern Baltic region only. Four different haplotypes of EF-1α gene were detected. Most of the samples (except one sample from the Eastern Baltic region and two samples from Czech Republic) had the same haplotype. Out of remaining three haplotypes, one was unique for the Eastern Baltic region, whilst two were found in Czech Republic only. For the present, Moravia is the southernmost region in Europe, where B. divaricatae has been already reported. Presumably, this invasive aphid species has entered the Czech Republic from the north via the Moravian Gate, a natural pass formed by the depression between the Western Carpathians and Eastern Sudetes.     

Is there a relationship between crop farming and the Alnus decline in the eastern Baltic region?

Data from 59 sequences studied through pollen analysis were used to examine the decline in Alnus in Estonia during the Iron Age. Between a.d. 300 and 1300, the Alnus pollen frequency declined markedly in 30 records distributed evenly across the investigated area. The beginning of the decline was time transgressive, coincidental with the start of extensive cultivation, and was frequently connected with the commencement of rye cultivation and the availability of land suitable for cultivation. The greatest reduction in Alnus abundance occurred during the Late Iron Age between a.d. 900 and 1000. This spatially random asynchrony suggests that one or more factors affected Alnus populations across the whole northern region. Human impact is discussed as a plausible cause of the decline. To determine the initiation of extensive crop farming in the eastern Baltic area, pollen diagrams from Latvia, Lithuania and the Novgorod region were also examined.     

Coexistence and population genetic structure of the whooper swan <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cygnus cygnus</Emphasis> and mute swan <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cygnus olor</Emphasis> in Lithuania and Latvia

Two closely related swan species, the mute swan Cygnus olor and the whooper swan Cygnus cygnus, were formerly allopatric throughout their breeding ranges, but during the last decades a sympatric distribution has become characteristic of these species in the Baltic Sea region. The whooper swan has gradually replaced the mute swan in many suitable habitats in Lithuania and Latvia. Marked differences in the genetic population structure of both species may partially explain the dominance of the whooper swan, as genetic population divergence can be a major factor affecting inter-specific competition. A homogenous genetic population structure was defined for mute swans breeding in Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Belarus. Breeding mute swans in this region are mostly of naturalised origin. A diverse population genetic structure characterizes whooper swans breeding in Lithuania and Latvia.     

A crinoid concentration Lagerstätte in the Turonian (Late Cretaceous) Conulus Bed (Miechów-Wolbrom area, Poland)

More than one hundred centrodorsals of the comatulid crinoid Glenotremites paradoxus have been found in Turonian deposits (Upper Cretaceous) in the Miechów-Wolbrom area (southern Poland). This is the first dense occurrence of the genus Glenotremites in the Upper Cretaceous of Poland. Furthermore, so many individuals of this species in one level (the so-called Conulus Bed) forming a crinoid Konzentrat-Lagerstätte are very surprising because only disarticulated remains (cirrals and brachials) are encountered in the older (Cenomanian and earliest Turonian) and younger (late Turonian) deposits. The Glenotremites individuals are accompanied by isocrinids, which prove that stalked forms remained in shallow-water settings for some time after the initiation of the Mesozoic marine revolution.     

Genetic differentiation of southeast Baltic populations of sea trout inferred from single nucleotide polymorphisms

Sea trout (Salmo trutta m. trutta) is a migratory form of brown trout common in the Baltic Sea. Nine populations from the southeast Baltic (Poland; Lithuania; Denmark, Bornholm; Estonia and Russia) were genotyped using iPLEX Gold technology (Sequenom) with 62 informative SNPs. A diagnostic panel of 23 SNPs was applied to estimate genetic differentiation and assess the population structure of Baltic sea trout. The highest level of pairwise F_ST differences was observed between the Russian (East Gulf of Finland) and Polish (Baltic main basin) populations. The lowest differences were between the two Polish and the Polish and Lithuanian populations. A genetic similarity was noted between the Estonian Riguldi River and Danish Bornholm populations, and this finding was supported by a Bayesian and factorial correspondence analysis. Diversity within populations was highest for populations from Estonia and lowest for the Lithuanian population. Genetic structure analysis indicated that individuals from the nine populations were clustered into four groups.     

Chinese mitten crab <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eriocheir sinensis</Emphasis> in the Baltic Sea—a supply-side invader?

Although the Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis (H. Milne-Edwards, 1853) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Varunidae) invaded the Baltic Sea about 80 years ago, published information on its present distribution and abundance in this region is lacking. We provide here information on its Baltic-wide distribution and long-term population dynamics. The species has been found all over the coastal Baltic Sea and also in some adjacent rivers and lakes. The Chinese mitten crab appears to have increased in abundance in recent years in the northeastern part of the Baltic Sea (Gulf of Finland, Gulf of Riga, northern Baltic Proper). Higher catch rates were observed in spring (April–June) and autumn (September–November). The size variation of crabs in different samples was low (mean carapace width 6.1–6.3 cm). Despite findings of gravid females, the reproduction of the mitten crab in the central, northern and eastern Baltic region is considered unlikely due to low salinity and the individuals caught are assumed to actively migrate into the region from the species’ main European distribution area (southeastern North Sea), certainly over 1500 km migration distance. Thus, the dynamics of the North Sea population is probably regulating, at least in part, the occurrence of the Chinese mitten crab in the Baltic Sea area.     

Detection,distribution and control of Potato mop-top virus,a soil-borne virus,in northern Europe

Potato mop-top virus (PMTV; genus Pomovirus; family Virgaviridae) is transmitted by the soil-borne Spongospora subterranea f.sp. subterranea, a protoctist that causes powdery scab on potato. PMTV is distributed widely in the potato growing areas in South and North America, Japan and northwestern Europe. This article reviews the current knowledge on detection, distribution and control of PMTV with focus on the Baltic Sea region. Since the 1980s, PMTV has caused great economic losses to potato production in the Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland), but its occurrence in other countries of the Baltic Sea region remained unknown. To fill this knowledge gap, harmonised sampling and virus detection procedures including bioassays and serological and molecular methods were employed by 21 research institutions to detect PMTV in potato tubers and soil samples in 2005–2008. Potato growing areas were widely contaminated with PMTV in the Nordic countries. Only the main seed potato production area in northern Sweden and the High Grade seed potato production zone in Finland were negative for PMTV. Intensive and systematic surveys in Poland in 2004–2008 found no evidence of PMTV, except a single PMTV-infected tuber detected in 2008. Surveys in the Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) and northwestern Russia (Leningrad province) were negative for PMTV, except infection of minitubers in a screenhouse in Latvia in 2005. Varying percentages of tubers expressing spraing symptoms in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Poland were infected with Tobacco rattle virus, and bioassays indicated similar results for Russia. Incidence of symptomless infections with PMTV was high in tubers of many potato cultivars. Here, we discuss the contrasting patterns of distribution of PMTV in the Baltic Sea region, factors playing a role in dispersal and establishment of PMTV in new fields and means for controlling PMTV and its spread to new areas. We emphasise the use of the current virus-specific methods for the detection of PMTV in symptomless potato tubers and the high risks of disseminating PMTV to new fields and areas in viruliferous resting spores of S. subterranea in the soil adhering to seed tubers. PMTV-resistant potato cultivars will provide the only sustainable means for preventing yield losses in the infested fields and the prospects of resistance breeding are summarised.     

Morphological variability of the water lily (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Nymphaea</Emphasis>) in the Polesie Zachodnie region,Eastern Poland

Morphological analysis of the water lily (Nymphaea) was carried out to verify distribution of two closely related species Nymphaea alba and N. candida in the large swampy area in Eastern Poland, Polesie Zachodnie. A total of 25 lakes were investigated across the region. Data were collected from 20 lakes of different origin. Based on morphological characters of flowers and leaves the specimens varied continuously from “pure” N. candida to N. alba with high number of plants with mixed morphology, commonly known as N. × borealis. The intermediate morphotypes were common in all over the study area, whereas plants with exact morphology of N. candida were found mostly in humic lakes, in the eastern part of the region. The results provide evidences that N. candida occurs beyond formerly recognized southern border of its range in the country.     

Distribution of Boros schneideri (Panzer, 1796) (Coleoptera, Boridae) in Lithuania

The distribution of the endangered species Boros schneideri was studied by checking the presence of larvae and adults under the bark of dead Pinus sylvestris trees in 13 pine forests in Lithuania. B. schneideri was found in 10 biggest pine forests, the area of which exceeded 20,000 ha. However, it was not detected in smaller isolated forests. In Kazlų Rūda, Šimonys, Pabradė and Rūdiškės forests this species was recorded for the first time. The part of localities in which B. schneideri was found and the percentage of trees with B. schneideri were significantly higher in the main parts of the biggest forests than in satellite or smaller forests. Both these parameters were significantly lower in forests located in the close vicinity of urban territories than in forests further from them. Consequently, the forest size and the distance of the forest from urban territories were found to be of critical importance for the survival and density of the B. schneideri population. These distribution regularities are important for the establishment of protected areas for this species conservation.     

Favositidae (Tabulata) from Emsian to Middle Devonian limestones of the Tamworth Group (N.S.W., Australia)

Several different species and species groups of the familiy Favositidae from the Emsian and Middle Devonian limestones of the Tamworth Group (N.S.W., Australia) are described. The Emsian Sulcor Limestone Member yieldedFavosites sp. aff.F. basalticus (Goldfuss, 1826),Favosites sp. aff.F. salebrosus Etheridge, 1899,Favosites stellaris Chernyshev, 1937,Squameofavosites nitidus (Chapman, 1914),Sq. bryani (Jones, 1937),Pachyfavosites rariporosus Dubatolov, 1963, andP. tumulosus Yanet, 1965. The Middle Devonian Moore Creek Limestone Member yieldedFavosites ex gr.goldfussi D’Orbigny, 1850, exclusively. In the Emsian limestones occur favositids in a wide array of different facies, with most being found in stratified biostromes and in bedded nodular limestones. In the Middle Devonian most favositids are found in nodular and lumpy limestones which occur at the base and at the top of some successions      

Development and eustatic control of an Upper Jurassic reef complex (Saint Germain-de-Joux,Eastern France)

Summary This study consists of a sedimentological and diagenetical analysis of reef facies from the Upper Kimmeridgian (sensu gallico). The investigated deposits are situated in eastern France, about fifty kilometres west of the city of Geneva (Switzerland). The reef complex is a fine example of vertical development and facies differentiation. It is subdivided into two distinct sequences by a perforated hardground horizon and sand shoals. The onset of the first reef sequence is characterized by a pioneer growth stage followed by up to 20 m of reef-core and-flank facies. Corals forming the reef-core are typically the ramose variety ofCalamophylliopsis flabellum. The second reef sequence has a reef-core with an average thickness of about 5 m. Corals, however, display much more varied morphologies, and in some areas massive rudist (Heterodiceras) build-ups occur. Development of the second reef sequence was seriously weakened by a storm which produced a 2 m thick accumulation of coral rubble. A shallowing-upwards trend gradually leads to the formation of beach deposits, followed by a newly detected black-pebble horizon. Diagenesis is an important aspect of the reef complex. Especially noteworthy is the dolomitization of certain horizons. At the base of the reef formation, the passage of the phreatic mixing zone provoked invasive dolomitization in large irregular patches (probably deposits richer in Mg-calcite). Some of the beds above the black-pebble horizon, in particular a deposit of accumulated microbial mats, are also dolomitized. In this case, dolomitization is stratiform and is interpreted as having precipitated under conditions of evaporative pumping. The sedimentary record clearly shows the imprint of eustasy. The reef complex was initiated during a transgressive cycle and the hardground found between the two reef sequences is interpreted as a maximum flooding surface (mfs). At the top of the sequence, the horizon overlain by the black-pebble conglomerate is believed to represent the new sequence boundary SB140. Other significant features identified from the St. Germain-de-Joux deposits include the discovery of a new foraminifera,Troglotella incrustans, which is only marginally covered here but is the topic of another paper (Wernli & Fookes, 1992); the subdivision of the first coralligenous level defined byPelletier (1953) into two reef sequences; and a proposition to redefine the ‘Calcaires de la Semine’ (Bernier, 1984). The investigations carried out in the past on the Kimmeridgian deposits in the area of St. Germain-de-Joux were mostly based on stratigraphy and palaeontology. These reefs are among the finest known in the Jura Mountains, but no thorough study had been made on their sedimentological aspects. The aim of this study is to fill this void and also to clarify the more confusing aspects of local stratigraphy (paper based onFookes, 1991).     

Realization of the project for Acipenser oxyrhynchus oxyrhynchus restoration in the basin of the Neman River

The results of the works on the international project for the Baltic sturgeon restoration in the basin of the Neman River are considered. The mutual goal of the project is the restoration of the Baltic sturgeon population in its whole former area in the Baltic Sea. Successful works on the restoration of the Baltic sturgeon population are conducted in the Oder and the Vistula basins. The stockings of the Neman River with the sturgeon fry were started from 2012 year. It is contemplated that the sturgeon stockings of the main rivers of the Baltic Sea will enable to restore local sturgeon populations in these river basins. Till the beginning of the XXI century it was supposed that the Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser sturio had inhabited the Baltic Sea, but numerous genetic analysis of the samples of the sturgeon bones from the archeological finds in the museums showed that the Baltic Sea had been inhabited with Acipenser oxyrhynchus and its population still inhabits several rivers in Canada. This discovery permitted to start the creation of the Baltic sturgeon broodstock. Sturgeon fry from the eggs imported from Canada were used for stocking at the first stage of the project. Later it is contemplated to use the fry from the broodstocks in Germany and Poland. Sturgeon fry hatched from Canadian eggs in Poland and reared in Lithuania was used for the Neman River stocking. The fry were tagged and released in the Neris and the Sventoji Rivers in the Neman River basin. The sturgeon migrated into the Curonian lagoon where the monitoring of the catches was fulfilled. The results of sturgeon catches monitoring are discussed.     

Maksymilianites, a new name forSyringella Nowiński, 1970 (Anthozoa, Tabulata) preoccupied bySyringella Schmidt, 1868 (Porifera)

A new name,Maksymilianites nom. nov. is proposed as a replacing name forSyringella Nowiński, 1970 (Anthozoa, Tabulata), monospecific genus from the Middle/Upper Devonian of Poland preoccupied bySyringella Schmidt, 1868 (Porifera).     

A Holocene environmental record reflecting vegetation, climate, and fire variability at the Páramo of Quimsacocha, southwestern Ecuadorian Andes

We reconstructed the palaeoenvironmental conditions of the last ca. 8,000 years in the Tres Lagunas region of the Quimsacocha volcanic basin (ca. 3,800 m a.s.l.) in the southwestern Ecuadorian Andes. By means of a pollen and charcoal record, we analysed vegetation, fire, and climate history of this area, which is sensitive to climatic changes of both the Pacific as well as of the eastern Andes and Amazon region. Sediment deposits, pronounced increases of pollen and charcoal concentrations, and pollen taxa reflect warmer and drier conditions in the early to mid-Holocene (~8000 to 3900 cal. b.p.). During the late Holocene (2250 to −57 cal. b.p.), five warm and cold phases occurred at Quimsacocha. The most prominent cold phase possibly corresponds to the globally recognized Little Ice Age (LIA; ~600 to 100 cal. b.p.). The cold phase signal at Quimsacocha was characterized by a higher abundance of Poaceae, Iso?tes and Gentianella, which are favoured by cold and moist conditions. Frequent charcoal particles can be recorded since the early to mid-Holocene (~7600 b.p.). The high Andean tree species Polylepis underwent several phases of degradation and re-establishment in the basin, which could indicate the use of fire by pre-Columbian settlers to enhance the growth of preferred herb species. The Tres Lagunas record suggests that human populations have been influencing the environment around Quimsacocha since the last ca. 8,000 years.     

Neoselachian sharks from the Callovian–Oxfordian (Jurassic) of Ogrodzieniec,Zawiercie Region,southern Poland

Abstract: Callovian and Oxfordian strata in Ogrodzieniec near Zawiercie, southern Poland, have yielded two shark tooth assemblages that collectively include 14 neoselachian taxa. A previously unrecognised member of the Orectolobiformes, Akaimia altucuspis gen. et sp. nov., is described and characterised by a dentition remarkably similar to modern wobbegong sharks (Orectolobidae) by convergence. The assemblages also include the first anterior teeth ever found of the palaeospinacid ‘Synechodus’prorogatus Kriwet, in addition to teeth from two other palaeospinacids, Sphenodus spp., four different orectolobiforms, two hexanchids and Protospinax spp. These shark tooth assemblages contribute to the poorly known Callovian and Oxfordian neoselachian faunas and indicate that the diversity was higher than previously appreciated, particularly within the Orectolobiformes.