The Importance of Groundwater Quality and Other Habitat Parameters for Effective Active Protection of an Endangered Plant Species in Eastern Poland

Abstract

Anthropogenic habitat transformations involving changes in hydrologic conditions in the peatlands of eastern Poland contribute to the disappearance of sites of numerous relict plant species. The study aimed to verify whether sites chosen for the reintroduction of the endangered species Salix lapponum had been well selected by analyzing selected habitat parameters and determining whether changes in their values may in the long term have a significant impact on the functioning of new populations of the species. The results obtained at sites where the S. lapponum population was replenished with new individuals were analyzed in relation to data from one of the natural sites of the species. Hydrochemical characterization of the groundwater at the study sites confirmed that there was no significant influx of nutrients into the habitat or other hydrological disturbances due to human activity. The values obtained for the factors tested were within the limits of the specific preferences of the species. Changes in the values of some physical-chemical parameters of the water were due to the ecosystem’s internal metabolism, and the site with the highest hydrochemical stability was the one where S. lapponum occurred naturally. The species composition and structure of the phytocoenoses at all study sites were characteristic of natural sites of the species and showed no disturbances caused by human impact. The microbiological analyses indicated normal soil processes. The hydrochemical and biocoenotic stability of the habitat, including the microbiological balance of the soil, which was free of pathogenic fungi, should have a positive effect on the condition of the reintroduced plants.

The Influence of Shallow Peatland Water Quality on Characteristics of the Occurrence of Selected Herb Species in the Peatlands of Eastern Poland

“…The reduction in peatland area limits flood water retention, groundwater recharge, organic carbon accumulation, and biological nutrient retention, and most importantly, leads to the destruction of habitats of valuable plant and animal species [44]. Disturbances of the hydrological conditions of peatlands leading to dehydration of peat deposits also affects the hydrochemical status of the habitat, causing numerous biocoenotic changes including a loss of biodiversity [3,6,18,19,45].…”

“…This process leads to the release of considerable amounts of biogenic substances, mainly nitrogen and sulfur, which entails acidification of hydrogenic soil through oxygenation of their compounds, as well as the loss of base cations due to biological retention by flora and leaching from the soil profile [55][56][57]. The reduction in pH initiates the gradual release of phosphorus by increasing the solubility of its compounds, e.g., apatite, strengite, and variscite, leading to activation of aluminum, which is toxic for plants [6,7,45,58]. An increased amount of chemically-reactive phosphorus in peatland soils entails the risk of its dispersion in the water resources, causing changes in the hydrochemical characteristics and trophic status of the ecosystem [6,7,59].…”

“…Geological and topographic features determine surface runoff and landscape retention, while climate characteristics affect temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, and the chemical composition and distribution of precipitation. The means and intensity of human management, and use of a given area, influence the local and regional water balance [4][5][6][7]. All of these elements influence the chemical composition of groundwater; they are reflected in the species composition and life forms of the flora and in the diversity of plant communities, and they determine the biocoenotic stability of a given community [3,8,9].…”

“…Natural and anthropogenic changes in the environment result in the degradation and fragmentation of habitats for many rare plant species [6,7,17,18] and potentially valuable and useful herb species.…”

Microhabitat Conditions and Inter-Species Competition Predict the Successful Restoration of Declining Relict Species Populations

“…For example, in Europe, restoration programs involving habitats with rare species of the genus Salix are carried out in the United Kingdom [48], the Czech Republic [49], and Poland [50], among others. These programs are usually linked to the verification of methods that increase the effectiveness of conservation treatments and to multifaceted studies of factors affecting the stability of populations of endangered species [15][16][17]20,34,[51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59].…”