Potential eolian dust contribution to accumulation of selected heavy metals and rare earth elements in the aboveground biomass of Tamarix spp. from saline soils in Kazakhstan.

In arid and semi-arid zones, atmospheric dust of different origins influences soil chemistry and plant biomass composition. Thus, studies on plant accumulation of heavy metals and rare earth elements (RREs) should include some assessments of potential eolian deposition. Here, we proposed the use of fractionation of metals in soils as an indirect method to assess potential atmospheric dust input to metal content in plant biomass. Our research was performed on individuals of Tamarix spp. growing on saline automorphic and hydromorphic soils in Kazakhstan. Studied soils could be, in general, classified as polluted, especially in industrial areas of Karaganda and Chromtau. However, concentrations of heavy metals and RREs in biomass remained low, as most of the studied elements were present in plant-inaccessible forms. Nevertheless, we recorded a high accumulation of Cd in biomass (70% of this element present in soils as plant-inaccessible fractions), which indicates the impact of Cd atmospheric deposition.

Interspecific differences in foliar 1 PAHs load between Scots pine, birch, and wild rosemary from three polish peat bogs.

Pine needles are one of the most commonly used bioindicators of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the environment. Therefore, the main objective of the current research was the assessment of PAHs accumulation potential of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) needles in comparison to wild rosemary (Rhododendron tomentosum Harmaja) and birch (Betula spp.) leaves. Our study was carried out on three peat bogs subjected to different degree of anthropopression, which gave us also the opportunity to identify local emission sources. Pine needles had the lowest accumulation potential from all the studied species. The highest accumulation potential, and hence carcinogenic potential, was observed for wild rosemary leaves. As far as emission sources are concerned, the most pronounced influence on atmospheric PAHs loads had traditional charcoal production, resulting in great influx of heavy PAHs. Observed seasonal changes in PAHs concentrations followed the pattern of winter increase, caused mainly by heating season, and summer decrease, caused mainly by volatilization of light PAHs.

The use of chemical markers for the identification of farm escapees in feral mink populations.

Variations in the contaminant burden in feral and ranch mink, resulting from differences in their diet, may permit the identification of farm escapees. However, this is only possible in the case of contaminants that accumulate to significantly different levels in the two groups of animals. The main objective of this study was to identify chemical markers whose concentrations differ between feral and ranch mink, by analyzing the accumulation of 13 chemical elements in liver and kidney samples. Total mercury levels were up to 15-fold higher in kidney, and up to 7-fold higher in liver of feral mink compared with ranch mink. The majority of feral mink samples analyzed for mercury, contained concentrations that ranged from 1 to 5 µg/g in kidney (68 %) and from 1 to 5 µg/g in liver (70 %). In comparison, the organs of ranch mink had significantly lower levels of mercury: 95 % of kidney samples had concentrations below 1 µg/g and 82 % of liver samples had concentrations below 1 µg/g. Small geographical variations in Hg levels were observed in mink from the four studied feral populations. Significant differences in Cu concentrations between ranch and feral mink were also detected, with low variation within the two groups. Less pronounced differences were recorded for other chemical elements. These data suggest that Hg and Cu may be used as chemical markers for the identification of first generation mink farm escapees.

Impact of global environmental changes on the range contraction of Eurasian moose since the Late Pleistocene.

Climatic oscillations are considered primary factors influencing the distribution of various life forms on Earth. Large species adapted to cold climates are particularly vulnerable to extinction due to the climate changes. In our study, we investigated whether the temperature increase since the Late Pleistocene and the contraction of environmental niche during the Holocene were the main factors contributing to the decreasing range of moose (Alces alces) in Europe. We also examined whether there were significant differences in environmental conditions between areas inhabited by moose in Europe and Asia, that could support the division of moose into western and eastern forms, as suggested by genetic and morphological data. We analysed environmental conditions in locations of 655 subfossil and modern moose occurrences over the past 50,000 years in Eurasia. We found that the most limiting climatic factor for the moose distribution since the Late Pleistocene was July temperature. >90 % of moose records were found in areas where the mean summer temperature was below 19 °C, with July temperatures showing over 3 times narrower interquartile range compared to January temperatures. We identified significant differences in environmental conditions between areas inhabited by the European and Asiatic moose. In Europe, the species occurred in regions with milder climates, higher primary productivity, and more frequently within forest biomes compared to Asiatic individuals. The moose range shifted more in the west-east than in the south-north direction during the Holocene climate warming in Europe. We concluded that although the area of suitable moose habitat has increased since 12-8 ka years BP, as demonstrated by environmental niche modeling, the retreat of A. alces in large areas of Europe was likely caused by anthropogenic landscape change (e.g., deforestation) and overhunting by humans during the late Holocene rather than by climate warming during the Pleistocene to Holocene transition.

Ecosystem engineers in the extreme: The modest impact of marmots on vegetation cover and plant nitrogen and phosphorus content in a cold, extremely arid mountain environment.

Burrowing mammals strongly impact plant communities. One of the main effects is accelerating nutrient cycling and thus promoting plant growth. This mechanism is well-studied in grasslands and alpine habitats, but less is known about this phenomenon in arid, cold mountain environments. We studied ecosystem engineering by long-tailed marmots (Marmota caudata) by measuring the content of plant nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as nitrogen stable isotopes in plant biomass and marmot feces in a distance gradient up to 20 m from marmot burrows in an extremely arid glacier valley in Eastern Pamir, Tajikistan. We also captured aerial images of the area inhabited by marmots to study the spatial distribution of vegetation. There was a weak relationship between the presence of burrows and vegetation cover on soil not covered by burrow material. Burrow mounds were not colonized by plants, as opposed to other studies, where mounds are often microhabitats that enhance plant diversity. A significant increase in N and P in aboveground green plant biomass in the proximity of burrows was found in one out of six studied plant species. Contrary to our expectations, stable N isotopes did not give further insight into N routing. We assume that plant growth is strongly limited by water availability, which prevents them from utilizing the local increase in nutrients, certainly provided by marmot activity. The results are contrary to numerous studies, which showed that the role of burrowing animals as ecosystem engineers increases with increasing abiotic stress, including aridity. This shows a lack of this type of study at the end of the gradient of abiotic factors.

Salinity matters the most: How environmental factors shape the diversity and structure of cyanobacterial mat communities in high altitude arid ecosystems.

Introduction: Microbial mats are complex communities of benthic microorganisms that occur at the soil-water interphase in lakes' shores, streams, and ponds. In the cold, mountainous desert of Eastern Pamir (Tajikistan), where scarce water bodies are influenced by extreme environmental conditions, photosynthetic cyanobacteria form diverse mats. The mats are characterized by different morphology and thickness. Their habitats exhibit a wide range of conditions; from oligosaline to hypersaline, oligotrophic to hypertrophic, and from cold ponds to hot springs. The aim of the present study was to reveal the taxonomic composition and structure of these mats and to examine which environmental factors influence them. Methods: Fifty-one mats were collected from small water bodies around Bulunkul, Karakul, and Rangkul Lakes in 2015 and 2017. The physical and chemical properties of the water were measured in situ, while the concentration of nutrients was analyzed ex-situ. To reveal the taxonomic composition of the mats, the hypervariable V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was examined using NGS technology. Results: The results of bioinformatic analyses were compared with microscopic observations. They showed that Cyanobacteria was the dominant phylum, constituting on average 35% of bacterial ASVs, followed by Proteobacteria (28%), Bacteroidota (11%), and Firmicutes (9%). Synechococcales, Oscillatoriales, and Nostocales orders prevailed in Oxyphotobacteria, with a low contribution of Chroococcales, Gloeobacterales, and Chroococcidiopsidales. Occasionally the non-photosynthetic Vampirivibrionia (Melainabacteria) and Sericytochromatia from sister clades to Oxyphotobacteria were noted in the samples. Moreover, there was a high percentage of unidentified cyanobacterial sequences, as well as the recently described Hillbrichtia pamiria gen. et sp. nov., present in one of the samples. Salinity, followed by Na and K concentrations, correlated positively with the composition and structure of Oxyphotobacteria on different taxonomic levels and the abundance of all bacterial ASVs. Discussion: The study suggests that the investigated communities possibly host more novel and endemic species. Among the environmental factors, salinity influenced the Oxyphotobacteria communities the most. Overall, the microenvironmental factors, i.e. the conditions in each of the reservoirs seemed to have a larger impact on the diversity of microbial mats in Pamir than the "subregional" factors, related to altitude, mean annual air temperature and distance between these subregions.

Plant-herbivore interactions: Combined effect of groundwater level, root vole grazing, and sedge silicification.

Accumulation of silica (Si) by plants can be driven by (1) herbivory pressure (and therefore plant-herbivore interactions), (2) geohydrological cycles, or (3) a combination of (1) and (2), with (1-3) possibly affecting Si concentration with a 1-year delay.To identify the relative significance of (1-3), we analyzed the concentration of Si in fibrous tussock sedge (Carex appropinquata), the population density of the root vole (Microtus oeconomus), and the groundwater level, over 11 years.The largest influence of autumn Si concentration in leaves (Sileaf) was on the level of the current-year groundwater table, which was positive and accounted for 13.3% of its variance. The previous year's vole population density was weakly positively correlated with Sileaf, and it alone explained 9.5% of its variance.The only variable found to have a positive, significant effect on autumn Si concentration in rhizomes (Sirhiz) was the current-year spring water level, explaining as much as 60.9% of its variance.We conclude that the changes in Si concentration in fibrous tussock sedge are predominantly driven by hydrology, with vole population dynamics being secondary.Our results provide only partial support for the existence of plant-herbivore interactions, as we did not detect the significant effects of Si tussock concentration on the vole density dynamics. This was mainly due to the low level of silicification of sedges, which was insufficient to impinge herbivores.Future studies on plant-herbivore interactions should therefore aim at disentangling whether anti-herbivore protection is dependent on threshold values of herbivore population dynamics. Furthermore, studies on Si accumulation should focus on the effect of water-mediated Si availability.

Soil development and spatial differentiation in a glacial river valley under cold and extremely arid climate of East Pamir Mountains.

Melting glaciers release new ground surfaces, which may be either a source of greenhouse gas emissions or a sink for carbon dioxide. Studies carried out in subpolar and alpine ecosystems confirm the relatively rapid soil development and increase of carbon and nitrogen pools. However, observations from high-mountain glacier forelands in cold and dry climate are very scarce. This study analyses the impact of major environmental factors related to climate, topography, and vegetation, over a time-scale, on soil development and spatial soil differentiation in the foreland of Uisu Glacier, East Pamir Mountains. Moreover, the usefulness of the World Reference Base (WRB) and Soil Taxonomy in the classification of poorly developed soils in the ultracontinental climate was assessed. Geomorphological, pedological, and botanical surveys covered a sequence of terraces, alluvial fans, and end-moraines. Typical characteristics of the soils in the glacier foreland were: very high stoniness, coarse texture, high content of calcium carbonate, alkaline reaction, and low salinity. Soil development has extremely low intensity and was manifested in (a) soil organic carbon pools being among the lowest reported in the world (up to 1.4 kg m-2 in the layer 0-50 cm), and (b) the presence of cambic/calcic horizons only on landforms older than of Mid-Holocene age (estimated). It was concluded that both the extremely cold and extremely dry climate conditions in the Uisu Glacier foreland limit the water flux and availability, suppress vegetation density and variability, and slow down the rate of soil development. Both WRB and Soil Taxonomy were able to reflect the advances in soil development and spatial soil differentiation (Calcaric Hyperskeletic Leptosols - Calcaric Cambisols - Cambic Calcisols, and Gelifluvents - Haplocambids - Haplocalcids, respectively); however, highlighting different features developed under an extremely cold and dry climate conditions of the East Pamir Mountains.

Smouldering fire in a nutrient-limited wetland ecosystem: Long-lasting changes in water and soil chemistry facilitate shrub expansion into a drained burned fen.

Wildfires are natural phenomena which regulate functioning and stability of fire-adapted ecosystems. However, their occurrence may impair the functioning of fire-susceptible ecosystems by disturbing nutrient cycling and biodiversity. This work aimed to identify environmental factors shaping post-fire patterns of shrub expansion in a drained, burned peatland. This research was conducted in a fire-susceptible drained rich fen, located in Biebrza National Park (Poland), which was subjected to a large-scale smouldering fire in 2002. In 2014, water and soil chemistry were studied alongside with foliar nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) contents of a native shrub (Salix cinerea) in four vegetation types present after the fire. Unburned areas were dominated by herbaceous plants. Willows present were sparse and low, with chloroses and necroses. Their foliar nutrient content indicated strong K limitation. Moderately burned areas were dominated either by willows or nitrophilous plants. Willows in moderately burned areas had high chlorophyll content in leaves and their foliar nutrient content indicated a lack of evident nutrient limitation. In the moderately burned areas, relatively high contents of phosphates (P-PO43-) were recorded in soil and water. In areas with high fire severity, willows were withdrawing and their foliar nutrient content indicated N limitation. Decreased content of P-PO43- and ammonium (N-NH4+) in soil and water was also observed there. Thus, fire-induced changes in fen geochemistry were recorded twelve years after a disturbance which shaped the long-term dynamics of shrub expansion. The fire ceased K limitation in burned areas and increased P availability. Strong K limitation, which is typical in degraded fens, appeared to be critical for keeping unmanaged fen meadows with low shrub cover. The occurrence of strong K limitation in drained fen ecosystems may reduce the need for investment in conservation practices used to restrict shrub expansion (e.g. regular mowing or shrub removal).

Plant response to N availability in permafrost-affected alpine wetlands in arid and semi-arid climate zones.

Nutrient cycling in alpine permafrost-affected wetlands remains insufficiently studied, as it is influenced by a complex network of interrelated climatic and environmental factors, at both regional and local scale. Therefore, we applied mathematical models to examine relationship between environmental factors and plant functional traits reflecting N availability in wetland communities developed under locally variable conditions in a geographic and climatic gradient of high-altitude habitats. Moreover, we assessed impact of local differences in soil chemistry on plant fractionation of N isotopes as a response to N availability. Based on environmental data and chemistry of biomass from 192 study sites from the Pamir Mountains (Tajikistan) and Khangai and Khentei Mountains (Mongolia), a matrix of rank correlations was prepared for regional and local factors and community level plant functional traits. For the traits that were highly correlated either with regional or with local drivers (that is plant N:P ratio and plant δ15N), linear models were built, with a limited set of predictors selected according to the Risk Inflation Criterion and the SOS algorithm. The models were fitted for each of the studied regions. Presented regional models indicated significant influence of soil NH4+ and/or PO43- content on plant N:P ratio, which showed increase with altitude and lowering precipitation. Thus, its values clearly distinguished between the Pamir Mountains (high N:P) and the Mongolian ranges (low N:P). Models for plant δ15N showed its strong positive correlations with soil δ15N and soil salinity. Average values of plant δ15N were comparable for both study areas. The studied plant functional traits showed different response to regional and local drivers. Plant N:P ratio was controlled by regional drivers via their influence on soil NH4+ content. Contrastingly, plant δ15N was significantly affected by local factors, namely soil δ15N and soil salinity expressed as Na:EC.

Limited Microcystin, Anatoxin and Cylindrospermopsin Production by Cyanobacteria from Microbial Mats in Cold Deserts.

Toxic metabolites are produced by many cyanobacterial species. There are limited data on toxigenic benthic, mat-forming cyanobacteria, and information on toxic cyanobacteria from Central Asia is even more scarce. In the present study, we examined cyanobacterial diversity and community structure, the presence of genes involved in toxin production and the occurrence of cyanotoxins in cyanobacterial mats from small water bodies in a cold high-mountain desert of Eastern Pamir. Diversity was explored using amplicon-based sequencing targeting the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene, toxin potential using PCR-based methods (mcy, nda, ana, sxt), and toxins by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Molecular identification of cyanobacteria showed a high similarity of abundant taxa to Nostoc PCC-73102, Nostoc PCC-7524, Nodularia PCC-935 and Leptolyngbya CYN68. The PCRs revealed the presence of mcyE and/or ndaF genes in 11 samples and mcyD in six. The partial sequences of the mcyE gene showed high sequence similarity to Nostoc, Planktothrix and uncultured cyanobacteria. LC-MS/MS analysis identified six microcystin congeners in two samples and unknown peptides in one. These results suggest that, in this extreme environment, cyanobacteria do not commonly produce microcystins, anatoxins and cylindrospermopsins, despite the high diversity and widespread occurrence of potentially toxic taxa.

Nature's patchwork: How water sources and soil salinity determine the distribution and structure of halophytic plant communities in arid environments of the Eastern Pamir.

The eastern part of the Pamir Mountains, located in Central Asia, is characterized by great climatic continentality and aridity. Wetlands developed in this hostile region are restricted to spring areas, terraces of shallow lakes or floodplains along rivers, and provide diversified ecosystem services e.g. as water reservoirs, refugia for rare species and pastures for domestic cattle. These ecosystems are particularly susceptible to climate changes, that in the Pamir Mountains result in increased temperatures, intense permafrost/glacial melt and alterations of precipitation patterns. Climatic changes affect pasture management in the mountains, causing overutilization of sites located at lower elevations. Thus, both climate and man-induced disturbances may violate the existing ecological equilibrium in high-mountain wetlands of the Eastern Pamir, posing a serious risk to their biodiversity and to food security of the local population. In this context, we sought to assess how environmental drivers (with special focus on soil features and potential water sources) shape the distribution and diversity of halophytic plant communities developed in valleys in the Eastern Pamir. This task was completed by means of a vegetation survey and comprehensive analyses of habitat conditions. The lake terraces and floodplains studied were covered by a repetitive mosaic of plant communities determined by differences in soil moisture and salinity. On lower, wetter sites, this patchwork was formed by Blysmus rufus dominated salt marshes, saline small sedge meadows and saline meadows with Kobresia royleana and Primula pamirica; and on drier, elevated sites, by endemic grasslands with Hordeum brevisubulatum and Puccinellia species and patches of xerohalophytic vegetation. Continuous instability of water sources and summer droughts occurring in the Pamir Mountains may lead to significant structural and functional transformations of described wetland ecosystems. Species more tolerant to decreased soil moisture and/or increased soil salinity will expand, leading to alterations of ecosystem services provided by the Pamirs' wetlands. The described research will help to assess the current state of the wetlands and to predict directions of their future changes.