Search Results (7)

Aleutian Mink Disease Virus (AMDV) is the causative agent of Aleutian disease (AD). This progressive and chronic disorder significantly impacts the mink breeding industry, affecting farmed and free-ranging American and European mink. This study investigated AMDV variants isolated from free-ranging American mink in northeastern Poland. Between 2018 and 2019, 26 spleen samples were collected from mink in Narew National Park (NNP) and Biebrza National Park (BNP). DNA was extracted and subjected to PCR to amplify the NS1 gene, followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The NS1 gene was detected in 50% of samples from NNP minks and in 30% of samples from BNP minks, with an overall prevalence of 42.31%; these findings align with global data and indicate serious ecological and health concerns. Ten closely related AMDV variants and one distinct variant were identified. The grouped variants exhibited high genetic homogeneity, closely related to strains found in mink from the USA, Germany, Greece, Latvia, and Poland; meanwhile, the distinct variant showed similarities to strains found in mink from Finland, Denmark, China, Poland, and Latvia, suggesting multiple infection sources. These findings, consistent with data from Polish mink farms, indicate significant genetic similarity between farmed and wild mink strains, suggesting potential bidirectional transmission. This underscores the importance of a One Health approach, emphasizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. Continuous surveillance and genetic studies are crucial for understanding AMDV dynamics and mitigating their impacts. Measures to reduce transmission between farmed and wild mink populations are vital for maintaining mink health and ecosystem stability. Full article

Fire can have negative effects on the ant community by reducing species abundance through direct mortality, changes in resource availability, or foraging activity. Fire can also have positive effects, especially for opportunistic species preferring open or disturbed habitats. We assessed the direct effects of a large-scale fire on ant communities in open habitats (grassland and Carex) and moist forested peatland (birch and alder) sites in Biebrza National Park, testing three hypotheses: (i) the large-scale fire had more significant effects on ant nest density in forests than in open habitats, (ii) the post-fire ant diversity changes within sites are stronger in forests than open habitats, and (iii) ant species preferring disturbed habitats are favoured by the fire event. The fire had negative effects on ant nest density only in the Carex and grassland sites but not in the birch and alder sites, suggesting that fire had a stronger impact in open habitats than in forests. Temporal post-fire ant diversity changes within sites were stronger in forests than in open habitats. We observed higher beta diversity changes between the first and second year of the study in the burned forest sites due to colonisation, indicating a greater fire impact on species community composition followed by a higher recolonisation rate. Ant species preferring disturbed habitats were favoured by the fire. The seed-eating ant species Tetramorium caespitum, a thermophilous and opportunistic species, dominated the burned grassland site. This contrasts with other species, e.g., Lasius alienus, for which nest density decreased after fire, underlining the importance of food resource availability as a major driver of community changes after fire. Our study also underlines the importance of periodic biodiversity monitoring in conservation areas for assessing the recovery of the original status after disturbances and revealing possible habitat changes endangering the survival of local biotic communities. Full article

Extensive management is one of the methods used in the conservation of fen meadows. The aim of the study was to characterize grassland communities grazed by Konik horses in the Biebrza National Park and to assess the influence of short-term grazing on the sward. During a 3-year period, phytosociological studies, measurements of the sward cover and height, as well as an assessment of the botanical composition of meadows were conducted in places grazed and excluded from grazing. The grasslands were mowed once a year at the turn of July and August, with the exception of mid-forest meadows. The area studied was dominated by communities of the Molinion alliance. Horses kept at a very low stocking rate reduced the height and cover of the sward. In the short-term, weather conditions, especially the duration of floods, had an even greater impact on the species composition of communities than grazing. Therefore, in order to protect the Molinia meadows, apart from extensive mowing, it is necessary to maintain appropriate habitat conditions, especially in terms of controlling the moisture, and conduct its regular monitoring. Full article

The genetic diversity of natural populations is a key factor in the success of long-term ecosystem protection. We studied the genetic diversity and spatial genetic structure (SGS) in three endangered shrub birch (Betula humilis) populations using seven nuclear microsatellite loci. The highest genetic variation was found in the restored Szuszalewo population in Biebrza National Park, where active prevention of thicket forest succession was recently conducted. The results of bottleneck tests were not statistically significant in each locality, although a genetic indication for population reduction was detected in the Rospuda stand, which is not actively protected. The Bayesian clustering, principal coordinates analysis, and F_ST estimates revealed the greatest difference between Magdzie Bagno and Rospuda samples. SGS was found in all B. humilis stands; however, it was the strongest in the Rospuda locality, where pollen and seed dispersal was limited by dense clusters of shrub birch ramets scattered among forest and brushwood plants. The weakest SGS, also supported by finding some sibling pairs in distant locations, was observed in the Szuszalewo population. The aforementioned results indicate that the active protection practices may impose an immediate beneficial effect on the restoration and maintenance of the B. humilis populations. Full article

Evapotranspiration (ET) estimation through the surface energy balance (SEB) and soil-vegetation-atmosphere-transfer (SVAT) models are uncertain due to the empirical parameterizations of the aerodynamic and canopy-substrate conductances (g_A and g_S) for heat and water vapor transfers. This study critically assessed the impact of conductance parameterizations on ET simulation using three structurally different SEB and SVAT models for an ecologically important North-Eastern European wetland, Upper Biebrza National Park (UBNP) in two consecutive years 2015 and 2016. A pronounced ET underestimation (mean bias −0.48 to −0.68 mm day⁻¹) in SEBS (Surface Energy Balance System) was associated with an overestimation of g_A due to uncertain parameterization of momentum roughness length and bare soil’s excess resistance to heat transfer (kB⁻¹) under low vegetation cover. The systematic ET overestimation (0.65–0.80 mm day⁻¹) in SCOPE (Soil Canopy Observation, Photochemistry and Energy fluxes) was attributed to the overestimation of both the conductances. Conductance parameterizations in SEBS and SCOPE appeared to be very sensitive to the general ecohydrological conditions, with a tendency of overestimating g_A (g_S) under humid (arid) conditions. Low ET bias in the analytical STIC (Surface Temperature Initiated Closure) model as compared to SEBS/SCOPE indicated the critical need for calibration-free conductance parameterizations for improved ET estimation. Full article

The integration of water management goals in protected wetland areas agriculturally managed in an intensive manner recalls the comparison of apples (ecological values) and oranges (economic dimension of agriculture). Sustainable wetland management frequently fails if environmental features are not referred to as ecosystem services and quantified in economic terms. In our hydrological-economical study on floodplain wetlands located in the Lower Basin of the Biebrza Valley, we attempt to quantify the monetary value of water storage in the floodplain during flood phenomena as an important ecosystem service. The unit monetary value of water storage in the catchment of Biebrza Valley was assessed on the basis of small artificial water reservoirs, constructed in recent years and located in the area of research, and reached 0.53 EUR·m⁻³·year⁻¹. In a GIS-based study on hydrological floodplain processes in the years 1995–2011, we assessed the average annual volume of active water storage in the floodplain which reached 10.36 M m³ year⁻¹, giving a monetary value of EUR 5.49 million per annum. We propose that the methodology presented in our analysis could be applied as water storage subsidies in valuable floodplains, to prevent their deterioration originating from agriculture intensification. Full article