Effects of Hydrologic Regime Changes on a Taxonomic and Functional Trait Structure of Earthworm Communities in Mountain Wetlands.

Disturbances, both natural and anthropogenic, influence the patterning of species and species traits. The shift in species composition and distribution pattern of functional traits can demonstrate if the community is resistant, sensitive or resilient to the disturbance. Based on species- and trait-based approaches, we examined the response of the earthworm community to changing hydrologic conditions caused by the artificial drainage of mountain fens, in which cumulative effects of disturbance events over space and time are much less dynamic than in riverine wetlands.

Vascular plant and cryptogam abundance as well as soil chemical properties shape microbial communities in the successional gradient of glacier foreland soils.

In the glacier forelands, microbes play a fundamental role in soil development and shaping the vegetation structure. Such ecosystems represent various stages of soil development and are, therefore, an excellent place to study the interrelationship between soil, plants, and microorganisms. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of vegetation and soil physicochemical properties developing after glacier retreat on soil microbial communities.

Are Natural or Anthropogenic Factors Influencing Potentially Toxic Elements' Enrichment in Soils in Proglacial Zones? An Example from Kaffiøyra (Oscar II Land, Spitsbergen).

Arctic soils may hold potentially toxic elements (PTE); PTE can provide evidence of past or recent pollution. In this study, five soil profiles located on Oscar II Land (Kaffiøyra) were studied to (i) evaluate the ecological status of Kaffiøyra's soils based on the determination of the possible accumulation of PTE using pollution indices; and (ii) determine the possible origin of PTE enrichment (local factors vs. long-range sources) depending on the distance from the sea.