0000000001320479
AUTHOR
Krzysztof Spałek
Natural assets in the right-of-way of A-4 Motorway in the Góra Świętej Anny Landscape Park, Opole Region
Construction of the A-4 Motorway section in the Opole Region begun in Summer 1997. Very soon vigorous resistance of ecological NGOs was encountered. The bone of contention was the section of motorway that passes through the Góra Świętej Anny Landscape Park and verges the natural reserve of strict protection Ligota Dolna where rare species of thermophilic plants are sheltered. Between 2011 and 2013 a detailed mycological, geobotanical, floristic and fauna research took place within the right-of-way of the A-4 Motorway section crossing the Góra Świętej Anny Landscape Park in the Opole Region. The survey revealed several rare and protected species of fungi, plants and animals along the road, i…
Preliminary study on the unusual properties in the habitat of Ranunculetum baudotii in Central Europe
Abstract The study examines the patches of the saltwater association Ranunculetum baudotii in a new, atypical site; i.e., located more than 400 km away from the Baltic coastal line. They were found in a karst spring, and were the first locality of the community identified in Poland. The water and sediments within the patches were analyzed chemically in the laboratory, but, conductivity, water temperature and O2 content were measured in the field. The spring was determined to be a relatively stable aquatic habitat, with a typical chemical composition of subterranean water (a prevalence of hydro-carbonate, calcium and magnesium ions), and rich, e.g., in nitrogen and phosphorus, and disturbed …
Assessment of Usability of Thermal Bicarbonate Mineral Water from the “Odra-5/I” Intake in Grabin Opole Silesia (SW Poland) for Therapeutic and Prophylactic Purposes
Thermal bicarbonate mineral water belong to sought-after balneological resources. This kind of water are a balneological product and valuable raw material used in health resorts for the wider health strategy - prophylaxis and recreation. The discovery of thermal bicarbonate mineral water in Grabin near Opole in 1983 was purely incidental when a intake was made for the recognition of the geological structure of the crystalline basement of Mesozoic and Cenozoic sediments. Thermal bicarbonate mineral water existing in Grabin can be found in the Fore-Sudetic block and is a unique phenomenon. Its chemical composition, and especially high total mineral salt content of the waters from Grabin, indi…
Nymphaeetum albae Vollmar 1947 em. Oberd. in Oberd. et al. 1967, a plant association new to Poland
The paper presents a water plant community new to Poland - <em>Nymphaeetum albae</em> Vollmar 1947 em. Oberd. in Oberd. et al. 1967, belonging to the i class. It was discovered in fishponds in Pokój near Namysłów, Lasowice Małe near Kluczbork and small ponds in Staniszcze Małe near Opole in Silesia (SW Poland). Floristic composition and ecological requirements of this association are presented in the paper. <em>Nymphaeetum albae</em> is considered to be a rare and endangered plant community in Europe.
Invasive vascular plant species of oxbow lakes in south-western Poland
Abstract Natural water reservoirs are very valuable floristic sites in south-western Poland. Among them, the most important for the preservation of biodiversity of flora are oxbow lakes. The long-term process of human pressure on habitats of this type caused disturbances of their biological balance. Changes in the water regime, industrial development and chemisation of agriculture, especially in the period of the last two hundred years, led to systematic disappearances of localities of many plant species connected with rare habitats and also to the appearance of numerous invasive plant species. They are: Azolla filiculoides, Echinocystis lobata, Erechtites hieraciifolia, Impatiens glandulif…
Traditional knowledge and practice of the Triassic variegated clay from Silesia (Krasiejów), Poland, in human medicine.
AbstractBackgroundKrasiejów clay (in German: Krascheow) became famous following the discovery of numerous fossilised bones of Upper Triassic amphibians and reptiles, which have been extracted from clay deposits since the 1980s. These organic remnants remained in Krasiejów clay due to the large amount of slime deposits and the optimal concentration of basal mineral salts.The main aims of the paper are to determine the historical evolution of the use of clay in Silesia for therapeutic purposes and to provide a summary of the historical uses of Krasiejów clay as a medical treatment, based on the knowledge of the local population.MethodsThe mode of utilisation of Triassic variegated claystone t…
The Jewish doctors involved in the development of health resorts in eastern Galicia at the late 19th and early 20th century (Central and Eastern Europe).
Summary Background The involvement of Jewish doctors and scientists in the development of health resorts in eastern Galicia (part of the Austrian monarchy after 1772, and since 1918 as part of independent Poland, now part of Ukraine) is unquestionable; however, awareness of this fact is not that common. Meanwhile, also due to their work and activity, small borderland resorts became important medical, cultural and social centers of the region. The involvement of Jewish doctors in the development of Galician health resorts resulted from, among others, the rich and multi-layered tradition and integration of Judaism with the hygiene regulations and moral principles of the religion. The eastern …
Nymphaeetum candidae Miljan 1933 in Poland
This paper presents the distribution, floristic composition and ecological requirements of the water plant community <em>Nymphaeetum candidae</em> Miljan 1933, belonging to the <em>Potametea</em> class. Until present this community has been reported only from north-eastern Poland. During present studies it was stated also in the south-western part of the country. <em>Nymphaeetum candidae</em> is considered to be a rare and endangered plant community in several countries of Central Europe.
Historical ethnopharmacology of the herbalists from Krummhübel in the Sudety Mountains (seventeenth to nineteenth century), Silesia
Background Krummhübel (after 1945, Karpacz) in the Sudety Mountains (now SW Poland) was called “the village of pharmacists”. At the end of the seventeenth century, there were 57 households, of which about 40 were inhabited by herbalists. Krummhübel herbalists were the first in the Sudety region who applied medicinal mixtures for the treatment of various diseases (using, among others, plants, oils, minerals and even viper venom) in contrast to previous herbalists who only indicated the use of individual plant species for specific diseases. Riesengebirge (in Polish Karkonosze) potions were sold in Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Russia, and some of them could even be purchased in Scan…
Additional file 1 of Traditional knowledge and practice of the Triassic variegated clay from Silesia (Krasiejów), Poland, in human medicine
Additional file 1.
The Use of Medicinal Clay from Silesia “Terra sigillata Silesiaca”, Central Europe - A New Chance for Natural Medicine?
Silesia is a region in Central Europe with beneficial conditions for the presence of clay, including those with potential therapeutic efficacies, due to its very diverse and mosaic geological landscape. The first use of clay deposits in medicine in Silesia, “terra sigillata Silesiaca”, has been dated to 1550 AD, and the oldest written information related to this use has been dated to 1586 AD. Medicinal clay is formed by the accumulation of a mixture of minerals such as smectite, bentonite, montmorillonite, kaolinite, illite, and metahaloisite, with impurities of other minerals and fractions, resulting from the chemical weathering of rocks and the sedimentation of detritus. The quantitative …
New, Rare and Constant Habitats for Endangered Aquatic Plant Communities: The Importance of Microhabitats for Global biodiversity
Natural water reservoirs are very valuable floristic sites, with springs particularly important for the preservation of floral biodiversity. This paper presents, as a case study, a community of water plants that is new to limnocrene karst springs in Europe: Potametum alpini (Potametea), found in Poland. The paper provides the floristic composition and ecological requirements of this plant association, which is rare and endangered in Europe. According to our knowledge, the habitat data presented here are unique as they are published for the first time for this plant community, and thus it is currently not possible to compare them with data from other authors. Our study confirms the importanc…
Veronico beccabungae-callitrichetum stagnalis (Oberd. 1957) Müller 1962, a plant association new to Poland - Quality of habitat
The paper presents a community of water plants that is new to Poland, <em>Veronico beccabungae-Callitrichetum</em> stagnalis (Oberd. 1957) Müller 1962. This community belongs to the class <em>Potametea</em>. It was discovered in the village of Odrowąż near the town of Krapkowice in Silesia (SW Poland). <em>Veronico beccabungae-Callitrichetum stagnalis</em> in Poland occurs within an irregularly shaped shallow underwater spring, located in the distal part of the Oder River’s flood terrace. This plant community covered 0.2 ha in 2008. <em>Callitriche stagnalis</em> predominated in this community. Species such as <em>Callitriche hamulata<…
Scirpetum radicantis Hejný in Hejný et Husák 1978 em. Zahlh. 1979, a plant association new to Poland
The paper presents a rush community new to Poland - <em>Scirpetum radicantis </em>Hejny in Hejny et Husak 1978 em. Zahlh. 1979, belonging to the <em>Phragmition </em>alliance. It was discovered in fishponds near Olesno in Silesia (SW Poland). The floristic composition and the ecological requirements of this association are presented in the paper. <em>Scirpetum radicantis </em>is considered to be a very rare and endangered plant community in Europe.
Utricularietum australis Th. Müller et Görs 1960 in Poland
The paper presents the distribution, floristic composition and ecological requirements of the pleustonic plant community <em>Utricularietum australis</em> Th. Müller et Görs 1960 in Poland. The association was classifield to the Lemnetea minoris class. <em>Utricularietum australis</em> is considered to be a rare and endangered plant community in Europe.
Crop density rather than ruderal plants explains the response of ancient segetal weeds
AbstractThe influence of ruderal species and crop density on ancient segetal weeds was examined. The experiment was carried out on experimental plots with three different sewing densities of winter triticale. Weeding of ruderal taxa was applied on half of the plots to explore the relation between segetal and ruderal weeds. Variation in species composition by environmental variables was analysed by running Redundancy Analysis (RDA) combined with performing forward selection and variation partitioning for “weeding” and “crop density” as explanatory variables. Additionally, the effect of crop density and weeding was tested separately for segetal and ruderal species along the seasons with the u…
Current distribution of Pilularia globulifera L. in Poland – changes of geographical range and habitat preferences
<em>Pilularia globulifera </em>is a subatlantic European fern threatened with extinction. In Poland, it reaches the eastern border of its continuous range. Up to the end of the 20th century, it was observed here in 21 stands; only 2 of them existed by the second half of the century, so the species was categorized as critically endangered. Five new locations have been found in western and northwestern Poland during the last 10 years. Abundant and permanent populations grow in 3 locations, while 2 stands were ephemeral. All the current stands are situated in anthropogenic habitats with spontaneous vegetation, in oligotrophic to eutrophic waters. One of the new localities is about …
Additional file 1: of Historical ethnopharmacology of the herbalists from Krummhübel in the Sudety Mountains (seventeenth to nineteenth century), Silesia
A full dataset of the recorded plant taxa, plant parts and other constituents used, as well as the therapeutic uses. (XLSX 37 kb)