Mariusz Lamentowicz
Adam Mickiewicz University (Poznań, Poland), LWEM, Faculty Member
- Earth Sciences, Ecosystems Ecology, Palaeoecology, Protistology, Community Ecology, Paleoenvironment, and 18 moreClimatic Changes, Ecology, Ecology of testate amoebae from British minerotrophic mires, Geography, Micropaleontology, Testate amoebae, Experimental Design, Paleo-Environment Reconstruction, palaeoecology, palynology, Quaternary, archaeobotany, Biology, Conservation Biology, Botany, Landscape Ecology, Climate Change, Water, Forest Ecology, Vegetation Ecology, and Global Warmingedit
- My research interests are focused on ecology and long-term ecology of peatlands. I use experimental and palaeoecologi... moreMy research interests are focused on ecology and long-term ecology of peatlands. I use experimental and palaeoecological interdisciplinary approach to better understand present and past global change. Currently, I am concentrated on the recent (1000-100 years) high-resolution multiproxy peat archives to reconstruct past climate change and human impact. Testate amoebae (Protozoa) (that are my expertise) have great importance as the bioindicators of hydrological and trophic conditions. They are very abundant in fens and bogs, where they live in the top part of mosses and the underlying oxygenated part of the peat. Projects that I realize with other colleagues aim to test experimentally response of peatland testate amoebae to water table fluctuation and climate warming. We compare the experimental results with true patterns of community and change inferred from the peat high-resolution profiles. We try to compare the ecology of testate amoebae between three various climatic settings (Jura Mountains, Alps and NW Poland).edit
Wetlands are very vulnerable ecosystems and sensitive to changes in the ground water table. For the last few thousand years, hydrological balance has also been influenced by human activity. To improve their cropping features, drainage... more
Wetlands are very vulnerable ecosystems and sensitive to changes in the ground water table. For the last few thousand years, hydrological balance has also been influenced by human activity. To improve their cropping features, drainage activity and fertilizing were applied. The drainage process led to an abrupt change of environment, the replacement of plant communities and the entire ecosystem. The problem of carbon sequestration is very important nowadays. A higher accumulation rate is related to higher carbon accumulation, but the intensity of carbon sequestration depends on the type of mire,
habitat, and climatic zone. The main aim of this article was an examination of the changes in poor-fen ecosystem during the last 200 years in relation to natural and anthropogenic factors, using paleoecological methods (pollen and macrofossils). The second aim was a detailed investigation of the sedimentary record to aid our understanding of carbon sequestration in the poor fen of temperate zone. This case study shows that fens in temperate zones, in
comparison with boreal ones, show higher carbon accumulation rates which have been especially intensive over the last few decades. To reconstruct vegetation changes, detailed palynological and macrofossil analyses were done. A 200-year history of the mire revealed that it was influenced by human activity to much degree. However, despite the nearby settlement and building of the drainage ditch, the precious species and plant communities still occur.
habitat, and climatic zone. The main aim of this article was an examination of the changes in poor-fen ecosystem during the last 200 years in relation to natural and anthropogenic factors, using paleoecological methods (pollen and macrofossils). The second aim was a detailed investigation of the sedimentary record to aid our understanding of carbon sequestration in the poor fen of temperate zone. This case study shows that fens in temperate zones, in
comparison with boreal ones, show higher carbon accumulation rates which have been especially intensive over the last few decades. To reconstruct vegetation changes, detailed palynological and macrofossil analyses were done. A 200-year history of the mire revealed that it was influenced by human activity to much degree. However, despite the nearby settlement and building of the drainage ditch, the precious species and plant communities still occur.
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Їabieniec peatland is situated near Lodz (25 km in east) in the area of Wzniesienia Јуdzkie Landscape Park (Kurowski, 1998). Peatland is located in morainic upland in watershed area with Mrozyca River to the west and Mroga River to the... more
Їabieniec peatland is situated near Lodz (25 km in east) in the area of Wzniesienia Јуdzkie Landscape Park (Kurowski, 1998). Peatland is located in morainic upland in watershed area with Mrozyca River to the west and Mroga River to the east. The peatland basin, with the area of over 2 hectares (4.9 acres), is situated in the central part of the oval basin (without flow) 1.5 km (0.9 mi) long depression, which was formed during the ice melting of the Wartian Glacier as meltout depression with a highly varied bottom configuration. Peats ...
Research Interests: Palaeoclimatology, Earth Sciences, Climate Change, Limnology, Environmental Archaeology, and 28 moreWetlands, Landscape Archaeology, Paleoecology, Ecology, Hydrobiology, Climate, Palaeoecology, Aquatic Plants, Eutrophication, Environmental Change, Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Holocene, Palaeozoology, Deforestation, Chironomidae, Water Table, Little Ice Age, Human impact, Climatic Change, Macrofossils, Peatlands, Medieval warm Period, Testate amoebae, Plant Succession, Peat Bog, Environment, and Vegetation Change
Bromeliads accumulate water in the leaf axils (forming phytotelmata), which may then form a habitat for many animal species of both invertebrates and vertebrates. In temperate regions, bromeliads are commonly displayed in palm houses and... more
Bromeliads accumulate water in the leaf axils (forming phytotelmata), which may then form a habitat for many animal species of both invertebrates and vertebrates. In temperate regions, bromeliads are commonly displayed in palm houses and distributed by florist wholesalers. Taking into account the fact that global plant trade can be a source of spreading alien species, the phytotelmata that had formed within the bromeliads were examined here in order to study the protists and invertebrates associated with this habitat. In the examined Bromeliaceae micro-reservoirs representatives of testate amoebae (Euglyphida and Arcellinida), Gastrotricha, Nematoda, Rotifera, Polychaeta, Cladocera, Copepoda and mites (Oribatida, Mesostigmata and Heterostigmatina) were found. Additionally, unidentified Nemertea, Turbellaria, Insecta larvae and single representative of Mollusca were also found. Thirty taxa are recorded for the first time from bromeliads micro-reservoirs. Among the identified taxa, the gastrotrich Chaetonotus (Hystricochaetonotus) furcatus Kisielewski, 1991 was found, which was previously known only from bromeliads in the natural environment in South America. Nematodes belonging to Clarkus spp. were found in the Bromeliaceae reservoirs for the first time. Additionally, the tropical mite Phthiracarus (Phthiracarus) phoxos Niedba la, 2004, previously known from Cuba in the natural environment and other greenhouses in Poland, was also found in the studied phytotelmata. Steneotarsonemus ananas (Tryon, 1898) sensu Beer, 1954 was recorded from Poland for the first time. Some of the mite specimens, e.g., Mesostigmata and Heterostigmatina, had most likely accidentally been caught in the phytotelmatum, which acted like a trap; but others, especially freshwater fauna representatives can be a constant element of the phytotelmata merocenoses. Our study provides comprehensive analysis of fauna living in these exceptional micro-habitats, and it underlines the possibility of passive invertebrate dispersal within bromeliad micro-reservoirs and between different localities, e.g., florist shops and markets as well as greenhouses.
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Sphagnum peatlands are characterized by distinctive vegetation, hydrology and local climate. They are very important areas for flora and fauna. In the last decade, much effort was made at better understanding of microrefugia and their... more
Sphagnum peatlands are characterized by distinctive vegetation, hydrology and local climate. They are very important areas for flora and fauna. In the last decade, much effort was made at better understanding of microrefugia and their important role in post-glacial migration of various plant species. The aim of this study is to explain a long-term persistence of the glacial relict Betula nana in a Sphagnum peatland in northern Poland far from the southern range of its natural distribution. We suppose that the persistence of Betula nana is driven by a) the morphology and geology of the catchment, b) the maintenance of open vegetation on the peatland surface and c) exceptional microclimatic and hydrological conditions. A detailed research was carried out on the peat profile using pollen analysis, to reconstruct the presence of open habitat on the mire during the Holocene. Furthermore, detailed monitoring of local climate, hydrology of the peatland and the surrounding area was conducte...
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Northern peatlands represent a globally significant pool of carbon and are subject to the highest rates of climate warming, and most of these peatlands are in continental settings. However, it is unclear if how fast peatlands respond to... more
Northern peatlands represent a globally significant pool of carbon and are subject to the highest rates of climate warming, and most of these peatlands are in continental settings. However, it is unclear if how fast peatlands respond to past and present changes in temperature and surface moisture in continental vs. oceanic climate settings. The CLIMPEAT project brings together scientists from Poland and Switzerland. Our goal is to assess the past and present vulnerability to climate change of Sphagnum peatland plant and microbial ...
Subfossil testate amoebae (Protists) and stable oxygen isotopes supported by pollen were used to reconstruct the hydrological history of the last 1000 years from Mauntschas mire in the south-eastern Swiss Alps (Upper Engadin valley; 1818... more
Subfossil testate amoebae (Protists) and stable oxygen isotopes supported by pollen were used to reconstruct the hydrological history of the last 1000 years from Mauntschas mire in the south-eastern Swiss Alps (Upper Engadin valley; 1818 m a.s.l.). This peatland, located at the bottom of an Alpine valley, recorded local hydrological changes that could be related to precipitation/temperature changes since AD
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Streszczenie angielskie: Testate amoebae (or testaceans, Testacea, Arcellaceans) are unicellular eukaryotic organisms living in freshwater or most terrestrial habitats such as soils, mosses, lakes, rivers, as well as brackish habitats... more
Streszczenie angielskie: Testate amoebae (or testaceans, Testacea, Arcellaceans) are unicellular eukaryotic organisms living in freshwater or most terrestrial habitats such as soils, mosses, lakes, rivers, as well as brackish habitats such as estuaries. They are very abundant in Sphagnum mosses, where they live in the top part of mosses and the oxygenated part of the peat. The tests (shells) of Testacea are well preserved in peat and to a lesser extent in lake sediments. Efforts should be concentrated on constructing reliable ...
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ABSTRACT Here we present the first high-resolution multi-proxy analysis of a rich fen in the central-eastern European lowlands. The fen is located in the young glacial landscape of the Stazki river valley. We investigated the fen’s... more
ABSTRACT Here we present the first high-resolution multi-proxy analysis of a rich fen in the central-eastern European lowlands. The fen is located in the young glacial landscape of the Stazki river valley. We investigated the fen’s development pathways, asking three main questions: (i) what was the pattern and timing of the peatland’s vegetation succession, (ii) how did land use and climate affect the succession in the fen ecosystem, and (iii) to what degree does the reconstructed hydrology for this site correlate with those of other sites in the region in terms of past climate change? Several stages of fen history were determined, beginning with the lake-to-fen transition ca. AD 700. Brown mosses dominated the sampling site from this period to the present. No human impact was found to have occurred until ca. AD 1700, when the first forest cutting began. Around AD 1890 a more significant disturbance took place – this date marks the clear cutting of forests and dramatic landscape openness. Deforestation changed the hydrology and chemistry of the mire, which was revealed by a shift in local plant and testate amoebae communities. We also compared a potential climatic signal recorded in the peat profile before AD 1700 with other sites from the region.
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Abstract Our palaeoecological study covers 73 years of history (1929–2002) of a kettle hole peatland inundated by water from a nearby, dammed lake. Testate amoebae, pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) were used to track the shift to... more
Abstract Our palaeoecological study covers 73 years of history (1929–2002) of a kettle hole peatland inundated by water from a nearby, dammed lake. Testate amoebae, pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) were used to track the shift to wetter conditions in the peatland. Lead-210 was used to try and construct the chronology. We investigated how peatland testate amoebae communities changed since the damming of a nearby river. Furthermore, we evaluated how rapidly local vegetation responded to the increase in ...
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A comparison of the tree-ring width of pines growing in areas adjacent to a peat bog and on a Baltic raised bog dome suggests that cambium activity in each tree group is affected by different factors. The study was aimed at pinpointing... more
A comparison of the tree-ring width of pines growing in areas adjacent to a peat bog and on a Baltic raised bog dome suggests that cambium activity in each tree group is affected by different factors. The study was aimed at pinpointing effects of meteorological factors on two pine populations growing under different hydrological conditions. The study further sought to identify periods during which anthropogenic pressure affected the two populations. The pines growing on mineral soil were characterised by ring-width growth–climate responses ...
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ABSTRACT This article presents a reconstruction of the development of the ombrotrophic Ga˛zwa peatland based on a high-resolution macrofossil analysis and AMS dating. Successional changes in the plant assemblages dominated by Sphagnum... more
ABSTRACT This article presents a reconstruction of the development of the ombrotrophic Ga˛zwa peatland based on a high-resolution macrofossil analysis and AMS dating. Successional changes in the plant assemblages dominated by Sphagnum were influenced mainly by climate changes. Local fires occurred in the peatland, but did not have a substantial impact on the Sphagnum succession. The disappearance of the first stage of the ombrotrophic peatland, which was dominated by Sphagnum magellanicum and Sphagnum angustifolium, resulted from a decrease in the water level that was also recorded at a number of sites in Europe in approximately 3750 BC. The development of Sphagnum fuscum/rubellum assemblages in approximately 350 BC corresponds with a climate cooling that resulted from low solar activity. The reappearance of Sphagnum magellanicum in approximately AD 1650 corresponds with the Maunder Minimum of the Little Ice Age. The recent dominance of Sphagnum fallax is a result of the drainage of the peatland and of changes in the nearby vegetation. The paleoecology of Sphagnum contortum is also discussed. In the Ga˛zwa peatland, S. contortum occurred during two periods, 3700–3300 BC and 2850–2000 BC. The fossil occurrence of S. contortum in the Ga˛zwa peatland corresponds with its modern ecological requirements in the northern hemisphere. S. contortum occurred in the rich fen phase with Carex lasiocarpa, Comarum palustre, Menyanthes trifoliata and Meesia triquetra. The disappearance of S. contortum is assumed to have been caused by a trophic shift and the succession of a more acidophilic species, Sphagnum obtusum.
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ABSTRACT This paper describes a fossil record from northeastern Poland of Sphagnum obtusum Warnst., a plant that has rarely been found in Holocene sediments. This species occurred circa 1710–1570 cal. BP on Mechacz Wielki peatland and was... more
ABSTRACT This paper describes a fossil record from northeastern Poland of Sphagnum obtusum Warnst., a plant that has rarely been found in Holocene sediments. This species occurred circa 1710–1570 cal. BP on Mechacz Wielki peatland and was present in the transitional phase between a fen that developed on lake sediments and a bog. Sphagnum obtusum was a dominant species and was accompanied by such vascular plants such as Scheuchzeria palustris, Carex rostrata, Comarum palustre and Oxycoccus palustris. Using testate amoebae, we reconstructed the past habitat (water table and pH), with S. obtusum occurring in a moderately wet habitat (mean depth to the water table or DWT 5 9.5, SD 5 0.5) and under slightly acid conditions (mean pH 5 5, SD 5 0.1). A clear correlation was found between the distributions of the subfossil S. obtusum and those of the indicator testate amoebae Hyalosphenia papilio and Cyclopyxis arcelloides. The disappearance of S. obtusum is assumed to have been caused by a trophic shift and succession of a more acidophilic species, Sphagnum angustifolium.
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A fundamental requirement of quantitative palaeoecology is consistent taxonomy between a modern training set and palaeoecological data. In this study we assess the possible consequences of violation of this requirement by simulating... more
A fundamental requirement of quantitative palaeoecology is consistent taxonomy between a modern training set and palaeoecological data. In this study we assess the possible consequences of violation of this requirement by simulating taxonomic errors in testate amoeba data. Combinations of easily confused taxa were selected, and data manipulated to reflect confusion of these taxa; transfer functions based on unmodified data were then applied to these modified data sets. Initially these experiments were carried out one error ...
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Vegetation responses to environmental gradients in peatlands are well documented but little is known about how these patterns compare with those of soil organisms. We studied the vegetation, testate amoebae, and abiotic variables (depth... more
Vegetation responses to environmental gradients in peatlands are well documented but little is known about how these patterns compare with those of soil organisms. We studied the vegetation, testate amoebae, and abiotic variables (depth of the water table DWT, pH, ...
The paper aims at reconstructing Pleistocene slope processes and transformation of tectonic relief in two sections across the northern margin of the Krzeszowice Graben. The investigations are based on the analysis of deposits present on... more
The paper aims at reconstructing Pleistocene slope processes and transformation of tectonic relief in two sections across the northern margin of the Krzeszowice Graben. The investigations are based on the analysis of deposits present on the slopes of fault-line scarps. The lithology and stratigraphy of these deposits was reconstructed based on analysis of outcrops and boreholes. Detailed lithological logs were prepared, along with grain size analyses, and determination of CaCO 3, Fe 2 O 3 and Corg contents in fine- ...
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Mauntschas is a Sphagnum mire situated in the forest-limit ecotone (1818 m asl) near St. Moritz, Engadin, south-eastern Alps of Switzerland. The local climate is subcontinental. The microtopography of this peatland is not disturbed by... more
Mauntschas is a Sphagnum mire situated in the forest-limit ecotone (1818 m asl) near St. Moritz, Engadin, south-eastern Alps of Switzerland. The local climate is subcontinental. The microtopography of this peatland is not disturbed by drainage and its present form is the result of natural hydrological dynamics. A peat monolith was extracted in 2003 and sampled at high resolution for testate amoebae, pollen, and stabile isotopes in Sphagnum with the goal to achieve annual resolution. Surface samples for a testate-amoebae training set ...
Two one-meter long monolith cores were taken from Stazki mire. Stazki mire is well preserved Baltic type raised bog with a very small evidence of exploitation. Stable isotopic composition of carbon (13C) was investigated in the bulk... more
Two one-meter long monolith cores were taken from Stazki mire. Stazki mire is well preserved Baltic type raised bog with a very small evidence of exploitation. Stable isotopic composition of carbon (13C) was investigated in the bulk organic matter of Sphagnum. One centimetre resolution sampling was chosen for the investigation. Only carefully selected, leaf-free Sphagnum stems were collected for the study. Isotopic composition was determined using elemental analyser coupled to isotopic ratio mass spectrometer. For the correlation ...
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Our aim was to reconstruct the palaeohydrological of a Baltic raised bog located in northern Poland over the last 1000 years. We used several proxies: testate amoebae, plant macrofossils, pollen and carbon stable isotopes to reconstruct... more
Our aim was to reconstruct the palaeohydrological of a Baltic raised bog located in northern Poland over the last 1000 years. We used several proxies: testate amoebae, plant macrofossils, pollen and carbon stable isotopes to reconstruct the bog surface wetness. We analysed two replicated monoliths collected from the same bog at high temporal resolution. We obtained a reliable chronology for both monoliths based on radiocarbon and lead 210 dating. We compared the inferred water table depth changes obtained from the ...
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Subfossil testate amoebae (Protists) and stable oxygen isotopes supported by pollen were used to reconstruct the hydrological history of the last 1000 years from Mauntschas mire in the south-eastern Swiss Alps (Upper Engadin valley; 1818... more
Subfossil testate amoebae (Protists) and stable oxygen isotopes supported by pollen were used to reconstruct the hydrological history of the last 1000 years from Mauntschas mire in the south-eastern Swiss Alps (Upper Engadin valley; 1818 m asl). This peatland, located at the bottom of an Alpine valley, recorded local hydrological changes that could be related to precipitation/temperature changes since AD 1000. Using a testate-amoeba training set, which was developed from samples collected in 2007 from peatlands ...
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Streszczenie angielskie: We present the last millennium of history of a peatland located in northern Poland. Our results are based on two replicate monoliths taken from a Baltic raised bog. We applied a high-resolution approach and... more
Streszczenie angielskie: We present the last millennium of history of a peatland located in northern Poland. Our results are based on two replicate monoliths taken from a Baltic raised bog. We applied a high-resolution approach and radiocarbon dating to the peat material to obtain a detailed palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. To reconstruct past peatland moisture, we used three proxies: testate amoebae, plant macrofossils and pollen. Despite different peat accumulation and extensive hiatus in the formerly studied core, both ...