The status of freshwater pearl mussel in the Czech Republic: Several successfully rejuvenated populations but the absence of natural reproduction

The freshwater pearl mussel was historically abundant in many streams and rivers in the Elbe, Oder, and Danube Basins in the Czech Republic, Central Europe. By the 21st century, the mussels had become extinct in the lower and middle altitudes, and current populations are only present near the upper limit of their natural range. The current population of this mussel is estimated to be only 1% of the historical abundance. The population decline was related to the negative impacts of pollution from industry, intense agriculture, forestry, and sewage water. The freshwater pearl mussel habitat has also been impacted by watercourse regulations and has been fragmented by dams and weirs. All of these impacts have resulted in failure of the reproductive cycle; the last significant cohort of juveniles settled approximately 30 – 40 years ago. Therefore, this species is considered critically endangered, and an action plan was developed to conserve the populations in the Czech Republic. Special measures were conducted between 1984 and 2005 to improve the age structure of elderly populations. Fish infected with millions of glochidia were released in two locations, and over 53,000 captive-bred juveniles that were three to five years old were released in seven locations. Only the latter approach resulted in a small number of subadults that gradually emerged from the substratum to the bottom surface, as confirmed by monitoring efforts. Despite simultaneous efforts to restore mussel habitat over the last 25 years, natural reproduction still does not occur in the Czech Republic. Therefore, complete restoration of oligotrophic streams is the key to the future presence and natural reproduction of freshwater pearl mussels in the Czech Republic.     

Chlorinated Hydrocarbons in Sediments of the Elbe Catchment Area – Analytical Methods and Status of Pollution

A survey was conducted to determine the status of pollution of surficial sediments in the Elbe catchment area (Germany, Czech Republic) for the period 1992 to 1994. Chlorinated benzenes, PCBs, DDT and its metabolites, and HCH isomers were determined by GC/ECD following a simultaneous steam distillation-extraction procedure. Most of the investigated compounds showed increased concentration levels in sections of the Elbe or its main tributaries exceeding the target value II (quality criteria ARGE Elbe). Patterns of chlorinated hydrocarbons could be traced back from the Elbe into tributaries, and in some cases, links between patterns and inputs or long-term effects of former chemical production sites were supposed.     

Trends und Verteilungsmuster in der Schadstoffbelastung von Sedimenten aus östlichen Bundeswasserstraßen

Trends and Patterns in the Contamination of Sediments from Federal Waterways in Eastern Germany The following study presents a concept for a sediment pollution cadastre and the results of systematic investigations of sediment contamination for eight toxic heavy metals and arsenic, as well as for eight classes of organic priority pollutants in all together 21 reaches in the Elbe and Oder waterway systems. Based on data from the years 1991 to 1995; multivariate statistical evaluations were carried out to identify local and temporal trends in the overall contamination. It was possible to differentiate between more non-point and point sources of sediment contamination. Because of the closure of substantial parts of the industry in Eastern Germany and by common sanitation efforts of both the German and the Czech sides since 1990, the situation in the Elbe river system with respect to the heavy metals has improved markedly. For the Oder river system, a comparable trend does not exist yet, and the sediment contamination by heavy metals is stagnant there. As a consequence, the pollution situation in both German parts of the rivers has become similar except for mercury and arsenic. Regarding organic pollutants, the picture is quite different. With the exception of PAHs, Oder sediments are contaminated by organics only to a lower extent and compare better with the ones from unpolluted waters found in parts of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania than with those of rivers Elbe, Mulde, and Saale with its tributaries. On the one hand, organic pollution generally also decreased since 1991 in these rivers. On the other hand, due to continuing inputs from plants in the Czech Republic and from old contaminated sites, both in Czechia and Germany, a decreasing trend is not significant or cannot be found at all for such pollutants as HCB, PCBs, or PAHs. The general trends are discussed in detail, e.g., by comparison with quality targets for sediments and suspended matter, and illustrated at the example of individual contaminants being typical for the overall situation.     

Evaluating the efficiency of three methods for monitoring of native crayfish in Germany

We compared the capture efficiency of three traditional sampling methods, hand captures at day, hand captures at night and captures by commercial baited traps (“Pirat type”) with a coarse mesh size of 10 × 45 mm, for the native crayfish species Austropotamobius torrentium (stone crayfish) and Astacus astacus (noble crayfish). These capture types are applied regularly in monitoring programs. Additionally, we tested modified traps with fine mesh size to capture stone crayfish. We hypothesized that the capture efficiency of the methods is different between the two species, different sex and size classes and seasons and that modified traps with small mesh size were more effective in capturing juvenile stone crayfish than traps with coarse mesh size. Hand captures at night were found to be the most effective sampling method for both species. It generates the highest relative abundances and is the least biased method in relation to size and sex of crayfish specimen. Hand captures at day result in lower capture rates than hand captures at night. However, there is a tendency to gather more small individuals and females in comparison to the night captures. Baited traps turned out to be completely inappropriate for capturing stone crayfish; even traps modified with small mesh size were not a suitable capture method. For noble crayfish all three methods seem to be suitable, depending on the sampling purposes. The relative differences between the methods did not change significantly during the seasons. However, when capture rates of all three methods were combined, September was found to be the month where the highest capture rates were achieved as both sexes of both species were on the peak of their activity.     

Extended Sediment Quality Rating for Trace Elements in Urban Waters – Case Study Klinke,Germany

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) commits European Union member states to achieving good ecological status in all water bodies by 2015. For sediments the definition of good chemical status is based on numerical sediment quality guidelines. The aqua regia fraction is thus used for the evaluation of heavy metal concentrations in sediments. The chemical constituents in sediments responsible for mobility and toxicity are not considered generally. This article presents the combining of the sequential BCR procedure, for determining the chemical species of relevant elements, with the geoaccumulation index principle a numerical classification method for sediment quality guidelines. Using the BCR method it can be demonstrated that changes in element speciation can lead to more highly mobile species of trace elements which may affect the hazardous potential of sediments despite the “good chemical status” classification for aqua regia digestions. The Klinke stream is an urban surface water body located in Magdeburg, the state capital of Saxony‐Anhalt, Germany. Using this stream as an example it is shown that this additional information helps to describe the dynamics and discharge of the trace elements Al, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Rb, Sr, Mo, Pd, Cd, Sb, Ba, Pb, Bi, and U into the Elbe River from urban water bodies.     

The 2002 flood consequences in the catchment of Otava River, Czech Republic

In this article we analyse and compare the data on consequences of the catastrophic 2002 floods in two subcatchments of Otava river basin collected during specialized mapping in 2003. The Otava River is situated in the southwest of the Czech Republic. From its basin we have chosen two different subcatchments: Lower Otava River, surrounded by flat, lowland landscape and Losenice River, swift stream descending from the Sumava Mountains. We also present some basic data on the flood course and its hydrological parameters and meteorological causes.     

Coping with floods: preparedness,response and recovery of flood-affected residents in Germany in 2002

Abstract

In August 2002, a severe flood event occurred in Central Europe. In the following year, a poll was performed in Germany in which 1697 private households were randomly selected from three regions: (a) the River Elbe area, (b) the Elbe tributaries in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, and (c) the Bavarian Danube catchment. Residents were interviewed about flood characteristics, early warning, damage, recovery, preparedness and previously experienced floods. Preparedness, response, financial losses and recovery differed in the three regions under study. This could be attributed mainly to differences in flood experience and flood impact. Knowledge about self-protection, residents' home-ownership and household size influenced the extent and type of private precautions taken, as well as the residents' ability to perform mitigation measures. To further improve preparedness and response during future flood events, flood warnings should include more information about possible protection measures. In addition, different information leaflets with flood mitigation options for specific groups of people, e.g. tenants, homeowners, elderly people or young families, should be developed.     

Molecular and morphometric characterisation of the invasive signal crayfish populations in Croatia

The signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus (Dana, 1852) is a native species to North America. It was introduced to Europe and Japan where it rapidly spread as an invasive species. In Croatia, it is recorded in the rivers Mura and Drava, where it spread downstream from Slovenia, and in the Korana River, where it has been recently illegally introduced. In the invaded areas, signal crayfish outcompetes native crayfish species. Since the knowledge on the genetic diversity of this invasive species is limited, microsatellite markers and sequences of mitochondrial gene for 16S rRNA were analysed to explore the genetic relations between the two Croatian populations (Mura and Korana rivers) as well as their relation to other already studied European populations. Moreover, 16S rRNA sequence fragments of Croatian samples were compared with those from the native range in the west North America. Morphometric characteristics were also studied to determine if there are significant differences between studied populations and if these are concordant with the genetic analyses results. Also, morphometric data were used to assign Croatian signal crayfish into subspecies classification according to Miller’s discriminant function formula, and to compare claw surface area among Croatian, Japanese and North American populations. Based on the results of morphometric characteristics Croatian samples showed Pacifastacus leniusculus leniusculus-like morphology. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on 16S rRNA, positioned Croatian samples into P. leniusculus sensu Larson et al. (2012). Results on microsatellite markers showed that the genetic diversity of P. leniusculus in the Mura River population is slightly higher compared to the Korana River population, but these two populations do not form separated genetic clusters. This study contributes to the knowledge on genetic variability and morphometric characteristics of signal crayfish in Europe and further understanding of its success as an invasive species.     

基于COI基因序列的太湖新银鱼遗传多样性

利用线粒体细胞色素C氧化酶I(COI)分子标记分析长江中下游太湖新银鱼(Neosalanx taihuensis)8个地理种群132个样本的遗传多样性.该基因630 bp片段的碱基序列共检出8个核苷酸变异位点(变异率1.27%),其中局域性单倍型居多(75%),群体单倍型多样性较高(h=0.576±0.036),而核苷酸多样性较低(π=0.00112±0.00204).不同地理种群遗传多样性差异显著:有人工移植历史种群遗传多样性较高、隔离度较高的种群遗传多样性较低,但大部分的遗传变异来自于种群内(54.83%),反映出地理隔离和人为干扰对太湖新银鱼遗传格局影响显著.研究表明COI基因适于银鱼科鱼类物种鉴别和系统发育研究,同时可为同种种群间遗传关系分析提供一定的信息.     

S-velocity structure beneath the Bohemian Massif from Monte Carlo inversion of seismic receiver function

The paper contains an analysis of S-velocity distribution in the crust and upper mantle beneath the Bohemian Massif, which is the second biggest Variscan outcrop in Europe. It occupies mainly the west part of Czech Republic and also part of south-west Poland and south-east Germany. We use data from 10 permanent stations set in the region. Some previous papers relate to the same scope but use linear methods to inverse receiver function. Our new approach involves Monte Carlo techniques for inversion procedure, which is more convenient and robust for such a non-linear task. The result of Monte Carlo inversion is compared with the previously achieved one. The obtained Moho depths vary from 29 km in the north-west part of the Bohemian Massif to 38 km in the south and south-east and are consistent with other papers. Some discrepancies occur in the middle and upper crust.     

Abundance, diversity and succession of aquatic Coleoptera and Heteroptera in a cluster of artificial ponds in the North German Lowlands

Our study describes and evaluates environmental influences on assemblages of aquatic Coleoptera and Heteroptera in artificial ponds situated near Lake Steinhude in Lower Saxony (Germany). We determined temporal dynamics and colonization patterns for 14 ponds of different age. In total, we recorded 4941 individuals that represented 87 species of aquatic beetles and bugs. Between 30 and 40 species were found in most of the ponds. Heteropteran species of the families Corixidae and Notonectidae acted as pioneer species in new ponds, while aquatic coleopterans predominated in older ponds. The results of Canonical Correspondence Analyses (CCA) showed that among the key factors affecting community structure were land use, vegetation cover, water chemistry and the age of the ponds. We found that the distribution of adjacent ponds on areas with different land use has a positive influence on the diversity and abundance of the aquatic insect fauna.     

Analytical partial derivatives of the phase- and group velocities for Rayleigh waves propagating in a layer on a half-space

The dispersion relation for Rayleigh waves in a layer on a half-space is modified by introducing the quadratic wave number instead of the phase velocity. The implicit function theorem is then used to derive analytical formulae for the group velocity and for the phase- and group velocity partial derivatives with respect to the parameters of the medium. As two examples, the method is applied to the interpretation of dispersion curves for short-period Rayleigh waves observed in a sedimentary basin of the West Carpathians, and in the Moravo-Silesian region, Czech Republic.     

Detection Capability of Selected Seismic Stations in Central Europe

The 50% and 90% P-wave detection thresholds of 3 Austrian, 2 Czech, 5 German, 1 Hungarian and 3 Slovak seismic stations have been determined for four intervals of epicentral distances by a direct method using the maximum-likelihood technique. The USGS-NEIC Earthquake Data Reports covering the period from January 1990 to November 1994 were used as the reference system. The seismic stations Kaperské Hory (KHC, Czech Republic) and Collmberg (CLL, Germany) are the stations with the best detection capabilities for all investigated intervals of epicentral distances.     

Emergent effects of heavy metal pollution at a population level: Littorina brevicula a study case

Changes in genetic variability and allele frequency can be responses from natural populations when encountering a novel contaminated environment. The genetic diversity and population structuring of natural populations of the gastropod Littorina brevicula from heavy-metal polluted and unpolluted environments along the southeast coast of Korea were examined using two mtDNA markers, cyt b and ND6. This study applied a nested clade analysis to test the existence of structuring association of haplotype distribution with environments (polluted and unpolluted). No genetic differences within cyt b mtDNA were detected between environments. On the other hand, differences in population haplotype diversity and structuring were found within ND6 mtDNA between polluted and unpolluted environments. The ND6-mtDNA haplotype (=genetic) diversity was significant lower in polluted environments. This decreased genetic diversity along with differences in the haplotype distribution within heavy-metal polluted environments compared to those unpolluted ones stand out as emergent effects from pollution at a population level. In this study, we propose the use of different approaches, such as the NCA, that takes into account the rare haplotypes, when assessing the effects of pollution on population genetic structuring.     

Vibration Effect of Near Earthquakes at Different Depths in a Shallow Medieval Mine

The shallow medieval Jeroným Mine is located at a distance of about 25 km southeast of the Nový Kostel focal zone where the most intensive seismic activity in West Bohemia (Czech Republic) has been documented. Permanent seismological monitoring has been carried out since 2004 in this mine. During the 2011 and 2014 seismic swarms, more than 1000 triggered records comprising almost 1500 earthquakes were recorded at the permanent station in the mine. Three short-term seismological experiments were accomplished during these swarms. Several temporary seismic stations were simultaneously placed in different parts of underground spaces which enabled comparison of vibration effect caused by near earthquakes in different parts of the mine. Although the depth of the lowest parts of mine is only about 60 m, a vibration effect generated by earthquakes from the Nový Kostel focal zone is not the same for the whole underground complex.     

Heavy metal transport in large river systems: heavy metal emissions and loads in the Rhine and Elbe river basins

Pollutant transport and management in the Rhine and Elbe basins is still of international concern, since certain target levels set by the international committees for protection of both rivers have not been reached. The analysis of the chain of emissions of point and diffuse sources to river loads will provide policy makers with a tool for effective management of river basins. The analysis of large river basins such as the Elbe and Rhine requires information on the spatial and temporal characteristics of both emissions and physical information of the entire river basin. In this paper, an analysis has been made of heavy metal emissions from various point and diffuse sources in the Rhine and Elbe drainage areas. Different point and diffuse pathways are considered in the model, such as inputs from industry, wastewater treatment plants, urban areas, erosion, groundwater, atmospheric deposition, tile drainage, and runoff. In most cases the measured heavy metal loads at monitoring stations are lower than the sum of the heavy metal emissions. This behaviour in large river systems can largely be explained by retention processes (e.g. sedimentation) and is dependent on the specific runoff of a catchment. Independent of the method used to estimate emissions, the source apportionment analysis of observed loads was used to determine the share of point and diffuse sources in the heavy metal load at a monitoring station by establishing a discharge dependency. The results from both the emission analysis and the source apportionment analysis of observed loads were compared and gave similar results. Between 51% (for Hg) and 74% (for Pb) of the total transport in the Elbe basin is supplied by inputs from diffuse sources. In the Rhine basin diffuse source inputs dominate the total transport and deliver more than 70% of the total transport. The diffuse hydrological pathways with the highest share are erosion and urban areas. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of Water Quality in the Elbe River at Flood Water Conditions Based on Cluster Analysis,Principle Components Analysis,and Source Apportionment

An assessment of water quality measurements during a spring flood in the Elbe River is presented. Daily samples were taken at a site in the middle Elbe, which is part of the network of the International Commission for the Protection of the Elbe River (IKSE/MKOL). Cluster analysis (CA), principal components analysis (PCA), and source apportionment (APCS apportioning) were used to assess the flood‐dependent matter transport. As a result, three main components could be extracted as important to the matter transport in the Elbe River basin during flood events: (i) re‐suspended contaminated sediments, which led to temporarily increased concentrations of suspended matter and of most of the investigated heavy metals; (ii) water discharge related concentrations of pedogenic dissolved organic matter (DOM) as well as preliminary diluted concentrations of uranium and chloride, parameters with stable pollution background in the river basin; and (iii) abandoned mines, i.e., their dewatering systems, with particular influence on nickel, manganese, and zinc concentrations.     

Scenarios of global municipal water-use demand projections over the 21st century

Abstract

A comparison study is presented of three methods for evaluating trends in drought frequency: the standardized precipitation index (SPI), the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI), and a new method for estimation of dry spells (DS), which is based on average daily temperature and precipitation, and takes into account the length of a spell. The methods were applied to climate data from 450 stations in the Elbe River basin for the period 1951–2003, as well as data from several stations with longer observed time series. Statistical methods were used to calculate trend lines and evaluate the significance of detected trends. The dry spells estimated with the new method show significant trends in the whole lowland part of the Elbe basin during the last 53 years, and at the 10% level almost everywhere in the German part of the basin excluding mountains and the area around the river mouth. The SPI and PDSI methods also revealed significant trends, but for smaller areas in the lowland. The new DS method provides a useful supplement to other drought indices for the detection of trends in drought frequency. Furthermore, the DS method was able to detect statistically significant trends in areas where the other two methods failed to find significant trends, e.g. in the loess region in the southwest of the German part of the basin, where small insignificant changes in climate can lead to significant changes in water fluxes. This is important, because the loess region is the area within the basin having the highest crop yields. Therefore, additional research has to be done to investigate possible impacts of detected trends on water resources availability, and possible future trends in drought frequency under climate change.     

Eemian landscape response to climatic shifts and evidence for northerly Neanderthal occupation at a palaeolake margin in northern Germany

The prevailing view suggests that the Eemian interglacial on the European Plain was characterized by largely negligible geomorphic activity beyond the coastal areas. However, systematic geomorphological studies are sparse. Here we present a detailed reconstruction of Eemian to Early Weichselian landscape evolution in the vicinity of a small fingerlake on the northern margin of the Salzwedel Palaeolake in Lower Saxony (Germany). We apply a combination of seismics, sediment coring, pollen analysis and luminescence dating on a complex sequence of colluvial, paludal and lacustrine sediments. Results suggest two pronounced phases of geomorphic activity, directly before the onset and at the end of the Eemian period, with an intermediate period of pronounced landscape stability. The dynamic phases were largely driven by incomplete vegetation cover, but likely accentuated by fluvial incision in the neighbouring Elbe Valley. Furthermore, we discovered Neanderthal occupation at the lakeshore during Eemian pollen zone (PZ) E IV, which is chronologically in line with other known Eemian sites of central Europe. Our highly-resolved spatio-temporal data substantially contribute to the understanding of climate-induced geomorphic processes throughout and directly after the last interglacial period. It helps unraveling the landscape dynamics between the coastal areas to the north and the loess belt to the south.