Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae

The summary is not available.

The abstract is not available.

Streszczenie jest niedostępne.

Streszczenie nie jest dostępne.

is not available for the report.

The summary is not available.

The summary is not available.

Abstrakt New humanism or post-humanism? Ethical and legal aspects of the legalization of euthanasia in the world in the years 2000-2015 The main aim of this article is to outline the discussion on euthanasia that affects the basic issues of human life – the foundation of human dignity, sense of pain and suffering, conception of the afterlife, quality and value of life, etc. All the indications are that the process of the legalization of euthanasia will develop in the coming decades. Today we need a new paradigm of bioethics, built on the basis of a new humanism which will allow us to adequately analyze such phenomena as death, suffering and dying. The new paradigm of bioethics can be an effective tool in the dispute over the death on request.

Innowacje ekologiczne są we współczesnej gospodarce ważnym czynnikiem wzrostu gospodarczego. Z tego powodu Unia Europejska kładzie duży nacisk na analizę poziomu ekoinnowacyjności gospodarek krajów członkowskich. Instrumentem wykorzystywanym do tego celu jest Eco-Innovation Scoreboard, który ilustruje, jak bardzo poziom innowacji ekologicznych w krajach członkowskich różni się od średniej UE, wskazując przy tym mocne i słabe strony każdego z państw. W obliczu narastających problemów środowiskowych stale rośnie rola przedsięwzięć minimalizujących negatywny wpływ działalności gospodarczej na środowisko. Istotną rolę w tym procesie ogrywają właśnie ekoinnowacje. Celem artykułu jest analiza zróżnicowania nakładów na innowacje ekologiczne w krajach UE, jak też analiza wskaźników cząstkowych składających się na wskaźnik nakładów. Nakłady na ekoinnowacje mają za zadanie wspierać ekoinnowacje i obejmują zarówno aspekty finansowe, jak też ludzkie. Brane są tutaj pod uwagę działania na rzecz ekoinnowacji w różnego rodzaju organizacjach, m.in. w przedsiębiorstwach i instytucjach badawczych. W analizie nakładów na ekoinnowacje uwzględnia się wielkość rządowych wydatków na środowiskowe i energetyczne B+R, liczbę pracowników i badaczy B+R oraz wielkość zielonych inwestycji. W opracowaniu zastosowano metodę opisową, analizę dynamiki zmian w czasie wskaźników oraz metody statystyczne pozwalające ocenić zróżnicowanie wskaźników pomiędzy poszczególnymi krajami członkowskimi.

The group “Ważki (Odonata) w Polsce” is an excellent example of citizen science, understood as a cooperation between society and professionals in scientific activity. The goal of the present paper is to show the data concerning the very late appearances of dragonflies and damselflies in the years 2013 – 2020, to enrich the knowledge about the phenology of various species in comparison to published data, which is no longer valid, taking into consideration the climatic changes over the last decades. It would not have been possible to gather such a great amount of information, if not for the amateurs engaged into a project like that (ca. 100 people). The data was catalogued according to date, place, and species. The main methods used were: the visual observation and taking photos of adult dragonflies. After thoroughly studying the data collected in early, middle, and late autumn (October, November, December), and analysing it carefully, the records were divided into three groups. The information gathered enables us to show the differences in phenology of some of the species. The project organised as a citizen science action, contributed to the increase of the knowledge concerning the late aspect of Polish odonatofauna.

The summary is not available.

The main purpose of the study undertaken in this paper is a synthetic presentation of the major stages of the dispute over the legalization of assisted suicide in Italy as well as an analysis of selected ethical and legal aspects related to this issue. Assisted suicide is medical and administrative aid provided to a person who has decided to take their own life. It differs from direct euthanasia in the fact that the final act of taking one’s own life, involving deliberate administration of the necessary substances is performed entirely by the patient themself without interference of any third parties. In 2017, the institution of the living will was introduced in Italy, which allows to make a declaration of intent for potential future loss of consciousness and ability to make decisions regarding one’s treatment and saving one’s life. In 2019, the Constitutional Court obliged the parliament to draft a law regulating the termination of life on request. In March 2022, the relevant provisions were voted in the Chamber of Deputies. They were then forwarded to the Senate. Ultimately, this bill was not passed, due to the collapse of the government in July 2022 and the dissolution of the parliament. The conducted analyses showed that the Italian ethical and legal dispute regarding the legalization of assisted suicide is an important element of the contemporary global debate, concerning, among others, medical ethics, value and quality of human life, conscience clause, ethical aspects of suffering and death.

Smart city to miasta, w których kwestie publiczne rozwiązywane są z wykorzystaniem technologii informacyjnych i komunikacyjnych (ang. ICT). Od początku rozwoju tej koncepcji (lata 90. XX w.) zakładano, że miasto inteligentne to równocześnie miasto dążące do wdrożenia rozwoju zrównoważonego. Artykuł koncentruje się na następujących aspektach badawczych: jak definiowane i klasyfikowane są smart city; które polskie miasta ujmowane są w międzynarodowych rankingach smart city; jak koncepcja smart city może przyczyniać się do wdrażania rozwoju zrównoważonego. Polskie miasta nie należą do liderów smart city w skali międzynarodowej. Wiele z nich implementuje jednak elementy koncepcji 3.0, wykorzystując idee smart do wdrażania rozwoju zrównoważonego. Poszczególne wymiary smart city (w literaturze wskazuje się ich 6) odnoszą się do aspektów rozwoju zrównoważonego i pozwalają osiągać ład zintegrowany. Norma ISO 37120 jest z jednej strony certyfikatem wdrożenia idei smart, z drugiej zaś stosowana jest jako instrument oceny poziomu wdrożenia rozwoju zrównoważonego. Miasta, które w Polsce certyfikowane są według tej normy, to: Gdynia, Gdańsk, Kielce, Lublin i Warszawa. Artykuł wskazuje, że wdrażanie koncepcji smart city może przyczyniać się do szybszego i skuteczniejszego osiągnięcia rozwoju zrównoważanego na obszarach miast nie tylko dzięki coraz doskonalszym technologiom, lecz przede wszystkim dzięki zwiększeniu zaangażowania społecznego (wykorzystującego narzędzia e-partycypacji do współdecydowania) oraz dążeniu miast do pozyskiwania i udostępniania coraz lepszych i dokładniejszych danych związanych z różnymi aspektami rozwoju zrównoważonego.

The expansion of the road network in Poland and in world constitutes a considerable risk for the natural environment, this article is showing the most important effects of road investments, for example: pollutants of atmospheric air, the noise and vibrations, pollutants of waters and soils, the fragmentation of the space and the decline of the landscape. Everything is leading it for destroying the environment in which we live. Describing all threats to the environment with themselves a structure and an exploitation of roads are bringing which, is practically impossible, the man in the last years very much is interfering in the nature, instead of to protect it for next generations, therefore designers and entrepreneurs should concentrate on eliminating negative effects of construction and the more late exploitation of roads and for improvement in their technical state.

The impact of prescribed fires in grasslands on soil mesofauna was studied in the field experiment. The study was carried out on two types of meadows: on mineral (meadow I) and organic soils (meadow II), near Warsaw (52o10’N; 20o50’E). In November 2007 sampling plots, 1 m2 in size were chosen at random and burned. Soil samples were taken just after fire and in April, July and November, 2008 to the depth of 10 cm from unburned plots (control), at the edge of fire and in burned plots. The soil mesofauna was extracted from soil samples in the Tullgren apparatus. There were not found any effects of prescribed fires on mesofauna densities. However, a slight increase of mesofauna abundance was observed on burned areas 12 months after experimental fires on the meadow I and decrease on the meadow II. Just after fire, on burned areas, only euedaphic species of Collembola were present among mites communities dominated Oribatida, with thick cuticule.

A few contemporary examples can be found in various publications to provoke a more profound reflection on the assessment of environmental action. Whatever methodology is used to determine the importance of all types of environmental activities and assess their effectiveness, specific approaches must be adopted. It is crucial to understand that “environmental activities” are not just an appendage to the science of “ecology.” They also represent a specific period in the development of the world, in the second part of the 20th century, during which specific assessments of the effectiveness of human activities are necessarily provided. The science of ecology usually deals with such concepts as biotic, abiotic, and anthropogenic factors. They should account for the specific conditions, impacts, and effects on ecosystems. However, such concepts are also used in other disciplines, which have interests in this field. Therefore, the material in this article will address some critical issues connected to the assessment of the effectiveness of environmental actions.

In the article, the stance of genetic determinism, represented by Edward Wilson and Richard Dawkins on the grounds of sociobiology, has been presented and critically commented. The stance finds the gene to be the main actor on the stage of life, whom anything else in nature, including man – seen as a machine of replicators’ survival – is subjected. The criticism of the stance held by radical sociobiologists, undertaken by the author, results among other things from her conviction of inability to reduce the meaning of human existence to being subordinated to genes’ existence.

The organization of environmental protection in Poland and the European Union is a mutual connection of competencies and a correlation of systems and rights according to national and EU laws. The legal system of the EU is the result of decades of cooperation undertaken by the will of the Member States known as the acquis communautaire. EU law has primacy over national law, which in practice means that in the event of a conflict between the provisions of national law and EU law, the national law is deemed inapplicable and needs to be adjusted by the Member State.

Environmental protection is an area of interdisciplinary, in which the rule is the use of concepts relevant to the legal sciences, natural sciences, engineering, or chemical. Therefore, in practice, they may mean different things depending on the conceptual context in which they are used. The concept, which draws attention to the rights and duties of citizens, public authorities, or environmental organizations, is a responsibility in protecting the environment. The state authorities should support citizens in their efforts to protect and improve the environment. Ecological safety, which is to be provided by a public authority is a state of the environment that allows you to safely stay in it and use it. The instrument to ensure that safety is the protection of the environment, which acts as a directive interpretation when there are doubts as to the scope of duties, such duties, and how they are implemented.

Environmental protection is a field of law about interdisciplinary character, which using notions typical of legal, natural, technical, or chemical theories is a rule in. Therefore in practice, they can have the notional various meaning depending on the context they stayed in which used. A notion which is paying attention to the rights and duties of citizens, bodies of a public authority or also environmental organizations, is an ecological politics.

Food safety and nutrition include the accumulation of concepts aimed at enforcing standards of hygiene and healthcare. In accordance with Polish and EU law, these very important issues lead to the functioning of the food market. From the ground up, compliance with environmental standards is assured at every stage.

Undertaking activities in agriculture associated with the implementation of environmental standards. This applies to Polish public administration and European Union bodies. A coherent policy for agricultural development will enable the financing of environmental protection in this area, both within the current budget, as well as the financial period 2014-2020.

Development of Agricultural Policy of the European Union is a good example of historical and ideological changes that took place recently in Europe. At first largely socialist it has changed over the decades into a policy that promotes active participation. The increased spending on rural development has increased both awareness and, as a result, compliance with environmental standards.

The following paper focuses on the current meaning of environmental aesthetics and the aesthetics of landscapes. Its purpose is to show the relationship of human artificial living to natural living and human health as well as aesthetic and social emotions depending on health landscapes. There is the terms “environmental aesthetics” and “aesthetics of landscapes” are analysed in the broader philosophical and interdisciplinary context of Norberg-Schulz’s theory of architecture, Konrad Lorenz’s theory of ethology, and Wolfgang Welsch’s transhuman aesthetics. What are the mechanisms of a human relating to a landscape? What mechanisms of our emotionality are related to a devastated or healthy landscape? These are the central questions of the following consideration. The methods used in my research are analyses, etymology, the phenomenology of emotionality, and phenomenology of the landscape. The primary and expected findings are that people appreciate and enjoy scenic landscapes to satisfy their emotionality, cooperation, and well-being. Conclusion: Landscapes create our identification, surroundings which create our feelings, experiences, and emotions. A good example of such a relationship are inhabitants of today’s uninhabited islands who were not able to cooperate, who destroyed their environment, destabilized and deforested their surroundings up to their complete extinction.

The aim of this publication is to present the relationship between the dominant forms of urban mobility and the environmental pressures of the transport sector as well as the quality of life of the inhabitants of large cities and urban agglomerations. The presentation of trends and scenarios is based, on the one hand, on statistics describing current development trends and, on the other hand, on scenarios, recommendations, and commitments defined in European, national, and local governmental documents programming the socio-economic development of urbanised areas and the directions of climate transformation in their area. The article consists of a brief introduction, background on the latest regulations in the field of sustainable urban mobility, and a comparative analysis of environmental demands, along with actual trends observed in the transport sector in urbanised areas. It closes with conclusions relating to the validity and effectiveness of current transport and environmental policies, and recommendations, whilst identifying areas and instruments that increase the likelihood of achieving the stated objectives.

W ramach obecnie funkcjonujących systemów edukacji brak jest kompleksowego programu edukacji środowiskowej stanowiącego podstawy edukacji w agrobiznesie o podejściu holistycznym. Na większości uczelni wyższych zajmujących się tą problematyką, przedmioty związane z edukacją środowiskową w najlepszym przypadku występują w postaci niezależnych przedmiotów, np. ekologii, ochrony środowiska, zarządzaniem środowiskiem, zarządzania zasobami środowiska. Brak powiązania ich w jeden system nauczania dostosowany do potrzeb przyszłej kadry zarządzającej agrobiznesem powoduje, że kolejne roczniki absolwentów w ramach pojęcia agrobiznes, będą posiadać wiedzę wyłącznie z zakresu tematyki ekonomicznej. Fakt ten z góry skazuje dalszy rozwój tego najistotniejszego procesu zarządzania wiedzą w agrobiznesie na porażkę. Tym razem porażka, będzie jeszcze bardziej dotkliwa, ponieważ wiązać się będzie z błędnym gospodarowaniem zasobami przyrodniczymi kraju. Skutki tego procesu w wielu krajach już są obecnie odczuwalne.

Abstrakt jest niedostępny dla tego artykułu.

Over the last few decades we have witnessed a significant change in human mentality and attitudes towards the natural environment and its protection, this change is accompanied by different axiological principles within which we can distinguish:• anthropocentric concept which places man in the center and grants him a privileged place amongst other species,• anti-anthropocentric concept which stresses the equality of all species and demands a reversal in humanistic orientation consolidated by European Enlightenment,• moderate anthropocentric concept which underlines human’s caring and a responsible role towards the ecosystem.As disturbances of ecological balance are the result of human actions and the sign of the cultural crisis, the necessity to protect the natural environment should be realized. John Paul II was a supporter of the above. He referred to the integrated ecology, which combines the protection of the natural environment with the concern of the quality of human spirituality. Integrated ecology poses two demands:• all actions towards environmental protection should be understood as a means of confirming the respect of human personal dignity,• those actions which harm the natural environment and threaten man should be given up.

Internalizacja, czyli uwewnętrznianie treści o charakterze aksjologicznym, jest zbieżna z zyskiwaniem umiejętności o wyższym standardzie moralnym. Źródłem odpowiedzialności staje się wówczas po prostu obiektywna wartość. Uwewnętrznienie aksjologicznych wymagań płynących od ekowartości jest najskuteczniejszym rodzajem zobowiązania, ponieważ ma ono charakter preskryptywny: obietnicy danej sobie nie można nie dotrzymać bez poczucia straty danego słowa. W tym kontekście zinternalizowana ekowartość preskryptywnie oddziałuje na człowieka, którego odpowiedzialność jest tym głębsza, im silniej sama wartość jest uwewnętrzniona. Stąd też las, jako przykład ekowartości, przyjmuje dla człowieka charakter bezwzględny tylko w przypadku internalizacji preskryptywnej, gdy źródłem powinności jest nie tyle konieczność ekologiczna, ile wartość autoteliczna.

Przedmiotem artykułu jest prezentacja badania znajomości najnowszych wydarzeń i trendów dotyczących środowiska naturalnego i jego ochrony, przeprowadzonego wśród studentów pedagogiki jako przyszłych nauczycieli mających podejmować te zagadnienia w działalności edukacyjnej. Badanie wykonano w maju i czerwcu 2020 r., drogą mailową na grupie 140 studentów pedagogiki Akademii Pedagogiki Specjalnej im. Marii Grzegorzewskiej w Warszawie. Celem badania było sprawdzenie zarówno orientacji studentów w powyższych kwestiach, jak i tego, co stanowi dla nich źródło wiedzy. Wyniki badania wskazują na zróżnicowany poziom wiedzy studentów. Na niektóre pytania zamieszczone w kwestionariuszu prawidłowo odpowiedziało 70‒80% uczestników, na inne poniżej 40%, a relatywnie duży odsetek zadeklarował, że nie zna odpowiedzi. Wyniki są jednak niepokojące, jeśli chodzi o szkołę i uczelnię jako źródło wiedzy na temat środowiska i jego ochrony oraz aktualnych wydarzeń i decyzji dotyczących środowiska. Głównym źródłem wiedzy studentów okazały się media społecznościowe, wyprzedziwszy portale informacyjne i telewizję. Tylko w niewielkim odsetku studenci zadeklarowali, że czerpią wiedzę ze szkoły lub uczelni. Wyniki badania wskazują na potrzebę refleksji nad miejscem edukacji ekologicznej w ramach formalnej edukacji w Polsce.

Autor artykułu traktuje pojęcie zrównoważonego rozwoju jako projekt rozumienia rzeczywistości i magazyn wiedzy, który jest wypełniany treścią od momentu wprowadzenia pojęcia do dyskursu nauki. Pokazuje, że metafora ekosystemu pomaga zaproponować główne tezy artykułu: 1) zrównoważony rozwój to system aktywności, który wzbogaca środowisko społeczne i przyrodnicze ludzi; 2) w zrozumieniu jego specyfiki pomaga metafora życia; 3) zrównoważony rozwój musi być otwartym, względnie izolowanym systemem. Pojęcie życia, zrównoważonego rozwoju, twórczego trwania i transgresji są kluczem do przedstawionych rozważań.

Activity and diversity of epigeic invertebrates were studied in 2004, in alder wood (Alnus glutinosa-Carex elata association). There were chosen: fragment of alder wood and 23 alder tussocks that average surface was 0.27m2. There were installed also 16 artificial tussocks: 4 of them were the same size as natural, and the other 12 were smaller, 0,1m2 in size. The average hight of tussockw was 0.4m. Distance between particular tussocks varied from 1 to 2m. Tussocks were placed 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11m from the fragment of the alder wood. The material was collected using pitfall traps. Samples were taken every 7 or 14 days twice in the season: when tussocks were or were not isolated by water. The distance from the alder wood did not influence on activity and diversity of epigeic invertebrates on tussocks. Saprophagous: Isopoda and Collembola and predators: Araneae and Carabidae were the most abundant in the samples.

Streszczenie jest niedostępne.

The lesser mealworm Alphitobius diaperinus is present in great numbers in poultry houses. These insects are especially dangerous as a potential carriers of pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and parasites. We explored the possibility of using local strains of entomopathogenic fungi isolated from litter and from soil to control lesser mealworm populations. Isolated fungi showed low pathogenicity to lesser mealworm beetles. Infection with a suspension at a concentration of 1 × 108 spores/ml resulted in only 4 Metarhizium anisopliae sensu lato isolates showing the highest insect mortality in the range of 30–36%. Still lower pathogenicity was found in isolates of Beauveria bassiana, with only 4 isolates of B. bassiana causing a mortality of 17–26%. Isolates of Isaria fumosorosea and I. farinosa did not cause mortality in beetles that differed significantly from that in the control variant. The larvae were more susceptible to infection. Except for I. fumosorosea, all species caused 100% mortality in larvae. For further studies, the B. bassiana 3K isolate (from the litter) could be selected because of its high mortality (100%) and high larval infectivity (50% overgrown with mycelium).

The paper presents results of quantitative and qualitative analyses of the composition of saprophytic and pathogenic microflora colonising contemporary wood of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and oak (Quercus sp.), deposited for eight years in peat soil, under anoxia conditions at two measuring stations located at the fortified settlement of the Lusatian culture in Biskupin. Qualitative determinations of bacteria were performed based on the analyses of their cultural, morphological, physiological, and bio-chemical characteristics. Petrifilms™ and conventional bacteriological media were used for quantitative analyses. Bacteria in the examined wood and surrounding soil were identified as belonging to species, including those of the genera Pseudomonas, Clostridium (Cl. butyricum/beierinckii, Cl. perfringens), Bacillus, Corynebacterium, bacteria from the family Enterobacteriaceae, as well as aerobic and anaerobic cellulolytic bacteria. An important correlation between the standard pour plate method and PetrifilmTM was observed. Petrifilms are an effective alternative, in comparison with traditional methods, for the determination of total bacterial counts for wood samples.

Waste products from the agriculture industry and other sectors are creating a waste problem with a negative environmental impact. Such effects can be minimized by further processing methods. One method, which is gaining increased importance around the world, is anaerobic digestion, for which biodegradable waste is a valuable source of raw material (Ryckebosch et al. 2011; Deublein, Steinhauser 2008). The paper discusses the technological process of biogas production, as well as the most commonly used methods of purification and refining. It also identifies the potential ways of using the resulting product (CHP, biofuels).

The advantages of biogas, apart from being just an alternative energy source, are its various possibilities of conversion. Chemical energy can be converted into biogas for heat, electricity and chemical energy of other compounds. Therefore, there are numerous opportunities for using energy from biogas. Some of them are used in stationary installations. Another application is as a fuel for vehicle engines by burning biomethane.

We investigated the composition of small mammals at nine locations in the southwestern suburban zone of Warsaw (central Poland) through the analysis of the pellets of the Tawny owl Strix aluco. In total, we recorded 611 individuals of 15 species of small mammal communities in the diet. Rodents constituted the most numerous mammalian order. Among the most abundant prey we recorded were Myodes glareolus (63 individuals = 10.3% of all mammals), Apodemus agrarius (56 individuals = 9.2%) (173), Apodemus flavicollis (54 individuals = 8.8%), Mus musculus (48 individuals = 7.9%) and Microtus arvalis (44 individuals = 7.2%). We recorded also some species rarely captured by the tawny owl: Nyctalus noctula and Mustela nivalis. Species composition of small mammals of the study area resembled city parks, with several species typical for anthropogenic landscape.

The article contains a stylistic comparison of the analysis of religious objects and their description of the landscape of the Carpathian region.

The paper presents the results of the research which was carried out as part of the project: Current controversies about human origins. Between anthropology and the Bible. This project focuses on the supposed conflict between natural sciences and some branches of the humanities (notably philosophy and theology) with regard to the origin of man. The research was aimed at finding out whether such a conflict really exits. For one thing, we cannot exclude the possibility that these would-be controversies have no factual ground and that their significance is inflated by American popular literature. If, on the other hand, we assume that the conflict is real, it should be worthwhile examining its sources. Such an approach may prove helpful in systematising the highly emotional debates about the origin of man. One of the ways of tackling the issue was the questionnaire which was distributed among students, teachers and university professors. Our respondents represented three disciplines: theology, philosophy and the natural sciences, the paper will present selected results of the questionnaire which was addressed to a group of school teachers, whereas the responses of the students are given less attention in order to emphasise the teachers’ point of view, the teachers of religion and the natural sciences (biology, chemistry and physics) and the students of theology, philosophy and the natural sciences (specialising in biology and environment protection) were asked to fill in the form consisting of eleven questions, these questions concerned the following issues: the existence of the conflict between evolutionism and creationism, the definitions of creation and evolution, the existence of the spiritual element in man, ways of interpreting the Bible (esp. the first chapters of the Book of Genesis). Out of 1000 questionnaires sent out, we received 449, which should be considered a satisfactory number, given the fact that it was the first time this type of research was carried out in Poland.

Results of archaeological studies from the territory of Poland show that prehistorical settlements were often founded on the banks of lakes and mires. Botanical composition of organic deposits allows reconstructing historical plant communities and palaeohydrological conditions of the settlement, the subject of research was a peatland situated in the neighborhood of the archaeological site at Łany Małe. The latter is located on hillslopes of the Kłodnica valley (Upper Silesia, southern Poland). Peat formation at the Łany Małe site took place in the Pre-Boreal Period as an effect of the valley floor paludification. In the Mesolithic and Neolithic Periods as well as the Early Bronze Age, swampy alder forests occupied the entire area of the peatland. At that time, the fen surface was relatively easily accessible for humans, especially for people of the Funnel Beaker Culture in the Middle Neolithic Period. It was then when, probably, the ground water level dropped down and peat decay processes took over those of peat production. In the Hallstatt Period, during the presence of the Lusatian Culture settlement, there was subsequent increase in biotope moisture. Forest communities became more open and trees were gradually displaced by grasslike plants, especially of sedge (Carex) genus. In the Fate Roman Period (the Przeworsk Culture settlement) and in the early Middle Ages, the peatland was subject to inundation due to frequent flooding, the peat accumulation was then halted by the delivery of fine-grained products of soil erosion.

Prof. Szczeklik has published more than 600 works and for the last decade, he has been the most frequently cited author in Polish scientific literature on the subjects of medicine and biology. His works also include three excellent interdisciplinary books that show the personality of the scientist, a system of thought, ideological affiliation, source of strength, and motivation. These are Catharsis. The healing power of Nature and Art (2007); Kore. The sick, sickness and the search for the medicine of the soul (2007) and thirdly, the posthumously published Immortality. Promethean sleep medicine (2012), all published by the Krakow printing house Znak. The author does engage in systematic exposition, rather the works take the form of an almanac. The professor talks about his research and treatment of patients, shows the di&culties encountered and emerging concerns, and even includes anecdotes of his family life. These books are written in lively, beautiful Polish.

The psychometric properties of the author´s original tool named Questionnaire of the Relations between a Man and Animals (further on AniRe-Que) was constructed to assess the relations between a man and animals as natural beings; calculated in the form of an R-score (R as respect). The questionnaire is based on the theoretical outcomes of an egalitarian zoocentric, ecoethical position attributing moral statues to all beings, and measures the level of respect expression to nonhuman beings. The aim of this study was to verify its validity and reliability in a research sample of future primary and secondary teachers (N = 500, 62% of females, Mage=22.3; SD=4.1) at Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. Various statistical procedures were used to verify its construct validity (exploratory factor analysis /EFA/) and its convergent/discriminating character, criterion validity, and reliability (test-retest, parallel-forms, internal consistency) to establish satisfactory psychometric properties for the AniRe-Que questionnaire. The questionnaire has possible usage for the animal relation estimation by researchers, practitioners and teachers´ ethical and environmental education intervention effectivitiveness, and also as a form of future international cooperation and verification based on this new instrument.

The title “From the ethology of animals to human ecology” acknowledges both the theories of evolution developed in numerous scientific fields of science, and the academic achievements of Konrad Lorenz and his partners, the development of which are shown through the order of studies they published, from the scope of classical ethology and the row of humanities, to philosophy and human ecology. Lorenz conducted an ethological examination of human culture, thereby uncovering its biological bases, its dynamics, social pathologies and means for overcoming them. Thanks to this Lorenz gained an insight into the character of the crisis of contemporary civilization, described and diagnosed it, presented the causes and proposed a cure. Lorenz recommended mobilizing efforts to create an ecological ethos for those surviving on Earth. Today it isn’t possible to predict the future of Homo sapiens on our planet, however, it is our duty to prepare for our struggle to survive. It is not only about survival but also about the preservation of the human way of life. This is a matter of biological and spiritual survival. Therefore, Lorenz’s ethological humanism takes on the mantle of a new ‘evolutionary humanism’.

Competition for food can be observed in the macroplankton community in the Vistula Lagoon (northern Poland) in the spring (April-May-June). This is the time of mass occurrence of early developmental stages of the Baltic Sea herring, the European smelt, perch, and stickleback. Additionally, some quantities of the shrimp Neomysis integer can be found. These species use the same food resources, i.e. small zooplankton, but they occupy different habitats. However, in a very special situation in the Vistula Lagoon (low depth and water mixing by winds), they are living together and compete for food. The purpose of this paper is to find out which species is the superior competitor for food among the macroplankton living in the Vistula Lagoon. Animal size (dry weight Dw), daily consumption rate (C), and coefficients of food assimilation efficiency (U-1), as well as utilization of consumed energy for growth (K1), and utilization of assimilated energy for growth (K2) by individuals of particular species were used as measures of individual success in competition for food. Animal abundance (n m-3), the daily consumption rate of individuals of particular species living in the unit of water volume (J m-3 d-1), and total food consumed by animals of particular species living in the unit of water volume as a percent of the total food available were used as measures of population (or species) success in competition for food. The results do not provide a clear indication of which species is a superior competitor for food. Because competition occurs at the level of individuals rather than populations, a question arises why just Neomysis, despite their lowest food consumption and the lowest daily production rate succeeded in reaching high population numbers and sum of daily food consumption by the population.