Monika Mętrak

• PhD
• Professor (Assistant) at University of Warsaw

We studied two wetland plant community types that occur on flat lake terraces in the Eastern Pamir mountains (Tajikistan, Central Asia). We selected 13 homogeneous patches of salt marsh vegetation dominated by Blysmus rufus (Huds.) Link, and 20 homogeneous patches of saline small sedge meadow. From each patch we took soil and biomass samples which...

This study was aimed at collecting and examining a sediment core from Lake Rangkul (Eastern Pamir, Tajikistan) to better understand the lake’s development and to assess past variations in climatic conditions in this particular area in comparison with data available from other lakes from the neighboring locations. For the purposes of this study, we...

Nutrient cycling in alpine permafrost-affected wetlands remains insufficiently studied, as it is influenced by a complex network of interrelated climatic and environmental factors, at both regional and local scale. Therefore, we applied mathematical models to examine relationship between environmental factors and plant functional traits reflecting...

Melting glaciers release new ground surfaces, which may be either a source of greenhouse gas emissions or a sink for carbon dioxide. Studies carried out in subpolar and alpine ecosystems confirm the relatively rapid soil development and increase of carbon and nitrogen pools. However, observations from high-mountain glacier forelands in cold and dry...

High-altitude wetlands in the Eastern Pamir are habitat islands located in an arid landscape. They play several important roles, including that of water sources and forage grounds for people and their livestock. Considering high variation in micro-relief and complexity of water supplies observed in these wetlands, we assessed their potential to pla...

The Neolithic Kelteminar culture developed in Central Asia mainly along the paleochannels of the Zerafshan delta. However, many settlement sites were identified at approximately 200 m a.s.l without a clear relation to known water bodies. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis on the Neolithic settlement on the lacustrine sediments of a post...

In the framework of polyploidization, a widely discussed issue is the possibility of niche shift. Numerous studies have investigated niche differentiation among cytotypes, with some confirming distinct differences, while others finding them to be similar. Within this research project, we focus on the case of the cytotypes (2x and 4x) of Festuca ame...

Global models of ecosystem limitation maintain that in the early stages of pedogenesis, low nitrogen availability limits the earliest stages of primary succession. However, high-altitude arid and hyperarid areas are underrepresented in these models. Significantly, the areas combining aridity with glaciation/deglaciation processes (i.e. Himalayas, E...

Archaeological findings from the Neolithic open-air location Ayakagytma ‘The Site’, situated in the south-eastern part of the Kyzyl-kum Desert in Uzbekistan, can potentially shed new light on the camel domestication process in the Central Asian drylands and help to connect it to regional changes of paleoclimate. Detailed analyses of composition and...

This edited volume examines the changes that arise from the entanglement of global interests and narratives with the local struggles that have always existed in the drylands of Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia and Inner Asia. Changes in drylands are happening in an overwhelming manner. Climate change, growing political instability, and in...

Abstract: Most irrigated lands in the Republic of Kazakhstan are in its southern part, in the large deltas and ancient alluvial plains in the basins of the rivers Syr Darya and Ili. The combination of climatic features and anthropogenic pressures leads to increased salinity and contamination of cultivated soils in this region, resulting in a qualit...

To elucidate the dynamics of terrestrial leaf waxes in a high-altitude lake system, we performed compound-specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA) of long-chain n -alkanes in two sediment core sections from Lake Karakul (Pamirs, Tajikistan) and in surface soil samples from the catchment area. We aimed to answer the question whether the n -alkanes are d...

Understanding the control mechanisms that affect soil leaf wax hydrogen isotopes is crucial when interpreting these data in the context of paleoclimatic reconstructions. Within a pilot study we aimed to evaluate the regional controls on leaf wax δ²H in the Central Asian Pamir Mountains (Tajikistan), a region characterized by pronounced hydroclimati...

Compound-specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA) of leaf waxes has revealed significant lag times before compounds are deposited in marine and lacustrine sediments. No such data so far exist for a cold and arid high altitude lake system, where carbon turnover and biomarker fluxes to sediments are expected to be relatively low. To elucidate transport d...

Marine Isotope Stage 3 is considered a period with several climate oscillations that drove the environments to rapid changes. To understand how these stadial-interstadial cycles affected southern Poland, we combined the results of eight proxies analysed in the samples from the old excavations and a new 2017 trench of Koziarnia Cave (Ojców National...

We examined existing problems relevant for education in global drylands and discuss their potential solutions in four fields, crucial for properly functioning educational systems: (a) response to low population densities, (b) governance, (c) language of instruction and (d) mismatch between education and the labour market. Our analysis leads us to t...

Wildfires are natural phenomena which regulate functioning and stability of fire-adapted ecosystems. However, their occurrence may impair the functioning of fire-susceptible ecosystems by disturbing nutrient cycling and biodiversity. This work aimed to identify environmental factors shaping post-fire patterns of shrub expansion in a drained, burned...

Key messages 1.Dryland areas are facing a number of common problems that are relevant for education. However, differences in the economic situation and in historical and cultural backgrounds of dryland countries can lead to differences in their scope and impact on the population. 2.Schools in dryland areas generally are heavily underfunded. Continu...

The Aral Lake, once the world’s fourth biggest lake, became a synonym for man-made environmental disaster, dubbed “ecocide” by popular press. Due to overexploitation of water resources bound to irrigation agriculture in the region (cotton production), the lake started to dry-out in the 1960s. Over the last 50 years the area of the Aral Lake decreas...

In arid and semi-arid zones, atmospheric dust of different origins influences soil chemistry and plant biomass composition. Thus, studies on plant accumulation of heavy metals and rare earth elements (RREs) should include some assessments of potential eolian deposition. Here, we proposed the use of fractionation of metals in soils as an indirect me...

Central Asia is a vast area extending from the Caspian Sea to the western borders of China, with highly differentiated geography (high mountains, excessive deserts, grassy steppes), geology and anthropological history. As such it poses a perfect site for various studies, including paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic research. Up to now, we perform...

Our study was carried out on three peat bogs that since the 1960s have been subjected to different degrees of anthropopression. The main objective of the research was assessment of heavy metal accumulation potential in peat bogs and in leaves of species growing on these peat bogs, namely Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), birch (Betula pendula Roth)...

With growing global population and fast advances in technology, our demand for raw materials gradually increases. Gold belongs to the most valuable resources, being also relatively rare. As gold deposits available to hard rock mining are limited, extraction of fine fractions of this metal becomes more important. In order to maximize extraction of d...

The eastern part of the Pamir Mountains, located in Central Asia, is characterized by great climatic continentality and aridity. Wetlands developed in this hostile region are restricted to spring areas, terraces of shallow lakes or floodplains along rivers, and provide diversified ecosystem services e.g. as water reservoirs, refugia for rare specie...

Synoptic table with modified fidelity phi coefficient and percentage frequency (upper index). Only species with phi coefficient above 10 were included. (DOCX)

Descriptive statistics of soils from the studied plant communities. ECe—electrical conductivity, ESP—Exchangeable Sodium Percentage, CEC—Cation Exchange Capacity, TOC—Total Organic Carbon, Pav—available phosphorous (Olsen method). (XLSX)

Fire has considerable impact on vegetation and organic soils properties. As we observed that the differences between vegetation of burnt and unburnt areas on the rich fen are visible 11 years after the fire, we assumed that the post-fire changes are long lasting, yet limited exclusively to the burnt areas. In order to check this hypothesis we studi...

Pine needles are one of the most commonly used bioindicators of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the environment. Therefore, the main objective of the current research was the assessment of PAHs accumulation potential of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) needles in comparison to wild rosemary (Rhododendron tomentosum Harmaja) and birch (Be...

Scenario of climate changes in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene in Central Asia is very fragmentary and inconsistent. Therefore, interaction between the development and decline of ancient cultures and the climate fluctuations are difficult to be traced. To resolve this problem, the key role can be played by multidisciplinary studies of unique Late...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals are the two most important groups of pollutants associated with rail transport. Both have a serious negative impact on the natural environment, including human health and degradation of sensitive ecosystems. In our study, apart from qualitative and quantitative analysis of the main PAHs and h...

The Pamir Mountains, located in Central Asia, are characterized by extreme climatic conditions and exceptionally short growing season. As such they are an important area of exceptionally high mountain glaciers in the arid regions (continental glaciers). Apart from groundwater, geothermal springs and sparse precipitation, it is water of glacial orig...

The bottom sediments accumulated in two Pamir lakes, Yashilkul and Rangkul, have been analysed using the interdisciplinary methods. The cores for multi proxy analyses have been taken using the UWITEC auger (1,20 m from Yashilkul and 0,74 m from Rangkul – each core was divided into single sample of 1 cm each, giving 120 and 74 samples respectively)....

Pamir is a highland region in Central Asia, located on the orogenic uplift known as the Pamir Knot which joins several Asian mountain ranges. The name Pamir may derive from the ancient Iranian pai-mir, “foot of Mithra,” god of the sun or from the word pamers, which means the flat and wide high valleys with typical mountain meadows in altitudes arou...

This paper presents a report on epiphytic green algae belonging to Oedogoniales from astatic and moderately eutrophic small ponds in the Masurian Landscape Park, NE Poland. During this investigation, 26 species of Oedogoniales have been identified and described including one variety (O. oblongum var. longisporum) new to science and two species (O....

Astatic ponds are small, shallow and often isolated water bodies, characterized by distinct wet and dry cycles, leading to high variability of hydrodynamics and water chemistry. These unstable ecotonal ecosystems are crucial for supporting biodiversity, especially in agricultural landscape. In the presented research, we have explored species compos...

Thanks to their unique physical, chemical, and biological properties, raised bogs are considered archives of past hydrological and vegetation changes, which in the case of ombrotrophic bogs may reflect alterations of paleoclimate. Detailed studies on the past transformations of bogs provide researchers with necessary knowledge to anticipate future...

Pamir is a highland region in Central Asia (the highest ranges exceeding 7,000 a.s.l.), characterized by extreme climatic conditions (cold desert biome), isolation and exceptionally short growing season. Therefore, a unique landscape and nature characteristics developed in this region. Moreover, it is an important area of mountain glaciers with the...

We studied the amphibian breeding migration into an old established (the beginning of the 1990s) pond and a new one (2007), using drift fences in 2008-2011. The two ponds were located at a distance of about 0.5 km from one another in a post-agricultural landscape in the Mazurian Lakeland, north-eastern Poland. We examined the community structure an...

Endophytes are a large and diverse group of fungi that colonize healthy plant tissues without causing any symptoms. The majority of studies have focused on angiosperm and conifer hosts and few have examined the endophytes of lycophytes. In the present study, we characterized culturable endophytic fungi in two closely related Lycopodium species (L....

land use as factors differentiating hydro-chemistry and plant cover of astatic ponds in post-agricultural landscape. Abstract Small, astatic ponds are important features of post-glacial landscape, which support heterogeneity and bio-diversity of agricultural areas. In the presented research we explored differences in hydrochemistry and plant cover...

Though indicative values of many different plant communities in lakes are estimated and described, their determination in astatic ponds seems to be difficult, due to the wide variability of habitat conditions in these water bodies. In the presented research, we tried to estimate indicative value of Typhetum latifoliae communities in extremely dynam...

Novel species of microfungi described in the present study include the following from South Africa: Camarosporium aloes, Phaeococcomyces aloes and Phoma aloes from Aloe, C. psoraleae, Diaporthe psoraleae and D. psoraleae-pinnatae from Psoralea, Colletotrichum euphorbiae from Euphorbia, Coniothyrium prosopidis and Peyronellaea prosopidis from Prosop...

Novel species of microfungi described in the present study include the following from South Africa: Camarosporium aloes, Phaeococcomyces aloes and Phoma aloes from Aloe, C. psoraleae, Diaporthe psoraleae and D. psoraleae-pinnatae from Psoralea, Colletotrichum euphorbiae from Euphorbia, Coniothyrium prosopidis and Peyronellaea prosopidis from Prosop...

Multidimensional statistical methods provide the best way to analyse and understand complex matrixes of data. Especially, when studied variables are interrelated and cannot be interpreted separately as in case of peat geochemical features. Mulitdimensional analyses showed that pH values of examined peats were more strongly related to water regime t...

Thanks to their unique physical, chemical and biological properties, peat deposits are considered archives of past hydrological and vegetational changes on the peatland and in its surroundings. To infer about such changes palynomorphs and macrofossils are frequently used as biomarkers. Yet there are several drawbacks of this approach, making easy t...

The aim of this paper is to present a statistical method of regional classification, based on the annual journals of the Central Statistics Office of Poland (GUS 2006) concerning forest health status in Poland in 2005. The cluster analysis was used, in which the regions of similar kind were grouped into respective categories. Identification of regi...

In the years 2004–2006 on the fire site within the borders of the Biele Suchowolskie fen the researches on soil geochemical changes and plant secondary succession were carried out. Four study areas, 1 ha each, were established – three in different parts of the fire site and one on the unburnt area of the fen. On all designated areas soil samples we...

The article describes geochemical changes and plant succession on the fen burnt in 2002 in the area of Biele Suchowolskie. Two areas (1 ha each) were established, first in the south part of the mire, where on hihgly moorshed peats severe deep fire occurred, second on unburnt area in the central part of investigated fen. Soils samples were taken fro...