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... Later, the forests were cut down for industrial purposes, and the sandy substratum was uncovered. This caused the activation of aeolian processes [26,27]. These sites do not represent real climatic deserts, but during several hundred years of their existence, they were characterized by a specific "desert" landscape. ...
... The deflation forms include blowouts and deflation troughs. The deflation blowouts constitute shallow (1,5-3 m deep) depressions of oval shapes [26,27]. In 2014, a desert landscape was restored in the Błędowska Desert (under the Life + conservation program: LIFE09 NAT/PL/000259) in order to protect the complex of sandy natural habitats: thermophilic grasslands and inland dunes. ...
Article
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Biological soil crust (BSC) constitutes a consortium of cyanobacteria, algae, lichen, mosses, and heterotrophic microorganisms, forming a miniature ecosystem within the uppermost soil layer. The biomass of different organisms forming BSC and their activity changes along with succession. Previous studies focused primarily on BSC in hyper-arid/arid regions, whereas the ecophysiology of BSC in temperate climates is still not well recognized. In order to determine changes in overall microbial activity and photosynthetic biomass in BSC at different stages of the succession of inland sandy grasslands, we analyzed dehydrogenase activity and determined the content of photosynthetic pigments. We also compared these parameters between BSC developed on the dune ridges and aeolian blowouts in the initial stage of succession. Our study revealed a significant increase in both photosynthetic biomass and overall microbial activity in BSC as the succession of inland shifting sands progresses. We found that chl a concentration in BSC could be considered a useful quantitative indicator of both the presence of photoautotrophs and the degree of soil crust development in warm-summer humid continental climates. The photosynthetic biomass was closely related to increased microbial activity in BSC, which suggests that photoautotrophs constitute a major BSC component. Dune blowouts constitute environmental niches facilitating the development of BSC, compared to dune ridges. High biomass of microorganisms in the dune blowouts may be associated with a high amount of organic material and more favorable moisture conditions. We conclude that deflation fields are key places for keeping a mosaic of habitats in the area of shifting sands and can be a reservoir of microorganisms supporting further settlement of dune slopes by BSC.
... This led to the start of the succession process from the beginning. The dunes of various shapes and sizes are the most characteristic landforms in the Błędowska Desert (Węgrzyn and Wietrzyk-Pełka 2014). ...
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Background and aims Inland sand dunes constitute Natura 2000 habitat that has become a priority to ensure biodiversity protection and habitat heterogeneity at the landscape scale; however, without proper management, spontaneous succession leads to overgrowing of trees and thus to habitat degradation. Understanding succession processes, relationships between biotic and abiotic components, and their changes over time after restoration, is the key to proper planning of future restoration activities. The aim was to determine the changes of biological soil crust (BSC), vascular plants and physicochemical parameters of BSC, below-crust, rhizosphere, and bare substrate types at different stages of succession in inland dunes of the Błędowska Desert (Poland). We also analyzed the interplay between these factors to further understand the mechanism of BSC development and recognize driving factors causing changes in the soil environment. Results Our results showed that BSCs contributed to increased organic C, total N, nutrients in soil, and acidification with the succession. The content of inorganic N forms was significantly higher in bare soil compared to below-crust soil. Rhizosphere soil was enriched in organic matter and nutrients, which improves soil conditions within plant patches. Moreover, below-crust soil pH, total N content and water holding capacity drive the patterns of BSC morphological groups and species composition of lichens, bryophytes, and vascular plants. Conclusion Our study shows that spatial structure of the inland dune ecosystem is a mosaic of BSCs and plants that contribute to the spatial heterogeneity of key soil properties. We concluded that it is necessary to consider the matter of BSC in restoration treatments.
... Following Poland's 2004 entry into the European Union, 5 the country endeavored to actively conserve its sand dune habitats against the increasing sprawl of urbanization, intensification of agricultural production, and exacerbation of other extractive and CO2 emitting forms of human activity through the environmental policy instruments of firstly the LIFE+ program of the EU, and subsequently the Natura 2000, a network of designated nature conservation zones and special habitat protection areas spanning across the territories of the EU. 6 In the case of Błędowska, the efforts to conserve the landscape and preserve the unique biodiversity of these inland dunescapes were twofold. First, starting in 2011, deforestation: "Key concrete conservation actions would include," the Polish conservation report filed with the European Commission states, "the removal of trees and scrub (mainly Scots pine Pinus sylvestris, common birch Betula verrucosa, sharp-leaf willow Salix acutifolia, and creeping willow Salix arenaria) that have overgrown much of the site." ...
Conference Paper
The paper introduces the Błędowska Desert—a site at the edge of Europe that testifies to evidence of medieval environmental disruption, human-initiated ecological disaster & persistent desertification. It then presents a condensed historical genealogy of experimental “desert-based” arts & architecture pedagogies which feature educational models aimed at immersion within and sensitivity to desert landscapes; and proceeds to detail and critically appraise the contemporary activities & activism of The Arts of Ecology program, an ongoing interdisciplinary project in the EU that intersects disparate researchers from across the arts, humanities, and sciences within the context of a Special Habitat Conservation Area in central Poland. Through investigationof the workshops, performances, installations, and classes conducted on-site, the paper catalogs the numerousmeans by which contemporary educators are using the arts in Błędowska to re-trace the history of environmental degradation and re-consider the ongoing environmental conservation efforts of this anthropogenic desert. Linking these pedagogical efforts with a constellation of geological, technological & infrastructural trajectories as well as a host of political tensions, ultimately, the research is inscribed within a broader discourse on the concept of disaster. The paper argues that the Błędowska Desert serves not as a model for a return to the fiction of a pristine, untouched wilderness, but instead offers an opportunity to collectively consider the fragile realities of ecosystems, social structures, and built environments alike. In conclusion, the paper asks how the view from the anomalous, anthropogenic desert of Błędowska—and the actions of its arts and activist community—can provide critical and creative lessons for how to adapt, with solidarity, agility, and resilience, in the face of the 21st century’s impending emergency of climate dysregulation and global desertification. Might reconsidering buildings & cities in relation to other historical environmental disasters through new modes of contemporary arts & architecture education make space for imagining new visions & possibilities for the future of built & natural environments.
... The Błędowska Desert originated in the Middle Ages as a result of the intense mining and deforestation in the area of Olkusz. It is now the largest accumulation of loose sand in Central Europe (aside from beaches) (Węgrzyn and Wietrzyk 2014) and it supports a large M. bore population. When antlions are active (May-October), the mean temperature in the Błędowska Desert is 14.4 °C and the minimum and maximum temperatures reach − 3.7 and 32.4 °C, respectively (calculated for 2000-2015 from records provided by the nearby Olewin meteorological station of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, National Research Institute, Poland). ...
Article
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Trap-building predators remain under strong selection from thermal microenvironments. To address how soil temperature and body size affect trap building, we conducted a laboratory experiment using larvae of the antlion Myrmeleon bore at six ecologically relevant temperatures. Larger larvae built larger traps, and warmer soil led to more and larger traps. Body mass did not alter the dependence of trap building on temperature. Our results suggest that the physiological capacity of antlion larvae, which is affected by larval size and body temperature, is the major determinant of trap building. This effect should be considered when assessing interactions between antlions and prey.
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