Population studies on Arion lusitanicus, a slug species introduced into Poland, were carried out over the last decade. The slug occurs commonly in some areas and spreads out relatively quickly. It has an annual life cycle with eggs, and immature individuals overwinter. In the end of July A. lusitanicus begins copulation and three weeks later it lays eggs from which the first offspring hatch within a month. The copulation process and egg laying last until late fall. One A. lusitanicus can lay over 400 eggs. During the growing season there are two peaks of population density. This species feeds on plant material such as leaves, stems, bulbs, but also consumes animal material. The basic plant material are arable crops particularly vegetables and some species of agricultural crops, some fruit trees, ornamental plants, herbs and weeds. A. lusitanicus displays apparent food specialization and prefers certain cultivated and wild growing plants. A. lusitanicus shows large reproduction potential, wide food and ecologic tolerance, and is regarded as a serious pests occurring in home gardens.

Forests may play important role in partial neutralization of CO2 emission. To maximize their potential it is unavoidable to divide them into forests that will be allowed to evolve toward natural state and forest predisposed for timber production, supplemented with forest plantations. Natural forests store almost twice more carbon in biomass and soil than managed forests, and carbon contained in wood from plantations and timber-producing forests will be frozen long time in wooden constructions. Gasification of wood debris instead of burning will allow for production of biocarbon that added to soil will residue there through decades, and will decrease necessary amount of artificial fertilizers, which production is an important source of carbon dioxide. Forests evolving to natural state will be less prone to fire and hurricanes, and will better protect biodiversity. Presented project is not contradictory to the project “The Forest Carbon Farms” of State Forests, but allows to reach better results in shorter time and likely at lower cost.

Global emissions have already reached a monstrous amount of 37 Gt of CO2 per year, and the content of this gas in the atmosphere, which is 50% higher than in pre-industrial times, and other greenhouse gases is changing the climate, causing enormous risks for humanity. A complete decarbonization of the economy is essential. Currently, China, the US and the European Union as a whole emit the most, but the US and EU countries bear the greatest responsibility for the carbon dioxide already accumulated in the atmosphere. They are high GDP countries, so they have a moral obligation to help poorer countries decarbonize their economies. Most urgent is the decarbonization of the energy sector, which has a huge, if not the largest, share of emissions. In addition, decarbonizing other sectors will significantly increase demand for electricity. Fortunately, methods to decarbonize this sector are technically mature – only RES and nuclear power should remain. The only problems are time and money. Decarbonization of transportation is proceeding faster than expected, through electromobility and the somewhat slower deployment of hydrogen fuel cells. More difficult is the decarbonization of industry, as the technologies are immature, although research in this direction has intensified greatly recently. Decarbonization of heating and cooling is a challenge not because there is a lack of methods to solve the problem, but because the scale of the undertaking is huge, especially since buildings have a long life span, and it is not always easy to change the heating in existing buildings. Despite the tremendous acceleration, it appears that the complete decarbonization of the economy by 2050, which is recommended by the IPCC to keep average temperature increases within a reasonably safe range, may not succeed. It will therefore be necessary to remove a significant amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which can be done either by capturing the gas and storing it, or by natural forces. One possibility is to accelerate the weathering of magmatic rocks, which would require grinding huge amounts of basalt and distributing it in soil over large areas. Action could also be taken to make forests store more CO2. The war in Ukraine may reduce the rate of decarbonization on a very short time scale, but it is expected to accelerate the process. Politicians have realized how dangerous dependence on fossil fuels, especially their imports, is. In addition, energy prices, which are of such great concern to everyone now, would be much lower if the power industry was much more RES-based, as wind and photovoltaic currently provide the cheapest energy. There is no return to coal-based energy, and Polish politicians making such demands are acting against the Polish raison d'etat.

Transformacja w sektorze wytwarzania energii elektrycznej jest warunkiem koniecznym, lecz niewystarczającym do zapobieżenia katastrofie klimatycznej.

Na temat miksu energetycznego różne grupy społeczne mają odmienne zdania. Zmienia się on w czasie, w tempie, którego większość konsumentów energii nie docenia. Zmienia się nawet w Polsce, z pewnością niebędącej liderem transformacji energetycznej.

In the years 1997-1999, studies on the intensity of the slug Arion lusitanicus occurring in different microhabitats were carried out on the territory of Podkarpackie province. Observations were performed in the environments of vegetable gardens, arable fields and non-crop areas. The intensity of the slug occurrence varied greatly in arable crops of different plant species and in other microhabitats. Vegetable crops and areas adjacent to them were inhabited by the slug most numerously. Considerably less slugs occurred in agricultural plant crops.

In the years 1999-2000 the occurrence oferiophyoids on grasses was studied in the Wielkopolska region. 9 eriophyoid species were recognized on 29 grass species. Eriophyoids were present in 38% examined plant samples. The most often infested were Agropyron repens and Lolium perenne and the least Arrhenatherum elatius. Abacarus hystrix and Aculodes mckenziei were the dominating eriophyoid species. The intensity of occurrence varied and was related to the eriophyoid species and the host plant. Feeding of some eriophyoids species caused either matting or browning or twisting of the leaf blades.

A country’s “energy mix” typically evokes varying opinions among different groups within society. It also changes over time, at a pace that most energy consumers fail to appreciate. It is shifting even in Poland – certainly not a leader in the energy transition.

Transforming the energy sector is necessary but not sufficient to prevent a climate catastrophe.

The intensity of Arion lusitanicus occurrence and the damage degree of 31 crop species have been estimated. It has been found that the slug damaged lettuce and cabbage plants very heavily (Lactuca sativa L. var. capitata L., Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata L. f. alba) and many species of other vegetables (Cucumis sativus L., Phaseolus vulgaris L., Raphanus sativus L. subvar. radicula Pers.). Plant damages in the edge strips were also observed on rape and barley plantations attacked by this slug. The moving activity of particular individuals of Arion lusitanicus was varying. Planning of the experiments in a nested block design has made it possible to statistically determine tendencies of the slug movement. It was observed that when some individuals remained at the point where they were initially placed, others, 2 hours after, moved over 7 m away. The mean weighed length of pathway covered by a single individual and the mean movement rate of one were estimated for each of 9 observation dates. It has been found that slugs penetrating the site surface under observation displayed their tendencies to move towards more moist places and towards food sources.

Studies on food preference of herbivores include no-choice test and test with choice or multiple choice. Conclusions from statistic analyses of these tests are compared descriptively. The definition of compatibility index and consumption growth index has enabled us to use nonparametric test for verification of hypotheses about homogeneity of the consumption growths of selected plant species under no-choice and multiple choice conditions. The studies were conducted on food preference of the slug Deroceras reticulatum. It has been found that Chamaenerion angustifolium, Geraniumpusillum and Potentilla anserina can be used to reduce this slug feeding on cultivated plants. It has been also found that seedlings of Polygonum aviculare can be used as alternative food for slugs.

Studies on palatability of some commom weed species, herbaceous plants and oilseed rape to D. reticulatum, A. lusitanicus and A. rufus slugs have been carried out under laboratory conditions. In food choice trials the rate and degree of damage to seedlings and leaf disks were determined for 20 plant species. The conducted experiments have also permitted to establish, which plant species were preferred or were not accepted by particular slug species. It was found that the studied slug species preferred seedlings and leaves of Brassica napus and Papaver rhoeas, but showed no preference for Epilobium hirsutum, Geranium sanguineum and Saponaria officinalis plants. As to the remaining plant species under study, the preferences exhibited by particular slug species were quite diverse.

This article discusses passages in the works of Greek and Roman writers, from Homer to the Church Fathers and Procopius, in which the seaside is a place of carefree play, those in which looking at the sea seems to have a good influence on the human mind, those in which walking on the shore is an opportunity for a philosophical dispute, and those in which pleasure is derived from being alone near the sea.

The experiments were carried out in Rzeszów, a region of the Arion lusitanicus mass occurrence, and also in Poznań. The studies were performed under field conditions, in isolators dug into the ground. It was found that the slug began egg laying by the end of the first decade of August. The period of egg laying, depending on meteorological conditions, lasted for 2-3.5 months. The eggs were laid in clutches, each containing from 5 to 193 eggs. Most of eggs laid in August hatched before winter. For the eggs laid in mid-August the period of hatching was shorter than those laid at the tum of August/September, and the percentage of hatched eggs was lower. Eggs deposited at later dates (in September-November) did not hatch before winter.

The rate of damages caused by the field slug Deroceras reticulatum to winter oilseed rape and winter wheat was investigated under field and laboratory conditions. The number and degree of seedling damages were estimated on the basis of the intensity of slug occurrence, which were caught in baited traps. It was found that over a 3-4-week period after sowing, damages caused by D. reticulatum slugs constituted 60% in young oilseed rape and 40% in wheat plants. Under laboratory conditions, one slug damaged almost completely 10 rape seedlings (95%) during 13 days of its feeding. The percentage damage caused by the pest to wheat seedlings was considerably lower (53%), whereas wheat seeds appeared to be severely damaged (83%) after 9 days of the slug feeding.

Evaluation of palatability of 20 plant species as a food source for slugs Deroceras reticulatum (Mi.iller), Arion lusitanicus (Mabille) and Arion ruf us (Linnaeus) was performed under laboratory conditions in tests with multiple choices and without choice. Rate and degree of damage of seedlings and leaves of matured plants of herbs and winter oilseed rape were calculated. Based on conducted experiments, plant species preferred and rejected by particular slug species were defined. Plants that were preferred by all examined slug species were the following: Brassica napus, Conium maculatum and Lamium amplexicaule. Rejected plants were Polygonum nodosum and Plantago lanceolata. Slugs have showed differentiated preferences towards the remaining plant species.

In the years 1999-2001 occurrence of eriophyoid mites (Eriophyoidea) and spider mites (Tetranychidae) on wild grasses growing in Wielkopolska region was investigated. Seven species of eriophyoid mites and three of spider mites were found on 24 grass species. Eriophyoid mites infested 38% and spider mites 57% of all examined samples. The most frequent inhabited grass species by eriophyoid mites were Agropyron repens and Lolium perenne, while by spider mites Dactylis glomerata and Bromus mollis.