Knowledge on the Eemian (MIS 5e) fauna of Poland is based on vertebrate remains from 16 open-air localities and 8 cave sites. Considering the short period of time covered by MIS 5e, the amount of data is surprisingly large. There is still an ongoing debate on whether the age of some assemblages is Eemian, latest Saalian or even earliest Weichselian. There are faunal assemblages or stratigraphically isolated finds with some disputable evidence. The full picture of the evolution of the Eemian vertebrate fauna in the present-day territory of Poland is still far from being complete. The finds of various groups of vertebrates (fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) from the Eemian Interglacial of Poland are analysed in terms of their environmental preferences. A number of thermophilic species or forms which preferred temperate climate conditions are known from this period. Among them, Clethrionomys glareolus, Glis glis, Meles meles, Martes martes, Lynx lynx, Felis silvestris, Sus scrofa, Palaeoloxodon antiquus, and Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis indicate a forest environment. The presence of species that preferred more open environments ( Cricetus cricetus, Mammuthus primigenius, Coelodonta antiquitatis, and Equus ferus) is also recorded for the Eemian Interglacial of Poland. Characteristic was the presence of the large broad-toothed and flat-headed Ursus arctos taubachensis, which additionally often outnumbered remains of Ursus spelaeus sensu lato in the contemporary layers. The Eemian vertebrate fauna of Poland consisted of about 150 species (representing 61 genera and 26 families), most of which were recorded earlier from other localities of this age in central and eastern Europe.

Shallow−marine deposits of the Krabbedalen Formation (Kap Dalton Group) from Kap Brewster, central East Greenland, yielded rich dinoflagellate cyst and pollen− −spore assemblages. Previously, this formation yielded also rich mollusc and foraminifer age−diagnostic assemblages. A Lower Oligocene age of the Krabbedalen Formation seems to be supported by the dinoflagellate cyst assemblage analysis, while the pollen−spore as− semblages point to a wider stratigraphic age range within Oligocene–Middle Miocene.

Diatom assemblages from small pools and creeks on the Ecology Glacier

forefield have been investigated. It is the first study in the Admiralty Bay region after

the thorough taxonomic revision of the non-marine Antarctic diatom flora. A total of

122 diatom taxa, belonging to 35 genera were identified. More than 55% of all observed

species have a restricted Antarctic distribution. Another 15% have a marine origin.

Nitzschia gracilis Hantzsch, N. homburgiensis Lange-Bertalot and Planothidium rostrolanceolatum

Van de Vijver et al. dominated the flora. Based on a DCA analysis,

samples were subdivided in three groups reflecting ecological differences. Several samples

(group 1) showed a mixed freshwater/marine diatom composition and are typical for

coastal pools. Two other groups were separated based on the amount of limnoterrestrial

taxa indicating the temporary character of some of the pools.

The aim of this research was to study the biodiversity of cyanobacteria and microalgae in hydro-terrestrial habitats from the area of Hornsund fjord (Svalbard archipelago). This research is particularly important, because hitherto no complex research (including all taxonomic groups) has previously been conducted on the cyanobacterial and microalgal flora in Arctic water ecosystems. The research was conducted during the summer seasons of 2011 and 2013. Shannon’s diversity index was used to describe species diversity and evenness. Data on cyanobacteria and microalgae were analyzed using the MVSP and PCA. Additionally, a basic analysis of the physicochemical properties of water in the studied ecosystems was performed. A total of 506 taxa were noted in the studied hydro-terrestrial habitats. The most numerous group was cyanobacteria, constituting 35% of all recorded taxa. Ochrophyta and Chlorphyta were almost equally numerous (percentage again as for cyanobacteria). Nineteen types of assemblages were noted in all studied hydro-terrestrial habitats. The diversity of cyanobacteria and microalgae and the assemblages formed by them were used to determine the characteristics of the studied ecosystems. Each type of water ecosystem was represented by specific phycoflora and assemblages. Ecological parameters along with biological data (the diversity of cyanobacteria and microalgae) allowed us to sort the studied hydro-terrestrial habitats by similarity. Our analyses clearly distinguished water ecosystem groups differing in species composition determining their trophic status. The research shows the usefulness of cyanobacteria and microalgae diversity defined by the Shannon-Weaver index for characterizing bodies of water and determining the trophic status of these habitats.

The major impacts on aquatic ecosystems worldwide caused by land use lead to changes in their natural conditions and limitation of water use for various needs. This paper presents the results of the study of the physical and chemical parame-ters and macroinvertebrate assemblage in the White Drin River (or: the Drim River, Alb. the Drini i Bardhë River) basin, the largest in Kosovo. Macroinvertebrate sampled at 11 sites in the river resulted in 5946 collected benthic organisms, which in taxonomic terms belong to 12 orders and 51 families. Of the total number of organisms, 72.28% were Insects, 25.39% Amphipoda crustaceans and 2.33% were Annelide worms and Mollusk. The used biotic indices Biological Moni-toring Working Party (BMWP), Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT), average score per taxon (ASPT) and Stroud Water Research Center (SWRC) classify water quality in excellent category in the sampling site S1 near the source of the White Drin River, whereas in other sampling sites, as a result of pollution, water quality varies on category II–IV. The Pearson's correlation analyses shown that the physical and chemical parameters affect the water quality and the com-position of macroinvertebrates. Our results show that the parameters that adversely affect the BMWP, EPT and ASPT bio-tic indices as well as the Shannon–Wiener, Mergalef and Menhinik diversity indices are: pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total suspended solids (TSS), nitrates (NO3–) and chlorides (Cl–). We can conclude that the anthropogenic impact on White Drin basin affects the physical, chemical and biological parameters of the water therefore these parameters should be con-stantly included in Biomonitoring and Management plans for water resources in Kosovo.