Application of malacological analysis in local and regional palaeoenvironmental reconstructions – a study from the Holocene of Łapsze Niżne (Podhale, southern Poland)
Authors
Witold Paweł Alexandrowicz
AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environment Protection, Chair of General Geology and Geotourism, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Cracow
Marcin Szymanek
University of Warsaw, Faculty of Geology, Al. Żwirki i Wigury 93, 02-089, Warsaw
Eliza Rybska
Adam Mickiewicz University, Faculty of Biology, Laboratory for Teaching Biology and Natural Sciences, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań
This malacological analysis was conducted at a site with peat and calcareous tufas in Łapsze Niżne, Podhale (southern Poland). The study was carried out in 6 main and several complementary sections, in which 37 mollusc species were recognized represented by almost 11 000 specimens. The study enabled the reconstruction of environmental changes during the accumulation of the Holocene deposits (from the Boreal Phase till present). Conclusions drawn from these reconstructions were compared with results of malacological and palynological studies from other sites in Podhale. As a result, regional environmental reconstructions for the Holocene of the area were made. The specific composition, ecological structure and succession of molluscan assemblages from Łapsze Niżne indicate a significant role for local factors, thus demonstrating the variability of environmental conditions within a geographic region.
