title: The Importance of the Mining Subsidence Reservoirs Located Along the Trans-Regional Highway in the Conservation of the Biodiversity of Freshwater Molluscs in Industrial Areas (Upper Silesia, Poland).
abstract: The objectives of the survey were to analyse the structure of the mollusc communities in the mining subsidence reservoirs that were created as a result of land subsidence over exploited hard coal seams and to determine the most predictive environmental factors that influence the distribution of mollusc species. The reservoirs are located in urbanised and industrialised areas along the Trans-Regional Highway, which has a high volume of vehicular traffic. They all have the same sources of supply but differ in the physical and chemical parameters of the water. In total, 15 mollusc species were recorded including four bivalve species. Among themAnodonta cygneais classified as Endangered according to the Polish Red Data Book of Animals and also as Near Threatened according to the European Red List of Non-marine Molluscs. Eleven of the 15 mollusc species are included on the European Red List of Non-marine Molluscs as Least Concern. Conductivity, pH and the concentration of calcium were the parameters most associated with the distribution of mollusc species. Canonical correspondence analysis showed thatPotamopyrgus antipodarum,Radix balthica,Physella acuta,Gyraulus cristaandPisidium casertanumwere associated with higher conductivity and lower pH values.A. cygnea,Anodonta anatinaandFerrissia fragiliswere negatively influenced by these parameters of the water. The results of this survey showed that the mining subsidence reservoirs located in urbanised and industrialised areas provide refuges for rare and legally protected species and that they play an essential role in the dispersal of alien species as well.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hydrobiology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, The University of Silesia, 9 Bankowa Street, 40-007 Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Iga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lewin
authors.affiliation: Department of Hydrobiology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, The University of Silesia, 9 Bankowa Street, 40-007 Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Aneta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spyra
authors.affiliation: Department of Hydrobiology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, The University of Silesia, 9 Bankowa Street, 40-007 Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Mariola
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krodkiewska
authors.affiliation: Department of Hydrobiology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, The University of Silesia, 9 Bankowa Street, 40-007 Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Strzelec
keywords: Anodonta cygnea; Anthropogenic reservoirs; Environmental factors; Mollusc community; Rare species; Transportation routes