State of Carabid assemblages in forest ecosystem previously affected by high levels of heavy metals Cu and Pb

Abstract

Human activities in industrial areas have released into the atmosphere solids of different nature, including heavy metals. The center of the Spiš region belongs to the foremost polluted areas in Slovakia. The Copper Smelting Plant Krompachy contaminated surrounding areas around this town by metals mainly by copper and lead. Despite significant improvement of environmental situation in the 1990s, resistant pollutant load from the mentioned pollution source continues to negatively impact on the surrounding countryside. The residual pollutant load has persisted for more than 20 years. Species diversity and cumulative abundance of Carabids in all stands in the contaminated environment was extremely low due to synergic effect of three factors, acidity of substrate, southern exposition and discontinuity of the vegetation coverage that resulted in forming of two assemblages. The open stands were inhabited by heliophilous species of genera Cicindela, Harpalus and Microlestes. The characteristic forest species did not occur there or penetrated here only rarely. In the closed stand, only three mesohygrohilous forest species Carabus violaceus, Carabus hortensis and Pterostichus oblongopunctatus were recorded.