The focus of the study was on the dynamics of the variation in the population of copiotrophic and oligotrophic bacteria and actinobacteria as well as the level of acid and alkaline phosphatase activities taking place during pine bark composting, depending on the application of different organic admixtures and the Effective Microorganisms microbiological preparation as well as variation in pH values and temperature. Above all, the trend in the variation in the population of microorganisms under analysis and enzymatic activity depended on the type of admixture applied to the composted pine bark. Apart from that, the course of microbiological activity was also influenced by temperature variation, which resulted from the course of the composting process. The results obtained in the experiment proved that the admixture of PGM (plant green matter) to the composted prisms had stimulating influence on the microbiological indexes under analysis.

This paper discusses the results of a study on the impact of nitrogen stress on the accumulation of various N forms in young pines and in needles of mature pine trees. With the increase in N content in the growth environment (fertilization), a several fold increase in total N in plants was found while N-NH4 increased tens of times as compared to the treatment without fertilization. At a decreased biomass yield by ca. 50 % the proportion of N-NH4 in the total N pool fluctuated from IO to 15 %, or even more. The share of N-NO3 in the total N amount was several fold lower than that of N-NH4. In needles of trees growing under the impact of N deposition, the observed share of N-NH4 in the total N pool was at a level of ca. 3 %. but the total amount of soluble non-protein N compounds constituted ca. 26 %. In needles of trees under low N deposition only trace amounts of mineral N were detected. Thus it can be suggested that the ratio of total N to soluble non-protein N compounds as well as the total N to mineral N ratio may be used as indices of N stress for pine.

Pine wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) (Aphelenchida: Parasitaphelencidae) is one of the most harmful agents in coniferous forests. The most important vectors of pine wood nematode are considered to be some Monochamus species (Col.: Cerambycidae), which had been forest insects with secondary importance before the appearance of B. xylophilus. However, the continuous spreading of the nematode has changed this status and necessitated detailed biological and climatological investigation of the main European vector, Monochamus galloprovincialis. The potential distribution area of M. galloprovincialis involves those areas where the risk of the appearance of pine wood nematode B. xylophilus is significant. The main objective of our analysis was to obtain information about the influencing effects of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on the potential European range of B. xylophilus and its vector species M. galloprovincialis based on the connection between the mean temperature of July in Europe, the distribution of day-degrees of the vector and the NAO index. Our assessment was based on fundamental biological constants of the nematode and the cerambycid pest as well as the ECMWF ERA5 Global Atmospheric Reanalysis dataset. Our hypothesis was built on the fact that the monthly mean temperature had to exceed 20°C in the interest of an efficient expansion of the nematode. In addition, the threshold temperature of the vector involved in the calculations was 12.17°C, while the accumulated day-degree (DD) had to exceed the annual and biennial 370.57°DD for univoltine and semivoltine development, respectively. Our finding that a connection could be found between a mean temperature in July above 20°C and NAO as well as between the accumulated day-degrees and NAO can be the basis for further investigations for a reliable method to forecast the expansion of pine wood nematode and its vector species in a given year.

Twenty one core tops from the central part of Pine Island Bay and nearby Ferrero Bay were collected in early 2010. They originate from a poorly studied area of the Amundsen Sea influenced at greater depths by relatively warm Circumpolar Deep Water. Almost all samples came from water−depths between 550 and 900 m and yield benthic foraminiferal assemblages of moderate variability with a significant decrease in calcareous forms with increasing water−depth. In total, 93 benthic taxa, belonging to 71 genera, are identified at the species level. They share a greater percentage of common species with the Ross Sea than with South Shetland Islands, most likely due to stronger climatic dissimilarity with the latter. Interestingly, the assemblages from Pine Island Bay, share the greatest numbers of taxa with assemblages described from Lützow−Holm Bay in East Antarctica, where the influence of Circumpolar Deep Water has been also recognized.