Physico-chemical groundwater conditions at Salix lapponum stands in Eastern Poland

A subarctic-boreal relict species, Salix lapponum, found within the area of the Łęczna-Włodawa Lakeland (Eastern Poland), is particularly threatened with extinction due to the southern limit of its range and the specific conditions of its occurrence. This conclusion is evidenced by a systematic reduction in the number of its locations, which is accompanied by a decrease in the numbers of individuals making up its populations. The aim of the present study was to determine habitat conditions of the occurrence of Salix lapponum populations on the basis of an analysis of physico-chemical factors of groundwater at the sites associated with various stages of succession taking place in small peatland water bodies. The results of this study confirm the trend that the stands and population numbers of this species are decreasing with the intensification of ecological succession and the degree of its progress and at the same time show that this species exhibits a wide amplitude of many of the investigated factors. Among the groundwater parameters under investigation, the low level of total nitrogen, phosphorus fraction and DOC as well as the high level of Ca, pH and electrolytic conductivity can be considered to be a set of conditions that promote the maintenance of Salix lapponum populations. On the other hand, in the case of nitrates, nitrites, sulphates as well as the Na, K and Mg ions, the Kruskal-Wallis statistical test showed that the distribution of their values was invariant in relation to the studied habitats, which is probably evidence that they do not determine the development or extinction of the investigated populations in these habitats.