LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEACH NETWORK IN LITHUANIA

1
LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEACH NETWORK IN LITHUANIA
Saulius vaas Mecislovas alakevicius Mindaugas
Dagys
Institute of Ecology of Vilnius University
2
Lithuania - general information

• The area of Lithuania - 65,200 km2
• Lowlands cover more than 70 of the territory
• Lithuania is located in the moderate climate zone
• Forests cover about 29 of the territory
• Bogs and mires of all types cover about 5 of the
  territory
• 3,200 lakes cover about 1.5 of the territory
• 758 rivers longer than 10 km

3
Protected areas of Lithuania

• Protected areas now cover more than 12
• of the territory of Lithuania
• The network of protected areas consists of
• 1 Biosphere Strict Nature Reserve
• 3 State Strict Nature Reserves
• 4 National Parks
• 30 Regional Parks
• 254 State Nature Reserves
• 410 Objects of Nature Heritage (including 159
  Monuments of Nature)
• about 273 Municipality Reserves

4
Biodiversity in Lithuania
Biodiversity in Lithuania  
 
5
Ecological Research History
The University of Vilnius UNIVERSITAS VILNENSIS
established in 1579
Initial data on geology, palaeontology,
hydrology, geography, ecological communities,
fauna and flora in Lithuania are available since
the 19th century
Nature Sciences Jundzilas B. 1804. Background on
botany Jundzilas B. 1807. Short course on
zoology Eichvald E. 1830. Nature history of
Lithuania and adjacent countries (geology,
palaeontology, flora, fauna) Tyzenhauz K.
1843-1846. Birds of the country   1830 one of
the largest in Europe botanical garden developed
with more than 6,500 species of plants 1830
museum of zoology developed with more than 20,000
specimens
6
Detailed investigations on geology,
palaeontology, hydrology, geography, ecological
communities, fauna and flora of certain sites
implemented since the mid-19th early 20th
centuries
Weber C. 1902. Vegetation and Development of the
Raised Bog Augstumal in the Nemunas River Delta
7
Multidisciplinary studies of certain sites
implemented by several research institutes and
universities in the 1950s 1990s
These large-scale research programs resulted in a
series of monographs and publications on the
geology, geography, hydrology, meteorology,
botany and zoology of certain core nature areas
of Lithuania
International Research Programs
Large-scale multidisciplinary investigations were
performed as part of the EU 5th Framework, LIFE,
European Science Foundation, MAB, Global
Environmental Facility, PHARE, NATO, HELCOM and
other international programs by several research
institutes and universities during the last
decades
8
LTER NETWORK IN LITHUANIA
Initiated and organized by the Institute of
Ecology of Vilnius University since 2000, when
the National Coordinating Ecological Unit was
established. The National LTER Committee was
established in 2004 with the support of the US
State Department and ILTER Network.
The National LTER Committee includes scientists
from Institute of Ecology of Vilnius University
(http//www.ekoi.lt) Institute of Botany
(http//www.botanika.lt) Institute of Geology and
Geography (http//www.geo.lt) The national LTER
Committee implement the scientific program of the
network in collaboration with other organizations
and Ministry of Environment. LTER program was
adopted by the Government of Lithuania in 2004.
Institute of Ecology of Vilnius University
(Akademijos 2, LT-08412 Vilnius-21 Lithuania)
coordinates the LTER network in Lithuania Web
site LTER Lithuania www.ekoi.lt/info/lter
9
LTER SITES IN LITHUANIA
Four sites were designated for LTER program in
Lithuania
Kamanos State Strict Nature Reserve
Lake Druksiai with adjacent wetlands
Coastal area

• These sites are internationally important nature
  areas, representative examples of ecosystems
  characteristic of different regions of Lithuania
• All designated sites have proper scientific
  background from earlier and ongoing
  interdisciplinary research
• All sites are included into the National
  Environmental Monitoring Scheme and other
  national programs, what is important for
  long-term stability of the program. Co-funding of
  LTER activities is available from different EU
  programs, covering all designated sites.

Cepkeliai State Strict Nature Reserve and the
Katra River
10
LTER SITES IN LITHUANIA
Site-based long-term multidisciplinary ecological
research has central role in the network The key
research topics are the following

• The role of biological diversity in ecosystem
  functions
• Effects of the global change on structure and
  dynamics of ecosystems
• Long-term changes of ecological communities
• Invasive species and their role in ecosystems
• Ecology of rare species of flora and fauna
• Biological effects of environmental pollution of
  ecosystems

11
Coastal LTER site
12
Coastal LTER site

• The site is a representative example of a major
  system of coastal wetlands, characteristic of the
  Baltic Region.
• It includes
• The Curonian Lagoon - the largest lagoon in the
  SE Baltic region
• The Curonian Spit, distinguished by the unique in
  this region ridge of drifting sandy dunes
• The Nemunas River delta - one of the very few
  natural or moderately changed estuaries,
  remaining in the Baltic Region
• Near shore marine waters

• Main characteristics of the site
• The exchange of fresh, brackish and saline waters
  impacts the whole costal ecosystem
• Great diversity of habitats, including many types
  of habitats listed in the EU Habitat Directive
• A very high biomass production
• High diversity of flora and fauna
• -  more than 500 vascular plant species
• -  more than 2,000 insect species
• -  large diversity of freshwater/brackish/marine
  benthic communities
• -  more than 60 species of fishes
• -  9 species of amphibians
• -  5 species of reptiles
• -  312 species of birds
• -  43 species of mammals
• It is one of the most important stopover and
  wintering sites for waterbirds in Europe
• It is the key path for the migratory fish species
  to the Nemunas River basin and important spawning
  ground of several fish species

13
Cepkeliai LTER site
14
Cepkeliai/Katra LTER site

• The largest in Lithuania and one of the largest
  in the Baltic region mire complex.
• It includes
• Large open raised bogs, fens and transition mires
• Numerous small lakes, pools, forested islands
• Permanently flooded old forests
• The Katra River with unchanged hydrological regime

• Main characteristics of the site
• Unique in the region recent changes of
  hydrological regime (changes in the watershed of
  the Katra and Ula Rivers since the mid-19th
  century, almost total disappearance of certain
  large lakes)
• High diversity of flora and fauna
• - more than 1,230 species of algae, fungi and
  higher vascular plants
• -  more than 2,500 species of invertebrates
• -  14 species of fishes
• -  10 species of amphibians
• - 6 species of reptiles
• -  183 species of birds (of which 126 species
  breed in the site)
• -  41 species of mammals
• The site supports many rare and vulnerable
  species, listed in the EU Habitats and Birds
  Directives

15
Kamanos LTER site
16
Kamanos LTER site

• The largest wetland complex in the northern
  Lithuania. It contains representative example of
  a natural wetland type, characteristic of the
  Eastern Baltic Region.
• It includes
• Large open raised bog, fens and transition
  mires
• Lake Kamanos and more than 120 small pools
• Adjacent wet forests with numerous old stands

•  Main characteristics of the site
• Diversity of habitats, including many types of
  habitats listed in the EU Habitat Directive
• High diversity of flora and fauna
• -  more than 1,000 species of algae and higher
  vascular plants
• -  about 1,500 species of invertebrates
• -  5 species of fishes
• -  7 species of amphibians
• -  4 species of reptiles
• -  180 species of birds (of which 87 species
  breed in the site)
• -  41 species of mammals
• The site supports many rare and vulnerable
  species, listed in the EU Habitats and Birds
  Directives

17
Druksiai LTER site
18
Druksiai LTER site

• Lake Druksiai is the largest lake in Lithuania
  (area - 4,480 ha).
• The lake is used as a cooler of the Ignalina
  Nuclear Power Plant.
• The site includes
• Lake Druksiai
• Floodplains
• Adjacent forests and wetlands
•  
•   

• Main characteristics of the site
• High thermal load on the ecosystem (the water
  volume annually used for cooling of the Nuclear
  Power Plant up to 9 times exceeds the natural
  water volume of the lake and up to 27 times the
  natural annual influx of water into the lake)
• Rapid changes of the trophic status of Lake
  Druksiai (from oligo-mesotrophic to eutrophic in
  some sites to hypertrophic)
• Succession of this ecosystem is several hundred
  times more intensive, if compared with a natural
  process
• The site supports several rare and vulnerable
  species, including relict glacial species and
  species listed in the EU Habitats and Birds
  Directives

19
Collaboration among networks
Cross-border site-based ecological research   The
cross-border site-based ecological research was
recently initiated in two LTER sites shared with
Belarus (Cepkeliai mire and Lake Druksiai) and in
the coastal LTER site (the Nemunas River delta)
shared with Russia.  
20
Collaboration among networks
Certain research programs on biodiversity and
impacts of the global climate change are
implemented together with research institutes and
universities of the Baltic States, Ukraine,
Belarus and Russia. They cover the whole Baltic
Sea Black Sea region.
21
LTER - BALTIC CONFERENCE14-16 October 2004,
Vilnius, Lithuania
The key research topics of the conference
biological diversity and effects of the global
climate change on environment in the Baltic Sea
region. More than 80 scientists and experts from
12 countries participated in the Baltic LTER
conference.
Abstracts and Proceedings of the conference form
a selection of papers presenting a general review
of LTER programs conducted in countries of the
Baltic Sea region
22
Lithuanian LTER group aims to join the ILTER
network and to take part in regional and global
networking activities