canaliculatus or H. geminus, the beetle S. halensis makes up an assemblage of argillophilous

beetles preferring waters with poor vegetation and a higher content of minerals, usually shallow selleck chemicals llc ones, which warm up very quickly. This explains why argillophiles comprise species typical of Mediterranean countries (e.g. N. canaliculatus), which—by inhabiting man-made ponds—expand the borders of their distribution north- and eastwards. The presence of thermophilous species in anthropogenic ponds has also been observed in studies on other taxonomic groups, for example dragonflies (Donath 1980; Ohnesorge 1988; Buczyński 1999; Buczyński and Pakulnicka 2000). Another distinct group of beetles combined species such as H. lineolatus, H. flavicollis, H. fluviatilis, H. fulvus, H. versicolor and H. hamulatus. These beetles are correlated with water conductivity and concentration of SO 4 2 ions, as well as water saturation and dissolved oxygen. These species prefer well-oxygenated waters and are frequent Mocetinostat in vivo in clean lakes, in habitats with sandy substrate,

overgrown with scattered Phragmites australis, or in quiet sites located in slowly flowing rivers. Other species demonstrating a strong relationship with NH4-N, organic P, total P and CO3 2− create a community of eurytopic species, primarily associated with small eutrophic water bodies, abundantly overgrown with aquatic plants. Summary Anthropogenic ponds located in the Masurian Lake District, owing to their environmental characteristics, including the type of substrate, development of macrophytes, age of the pond as well as the physical and chemical parameters of the water it holds, are inhabited by a rich and diverse

fauna of beetles. The physical and chemical parameters of water in the analyzed ponds correspond to the ones assigned to oligotrophic lakes in very good ecological condition. This is the reason why they have been colonized by several species whose natural habitats are disappearing, especially the ones which have been ascribed different statuses of threatened species in Europe, including H. aterrimus (VU), Anacetrapib in Poland under total protection, H. fulvicollis (VU) and G. caspius (EN). At the same time, such ponds create suitable conditions for many rare species of the Polish fauna, which helps to sustain biodiversity, both locally and on a scale surpassing a single region. Thus, anthropogenic ponds are a valuable component of the ecological landscape and deserve to be subjected to a special nature conservation program. Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Prof. Eugeniusz Biesiadka for his suggestions concerning the research materials as well as his valuable comments during this study. Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.