Laboratory of Ecological Processes Modelling

	Institute of Ecology and Environment Protection

	Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences

	Institute of General and Molecular Biology

	Institute of Geography

University Web Managers Toruń University A-Z Polish version

Laboratory of Ecological Processes Modelling

87-100 Toruń, Gagarina 9, phone (+48 56) 611-45-98

Head of the Laboratory:

Prof. dr hab. Andrzej Nienartowicz
professor; phone (+48 56) 611-45-98; e-mail: nienart@biol.uni.torun.pl

Staff

Research projects

Publications

Student courses

Every year the Laboratory organizes a computer course Application of numerical methods in ecology

and co-organizes a scientific conference Ecological Seminar in Toruń (TSE).

The laboratory co-edits an international journal Ecological Questions

The Laboratory of Ecological Processes Modelling is equipped with specialist computer programs, which enable:
- to prepare Geographic Information Systems (GIS),
- to analyse satellite images,
- to evaluate spatial landscape structure,
- to draw pollen diagrams,
- to analyse ecological data with methods of numerical taxonomy and ordination,
- to develop models and simulations of ecological processes.
The Laboratory has packages of programs meant for modelling the functioning of former and contemporary ecological structures, particularly the energy flow and matter circulation in ecosystems.
The Laboratory has got aerial and satellite images of Pomerania and Kujawy.

Staff:
dr Anna Filbrandt-Czaja	tutor	phone (+48 56) 611-25-34	e-mail: afczaja@biol.uni.torun.pl
dr Agnieszka Piernik	tutor	phone (+48 56) 611-25-37	e-mail: piernik@biol.uni.torun.pl
dr Miłosz Deptuła	tutor	phone (+48 56) 611-25-36	e-mail: deptula@biol.uni.torun.pl

Main page

Research projects:

The Laboratory of Ecological Processes Modelling (PMPE) was created in 1998. The scientific and research work of PMPE focuses on developing, at large spatial and temporal scale, models of vegetation changes, biodiversity, primary production and the state of plant biomass, as well as organic carbon balance and energy flow in the landscape. Transformations of ecological structures are analysed from the aspect of global climate changes. The Kujawy Region, the Toruń-Bydgoszcz Valley and Tuchola Forest are the main study areas.
In Kujawy, the research focuses mainly on inland salt marshes and occurring there halophyte species. The research conducted within this scope constitutes the continuation of research works undertaken here by Professor dr hab. Jadwiga Wilkoń-Michalska in the early fifties of the last century and carried out till the beginning of the 21st century.
In the valley of Toruń, influence of the development of urban areas (the cities of Bydgoszcz and Toruń) on the range, structural changes and functioning of forest ecosystems is studied. Analyses, carried out with the use of thermal channels of satellite images, aim at assessing the biological and cultural metabolism of the situated here cities, the magnitude of pollution emissions, the significance of vegetation for preventing the greenhouse effect, as well as changes in the living conditions and the so-called "ecological standard" of the living here 750-thou human population.
The research in Tuchola Forest concerns changes in the vegetation structure (particularly in the range of forests, distribution of heathlands and some selected plant species), as well as the energy flow in the landscape under the influence of political, social and economic transformations. Within this scope, PMPE continues the research works initiated by Professor dr hab. Ryszard Bohr in the seventies of the 20th century.
Analyses of transformations in the vegetation cover and landscape structure are carried out with the GIS technology, using historical cartographic materials as well as contemporary aerial and satellite images as information sources. Methods of mathematical modelling are applied within the broad scope, as well as procedures of multivariate analysis and studies of spatial structure. All possible data on the vegetation are collected as GIS elements, such as localities of plants, distribution maps of plant populations, maps of natural potential and actual vegetation, phytosociological databases, etc.
To understand changes in the forest range at the longer temporal horizon, palynological analysis is applied. Among others, PMPE participates in the preparation of maps with changes in the range of trees under the influence of climatic changes during Holocene over the territory of Poland. In order to define the influence of human activity on the vegetation transformation, also analyses of modern pollen precipitation are carried out in different landscape types with different forms and intensity of the anthropogenic factor.
Within the analyses of the vegetation cover functioning, PMPE performs studies on the impact of vegetation structure changes on carbon accumulation in the landscape. Former and current states of plant biomass and organic carbon resources, estimated at the large spatial scale, are compared with maximum values, defined on the basis of a potential vegetation map of a studied area, applying the methods of mathematical modelling of forest succession and the growth of forest stands.
The area of the Forest Promotional Complex - Białowieża Forest, which comprises the most primeval forest fragment of the moderate zone in Europe, serves as a reference point for studies on forest ecosystems in the Kujawy Region, the Toruń-Bydgoszcz Valley and Tuchola Forest.
The research issue that is intensively developed by the Laboratory is the analysis of solar energy transfer to biosphere by photosynthesis in ecological systems, including the nature as well as the production and cultural system created by man. The extent of solar energy conversion by the system, measured by the amount of so-called emergy (emergy = embodied solar energy, according to Howard T. Odum) is applied in those analyses as a measure of system exploitation in accordance with principles of sustainable development. Based on the emergy concept, system analyses are performed on former and contemporary ecological systems of different spatial scale. Recently, particular attention is focused on natural objects of different protection status, where human energy expenditure increases on prevention of unfavourable transformations of the natural subsystem; in other words, attention is focused on active nature protection.
Within the scope of energy issues, PMPE participates also in the research and scientific conferences concerning the use of renewable energy sources, especially plant biomass.

Current research subjects:

The system of spatial information on the vegetation of Pomerania and Kujawy regions
Satellite platform of vegetation and phenological data for climatological, production and ecoenergy applications.
European inland salt marshes.
Halophytes: connectors of genes, communities and ecosystems.
Climatic conditions, composition and structure of vegetation as the factors influencing the modern pollen rain in selected communities and regions of Poland (actuopalynological studies; supervised by Dr I. Pidek from Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Lublin).
Former and contemporary landscape diversity of Tuchola Forest in the light of pollen, phytosociological and satellite analysis.
Possibilities of heathlands reconstruction in the conditions of multifunctional forestry.
The influence of the management processes on the biological diversity as well as on the order and chaos, and accumulation and carbon balance in the landscape.
Contemporary and potential organic carbon storage in the landscape of Tuchola Forest (the grant of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education supervised by Dr M. Deptuła).
Production, collection and utilization of wood in former and contemporary economic systems.
From natural to industrial ecosystems: energy flows and emergy synthesis.
Energy indices of sustainability.

Main page

Selected publications:

Main page

Student courses:

Main page