The decline of tufa deposition in an alkaline fen ecosystem in East-Central Europe and its impact on biotic assemblages: Insights from monitoring and paleoecological data

Abstract

Protection and restoration of the CaCO₃ depositing alkaline fens require an in-depth understanding of these unique and declining ecosystems. The present study investigates the development of the formerly heavy tufa depositing alkaline fen in East-Central Europe after CaCO₃ precipitation markedly declined ca. 5400 cal yr BP. By combining palaeoecological and monitoring data, we aim to identify the limiting factors for tufa deposition and to recognise the vegetation and mollusc response to the change. Investigation of the current fen ecosystem included a botanical and malacological inventory and a monthly monitoring of the physicochemical properties of the groundwater emerging at the fen. It was also tested whether CaCO₃ precipitates there. Transformations of the fen ecosystem since the mid-Holocene tufa decline were recognized by applying plant macrofossil and malacological analyses supplemented with organic matter and CaCO₃ contents and the radiocarbon chronologies of the sediment cores. Although macroscopic tufa is currently not observed at the fen surface, the monitoring study revealed the microscopic calcite crystals at the glass slides during the spring and summer. A combination of cooling, gradual depletion of the Ca²⁺ pool, acidification of soils, and water table fluctuations was likely responsible for limiting tufa deposition in the mid-Holocene and maintaining this state during the late Holocene. Share of the calciphilous species' macrofossils (e.g. moss Tomentypnum nitens) declined following the sedimentary CaCO₃ drop, whereas the contribution of species associated with high nutrient levels raised (e.g. Juncus articulatus). Inspection of the contemporary vegetation of the fen revealed that only Carex paniculata is associated with the calcium-rich substrate. The response of molluscs to the decline in tufa deposition remains unclear as mollusc shells did not preserve in CaCO₃-depleted sediments, except for the youngest deposits. The present-day malacofauna consists of 21 species, including two rare and protected calciphilous species, namely Vertigo angustior and V. geyeri.

Keywords: Alkaline fens; Calciphilous species; Ecosystem decline; Palaeoecology; Recent ecosystem; Tufa.