Geomorphology 123 2010 290 304 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Geomorphology j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e w w w e l s ev i e r c o m l o c a t e g e o m o r p h Impact of mass movements on geo and biodiversity in the Polish Outer Flysch Carpathians Zo a Alexandrowicz W odzimierz Margielewski Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of Sciences A Mickiewicza Ave 33 31 120 Cracow Poland a r t i c l e i n f o Article history Received 13 January 2010 Received in revised form 16 July 2010 Accepted 25 July 2010 Available online 1 August 2010 Keywords Mass movements Geo and biodiversity Landscape transformation Nature conservation Polish Flysch Carpathians a b s t r a c t Complex research was simultaneously done on the geological geomorphological and biocenotic features of landslide areas in the Polish Outer Flysch Carpathians The research allowed us to de ne the relations between the diversity of the landslide originating landforms and the biotopes occurring within them High geodiversity diversity of landforms soil and water of landslide areas allows for a mosaic network of extremely diversi ed natural habitats All of these natural habitats together are characterized by a speci c biodiversity Dependence between geo and biodiversity in landslide areas is connected with a speci c coevolution which is related to the adaptation of the ecosystems to landforms Comprehensive research of this relation to landslide areas would promote the necessity to protect the landslide areas Unfortunately such research done in the Carpathians is still sporadic The comprehensively documented landslide areas are especially valuable elements of the nature protection network within the Carpathian Euro region If made reasonably accessible they may be used for didactic purposes and in geotourism 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved 1 Introduction In the Polish Flysch Outer Carpathians mass movements are common phenomena They have played an essential role in the natural environment They have also caused great economic damage Therefore those processes generated by natural factors or stimulated by human activity are considered to be disadvantageous for human economic activities e g Zi tara 1968 Bober 1984 Mrozek et al 2000 Bajgier Kowalska and Zi tara 2002 Poprawa and R czkowski 2003 Landslides have a varied morphology and a mosaic arrangement of natural habitats occurring within them These habitats are adapted to the diversi ed landforms Such an arrangement of habitats imparts a character to the landscape of these areas that differs from the surrounding landscape These differences are true both on the local and the regional scale The landslide areas are characterized by a speci c geo and biodiversity Research about the diversity in this context has hardly ever been done If some investigations are launched then they refer in general to some selected aspects of transforming the natural environment Cendrero and Dramis 1996 Borgatti and Soldati 2005 Geertsema and Pojar 2007 Corenblit et al 2008 Hradeck et al 2008 Research into landslide areas in the Carpathians allowed us to determine the complex impact of mass movements on the mountainous environment Determination of the relationship between geodiversity landforms soil and water and biodiversity mosaic of plant and Corresponding author E mail address margielewski iop krakow pl W Margielewski 0169 555X see front matter 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved doi 10 1016 j geomorph 2010 07 020 animal associations was particularly important on the landslide areas Alexandrowicz and Margielewski 1995 2000 Alexandrowicz et al 2003 Distinctive landslide forms in the Carpathians are a common occurrence The biocenoses appearing within the landslides however are rarely considered by foresters biologists etc to be associated with and conditioned by individual and diversi ed landforms occurring within the landslides 2 Study area 2 1 Geological and geomorphological settings The Polish Carpathians are divided into the Inner Carpathians Central Carpathians and the Outer Carpathians Flysch Carpathians Fig 1 The Outer Flysch Carpathians are built of very thick ysch deposits of the Upper Jurassic Lower Miocene age The Outer Flysch Carpathians are made up of deep sea sediments consisting of alternating layers of sandstones conglomerates mudstones claystones and partly marls The rock formations strongly folded and dislocated form the great facies tectonic units thrust from south to north one over the other These units are distinguished as nappes Magura Fore Magura or Dukla Silesian Sub Silesian and Skole The Carpathian Foredeep lled with Miocene sediments has developed at the front of them Fig 1 ytko et al 1989 Densely jointed and porous sandstones usually underlain or overlain by shales are rich water collectors which in uence hydrological conditions of the region On the bedrock of ysch formations mainly acid loamy brown soils developed These soil types are cambisols as well as some Z Alexandrowicz W Margielewski Geomorphology 123 2010 290 304 291 Fig 1 Geological map of Polish Outer Carpathians after ytko et al 1989 lithosols and regosols Warszy ska 1995 Wide river valleys and intermountain basins are covered with uvisols The relief of the Polish Outer Carpathians explicitly re ects differences in the resistance and tectonic structures of the rocks Starkel 1969 The following types of relief can be distinguished from the north to the south of the Outer Carpathians the foothill relief altitudes do not exceed 600 m a s l the bottom valley and mountain depression relief the low mountain relief 600 800 m a s l the middle high mountain relief with steep slopes 800 1300 m a s l and the alpine relief in the highest massifs which attain 1725 m a s l In the Polish Outer Carpathians lithologically diversi ed ysch rocks strongly jointed and faulted create advantageous conditions for mass movements to develop Besides human activity plays a part in the hydrogeological condition of the region dam lakes river regulation etc Human activity is also responsible for accelerating mass movements by stimulating the instability of the slopes with buildings roads etc 2 2 Climate and vegetation The Carpathian climate is diversi ed The western part is somewhat under the in uence of more oceanic air masses The eastern part is more often affected by continental air masses The mean annual precipitation amounts to ca 700 mm for the Carpathian foothills to 1000 1300 mm in the higher parts of the