Original announcement of the event on this website (April 2010)
For the GEO article in Estonian language, please go to the downloads section.
A total of 455 species were identified in the study area. What does that figure reflect? Considering that, for instance, from just one square metre in the Laelatu wooded meadow 74 species of vascular plants alone have been identified, close on 500 species from more than ten groups of organisms in a large study area does not seem notably much. However, it would not be appropriate at all to compare Laelatu wooded meadow, which holds the second place in the world for small-scale species diversity, to a suburban sports area.
Taxons identified on Biodiversity Action Day by work groups
Mammals: 7; Reptiles: 3; Fish: 3; Molluscs: 13; Birds: 47; Soil organisms: 62; Bats: 4; Plankton: 25; Insects: 20; Mosses: 35; Lichen: 31; Vascular plants: 190; Water invertebrates: 15. Total: 455
The high percentage of vascular plants in the total number of species can in this case be explained by the diversity of trees and bushes in the Dendrology Park. The latter were identified and described by Ivar Sibul of the Estonian University of Life Sciences. Of herbaceous plants, which were identified by Margit Hirv and Silja Kana of the same university, only 61 species were found.
Supervised by Professor Mari Ivask, Mart Meriste and Annely Kuu of the Tartu College of the Tallinn University of Technology, the soil life work group studied arachnids, carabids, springtails, myriapods and earthworms. Identification of earthworms made quite a few of the participants literally grasp for breath. None had ever seen how mustard solution made mega- and microdriles emerge from the soil. The fact that on one square metre there were 7 different species (apart from the ordinary earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris), for instance also the rosy-tipped worm (Aporrectodea rosea), the octagonal-tailed worm (Dendrobaena octaedra), the chestnut worm (Lumbricus castaneus)), was astounding enough. As to most of the springtails, carabids and myriapods, of which around 10 species were identified in the given area, Estonian names have yet to be devised.
Among the identified species there were finds that were surprising and exiting even for the scientists. Professor Mari Ivask of the Tartu College of the Tallinn University of Technology was especially delighted about one species of myriapods: Craspedosoma rawlinsi (family Craspedosomatidae) is a widespread European species, both throughout Central Europe and Scandinavia/Finland, but it had never been identified in Estonia before.
Professor Toomas Tammaru of Tartu University underlined the rarity of the species Ligdia adsustata, whose existence in the study area was extremely surprising for him. The time was not particularly suitable for the study of larger butterflies (MacrolepidopteraRemiz pendulinusLaciniaria plicata.
Researchers Nele Ingerpuu and Kai Vellak of Tartu University, who supervised the mosses work group, considered crystalwort (Riccia fluitans), which was found in abundance in a study area pond, as the most unique find.
The study of plankton has not exactly been a routine activity during earlier Biodiversity Action Days. Taking samples from water bodies and analysing the diversity of species under a microscope was quite thrilling to a number of participants. In the case of plankton the identification of species is not always easy or even possible, therefore the specimens found were identified at family level. The work group was supervised by the charismatic Kalle Olli, Riina Klais and Karolin Trunov of Tartu University.
Under the supervision of Uudo Timm of the Estonian Environment Information Centre and Estonian Theriological Society, participants found in the study area traces of the activity of the badger (Castor fiber), European hare (Lepus europaeus) and European elk (Alces alces).
Myotis daubentonii), Common noctule (Nyctalus noctula), Northern bat (Eptesicus nilssonii) and Nathusius' pipistrelle (Pipistrellus nathusiiRana esculenta), European common brown frog (Rana temporaria) and pool frog (Rana lessonaeHydrophilus piceusCygnus cygnus), who belongs to the second category protected species list here, Common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), a rare and secretive breeding bird in the third protection category, Eurasian or common crane (Grus grus), a third category protected species that has a strong and growing population in Estonia, and Yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava), also of the third category and locally diminishing in numbers. Represented in the study area was also the Mute swan (Cygnus olor) who was introduced to Estonia in the 19th and 20th centuries and whose population is steadily increasing. One could not help seeing the Black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus
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GEO_Estonia_-_Elurikkuse_paev.pdf GEO article on Biodiversity Action Day in Tartu (GEO Estonia, June 2010, in Estonian) |
400 K |
Text: Liina Saar, Krista Takkis
Photos: Urmas Tartes, Remo Savisaar, Katrin Linask
