Paweł Świsłowski

In Kyrgyzstan, despite heavy environmental pollution, no assessment of dairy cow exposure to trace elements using hair sample analysis has been conducted so far. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the concentrations of selected trace elements, including the essential elements Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn, as well as Cd, Pb, Hg, and Ni, in the hair of dairy cows in the vicinity of Bishkek—the largest city in Kyrgyzstan. The mean concentrations (±SD) and medians (given in parentheses) for individual elements were as follows (in mg/kg dry weight): Cd: 0.62 ± 0.19 (0.60), Cu: 5.63 ± 1.16 (5.69), Fe: 274.9 ± 169.8 (248.0), Mn: 7.81 ± 6.06 (6.12), Ni: mean and median below the limit of detection, Pb: 3.98 ± 1.47 (3.68), Hg: 0.0051 ± 0.0022 (0.0049), and Zn: 77.94 ± 12.91 (79.65). Statistically significant spatial differences were found for Cd, Fe, Hg, Mn, Pb, and Zn, whereas Cu concentrations did not differ significantly among districts. A statistically significant positive correlation with age was found only for Fe (Rs = 0.39, p = 0.006). The results demonstrate the occurrence and spatial variability of the analyzed elements in the hair of cows from the vicinity of Bishkek. However, further comprehensive studies are needed to determine the sources of contamination and the influence of the element concentrations noted in this study on animal health status, as well as to assess potential risks to human consumers of animal products.

The taxonomy of the Fontinalis antipyretica complex has long been a subject of debate, with recent molecular studies often suggesting a broad, polymorphic species concept. This study challenges the current consensus by a multidimensional morphometric analysis of the gametophytic and sporophytic micromorphology, supported by the examination of 44 type specimens, and allows a revision of the Fontinalis antipyretica complex. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) demonstrated full congruence, distinguishing nine groups that differ in the range of variation across all analyzed traits: leaf dimensions and leaf cell parameters of their gametophyte. The dendrogram structure revealed a division of specimens into two main groups: those with longer and wider leaves and cells, and specimens with shorter and narrower leaves and leaf cells. Consequently, considering the obtained results and the marked distinctiveness of each analyzed group, the research beyond Fontinalis antipyretica sensu stricto, allowed for the reinstatement to species rank of F. androgyna R.Ruthe, F. bryhnii Limpr., F. cavifolia Warnst. & M. Fleisch., F. gracilis Lindb., F. kindbergii Renauld & Cardot, and F. minor Brid. Furthermore, it enabled the proposal of new combinations—F. cymbifolia (W.E.Nicholson) Wolski comb. nov., and the description of F. larssonii Wolski sp. nov. A crucial complement to the morphometrics proved to be the micromorphology of the sporophytic exostome of the studied specimens. Substantial differences were demonstrated in the ornamentation of the tooth surfaces—ranging from nearly smooth in F. larssonii, through baculate papillae in F. antipyretica, to angular tubercles in F. cymbifolia. The results prove that within the analyzed taxa, cellular parameters combined with peristome ultrastructure provide a stable basis for the discrimination of the studied specimens. Thus, the conducted research not only systematizes our knowledge of the Fontinalis antipyretica complex and enriches it with previously unpublished micromorphological data but also provides an intelligible identification key for the described taxa, offering a practical tool for analyzing the intraspecific variation of Fontinalis antipyretica sensu lato.

In this study, the potential and limitations of iNaturalist for monitoring mosses in Poland (2019–2025) were assessed using 17,451 verified “Research Grade” records. Rarefaction enabled diversity pattern analysis while accounting for sampling effort differences. Observational activity peaked in early-spring (March) and autumn (October). Analysis revealed extreme asymmetry in research effort ( G _users = 0.89): the 12 most active users contributed 65.5% of national records, creating a “super-user effect.” Rarefaction corrected this bias, identifying the Pomeranian Voivodeship as having the highest standardized diversity ( S _rar = 80.9). Citizen science effectively supports specific moss monitoring aspects. Observers documented 151 unique records of the alien moss Campylopus introflexus , representing over 60% of sites recorded during 30 years of traditional floristic research. Despite the “microscope barrier” restricting the database largely to visually identifiable bryophytes (e.g., reducing nearly the entire genus Hypnum to H . cupressiforme ; G _taxa = 0.76), iNaturalist serves as a crucial early-warning system. Ultimately, large-scale citizen scientists datasets provide valuable guidance for identifying priority areas for future bryological research.

Anthropogenic underground systems are challenging to monitor because restricted ventilation, particle retention, resuspension and spatial heterogeneity generate complex elemental patterns. We tested whether controlled active moss-bag biomonitoring supports comparative profiling of multielement signatures in the Historic Silver Mine in Tarnowskie Góry (TG) and the Boryszyn Loop of the Międzyrzecz Fortified Region (MRU). Pleurozium schreberi and Dicranum polysetum were co-deployed at 20 points per site for 90 days; formal between-system inference was restricted to 64 moss-bag samples from 32 underground exposure points. Profiles included Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb and Hg; Ni and Cd were excluded from continuous inference because of censoring. We analysed net concentration changes relative to corresponding initial values using PCA, PERMANOVA/PERMDISP, mixed-effects models, and Procrustes analysis, with sensitivity analyses based on final concentrations and dominant-element exclusion. Multielement signatures differed between MRU and TG for both biomonitors (PERMANOVA R² = 0.367 and 0.318; both p < 0.001), without significant dispersion differences. MRU showed a stronger Mn signal, whereas TG showed stronger Cu, Zn and Hg signals. Site discrimination persisted after simultaneously excluding Mn and Hg, and cross-species Procrustes correlations were 0.783 and 0.771. These results support moss-bag biomonitoring for comparative multielement profiling, while inference remains limited to deposition-related signals rather than direct source attribution.

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) can accelerate the production of digital teaching materials, but long-term use also requires provenance, reproducibility, and maintainable resource workflows. In a single-account 30-day longitudinal case study, we generated images of the moss Pleurozium schreberi with ChatGPT and Gemini under persistent-thread (P) and new-thread (N) conditions and assessed structural similarity (SSIM), perceptual distance (LPIPS), and CLIP embedding distance. The experimental contrast concerned visible persistent-thread continuity versus newly opened conversations; account-level memory, personalisation, model routing, and other provider-side state were not independently controlled. Under the primary preprocessing, within-day P-N divergence was greater in the observed ChatGPT series than in Gemini for perceptual and CLIP-embedding distance. The LPIPS contrast remained robust under padding-free preprocessing, whereas the structural SSIM cross-platform contrast was strongly preprocessing-sensitive; equivalent geometric-preprocessing sensitivity was not assessed for CLIP. Persistent-thread outputs showed greater observed day-to-day similarity for ChatGPT at structural and perceptual levels, while Gemini showed smaller but consistent P-N differences. Padding-free sensitivity analyses preserved the perceptual within-day contrast and the principal day-to-day thread-condition patterns but showed that the cross-platform within-day SSIM result depended strongly on image preprocessing. The study did not measure learning outcomes, botanical accuracy, energy use, carbon emissions, educator time, or monetary cost; the sustainability implications are therefore limited to provenance-aware digital-resource management and should not be interpreted as demonstrated environmental or economic benefits. Prompt-only documentation was insufficient for recovering a stable visual asset; AI-generated visuals intended for educational reuse should therefore be archived and versioned with their prompt, platform, date, and thread context, while content quality requires separate botanical and pedagogical validation.

PM₁₀ filters provide short-term quantitative information on particle-bound potentially toxic elements (PTEs), whereas mosses integrate deposition and accumulation over longer periods but do not provide air-volume-normalised concentrations. Their combined use may therefore provide a more complete assessment of atmospheric PTE deposition. The study aimed to assess whether active moss biomonitoring and filter-based PM₁₀ monitoring provide complementary information on atmospheric deposition of PTEs under comparable exposure conditions. During the six-month campaign in Opole, PM₁₀ was collected during repeated 24 h sampling events, while three moss species: Pleurozium schreberi, Sphagnum fallax, and Dicranum polysetum were exposed cumulatively. PTE concentrations were determined by ICP-MS; particle-size descriptors, including Q₁₀, Q₅₀, and Q₉₀, were analysed for a subset of filters, whereas net concentration change and RAF were calculated relative to identically processed unexposed moss controls. Spearman correlation, PCA, and Bray–Curtis dissimilarity were used for data analysis. The material retained on the PM₁₀ filters was dominated by Fe, Zn, and Pb, whilst elevated peak values for Cd, Zn, and Pb indicated episodic enrichment in some samples. In mosses, Pb and Co showed the most consistent relative enrichment, while mean RAF exceeded 1.0 for five elements in P. schreberi and two elements each in D. polysetum and S. fallax. PCA separated PM₁₀ from moss profiles, with the first two components explaining 80.4% of the variance, while PM₁₀-moss Bray–Curtis distances ranged from 0.75 to 0.81. The results indicate that PM₁₀ filters and mosses record different but complementary aspects of the atmospheric PTE signal. The simultaneous use of both methods allows the atmospheric PTE signal to be interpreted at two levels: the short-term composition of PM₁₀ material retained on the filters, and the long-term retention and accumulation of elements within the moss matrix.