North-eastern Croatia Research Articles

Spatial and statistical analyses of parameters influencing arsenic distribution in the lowland Drava River area, northeastern Croatia

Spatial and statistical analyses of parameters influencing arsenic distribution in the lowland Drava River area, northeastern Croatia

Technological and Economic Optimization of Honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) Colony Production

Zbog povećanih gubitaka pčelinjih zajednica, potražnja za njima raste iz godine u godinu. Kako bi nadoknadili izgubljene pčelinje zajednice ili povećali veličinu pčelinjaka, pčelari moraju kupiti nove zajednice ili ih mogu sami proizvesti tijekom sezone. Cilj ovoga rada bio je ispitati tehnološku i ekonomsku učinkovitost triju različitih metoda proizvodnje pčelinjih zajednica: korištenjem jednoga, dvaju i četiriju okvira saća s poklopljenim leglom i pripadajućim pčelama kojima je dodana sparena matica. Istraživanje je provedeno u sjeveroistočnoj Hrvatskoj od svibnja 2019. do travnja 2020. Na kraju prve sezone nije bilo značajnih razlika između skupina u broju okvira zauzetih leglom i pčelama. Proizvodnja zajednica s jednim okvirom poklopljenoga legla omogućuje pčelaru proizvodnju većega broja pčelinjih zajednica, dok su se pčelinje zajednice proizvedene na početku sezone s pomoću četiriju okvira poklopljenoga legla dovoljno razvile i proizvodile med tijekom glavne ljetne pčelinje paše. Sva tri načina proizvodnje pčelinjih zajednica pokazala su pozitivan ekonomski rezultat i stopu isplativosti.

Green manuring with crimson clover as an alternative to mineral fertilization in maize production

Role of mineral fertilizers is to complement the soils’ indigenous supply of minerals for crop plants nutrition. Among the mineral nutrients, nitrogen is generally considered as the most yield-contributing. Obtaining nitrogen from legumes is potentially more sustainable than from industrial sources. Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) has long been appreciated as cover crop grown for green manuring due to its capability for binding the atmospheric nitrogen into plant-available form. Green manuring effects of crimson clover for succeeding maize crop were tested in 2019 year on two locations of Northeastern Croatia differing in soil texture: 1) on the site A where the soil was compact and dominated by clay and 2) on the site B where the soil was loose and dominated by loam. The research was conducted in a year with favourable rainfall during maize vegetation. Results have shown that green manuring with crimson clover for maize as the main crop delivered somewhat lower maize grain and aboveground mass yields than the conventional full-dose mineral fertilization on deep fertile soils around Osijek (Northeastern Croatia). When compared to conventional agronomy, green manuring was associated with additional agrotechnical operations required for crimson clover cover crop establishment and its herbage incorporation into soil prior to seeding main maize crop. Research should be continued in more different environments (year × location combinations) in order to produce reliable evaluation of crimson clover’s green manuring services.

Economic evaluation of different strategy for weed management in garlic production

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate various weed management options on garlic (Alium sativum L.) production in Northeastern Croatia. This study focus on how different strategies of weed control affects weed community composition and economic benefit of weed management. An experiment was arranged as a complete block design with three different weed management strategies: chemical control (PRE EM and POST EM), mechanical control (three times during the season), and combination of chemical and mechanical treatments, together with weeded checks. Data on weed density, fresh above weed biomass and garlic yield per m2 were collected at the end of the growing season, and were subjected to statistical and economic analysis. The mayor weeds found in the experimental plots were: Sorghum halepense, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Cirsium arvense and Chenopodium album. The various weed growth (density and biomass) and yield varied with application of weed management practices. Significantly lower values of weed density and fresh above weed biomass were recorded on plots with mechanical and combination of chemical and mechanical treatments compared to weeded check. Chemical application gave in this study insufficient weed control and resulted in lower yields compared to the mechanical treatments and combination of mechanical and mechanical weed control. The best cost: benefit ratio was observed on treatment with combination of chemical and mechanical weed control and can be successfully applied to boost up the bulb yield in garlic and to harvest the maximum profit for farmers.

Impact of weeds from field margins on adjacent agriculture land

A vegetation survey in northeastern Croatia explored the influence of intensive arable farming on the weed community in relation to the crop edge and adjacent field margin. A total of 141 vascular plants were recorded, and significant differences among the species appear in the field margins (134) as compared to the crop edges (109) and middle of the fields (49). Native plants predominated (83.7%), but among non-natives, the most abundant were Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., Abutilon theoprasti Med. and Veronica persica Poir., with the highest cover values inside the cropped areas, particularly during spring sowing of row crops. The most diverse (having significantly higher Evenness and Shannon?s diversity index) was the community from the field margin, followed by the weed community that developed on the crop edges. Three distribution patterns were observed: weeds typically limited to the crop area, weeds limited to the non-crop area and weeds with some ability to spread from the field margins. Major variations in species composition were identified according to sowing season and crop type. Wind dispersal annuals with light- and nitrogen-demands were associated with disturbed, tilled habitats, while perennials with higher requirements for moisture and other than a wind mode of dispersal, were associated with the field margins.

Pollen analysis of honey from north-eastern Croatia

Pollen analysis of honey from north-eastern Croatia

The vascular flora of Kopački rit Nature Park (Croatia)

Kopački rit Nature Park is a large fluvial-marshy floodplain, situated in the northeastern Croatia, between courses of the Danube and the Drava Rivers. Due to exceptional biological and ecological values of this floodplain area in the middle course of the Danube River, it had been protected since 1967; proclaimed as Nature Park in 1999 and from 2012 is a part of the UNESCO Transboundary Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube. This paper lists a total of 522 vascular plant taxa, classified in 295 genera and 96 families, recorded for Kopački rit Nature Park. The list is completed according to checked literature records and data for 114 new taxa, found during the floristic investigation carried outfrom 2010 to 2018. Taxonomic, ecological and phytogeographical analyses are presented. Hemicryptophytes dominate (39.3%) in the biological spectrum, followed by therophytes (23.8%), geophytes (12.6%) and hydrophytes (12.5%). In the chorological spectrum, the most numerous are plants of Eurasian floral elenent (32.8%), followed by Cosmopolites (27.4%), and European floral element (10.7%). Out of 53 recorded allochthonous plants, 26 are invasive alien plant species. According to protection and conservation status at the national level, 55 taxa are listed in the RedBook of Vascular Plants of Croatia and 53 taxa are strictly protected. One species, Marsilea quadrifolia, is listen in Annex II of the Habitat Directive.

Mammoths, Deer, and a Dog: Fossil and (Sub) Recent Allochthonous Remains from the Northeastern Croatia (Podravina Region), with the First Radiocarbon Dating of the Croatian Woolly Mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius)

Eight anatomically and taxonomically different finds are presented in this paper, and they belong to four taxa: woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), and dog (Canis familiaris). All specimens represent allochthonous Late Pleistocene and Holocene animal remains, and all were dredged during the gravel exploitation at the Sekuline site near Molve (Podravina region, SW Pannonian basin, NE Croatia). Mammoth remains (bone and tusk fragments) were radiocarbon dated, and these are the first absolute dates on mammoths in Croatia. One upper last left deciduous premolar (dP4 sin.) also belongs to the same species. Ascribed to a dog is one well-preserved skull with a peculiar abscess scar on the maxillary bone as the result of an inflammatory process on the carnassial (P4) premolar. The Late Pleistocene cervid remains are giant deer, while the other cervid finds were determined to be red deer of the Holocene age. Morphometrical and taphonomical data are presented for each specimen. Such fossil and recent bone/tooth aggregates are characteristic of fluvial deposits and selective collecting. Although lacking stratigraphic provenance, these finds help to fulfil the gaps in palaeoenvironmental, palaeoecological, and palaeoclimate reconstructions of Podravina and its neighbouring areas.

Steppe-like grassland as a refuge of the wild edible and medicinal plant species in anthropogenic landscape in northeastern Croatia

Habitat fragmentation and modification have been recognized as the most serious threats to biodiversity. In Croatia, the intensive human activities resulted in the landscape transformation, reduction of grassland areas and loss of species number. Increasingly threatened are the wild edible and medicinal plants which contribute remarkably to the biodiversity of different grassland types. In northeastern Croatia, one of the last remnants of the steppe-like grassland remained preserved in a very complex anthropogenic landscape. We examined the diversity of vascular plants occurring on this small habitat patch. Among the relatively high number of plant taxa (in a total of 177) found during the two years of investigations, most could be used both for human nutrition (28 taxa), and for the treatment of a wide range of diseases (60 taxa), while some taxa have nutritional value for livestock (17 taxa). All 23 recorded taxa with edible and medicinal properties are threatened in Croatia, 21 are threatened across Europe, and two are Red Listed taxa. Our results showed that small and isolated steppe-like grassland represents an important refuge for variety of valuable plant species in intensively used landscapes. Accordingly, such small habitats should be, at least locally, effectively protected.

“Art, Space, Mobility in Early Ages of Globalization”: A Project, Multiple Dialogue, and Research Program

“Art, Space, Mobility in Early Ages of Globalization” aims to promote a new history of art that recognizes the complex and diverse connections forged between the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent from the fourth through the sixteenth centuries. Over the past four years, this project has brought together more than one hundred junior scholars from countries around the world, including Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Tunisia, Romania, Greece, Spain, Mongolia, Israel, India, Italy, the United States, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, and China, as well as twenty distinguished senior scholars from different fields and academic contexts. Extending well beyond the project’s base in Florence, Italy, workshops were organized in northeastern Turkey, Germany, Croatia, and Bosnia Herzegovina, and summer schools were held in Italy, Tunisia, Spain, Morocco, and Uzbekistan (Fig. 1).

Early Spring Flora of the Sub-Pannonic Steppic Grassland (NATURA 2000 Site) in Bilje, Northeast Croatia

Abstract The diversity of early spring vascular flora was studied in the Sub-Pannonic steppic grassland in the village of Bilje, north eastern Croatia. In all, 109 plant taxa within 35 families were found. The highest number of taxa belongs to the families Poaceae, Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Caryophyllaceae, Lamiaceae and Rosaceae. Specific habitat conditions, characterized by moderately wet and moderately acidic soil with intermediate fertility and the effects of the continental climate favour the development of different plant life forms. Out of the total recorded plant taxa, hemicryptophytes make up 59.6%, followed by therophytes (22.0%) and geophytes (13.8%). Chorological analysis shows that the most numerous are plants of Eurasian (33.9%), Pontic-Central-Asian (21.1%) and Central European (21.1%) floral elements. According to their status in the Red List, three critically endangered (CR), one vulnerable (VU) and three nearly threatened (NT) plant species were found. Altogether, the steppe-like grassland in Bilje is a unique habitat rich in valuable plants of the Croatian flora, including the critically endangered Doronicum hungaricum, therefore it is of great importance to preserve it. Important management tools include mowing and controlling the spreading of cultivated and invasive plant species.

A retrospective, case-control study on traditional environmental risk factors in inflammatory bowel disease in Vukovar-Srijem County, north-eastern Croatia, 2010.

Traditional environmental risk factors in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), were examined as part of the retrospective epidemiologic study conducted in Vukovar-Srijem County, north-eastern Croatia in 2010. The geographical variations in the frequency of IBD in Croatia have been observed, which is also the trend in the Central Eastern European region and Europe as a whole, indicating the influence of environmental and lifestyle factors. However, the data on the spread of environmental IBD risk factors are still limited. The purpose of this study was to analyse the traditional environmental risk factors in IBD on our cohort sample, including measles virus infection and vaccination (MMR vaccine-Mumps, Measles, Rubella), tonsillectomy, appendectomy, current and former cigarette smoking and use of oral contraceptives in women. This retrospective, case-control study was performed as a part of a wider epidemiologic study aimed at assessing the incidence, prevalence and clinical expression of IBD, in Vukovar-Srijem County (population: 204,768; 2001), which is a lesser developed part of the continental Croatia that experienced deep demographic changes in the recent past. IBD patients were identified according to the hospital's patient records. There were 119 UC patients and 31 CD patients of a total of 150 patients in the cohort. A total of 150 individuals, volunteers, not having a diagnosis of IBD, age- and sex-matched, were used as the control group. Information on examined risk factors were obtained from all subjects in a previously conducted interview. Patients were contacted personally or by phone and interviewed by a gastroenterologist. There were no differences in the number of smokers, former smokers and non-smokers, between UC and CD patients and the controls, nor in the duration of smoking (years), in current smokers and ex-smokers. Only marginally significant longer time of non-smoking, in ex-smokers was found in IBD patients, compared to the controls, more pronounced in CD patients (p = 0.05). No difference was found in relation to tonsillectomy and risk of IBD. There was no difference in the number of female IBD patients and women from the controls using oral contraceptives. Duration (years) of oral contraceptives use was longer in women from the controls than in female IBD patients (p < 0.001). Frequency of appendectomy was the lowest in UC patients, compared to the controls and CD patients (3.4, 12.0 and 38.7%, respectively) (p < 0.001). No difference was found in relation to measles virus infection and risk of IBD. MMR vaccination rates were higher in CD patients (90.3%), compared to UC patients and the controls (74.8 and 67.3%, respectively) (p = 0.026). No association was found between smoking and tonsillectomy and risk of IBD. Our results do not support the idea of oral contraceptives use as a risk factor for IBD. Frequency of appendectomy was the lowest in UC patients, suggesting that appendectomy decreases the risk of UC, contributing the earlier results. MMR vaccination seemed to be associated with Crohn's disease. These results can add value to our understanding of the increasing incidence of IBD in Croatia and other Central Eastern European countries and can be introductory to future large-scale research.

Errata corrige published in vol.68/2 for article by Adriano Banak, Oleg Mandic, Marijan Kovačić and Davor Pavelić: “Late Pleistocene climate history of the Baranja loess plateau – evidence from the Zmajevac loess – paleosol section (northeastern Croatia)”

Errata corrige published in vol.68/2 for article by Adriano Banak, Oleg Mandic, Marijan Kovačić and Davor Pavelić: “Late Pleistocene climate history of the Baranja loess plateau – evidence from the Zmajevac loess – paleosol section (northeastern Croatia)”

Most common HCV genotypes in patients from north-eastern Croatia.

The aims of this study were to determine the HCV-RNA viral load, genotype distribution, risk factors and symptoms of HCVRNA positive viral load in HCV antibody-positive patients from north-eastern Croatia. From January 2009 to December 2011, 203 HCV antibody- positive patients (130 men and 73 women; median age 44.5 years) were analyzed for HCV-RNA by the COBAS TaqMan HCV test and genotyped by the Linear Array HCV Genotyping test (both from Roche). All patients completed a structured questionnaire about risk factors and symptoms. The HCV-RNA percentage was 61.1% and was similar for men and women. The HCV-RNA viral load increased with age: while 55% of 20-50 year old patients were HCV-RNA positive, 73% of patients >50 years were positive (p=0.021). Genotype 1 was the most prevalent genotype (79.8%), followed by 3 (12.9%), 4 (6.5%), and 2 (0.8%); genotypes 5 and 6 were not determined. Patients with genotype 1 (median, 50 years) were older than patients with 3 (median, 33.5 years) or 4 (median, 38 years). The blood transfusions performed in Croatian hospitals before 1993 was significantly associated with HCV-RNA positive viral load (p<0.05). These data indicated an elevated prevalence of genotype 1 in elderly HCV-RNA positive patients and it may continue to rise. Using RNA-based detection in HCV positive-antibody patients would allow early detection of HCV in the acute stage of HCV disease and the increased risk of HCV genotyperelated treatment failure.

Tree Pollen Spectra and Pollen Allergy Risk in the Osijek-Baranja County

The forests of north-eastern Croatia, as well as various plants and trees in the parks and streets of the Osijek-Baranja County, produce large amounts of pollen during the pollen season, which can cause allergy symptoms in pollen sensitive individuals. The aim of this study was to determine the most frequent types of pollen in this area and estimate possible health risks, especially the risk of allergy. In 2009 and 2010, the staff of the Health Ecology Department of the Osijek Public Health Institute monitored tree pollen concentrations in four cities from the Osijek - Baranja County (Osijek, Našice, Đakovo and Beli Manastir) using a Burkard volumetric instrument. The results were affected by weather conditions. Windy and sunny days facilitated the transfer of pollen, whereas during rainy days, the concentration of pollen grains decreased. High pollen concentrations of Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Betulaceae, Salicaceae and Aceraceae could be the cause for symptoms of pollen allergy. In 2009, conifers, birch and poplar pollen were dominant at all monitoring stations with 5000 pollen grains (PG), 3188 PG and 3113 PG respectively. The highest number of pollen grains was recorded at measuring site Osijek. The variations in airborne pollen concentration between pollen seasons were recorded at all monitoring stations. The most obvious variations were recorded at measuring site Osijek. The usual pollination period lasts two to three months, which means that most pollen grains remain present from February to early June. However, the Cupressaceae / Taxaceae pollination periods last the longest and their pollen grains remain present until the end of summer. The risk of allergy was determined at four monitored measuring stations and the obtained data confirmed that the largest number of days with a high health risk was at the Đakovo measuring station for a species of birch. The research information aims to help allergologists and individuals allergic to plant pollen develop preventive measures and proper treatment therapies.

Late Pleistocene climate history of the Baranja loess plateau – evidence from the Zmajevac loess-paleosol section (northeastern Croatia)

The Zmajevac loess-palaeosol succession (LPS) of the northeastern Baranja loess plateau is exposed along the southern slope of Bansko Brdo, on the western bank of the Danube River. The investigated 17.5-m-thick section shows 4 palaeosol, 1 loess-like and 6 loess horizons. Their integrative palaeoenvironmental analysis combines quantified dana from the mollusc record, magnetic susceptibility, grain-size, calcimetry and mineral abundances to reconstruct the pattern of regional palaeoclimate evolution. This result combined with infrared optically stimulated luminescence age est CLEAL imates by GALOVIC et al. (2009) enabled correlation of the depositional units to Middle to the Late Pleistocene Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 6 to 2. Magnetic susceptibility measurements show strong peaks in the palaeosol horizons pointing to increased concentrations of pedogenic ferrimagnetic minerals. Sedimentological and mineralogical parameters are in good agreement with other Pannonian Basin LPS. Terrestrial gastropod palaeoecology based on 1705 specimens of 13 species counted from loess and loess-like horizons documents cyclic transitions between cryophilous to cold resistant and mesophilous to thermophilous assemblage types. Whereas Helicopsis striata, Arianta arbustorum and Chondrula tridens are common throughout the succession, the typical loess representatives Pupilla sp., Vallonia tenuilabris and Columella columella are abundant only in certain horizons. Nevertheless, species tolerating open and dry habitats are abundant throughout the succession. The faunal spectra for the samples prove the dominance of transitional palaeoecological assemblage types, whereas uniformly defined types are rare. One of these, the Columella columella assemblage from the base of the section proved to be indicative of the Penultimate Glacial Maximum.

Cadmium, lead and mercury concentrations in selected red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) tissues from north-eastern Croatia

Concentrations of cadmium, lead and mercury were determined in muscle, liver and kidney tissue from three different age groups of red deer (young animals aged 6 or 7 months, middle-aged animals aged 3 to 5 years, old animals aged over 8 years) from the Baranja region of Croatia. Median cadmium concentrations were low in the muscles of all investigated age groups (0.0002; 0.0009 and 0.0020 μg/g), higher in the liver (0.0279; 0.0656 and 0.1463 μg/g) and highest in the kidneys (0.4792; 2.8531 and 6.1657 μg/g). A positive correlation was established between cadmium concentration and age. In all analyzed tissues the median lead concentration was higher in young (muscle 0.0024; liver 0.0364 and kidney 0.0618 μg/g), compared to middle-aged animals (muscle 0.0001; liver 0.0184 and kidney 0.0160 μg/g). In contrast to cadmium, mercury had a negative correlation to age but median concentrations were very low (in muscle: 0.0011; 0.0001 and 0.0006 μg/g; in liver: 0.0051; 0.0037 and 0.0022 μg/g and in kidney: 0.0145; 0.0183 and 0.0106 μg/g) especially compared to cadmium. From the hygienic point of view all the examined tissues are edible since concentrations of the analyzed metals do not exceed values proposed by the official regulations, with the exception of a few kidney samples, which contained cadmium above the recommended value. Furthermore, mercury concentrations are no longer (since 2008) a matter of legislation.

Distribution of Chlamydia trachomatis Serotypes in Clinical Urogenital Samples from North-Eastern Croatia

The purpose of this study was to determine prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) urogenital infection and its serotype distribution from clinical samples in north-eastern Croatia. During a 3-year period, 2,379 urogenital samples were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (A group), while 4,846 genital swabs were analyzed by direct fluorescent antibody test (B group). 132 Ct positive specimens were genotyped by omp1 gene sequencing. The prevalence rate of Ct was 3.2 % in A and 1 % in B group. The most prevalent chlamydial genotype was E (44 %), followed by F (33 %), K (11.5 %), G (8 %), J/UW (5.3 %), D-IC (4.4 %), D-B120 (1.8 %), and B/IU, J/IU, Ia/IU (0.9 % each) serotypes. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of omp1 gene were detected in E, K, and G serotypes. Some of these SNPs (C/T at position 272 and G/A at position 813 in E strain; C/T at position 884 in D strain) might represent novel omp1 variants.

Spatial Distribution of Nutrient Limitation in the Danube River Floodplain in Relation to Hydrological Connectivity

In this paper, we describe the influence of flooding on nutrient conditions and phytoplankton Chl-a concentrations in a hydrologically dynamic Danube floodplain in North–Eastern Croatia. Based on hydrological typology, the connectivity gradient extends from the main river stream (Eupotamal) to the backwater channels and side-arms (Parapotamal) to the edge of the floodplain (Paleopotamal). A spatial gradient of phytoplankton Chl-a occurred during low water levels, while uniformity of Chl-a across wetland habitats was observed during high water levels. Nutrient enrichment assays indicated that inorganic nutrients in Eupotamal waters (N/P ratio 16–22) could support a higher growth rate of the assay alga Chlorella kessleri, while potential N limitation was found in Parapotamal and Paleopotamal waters (both with N/P ratios < 14). Spatial expansion of N limitation toward the main river was observed as inundation continued. Lateral flood pulse connectivity along with the duration of inundation period affects the input and the retention of nutrients, especially of nitrogen. Understanding of the relationship between spatial (location of the floodplain waterbodies regarding the river) and temporal (hydrological connectivity between the river and its floodplain) dimensions contribute to the importance of healthy floodplains for the maintenance of water quality and environmental conditions in the Danube River.

Contrasting P– T– t paths from the basement of the Tisia Unit (Slavonian Mts., NE Croatia): Application of quantitative phase diagrams and monazite age dating

Medium-grade mica schists and intercalated paragneisses and amphibolites from the basement of the Tisia Unit, Slavonian Mountains., northeastern Croatia, contain complexly zoned garnets. At the Kutjevo locality, mica schists are characterised by garnets with Mn-rich cores and Ca-rich rims. Mn decreases steadily from core to rim and Ca increases abruptly. This is in contrast to the paragneisses and amphibolites which contain garnets with smoothly decreasing Ca from core to rim. Quantitative phase diagrams and garnet composition isopleths calculated from bulk rock analyses reveal that the Ca-poor garnet cores in the mica schists formed during an earlier event at 584–592 °C and 6.4–7.8 kbar. Ca-rich rims formed at conditions of 600–660 °C and 11–12 kbar — calculated using garnet isopleths and mineral thermobarometry. The paragneiss and amphibolite provide similar P– T information for the later peak event (ca. 650 °C, 10–12 kbar) but do not preserve a record of the earlier, lower P– T event and modelling shows that garnet was not stable at these conditions. Contrary to previous studies on this outcrop and rock type, no staurolite was observed and quantitative phase diagrams contoured for H 2O mode isopleths indicate that the rock did not cross staurolite-bearing fields during the retrograde P– T path. Mica schists from the Krndija locality contain zoned polyphase garnets. Phase diagram calculations reveal that Ca-rich garnet cores formed between 520 and 630 °C and 7–8 kbar. Rims have a lower Ca content and formed at considerably reduced pressures together with andalusite and staurolite at ca 530–570 °C and 3–4 kbar. Since both localities were traditionally considered to be part of the same tectono-metamorphic unit, evidence presented here clearly shows that this cannot be the case. EMP monazite ages are Variscan (350 Ma) in the Krndija mica schists and around pre- or early Variscan (440 Ma) in the Kutjevo mica schists. We therefore propose a more complex internal structure and metamorphic history for this area than previously recognised suggesting a metamorphic evolution of the Slavonian Mountains that includes a pre-Variscan and a Variscan cycle.