Southeastern Balkans Research Articles

High voltage pylons as roost sites of the Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) during the pre-migratory period in the Southeastern Balkans

Although the Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni, Fleischer, 1818) was a widespread species in Bulgaria, there are no detailed surveys on its biology and ecology like the ones implemented in countries still harbouring abundant populations, such as Spain, Italy, Greece, etc. After 2014 when “Green Balkans”, as a breeder, launched the reinforcement of the species and its recovery in Bulgaria now it is possible to study the species using modern technologies and methods like radio and satellite transmitters. The known roost sites (n=12), the subject of our study, are located from 55 to 745 m above the sea level, as the main part of them is situated about 100 - 200 m above the sea level. The most numerous roost site, which is located in the North-eastern Greece, is comprised of about 80 individuals but in the other roost sites the number of the Lesser Kestrel reach 20-40 individuals. During the period 2014 - 2021 the Lesser Kestrels in the largest known colony of the species in Bulgaria, which is located in SPA Sakar, have used different high voltage pylons from the same power lines, alternating pylons depending on the type of agricultural crops in the area. It has been found that the birds express preferences for cereal crops around high voltage pylons, which they use as roost sites. Keywords: communal roost sites, LIFE for Lesser Kestrel, post-breeding dispersal.

Genome-wide SNPs reveal recurrent waves of speciation in niche-pockets, in Europe's most venomous snake.

Within the Balkan Peninsula, topographic and climatic agents have promoted biodiversity and shaped the speciation history of many ectotherms. Here, we targeted an iconic European reptile, the nose-horned viper species-complex (Vipera ammodytes), and explored its spatial and temporal evolution. We (1) utilized genome-wide SNPs to infer genetic structure and build a time-calibrated species-tree, and (2) applied species distribution modeling (SDM) with niche-divergence tests among major phylogenomic clades. Geographically structured genetic diversity was found. Cycles of recurrent isolation and expansion during glacial-interglacial periods led to allopatric speciation and to secondary contacts and formation of multiple hybrid zones throughout the Balkan Peninsula. Deep divergence is still detected among populations separated by old and imminent biogeographical barriers (e.g. Pindos Mountain Range, the Cyclades islands etc.), but in most cases speciation is incomplete. At the other end of the speciation continuum, we recognize two well-differentiated lineages, currently lacking any evidence of gene-flow; one is distributed in the Northwestern Balkans and the other in the Southeastern Balkans, further expanding into Asia. Despite their split 5 Mya, there is no evidence of ecological divergence, as speciation probably occurred in niche-pockets of analogous environments. These two lineages probably represent different species, while V. transcaucasiana does not merit species-status. By comparing the genomic phylogenies to an updated mitochondrial one, we propose an evolutionary scenario that resolves all mito-nuclear conflicts, according to which the history of the V. ammodytes species-complex was shaped by complex processes, including a major event of introgressive hybridization with asymmetric mitochondrial capture.

Movement patterns of juvenile and immature eastern imperial eagles from Bulgaria

Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) populations in Central Europe and Balkans are non-migratory while most of those in the eastern part of the range are migratory. However, the juveniles from the non-migratory populations disperse over a large area. We studied the movement pattern of juvenile and immature Eastern Imperial Eagle from Southeast of Bulgaria using satellite telemetry. In total, 23 juvenile Eastern Imperial Eagles have been fitted with Argos/GPS transmitters in their nests in Bulgaria in 2008–2013 and seven eagles were tagged with GPS/GSM transmitters in 2021–2022. Dispersal distance varies significantly as some birds reached Israel, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Africa while others wintered on the Balkan Peninsula and in Turkey. Majority of the birds spent their first winter outside Europe in Anatolia, Middle East, and Africa while three birds wintered in the Southeastern Balkans and one in the island of Crete. In the spring all eagles moved from the wintering areas to Bulgaria, close to their natal areas. Long distance nomadic movements northward during the spring and summer to Central Europe, Ukraine, Belarus and northernmost to Latvia and Russia have been recorded as well. The results indicate that international collaboration should be part of the conservation strategies for the Bulgarian Eastern Imperial Eagle population with Turkey as a key country for conservation interventions.

Interconnectivity of the Vardar and Struma river valleys. Some hints to the understanding of the south-eastern Balkans role in the 2nd millennium BC

The Vardar and Struma rivers flow through the south-eastern Balkans, creating valleys which have been inhabited by human populations for thousands of years. From an archaeological perspective, from Neolithic times these corridors have long been considered crucial for establishing cultural, trade, and social networks, developed later by the emergence of cultural complexes of Late Bronze Age. This area was incorporated into wide archaeological frameworks of interregional interaction, namely – the world-system theory and its variants. The aim of this paper is an attempt to apply these theoretical models as well as concept of “contact space” to human interactions in the Vardar and Struma rivers’ valleys in the 2nd millennium BC. It analysis bases on tableware pottery evidences with data concerning presence of defensive outposts within easy to control mountainous paths, as well as chosen information deriving from funeral rites. These data may provide insights into the communication networks in south-eastern Balkans and mentioned river valleys may seem as an important area of mutual influences.

Morphological and environmental variability ofDianthus sylvestris(Caryophyllaceae) in the Balkan Peninsula

AbstractSpecies with wide ranges often exhibit morphological variability that is mostly shaped by ecological and evolutionary processes, and the resulting diversity is frequently reflected in intraspecific taxonomy. Dianthus sylvestris in the Balkan Peninsula encompasses six subspecies (D. sylvestris subspp. alboroseus, bertisceus, kozjakensis, nodosus, sylvestris and tergestinus), the identification of which is problematic due to a great morphological variability and complex patterns of environmental variation. To explore morphological variation of described subspecies and to investigate how their morphology varies in relation to environmental variations across their geographical distribution, we evaluated 97 populations of D. sylvestris for variability in 25 morphological characters and 20 environmental variables. Number and shape of epicalyx scales, calyx length and petal denticulation captured the greatest extent of morphological variability between populations. Morphometric analyses revealed a continuous variability in quantitative morphological characters and an absence of clear morphological differentiation between the investigated subspecies. However, two main morphologically distinct entities, the north-western Balkan populations and the south-eastern Balkan populations, were identified and they were split approximately along the Neretva River valley. In addition, our results indicate that environment, rather than geography, plays a potentially more important role in shaping the morphological variability of this taxon. Overall, our results do not support the recognition of the described subspecies or the currently accepted taxonomic concept, instead pointing to a continuous morphological variability of D. sylvestris in the Balkan Peninsula.

The 2017 Split wildfire in Croatia: evolution and the role of meteorological conditions

Abstract. The Split wildfire in July 2017, which was one of the most severe wildfires in the history of this Croatian World Heritage Site, is the focus in this study. The Split fire is a good example of a wildfire–urban interface, with unexpected fire behavior including rapid downslope spread to the coastal populated area. This study clarifies the meteorological conditions behind the fire event, those that have limited the effectiveness of firefighting operations, and the rapid escalation and expansion of the fire zones within 30 h. The Split fire propagation was first reconstructed using radio logs, interviews with firefighters and pilots involved in the intervention, eyewitness statements, digital photographs from fire detection cameras, media, and the monthly firefighting journal. Four phases of fire development have been identified. Then, weather observations and numerical simulations using an enhanced-resolution operational model are utilized to analyze the dynamics in each phase of the fire runs. The synoptic background of the event includes large surface pressure gradient between the Azores anticyclone accompanied by a cold front and a cyclone over the southeastern Balkan Peninsula. At the upper level, there was a deep shortwave trough extending from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic Sea, which developed into a cut-off low. Such synoptic conditions have resulted in the maximum fire weather index in 2017. Combined with topography, they also locally provoke the formation of the strong northeasterly bura wind along the Adriatic coast, which has been accompanied by a low-level jet (LLJ). The bura (downslope wind), with mid- to low-level gravity-wave breaking and turbulence mixing (as in the hydraulic jump theory), also facilitated the subsidence of dry air from the upper troposphere and rapid drying at the surface. This study demonstrates that numerical guidance that indicates the spatial and temporal occurrence of a LLJ is highly capable of explaining the Split fire evolution from the ignition potential to its extinguishment stage. Thus, in addition to the conventional fire weather indices, such products are able to improve fire weather behavior forecasting and in general more effective decision-making in fire management.

Positive selection on the MHC class II DLA-DQA1 gene in golden jackals (Canis aureus) from their recent expansion range in Europe and its effect on their body mass index

BackgroundIn Europe, golden jackals (Canis aureus) have been expanding their range out of the southern and southeastern Balkans towards central Europe continually since the 1960s. Here, we investigated the level of functional diversity at the MHC class II DLA-DQA1 exon 2 in golden jackal populations from Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary. Specifically, we tested for positive selection on and geographic variation at that locus due to adaptation to supposedly regionally varying pathogenic landscapes. To test for potential fitness effects of different protein variants on individual body condition, we used linear modeling of individual body mass indexes (bmi) and accounted for possible age, sex, geographical, and climatic effects. The latter approach was performed, however, only on Serbian individuals with appropriate data.ResultsOnly three different DLA-DQA1 alleles were detected, all coding for different amino-acid sequences. The neutrality tests revealed no significant but positive values; there was no signal of spatial structuring and no deviation from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium across the studied range of expansion. However, we found a signal of trans-species polymorphism and significant test results for positive selection on three codons. Our information-theory based linear modeling results indicated an effect of ambient temperature on the occurrence of individual DLA-DQA1 genotypes in individuals from across the studied expansion range, independent from geographical position. Our linear modeling results of individual bmi values indicated that yearlings homozygous for DLA-DQA1*03001 reached values typical for adults contrary to yearlings carrying other genotypes (protein combinations). This suggested better growth rates and thus a possible fitness advantage of yearlings homozygous for DLA-DQA1*03001.ConclusionsOur results indicate a demographic (stochastic) signal of reduced DLA-DQA1 exon 2 variation, in line with the documented historical demographic bottleneck. At the same time, however, allelic variation was also affected by positive selection and adaptation to varying ambient temperature, supposedly reflecting geographic variation in the pathogenic landscape. Moreover, an allele effect on body mass index values of yearlings suggested differential fitness associated with growth rates. Overall, a combination of a stochastic effect and positive selection has shaped and is still shaping the variation at the studied MHC locus.

Phytosociological study of submontane genistoid scrub communities from the Southeastern Balkans

Genista lydia Boiss. is an endemic Balkan-Anatolian species which forms rare communities in the territory of south Bulgaria and northeast Greece. They are spread exclusively on acidic, siliceous substrates. This study presents new data on their distribution, floristic and ecological structure and phytosociological affinities. The research is based on 156 phytosociological relevés. Unweighted pair–group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) was employed and a detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) was performed prior to the syntaxonomical decision. Three new associations and the new alliance Genistion lydiae have been described and classified within the order Lavandulo stoechadis-Hypericetalia olympici Mucina in Mucina et al. 2016 of the class Cisto-Lavanduletea stoechadis Br.-Bl. in Br.-Bl. et al. 1940. The study has also emphazised the potential threats concerning a decline of the habitat area and proposed some conservation measures.

Public sector corruption and perceived government performance in transition

AbstractWe offer evidence that public sector corruption has an inverse association with evaluations of performance at both the local and central government levels. Consistent with ex ante expectations, perceptions of corruption among local government officials are directly and negatively related to performance evaluations at the local government level and relatively less so at the central government level. Conversely, perceptions of corruption among overall government officials have a stronger negative association with performance evaluations of central governments relative to performance evaluations of local governments. These results confirm that individual evaluations of public sector corruption affect perceived government performance evaluations, with local–local, local–central, central–local, and central–central level variances. Regressions by country groups—such as European Union membership, or geographic clusters, such as Southeastern Balkan or the former Soviet Union states—continue to support the core findings with one caveat. Results from two‐level random intercepts and slopes regression models show that the negative association between perceived corruption and government performance evaluation is weaker in contexts with relatively higher levels of public corruption.

Positive selection and precipitation effects on the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 6 gene in brown hares (Lepus europaeus) under a phylogeographic perspective.

Previous studies in hares and jackrabbits have indicated that positive selection has shaped the genetic diversity of mitochondrial genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation, which may affect cellular energy production and cause regional adaptation to different environmental (climatic) pressures. In the present study, we sequenced the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 6 (MT-ND6) gene of 267 brown hares (L. europaeus) from Europe and Asia Minor and tested for positive selection and adaptations acting on amino acid sequences (protein variants). Molecular diversity indices and spatial clustering were assessed by DnaSP, Network, and Geneland, while the presence of selection signals was tested by codeml in PAML, and by using the Datamonkey Adaptive Evolution web server. The SPSS software was used to run multinomial regression models to test for possible effects of climate parameters on the currently obtained protein variants. Fifty-eight haplotypes were revealed with a haplotype diversity of 0.817, coding for 17 different protein variants. The MT-ND6 phylogeographic pattern as determined by the nucleotide sequences followed the earlier found model based on the neutrally evolving D-loop sequences, and reflected the earlier found phylogeographic Late Pleistocene scenario. Based on several selection tests, only one codon position consistently proved to be under positive selection. It did occur exclusively in the evolutionarily younger hares from Europe and it gave rise to several protein variants from the southeastern and south-central Balkans. The occurrence of several of those variants was significantly favored under certain precipitation conditions, as proved by our multinomial regression models. Possibly, the great altitudinal variation in the Balkans may have lead to bigger changes in precipitation across that region and this may have imposed an evolutionarily novel selective pressure on the protein variants and could have led to regional adaptation.

Revising the sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) refugia history of the last glacial period with extended pollen and macrofossil evidence

Recent advances in palaeoecology provide growing evidence of complex spatio-temporal patterns of tree species survival during the last glaciation. The distribution of Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) glacial refugia is still controversial. For this study we built an updated database containing almost all palaeobotanical data on Castanea published to date in the scientific literature and/or stored in the European and African pollen databases (EPD and APD). We used the collected data for assessing the sweet chestnut refugia during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Furthermore, we identify the main changes in the distribution range of the species during the last 200 ka all over Europe. Confirmed chestnut refugia are the Transcausasia, where the species played a prominent role in the forest vegetation, and the Italian and Iberian Peninsulas, where it was restricted to scattered pockets providing favorable habitats. The species may have also survived in the Marmara region and in the Levant, while for the South-Eastern Balkans, north and central France and Northern Africa, the available evidence is too scarce yet for inferring local survival. Mountain ranges and seawater masses played a crucial role in determining the species survival during cold stages. Almost four fifths (79%) of the palaeobotanical sites with pre-cultivation Castanea records were found in the scientific literature, while the remaining 21% was extracted from the EPD and APD. Our study thus shows the growing importance of such curated databases as a key resource for palaeoecological synthesis products, emphasises the relevance of gaining a better spatio-temporal coverage by an extensive review of scientific literature, and underscores the urgent need of gaining new state-of-the art multiproxy records for assessing the causes and consequences of species survival under strongly varying climatic conditions.

SPECIAL FORMS OF CERAMIC WARE FROM BURIAL COMPLEXES OF ULVIVOK-ROVANTSI TYPE

During studies of the cemeteries of Ulvivok-Rovantsi type, which are located in the South-Western of Volhynia region and can be dated back to X–VIII centuries BC, several very specific vase-shaped vessels were found. According to its scarcity, originality of the form and the absence of analogies among preceding, and chronologically synchronous and territorially close archaeological cultures, they can be considered as a certain “phenomenon” in the circle of sites from the final Bronze Age – beginning of the Early Iron Age in the interfluve of Prypyat, Vistula and Dnister Rivers. Similar ceramic ware is known from burials and places of worship in Crete during final part of Early Minoan period and the culture of Pannonian inlaid ceramics from the Early Bronze Age in the Middle Danube region. They could be a prototype for the ancient Greek lydions – special, rather rare ceramic ware for storing of valuable aromatic substances. The lydions were distributed mostly over the east of Aegean world, in particular on Crete, and used during marriage ceremonies and also were placed into burials. It is possible that lydions were used during worship ceremonies of Demeter – the chthonic goddess of fertility, marriage and the dead that appeared, as considered, in Crete during pre-Minoan period. Lidions, as well as kernoses (other ritual ware), were probably used for the libation during the cult ceremonies like Eleusinian mysteries. Taking into account the widespread of Demeter's worship during Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, not only in the territory of Aegean, but also far beyond its borders (it is evidenced by the finds of kernoses in Central, Eastern and Western Europe), it can be hypothesized that there were some form of this cult among population of South-Western Volhynia during Late Bronze Age, which is represented by ceramic ware, found on the cemeteries of Ulvivok-Rovantsi group, similar to the lydions, and possibly also by Ulvivok goblets. The issue of clarification of ways and directions of penetration of such cults from the Aegean and South-Eastern Balkans to Central and Eastern Europe and the level of their identity, taking into account considerable distances, diversity of cultures, ethnic groups and traditions remains subject to discussion. Later, when, perhaps, new similar discoveries will appear (preferably well-dated and located in undisturbed complexes), this hypothetical version can be confirmed or canceled. Key words: cemeteries of the Ulvivok-Rovantsi type, Crete, Minoan culture, culture of Pannonian inlaid ceramics, vase-lidion, Demeter cult, migration.

Integrating phylogenomics, phylogenetics, morphometrics, relative genome size and ecological niche modelling disentangles the diversification of Eurasian Euphorbia seguieriana s. l. (Euphorbiaceae)

Next generation sequencing has revolutionised biology. Restriction-associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) has primarily been used to study infraspecific relationships but has also been applied in multi-species phylogenomic analyses. In this study, we used a combination of phylogenomic (with RADseq data) and phylogenetic (with sequences of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer, ITS) methods to explore relationships within the taxonomically intricate Euphorbia seguieriana s. l., one of the most widespread Euphorbia taxa inhabiting zonal and extrazonal steppes from Iberia to Central Asia. In the inferred phylogenies the southeastern Balkan and Anatolian populations were clearly separated, supporting the distinction of E. niciciana from E. seguieriana at the species level. Within E. seguieriana, the populations from the Caucasus, Iran, and easternmost Anatolia were sister to all other populations based on RADseq, making necessary the description of a new, morphologically divergent subspecies, E. seguieriana subsp. armeniaca. Conversely, additional studies are needed to understand the status of E. seguieriana subsp. hohenackeri, which is sympatric with E. seguieriana subsp. armeniaca. Niche analyses indicated that differences in the climatic niche between E. niciciana and E. seguieriana are relatively small compared with the climatic differences between the regions over which they are distributed. Contrary to previous believes, E. niciciana and E. seguieriana are allopatric and have likely diverged during the Pleistocene in two different glacial refugia as suggested by distribution modelling. Euphorbia niciciana nowadays has a submediterranean distribution, occupying habitats that are slightly warmer, moister, and less seasonal in temperature but more seasonal in precipitation than E. seguieriana, a characteristic species of continental steppes. Using flow cytometry, we demonstrate that the relative genome sizes of E. niciciana and E. seguieriana differ significantly. Additionally, multivariate morphometric analyses of 56 morphological characters indicated clear morphological divergence of the two species. Importantly, we also provide a revised taxonomic treatment including formal nomenclatural changes, an identification key and species descriptions. Our study demonstrates that an integrative approach, combining modern phylogenomic methods with traditional phylogenetic, cytogenetic, environmental and morphological analyses can result in satisfactorily resolved relationships in intricate groups of closely related species. Finally, phylogenetic inference using ITS sequences is still a useful tool for resolving relationships among the taxa at the species level, but the phylogenomic approach based on RADseq data certainly provides better resolution both among and within species.

Updated distribution of the elusive Roach’s mouse-tailed dormouse, Myomimus roachi Bate, 1937 (Mammalia: Rodentia: Gliridae) in Bulgaria

Myomimus roachi is one of the rarest and least studied mammals of the Western Palearctic. It is rare and sparsely distributed in the Southeastern Balkans and Western Anatolia. After its initial finding in 1959, the species was recorded only sporadically. All available data for the species distribution in Bulgaria are summarised and three new country records are reported, which all together increases the number of squares on the 10×10 km grid where the species has been recorded to 24. The current species habitats and threats are discussed.

Spatial genetics of brown hares (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778) from Turkey: Different gene pool architecture on either side of the Bosphorus?

We determined allelic variation at eleven microsatellite loci to study the effect of the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles on the population genetic architecture of brown hares, Lepus europaeus, from Anatolia and Turkish Thrace in the southeastern most Balkans. The latter region was connected with Anatolia during periods of the late Pleistocene and the early Holocene (until ca. 8000 y BP) enabling natural gene flow. Following a recent mitochondrial (mt) DNA-based phylogeographic model that suggested unidirectional ancient gene flow from Anatolia to the SE Balkans, we expected lower genetic diversity in hares from Turkish Thrace than Anatolia. The Turkish Thrace population might have been established only relatively recently as natural northwestward expansion of a long existing Anatolian population. Alternatively, it might have received late Pleistocene or Holocene gene flow by hares from eastern Europe from north of the Black Sea, even after the formation of the marine barrier. This might have produced a notable genetic distinction between the hares from either side of the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles. We found significantly lower allelic richness in hares from Turkish Thrace than Anatolia, very little genetic admixture in the Turkish Thrace population, and only one allele at low frequency in Turkish Thrace that was not observed in Anatolian hares. On the contrary, many alleles of Anatolian hares were not recovered in hares from Turkish Thrace. Nevertheless, genetic divergence (Fst, Cavalli-Sforza & Edwards distances, AMOVA) between the hares from either side of the current marine barrier was low (Fst values <10%). All findings accord to our initial hypothesis that the hares from Turkish Thrace represent merely a somewhat genetically depleted version of the Anatolian hares. Seemingly, no strong drift has occurred in the Turkish Thrace population since the break-up of the Holocene landbridge, and there is no indication of gene flow from other regions in (eastern) Europe into the Turkish Thrace population. Spatial genetic approaches and standard population genetics (BAPS, GENELAND, STRUCTURE, F-statistics, Cavalli-Sforza & Edwards distances) indicated significant spatial genetic differentiation of hares across Anatolia, but also on a very low level. Overall, our results are concordant with the latest mtDNA based model of ancient gene flow in hares only from Anatolia to the southeastern Balkans across the Pleistocene and early Holocene landbridge; this implies that most or all of the Balkans have been colonized by hares exclusively originating eventually from Anatolia.

The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae)

Helix lucorum is a large synanthropic land snail of substantial economic importance, which has been recently reported from a number of new sites in Western, Central, and Eastern Europe. It is an originally Anatolian and Caucasian species, but its presumed natural distribution also covers the south and east of the Balkans. Populations of unclear origin, known as Helix lucorum taurica, live in the south-western part of Crimea. The Balkan and Crimean populations differ in their appearance, were long treated as different species or subspecies, and the Crimean populations are protected by law as a presumably endemic taxon. Here we explore the origins of European populations using phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial markers. The results point to north-eastern Anatolia and the Lesser Caucasus as the centre of H. lucorum diversification. The Crimean conchological form, along with the associated mitochondrial lineage, is not endemic to that peninsula and was likely introduced there. Other European samples belong to a different lineage, which is associated with the nominotypical conchological form of H. lucorum. The conchological characteristics of the nominotypical form are unusual within the genus Helix, and we propose this reflects a change in habitat use and parallels the evolution of some other lineages of Helicidae. As a result, the typical European H. lucorum differs considerably from the Crimean populations, but the two lineages just represent opposite ends of a continuum in conchological characteristics. Their formal descriptions were based on probably introduced populations detached from the main range. Separated from the geographic pattern of the overall variation of H. lucorum they appeared distinctive, thus confounding the taxonomy of the species. Currently, the division of H. lucorum into subspecies appears unwarranted. Helix lucorum may not be a unique example of a large snail successfully expanding from Anatolia, as we argue that even the native origin of Balkan populations is uncertain. However, further sampling in north-western Turkey and analysis of archaeozoological findings from the south-eastern Balkans is needed to evaluate this hypothesis.

GOLD METALLOGENY OF THE SERBOMACEDONIANRHODOPE METALLOGENIC BELT (SRMB)

The Alpine-Balkan-Carpathian-Dinaride (ABCD) metallogenic belt, which tectonically evolved during Late Cretaceous to the present, is Europe’s premier metallogenic province, especially for gold. Three spatially distinct tectonic and metallogenic belts are associated with this belt. One of them is the SerbomacedonianRhodope Metallogenic Belt (SRMB) which intersects with a NNW-SSE trend the south eastern Balkan countries. This belt includes the geotectonic zones of Vardar (Axios), Circum-Rhodope, and the Serbomacedonian and Rhodope Massives. It comprises dominantly carbonate replacement or porphyry metal deposits, stratiform volcanosedimentary deposits, skarns and various isolated magmatic-hydrothermal deposits. The most significant Au metallogeny centers of this belt are found in Bulgaria (i.e., Madjarovo, Ada Tepe, Madan, Lozen), Greece (i.e., Perama Hill, Sapes, Maronia, Olympias-Stratoni-Skouries, Gerakario-Vathi-Pontokerasia), F.Y.R.O.M. (i.e., Buchim, Ilovitza, Alshar), Kosovo (i.e., Trepca), and Serbia (i.e., Lece District: Kiseljak, Bakrenjaca). The metal reserves of all categories in the SRMB are 24 t Au, 14 t Ag and &gt;100 Mt (Pb+Zn) ore in Bulgaria, 743 t Au, 4100 t Ag, 5345 th.t Cu and 3125 th.t (Pb+Zn) in Greece, 106 t Au, 96 t Ag and 834 th.t Cu in F.Y.R.O.M., &gt;150 Mt (Pb+Zn) ore in Kosovo, 118 t Au and 1270 th.t Cu in Serbia. In addition many other sites inside this belt exist which are very promising for precious metals.

Heteroploid Knautia drymeia includes K. gussonei and cannot be separated into diagnosable subspecies.

Knautia drymeia is a morphologically variable, diploid and tetraploid temperate forest understory species distributed in southeastern Europe and adjacent areas. The species is an excellent system to explore the influence of polypoidy on taxonomic delineations, the role of hybridization among genetically distant populations in polyploid evolution, and the impact of glacial refugia on the evolution of polyploids. Amplified fragment length polymorphism fingerprinting and multivariate analyses of morphological characters were performed on 57 populations spanning the distribution area of K. drymeia. K-means clustering, comparison of in-silico tetraploids and observed tetraploids, and a phylogeographic analysis using relaxed random walks were used to explore the genetic structure within the diploids, to infer the origin of the tetraploids and to reconstruct range expansion through time. Further, we contrasted the morphology and genetic groups with current taxonomy and evaluated the status of the tetraploid Apennine endemic K. gussonei and the intraspecific taxa of K. drymeia. The genetic structure was strongly geographically correlated and yielded four genetic groups; K. gussonei was inseparable from K. drymeia. Distributions of diploid lineages are suggestive of glacial refugia in the northwesternmost and southeastern Balkan Peninsula. Polyploids originated at least two times, as autopolyploids and probably additionally also as allopolyploids. Morphological divergence corresponded with neither genetic groups nor current taxonomy. Genetic and morphometric data confirmed neither divergence of K. gussonei nor recognition of subspecies within K. drymeia. We therefore propose treating K. drymeia as a morphologically and genetically variable species without infraspecific taxa.

Description of a new species of crested newt, previously subsumed in Triturus ivanbureschi (Amphibia: Caudata: Salamandridae).

Multilocus molecular data play a pivotal role in diagnosing cryptic species (i.e. genetically distinct but morphologically similar species). A multilocus phylogeographic survey has provided compelling evidence that Triturus ivanbureschi sensu lato comprises two distinct gene pools with restricted gene flow. We conclude that this taxon had better be treated as two distinct (albeit morphologically cryptic) species. The name T. ivanbureschi should be restricted to the western species, which is distributed in western Asiatic Turkey plus the south-eastern Balkan Peninsula. No name is as yet available for the eastern species, which is distributed in northern Asiatic Turkey. We propose the name T. anatolicus sp. nov. for the eastern species and provide a formal species description.

Phylogeography of the Lacerta viridis complex: mitochondrial and nuclear markers provide taxonomic insights

Based on broad, nearly rangewide sampling, we reanalysed the phylogeography of the Lacerta viridis complex using the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and the intron 7 of the nuclear β-fibrinogen gene. Using the mitochondrial marker, we identified in phylogenetic analyses 10 terminal clades clustering in four deeply divergent main lineages whose relationships are weakly resolved. These lineages correspond to Lacerta bilineata, L. viridis, the previously identified Adriatic or West Balkan lineage and a newly discovered fourth lineage from the Anatolian Black Sea coast and the south-eastern Balkan Peninsula. Except for the latter lineage, there is considerable phylogeographic structuring in each lineage, with higher diversity in the south of the distribution ranges. This pattern indicates the existence of two distinct microrefugia in the Italian Peninsula and Sicily and of up to seven microrefugia in the Balkan Peninsula, but of only one refugium along the Black Sea coast of Anatolia. We identified secondary contact zones of the main lineages and of terminal clades within these lineages. However, most of the formerly described putative contact zone of L. bilineata and L. viridis turned out to be a contact zone between the Adriatic lineage and L. viridis, but L. bilineata seems to be involved only marginally. Our nuclear marker could not unambiguously resolve whether there is gene flow in contact zones. Thus, further research is necessary to decide whether the four main lineages are conspecific or whether they represent distinct biological species. We restrict the name L. v. meridionalis to the newly identified genetic lineage from Turkey and south-eastern Europe, synonymize some previously recognized taxa and suggest a tentative nomenclature for the L. viridis complex.