Southern Dobrogea Research Articles

A new cave-dwelling species of the genus Geophilus Leach, 1814 (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha) from the chemoautotrophic-based Movile Cave (Southern Dobrogea, Romania)

Geophilus zagreus sp. nov., a troglomorphic geophilid endemic to the Movile Cave sulfidic groundwater ecosystem, is described and illustrated. It is distinguished from other European Geophilus species by a high number of coxal pores on the ventral side of the coxa of the last pair of legs. Its affinities with the other two troglobitic species of the genus are discussed. The mitochondrial COI barcode is sequenced for the new species and phylogenetic analysis is carried out to elucidate its placement within Geophilus. Other syntopic Chilopoda from Movile cave are listed. https://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D549ACAF-5DE4-403E-8D1A-5E6232A635E7

Utetheisa pulchella (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae) found again in Romania after more than 100 years

Utetheisa pulchella (Linnaeus, 1758) was recent reported from Romania based on a few specimens collected in the southern Dobrogea (Constanța county). These are the first records from Romania in over 100 years and the first reports for Dobrogea. Some aspec

The Wine Road – A Strategy for Promotion and Sustainable Development of Wine Tourism. Case Study: The Vineyards from the Southern Dobrogea Plateau (Romania)

The Wine Road – A Strategy for Promotion and Sustainable Development of Wine Tourism. Case Study: The Vineyards from the Southern Dobrogea Plateau (Romania)

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE 1946. THE LOSS OF THE QUADRILATERAL AND THE ROMANIAN LEGAL ARGUMENTS.

Dobrogea Nouă, Dobrogea de Sud or Cadrilater, these are the names under which the southern part ofthe territory between the Danube and the Black Sea was known, an area that has been, for centuries, at the crossroads of trade routes and the interests of neighboring powers. The province was characterized as an "appendage of Asia, transplanted to Southeast Europe, which opened the steppe gate, as described by Alberto Basciani (Basciani 2001)As noted by historian Cătălin Negoiță (Cătălin Negoiță 2008) from my student days, precisely because of the extremely fragmented information I had. The moment of the incorporation of this territory into the Romanian state was almost overlooked, as if our historians were embarrassed to mention this episode. Even the Balkan wars were not treated extensively before 1989, so the history textbooks were content to record succinctly: the name of Quadrilater, became part of the Romanian state». Even more concise was the information about the loss of the province: "Following the signing, on September 7, 1940, of the Treaty of Craiova, Romania ceded to Bulgaria southern Dobrogea, known as the Quadrilater. "All the more so, as if the historians were in a hurry to conclude a subject that did not honor Romania".

Insights into the Eucyclops graeteri species complex (Copepoda, Cyclopidae) — the case of sulphidic groundwaters of Mangalia (Southern Dobrogea, Romania)

Members of the Eucyclops graeteri species complex are widely distributed in European groundwaters and share some morphocharacters such as: a long aesthetasc on the ninth segment of female antennula, short or very reduced spinule row ("serra") on furcal rami, lateral hairiness of 5th thoracic somite strongly reduced, and few or no hairs on the distal margin of the intercoxal sclerite of 4th legs pair. a long aesthetasc on the ninth segment of female antennula, short or very reduced spinule row ("serra") on furcal rami, lateral hairiness of 5th thoracic somite strongly reduced, and few or no hairs on the distal margin of the intercoxal sclerite of 4th legs pair. All these characters are subject to strong selective pressure in the underground environment; therefore, the study of molecular markers is needed to better define the taxonomy and phylogeny of this species group. The Southern Dobrogea region in Romania conceals dark, isolated, and sulfide-rich aquifers, accessible through artificial wells, springs, and the Movile Cave. The chemoautotrophically-based Movile Cave hosts a member of the E. graeteri complex, described several years ago as a subspecies (E. graeteri scythicus Plesa, 1989). The morphological and molecular analyses performed on specimens of this species complex collected from Southern Dobrogea revealed new records for E. graeteri scythicus both in sulfidic and non-sulfidic artificial wells dug near the cave as well as a species putatively new to science collected in three sulfidic wells from Mangalia. Mitochondrial markers allocated the Movile Cave population in a distinct clade within the genus Eucyclops, Eucyclops serrulatus s.l. being the closest taxon. The putative new species belongs to a different clade within the subfamily Eucyclopinae, raising doubts on the monophyly of this species complex. Furthermore, our investigations revealed the occurrence of ectosymbiont sulfur-oxidizing Thiothrix bacteria associated with E. graeteri scythicus suggesting that this putative symbiosis could allow this taxon to better cope with sulphidic-rich environments. These unique sulfidic groundwater environments therefore provide an interesting model system in which to study the taxonomy of copepods and their adaptation to very harsh environmental conditions.

The unique topography from Obanul Mare (Mangalia, SE Romania): remnant of a maze cave

The area around the town of Mangalia in Southern Dobrogea (Romania) hosts a unique karst landscape represented mostly by large collapse dolines. Around one of these collapse dolines, named Obanul Mare, there is a peculiar morphology of hillocks that resemble the tropical labyrinth-cone karst but on a much-reduced scale. This peculiar relief was hypothesized to be residual, resulting from the ceiling collapse of a two-dimensional maze cave. This type of maze caves form when the water table remains stable for long periods of time, allowing groundwater to dissolve the carbonate host rock along all available discontinuities. The Obanul Mare structure contains a 200 m long cave (Movile cave), whereas a few kilometers away we can find Limanu maze cave, whose passages sum up to more than 3,500 m. Because the existence of a former maze cave is difficult to demonstrate, in this study we took an indirect approach to this issue. We hypothesize that if there was a maze cave and its ceiling collapsed, then the inner walls would be left standing as pillars. Subsequent subaerial evolution of these pillars would create slopes that would incline towards the former cave passages. By quantifying the slope aspect from a high-resolution digital surface model, we would be able to identify the direction of the original passages, hence the main hypothetical fracture lines along which those passages formed. By comparing these orientations to those of local fractures (deduced from the nearby valley and doline axes), as well as with the orientations of the Movile Cave passages, we found that they are well correlated. This strengthens the hypothesis that the hillocky terrain is tectonically conditioned and that it might be the result of cave ceiling collapse, bringing more information on the existence of maze caves in the region.

Quality and Health Risk Assessment Associated with Water Consumption—A Case Study on Karstic Springs

In rural areas without centralized water supply systems, inhabitants often use groundwater of unknown quality as drinking water, without understanding the possible negative consequences on their health. Karstic spring waters from Dobrogea region in Romania were assessed for their potential to be used as drinking water source, according to their quality and seasonal variation. The physico-chemical parameters of waters were compared with the guideline values for drinking water established by the World Health Organization and the Directive 98/83/EC. The nitrate and Cr concentrations exceeded the guideline value in the springs from Southern Dobrogea, but met the quality criteria in those from Northern Dobrogea, thus, to be used as drinking water, the karstic springs located in Southern Dobrogea require treatment for nitrates removal. Heavy metals pollution indices showed low to medium cumulative heavy metal pollution in all springs, while the human health risk assessment by oral exposure indicated possible noncarcinogenic risks of nitrates, both for adults and children in springs from South Dobrogea. A rigorous monitoring of the water quality before human consumption is recommended for all four studied water sources.

GEODYNAMIC FEATURES OF DOBROGEA FORMATION

The formation of Dobrogea as a modern geographical unit dates back to the late Neogene. The complex tectonic structure indicates multiphase changes in this key area that are buried under sediment or reflected in outcrops. Separate outcrops to Mesozoic sedimentary rocks and Precambrian-Paleozoic crystalline basement have been identified, while the main part of the region is characterized by Paleogene-Neogene outcrops. According to the peculiarities of the tectonic structure of Dobrogea, it is divided into the Southern, Central and Northern parts, which are separated by faults of the north-western extension and the Pre-Dobrogea depression. The main part of Dobrogea is located in Romania, within Ukraine there is the Prut ledge of the Northern Dobrogea and the Pre-Dobrogea depression, and part of the Southern Dobrogea goes within the borders of Bulgaria - the southern slope of the Dobrogea massif.The geodynamics of the joint zone determined the stages of formation, which were accompanied by platform transformations and tectonic-magmatic processes, as well as the formation of sedimentary complexes with coal, coal seams and oil and gas reservoirs. Based on the factor of destruction of Cretaceous and, possibly, Jurassic and Triassic deposits and their transformation into younger, Paleocene and Maikop deposits, it can be said that large accumulations of gas on structures in Paleogene traps are unlikely.Modern gas migration is characteristic of both the sedimentary strata of the Pre- Dobrogea Depression, ie the northern part of the study region, and the south-eastern part of Southern Dobrogea in carbonate deposits.

Data on Biogeography of Gastropod Species Chondrula Tridens in Southern Dobrogea, Romania

Data on Biogeography of Gastropod Species Chondrula Tridens in Southern Dobrogea, Romania

“Megalosaurus cf. superbus” from southeastern Romania: The oldest known Cretaceous carcharodontosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) and its implications for earliest Cretaceous Europe-Gondwana connections

Some of the best records of continental vertebrates from the Cretaceous of Europe come from Romania, particularly two well-known occurrences of dwarfed and morphologically aberrant dinosaurs and other taxa that lived on islands (the Cornet and Haţeg Island faunas). Substantially less is known about those vertebrates living in the more stable, cratonic regions of Romania (and Eastern Europe as a whole), particularly during the earliest Cretaceous. We describe one of the few early Early Cretaceous fossils that have ever been found from these regions, the tooth of a large theropod dinosaur from Southern Dobrogea, which was discovered over a century ago but whose age and identification have been controversial. We identify the specimen as coming from the Valanginian stage of the Early Cretaceous, an incredibly poorly sampled interval in global dinosaur evolution, and as belonging to Carcharodontosauridae, a clade of derived, large-bodied apex predators whose earliest Cretaceous history is poorly known. Quantitative analyses demonstrate that the Romanian tooth shows affinities with a derived carcharodontosaurid subgroup, the Carcharodontosaurinae, which until now has been known solely from Gondwana. Our results suggest that this subgroup of colossal predators did not evolve vicariantly as Laurasia split from Gondwana, but originated earlier, perhaps in Europe. The carcharodontosaurine diversification may have been tied to a north-to-south trans-Tethyan dispersal that took place sometime between the Valanginian and the Aptian, illustrating the importance of palaeogeographic ties between these two realms during the largely mysterious early–mid Early Cretaceous.

Research on morphological caracteristics of endokarst in Rarau Massif. Premises for local palaeoclimatic records

The occurrence of karst in Romania is associated to a variety of carbonate rocks; however, limestone and dolomite are the most relevant in terms of spatial distribution and morphological diversity, as shown by the karst landforms present in Apuseni Mts, Banat Mts, Cerna Mts, the southern area of Retezat Mts, Capatanii Mts, Valcan Mts, Mehedinti and Southern Dobrogea plateaus etc. Our study area is located in Rarau Massif, in the northern sector of the crystalline axe of the Eastern Carpathians (fig. 1), which comprises, in terms of morphology, of a diversity of genetic categories of landforms among which petrographic landforms on limestone and dolomites stand out.

Niphargus–Thiothrix associations may be widespread in sulphidic groundwater ecosystems: evidence from southeastern Romania

Niphargus is a speciose amphipod genus found in groundwater habitats across Europe. Three Niphargus species living in the sulphidic Frasassi caves in Italy harbour sulphur-oxidizing Thiothrix bacterial ectosymbionts. These three species are distantly related, implying that the ability to form ectosymbioses with Thiothrix may be common among Niphargus. Therefore, Niphargus–Thiothrix associations may also be found in sulphidic aquifers other than Frasassi. In this study, we examined this possibility by analysing niphargids of the genera Niphargus and Pontoniphargus collected from the partly sulphidic aquifers of the Southern Dobrogea region of Romania, which are accessible through springs, wells and Movile Cave. Molecular and morphological analyses revealed seven niphargid species in this region. Five of these species occurred occasionally or exclusively in sulphidic locations, whereas the remaining two were restricted to nonsulphidic areas. Thiothrix were detected by PCR on all seven Dobrogean niphargid species and observed using microscopy to be predominantly attached to their hosts' appendages. 16S rRNA gene sequences of the Thiothrix epibionts fell into two main clades, one of which (herein named T4) occurred solely on niphargids collected in sulphidic locations. The other Thiothrix clade was present on niphargids from both sulphidic and nonsulphidic areas and indistinguishable from the T3 ectosymbiont clade previously identified on Frasassi-dwelling Niphargus. Although niphargids from Frasassi and Southern Dobrogea are not closely related, the patterns of their association with Thiothrix are remarkably alike. The finding of similar Niphargus–Thiothrix associations in aquifers located 1200 km apart suggests that they may be widespread in European groundwater ecosystems.

New and little-known species of Chthoniidae and Neobisiidae (Pseudoscorpiones, Arachnida) from the Movile Cave in southern Dobrogea, Romania

Two species of Roncus L. Koch, 1873 (Neobisiidae), new to science (R. ciobanmos n. sp. and R. dragobeten. sp.), and one species of Neobisium Chamberlin, 1930 [N. (N). biharicum Beier, 1939], collected in the Movile Cave, southern Dobrogea, Romania, have been described, diagnostic characters illustrated, and their geographic distribution analyzed. In addition, the description of Chthonius (Chthonius) monicae Boghean, 1989 (Chthoniidae), otherwise known only from two females, has been amended. The possible relationships of these species are discussed in view of the importance of some diagnostic characters and of the evolution of their cave habitat.

Mesozoic Dasycladaceae from Romania: Distribution and biostratigraphical importance

Dasycladaceae are important indexfossils in Mesozoic shallow-water limestones of Romania. A critical survey of the dasycladacean associations known from the Romanian Middle and Upper Triassic and from the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous is given. Triassic Dasycladaceae are known from the Apuseni Mountains (Padurea Craiului Mountains and Vascau Plateau). Eastern Carpathians (Rarau, Persani and Brasov), Southern Carpathians (Resita-Moldova Noua Zone), and Northern Dobrogea (Tulcea Zone). A biostratigraphical zonation is possible in the Upper Pelsonian and Lower Illyrian, as well as in the Upper Illyrian and Ladinian and Lower Carnian. No algae are known from the Middle Illyrian. The best information on the sequence of the coenozones can be taken from the sections in the Padurea Craiului Mountains (Fig. 2). A facies model of the Triassic Bihor carbonate platform (Fig. 4) shows a shifting of the facies zones during the Lower and Middle Triassic from continental and supratidal to intertidal and subtidal environments, which are characterized by shallow lagoons with various dasycladacean assemblages and small patch reefs built by sphinctozoan sponges on the inner slope of the lagoons. Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous Dasycladaceae are known from the Eastern and Southern Carpathians, from the Apuseni Mountains, the Moesian Platform, and from the Southern Dobrogea. Several assemblage zones, defined by dasycladacean algae and foraminifera, characterize the Tithonian to Lower Aptian time intervall in the Eastern Carpathians (see Fig. 8). In the Southern Carpathians Dasycladaceae are known from the Tithonian to the Upper Aptian except from the Hauterivian. In the Apuseni Mountains Valanginian and Hauterivian dasyclads are lacking because of the discordant superposition of Tithonian reef limestones by Barremian and Aptian limestones. The Tithonian, Necomian and the Barremian to Lower Aptian is known from wells in the eastern part of the Moesian platform. Berriasian to Lower Aptian algal zones have been recognized in Southern Dobrogea.