Taman Peninsula Research Articles

New group of glazed Anatolian Pottery from the Ottoman fortress of Azak

The article introduces a new group of glazed pottery of Anatolian production from the archaeological studies of different years (1962, 2004, 2020) on the territory of the former Ottoman fortress of Azak in the North-Eastern Azov Region. Among the finds, there are 20 fragments of open shaped vessels (bowls, plates) and one fragment of the lid which originate from redeposited cultural layer of the site dated back to the late Middle Ages – Modern period. Close analogies can be found on the Crimean peninsula in the materials from the excavations in Sudak, Aluston, Cembalo, Mangup, Partenit, Biyuk-Lambat (Maly Mayak), and Chufut-Kale where they are generally dated by the last quarter of 15th–17th century AD, as well as in South-Western Georgia (Gonio fortress in Adjara) and on the Taman Peninsula (the Taman fortified settlement) in the cultural layer of the 16th–17th centuries AD. Production centre for this group of Ottoman pottery has not yet been established. The group got its conventional name ‘thick-walled bichrome bowls’ due to the dominant archaeological remains of thick-walled bowls with the characteristic decor style in the Crimea.

Hydrocarbons in waters and bottom sediments of the coastal areas of the Caucasian sector of the Black Sea (2021–2023)

The current level of aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was determined in suspended particulate matter of waters (mainly in surface waters) and in upper layer of bottom sediments of coastal areas in the Caucasian sector of the Black Sea of the Russian Federation (September 2021, May and September 2022, March 2023). IR method was used to determine the aliphatic hydrocarbons, and the method of high performance liquid chromatography was employed for PAHs. The average concentration of aliphatic hydrocarbons was ≈20 μg/L and for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ≈130 ng/L in suspended particulate matter in open surface waters of Gelendzhik and Golubaya bays. Their content naturally increased as they approached the coast. Despite the decrease in hydrocarbon concentrations in surface waters in recent years, the Kerch Strait and Novorossiysk remain the most polluted areas as before. Higher concentrations in the waters of the Taman Peninsula may be caused by the seepage of hydrocarbons from the sedimentary layer. Hydrocarbons are accumulated in bottom sediments, that leads to their rising portion in total organic carbon (e.g., aliphatic hydrocarbons up to 14.2 % in the Tuapse region and 13.1 % in the Novorossiysk region). Along with contamination from anthropogenic sources, natural processes also affect the hydrocarbon levels such as high biological productivity of the area and fluid flows from the sediment layer.

Petrocella pelovolcani sp. nov., an Alkaliphilic Anaerobic Bacterium Isolated from Terrestrial Mud Volcano

Diversity of extremophilic microorganisms in mud volcanoes is largely unexplored. Here we report the isolation of a novel alkaliphilic, mesophilic, fermentative bacterium (strain FN5sucT) from a terrestrial mud volcano located at the Taman Peninsula, Russia. Cells of strain FN5sucT are gram-stain-positive, non-sporeforming, motile rods. The temperature range for growth is 10–37°C, with an optimum at 30°C. The pH range for growth is 7.5–10.0, with an optimum at pH 9.0. The isolate utilizes various organic polymeric substances, organic acids, carbohydrates, and proteinaceous compounds. The end products of carbohydrates fermentation are acetate, CO2 and trace amounts of H2 and formate. The major cellular fatty acid compounds are C16:0, C16:1 ω7c, and monounsaturated dimethyl acetal C14:1. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that strain FN5sucT is most closely related to Petrocella atlantisensis = DSM 105309T (98.4% 16S rRNA gene identity). The total size of the genome of strain FN5sucT is 3.35 Mb, and a genomic DNA G+C content is 37.0 mol %. The genome contains complete glycolisis/glyconeogenesis pathway. We propose to assign strain FN5sucT to the genus Petrocella, as a new species, Petrocella pelovolcani sp. nov. The type strain is FN5sucT (=DSM 113898T = UQM 41591T).

Diversity, Methane Oxidation Activity, and Metabolic Potential of Microbial Communities in Terrestrial Mud Volcanos of the Taman Peninsula.

Microbial communities of terrestrial mud volcanoes are involved in aerobic and anaerobic methane oxidation, but the biological mechanisms of these processes are still understudied. We have investigated the taxonomic composition, rates of methane oxidation, and metabolic potential of microbial communities in five mud volcanoes of the Taman Peninsula, Russia. Methane oxidation rates measured by the radiotracer technique varied from 2.0 to 460 nmol CH4 cm-3 day-1 in different mud samples. This is the first measurement of high activity of microbial methane oxidation in terrestrial mud volcanos. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing has shown that Bacteria accounted for 65-99% of prokaryotic diversity in all samples. The most abundant phyla were Pseudomonadota, Desulfobacterota, and Halobacterota. A total of 32 prokaryotic genera, which include methanotrophs, sulfur or iron reducers, and facultative anaerobes with broad metabolic capabilities, were detected in relative abundance >5%. The most highly represented genus of aerobic methanotrophs was Methyloprofundus reaching 36%. The most numerous group of anaerobic methanotrophs was ANME-2a-b (Ca. Methanocomedenaceae), identified in 60% of the samples and attaining relative abundance of 54%. The analysis of the metagenome-assembled genomes of a community with high methane oxidation rate indicates the importance of CO2 fixation, Fe(III) and nitrate reduction, and sulfide oxidation. This study expands current knowledge on the occurrence, distribution, and activity of microorganisms associated with methane cycle in terrestrial mud volcanoes.

Киммерийская фортификация

Early examples of northern Iranian fortification date back to the Cimmerian era. Thus, the fortifications on the modern Kerch and Taman peninsulas, made up of a system of ramparts and ditches that fenced off the Bosporus from the steppe barbarians, were called “Cimmerian” by ancient authors. The Cimmerians are the most ancient people of southeastern Europe known to us. Their country Cimmeria covered the modern Crimean and Taman peninsulas, the Northern Black Sea region, the Azov region and the Northern Caucasus. During the Central Asian campaigns, the Cimmerians had to confront the advanced armies of that time - Assyrian and Urartian, with their perfect fortresses (in particular, the so-called “Cyclopean”, in the shape of a circle or square), which required the development of siege and assault techniques (polyorcetics), which were successfully used during hostilities. The Cimmerian Wall crosses the middle of the Kerch Peninsula (between the Kerch Peninsula and the rest of Crimea) at its narrowest point and has a length of 40-42 km. The shaft or its individual fragments are also called Asandrov, Uzunlarsky, Turkish, Akkozsky, etc. The rampart (circa 400 BC), reinforced with stonework running along its crest, reached a width of 20 m at the base, a height of up to 7-8 m, and its ditch, 5 m deep, had a width of 10-15 m. Along the entire length of the rampart, the same type of square tower-forts measuring approximately 10x12 m were erected, at a distance of about 2.5 km from each other. Roads run along the rampart, and in the rampart itself there are about a dozen passages, fortified with stone and flanking towers. The Cimmerian Wall on the Taman Peninsula began at the northeastern protrusion of the Taman Gulf and stretched for about 7 km to the shore of the Sea of Azov. According to other materials, it had a length of about 40 km and ran along the bottom from the center of the Taman Bay about 20 km to the northeast, and continued the same amount along the land part, ending before reaching the shore of the Temryuk Bay. The remains of this fortification were noted on topographic maps of the second half of the 20th century as the Cimmerian Val. The аrticle, based on dаta from аrchaeologicаl and written sources, аnаlyzes Cimmerian fortificаtion and polyorcetics. The most significant defensive structures of the Cimmeriаns are exаmined; the most charаcteristic аrchitectural forms аnd construction techniques are noted.

Anaerobaca lacustris gen. nov., sp. nov., an obligately anaerobic planctomycete of the widespread SG8-4 group, isolated from a coastal lake, and proposal of Anaerobacaceae fam. nov

One of the numerous and widespread lineages of planctomycetes is the hitherto uncultured SG8-4 group inhabiting anoxic environments. A novel anaerobic, mesophilic, alkalitolerant, chemoorganotrophic bacterium (strain M17dextrT) was isolated from anaerobic sediment of a coastal lake (Taman Peninsula, Russia). The cell were mainly non-motile cocci, 0.3 to 1.0 µm in diameter forming chains or aggregates. The cells had a Gram-negative cell wall and divided by binary fission. The temperature range for growth was 20–37 0C (optimum at 30 0C). The pH range for growth was 6.5–10.0, with an optimum at pH 8.0–8.5. Strain M17dextrT fermented mono-, di- and polysaccharides (starch, xanthan gum, dextran, N-acetylglucosamine), but did not utilized proteinaceous compounds. Major cellular fatty acids were C16:0 and C18:0. The genome of strain M17dextrT had a size of 5.7 Mb with a G + C content of 62.49 %. The genome contained 345 CAZyme genes. The closest cultured phylogenetic relatives of strain M17dextrT were members of the order Sedimentisphaerales, class Phycisphaerae. Among characterized planctomycetes, the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (88.3 %) was observed with Anaerohalosphaera lusitana. According to phylogenomic analysis strain M17dextrT together with many uncultured representatives of Sedimentisphaerales forms a separate family‐level lineage. We propose to assign strain M17dextrT to a novel genus and species, Anaerobaca lacustris gen. nov., sp. nov.; the type strain is M17dextrT (=VKM B-3571 T = DSM 113417 T = JCM 39238 T = KCTC 25381 T = UQM 41474 T). This genus is placed in a novel family, Anaerobacaceae fam. nov. within the order Sedimentisphaerales.

Peloplasma aerotolerans gen. nov., sp. nov., a Novel Anaerobic Free-Living Mollicute Isolated from a Terrestrial Mud Volcano.

A novel aerotolerant anaerobic bacterium (strain M4AhT) was isolated from a terrestrial mud volcano (Taman Peninsula, Russia). Cells were small, cell-wall-less, non-motile cocci, 0.32-0.65 μm in diameter. The isolate was a mesophilic, neutrophilic chemoorganoheterotroph, growing on carbohydrates (D-glucose, D-trehalose, D-ribose, D-mannose, D-xylose, D-maltose, D-lactose, D-cellobiose, D-galactose, D-fructose, and D-sucrose), proteinaceous compounds (yeast extract, tryptone), and pyruvate. Strain M4AhT tolerated 2% oxygen in the gas phase, was catalase-positive, and showed sustainable growth under microaerobic conditions. The dominant cellular fatty acids of strain M4AhT were C16:0 and C18:0. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 32.42%. The closest phylogenetic relative of strain M4AhT was Mariniplasma anaerobium from the family Acholeplasmataceae (order Acholeplasmatales, class Mollicutes). Based on the polyphasic characterization of the isolate, strain M4AhT is considered to represent a novel species of a new genus, for which the name Peloplasma aerotolerans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Peloplasma aerotolerans is M4AhT (=DSM 112561T = VKM B-3485T = UQM 41475T). This is the first representative of the order Acholeplasmatales, isolated from a mud volcano.

Pseudodesulfovibrio pelocollis sp. nov. a Sulfate-Reducing Bacterium Isolated from a Terrestrial Mud Volcano.

Terrestrial mud volcanoes (TMVs), surface expressions of a deep-subterranean sedimentary volcanism, are widespread throughout the world. The methane and sulfur cycles are recognized as the most important biogeochemical cycles in these environments. Only few anaerobic bacterial strains were recovered from TMVs. We have isolated a novel sulfate-reducing bacterium (strain SB368T) from TMV located at Taman Peninsula, Russia. Optimum growth of strain SB368T was observed at 30°C, pH 8.0 and 1% NaCl. Strain SB368T utilized lactate, pyruvate and fumarate in the presence of sulfate, sulfite or thiosulfate. Growth with molecular hydrogen was observed only in the presence of acetate. Fermentative growth occurred on pyruvate. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that strain SB368T belongs to the genus Pseudodesulfovibrio but is distinct from all described species. Based on its genomic and phenotypic properties, a new species, Pseudodesulfovibrio pelocollis sp. nov. is proposed with strain SB368T (= DSM 111087T = VKM B-3585T) as a type strain.

The Cyclostratigraphy of the Eastern Paratethys Konkian: Zelensky Section (Taman Peninsula)

The Eastern Paratethys Konkian sedimentary successions of the Zelensky section (Taman peninsula, Russia) were investigated by cyclostratigraphy methods based on magnetic susceptibility measurements. Cyclostratigraphy is a new scientific direction in stratigraphy and sedimentology, the purpose of which is to identify astronomical cyclicity for the reconstruction geochronology using high-precision technologies. Time series analysis (Lomb-Scargle and REDFIT periodograms, wavelet) revealed statistically significant signals corresponding most likely to long-term insolation periodicities in studied sediments. In the deep-water Konkian sediments of the Zelensky section, the signal at 3.3 m corresponds to the 100-kyr eccentricity cycle. The astronomically tuned these sediments result in an average sedimentation rate of about 3.3 cm/kyr with the duration of accumulation of the Sartaganian and Veselyankian beds about 200 kyr. The obtained cyclostratigraphic results generally do not contradict the new data about the possible duration of the Konkian (Kartvelian, Sartaganian and Veselyankian beds) of about 750 kyr [Palcu et al., 2017].

Этноконфессиональные аспекты существования церковной кафедры Таматархи Зихийской в XI в.

The article attempts to examine the history of the Zich Archbishopric of Tamatarcha in the XI century in the con-text of ethno-confessional relations that developed between the autochthonous population and Russian settlers who arrived on the Taman Peninsula due to the formation of the principality of Tmutarakan, ruled by Russian dukes. The major scientific problem, which gave rise to a number of contradictory hypotheses and assumptions in modern science, is the question of the jurisdictional affiliation of the church organization of Tamatarcha in the so-called “Russian period” in the XI century. For the purposes of the study, the main facts of the Russian ethnic presence in Taman in the XI century are considered: the peculiarities of the exercise of princely power; relations with the autochthonous population and neighboring tribes of the northwestern Caucasus; relations between the Russian princes and the church community of Tamatarcha, for which in 1022 Prince Mstislav Vla-dimirovich built a votive church of the Mother of God. Particular attention is paid in the work to the Russian church hierarchy in Tmutarakan, among which the personalities of the Monk Nikon of Pechersk and Bishop Nicholas of Tmutarakan, who was the ruling bishop of the Zich diocese during a certain period, are singled out. The ecclesiastical administration of the Tamatarch diocese in the 2nd half of the XI century is studied in the context of the state-confessional policy of the “triumvirate of the Yaroslavichs” – the leading political group of Old Russian dukes in this period.

Upper Miocene aragonite sediments of the Eastern Paratethys (Zheleznyi Rog section): Whiting events or not?

The upper Sarmatian and lower Maeotian unlithified aragonite sediments of the Zheleznyi Rog section (Taman Peninsula, Eastern Paratethys, Russia) were investigated by field observations and laboratory methods, including scanning electron microscopy, X?ray diffraction and isotope analyses. Aragonite sediments occur at separate intervals of the studied section, forming thin (millimeter?sized) interlayers with clays. These carbonate sediments consist almost entirely of crystals (individuals and twins) and aggregates of aragonite, ranging in size from 5 to 23 ?m. It is assumed that the isotopic composition (?13C = 5.7 and 5.3?, ?18O = ?2.4 and ?2.8? for upper Sarmatian and lower Maeotian aragonites, respectively) reflects the sedimentation conditions, chara cterized by reduced basin salinity, increased surface water bioproductivity, and periods of aridization. Abiotic precipitation of these aragonites most likely occurred due to the action of triggering mechanisms, which could include planktonic algae blooms (e.g. diatoms). The obtained results do not contradict the hypothesis that the studied aragonites may be considered as sediments of whiting phenomenon.

Влияние опасных гидрометеорологических явлений на эксплуатацию транспортного перехода через Керченский пролив

The article considers the natural and climatic conditions of the Kerch Strait, the Taman Peninsula and the Kerch Peninsula through which passes the transport crossing that connects the Republic of Crimea with the Russian mainland. The paper reflects the main features of the formation of dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena in the Kerch Strait. Hydrometeorological conditions of formation of ice and wind-wave regimes and other dangerous hydrological and hydrometeorological phenomena in the Kerch Strait are highlighted based on the coastal and expedition observations, measurements of currents at automatic buoy stations, numerical modeling of water dynamics in the Kerch Strait for different types of atmospheric effects on the grid with high spatial resolution. The research shows that in the coastal zone and on the Kerch Strait water area periodically there are dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena, such as ice blockages on the bridge piers, strong storm or hurricane wind, heavy precipitation, fogs, which significantly worsen the visibility and complicate marine cargo transportation in the Strait, thunderstorms and tornados. The data presented in this work may be the basis for the assessment of the current state of the environment within the environmental support of the projects, as well as the subsequent ice and hydrometeorological monitoring in the area of the Crimean bridge.

Transformation and Features of Plant Successions of the Taman Peninsula in Case of Technogenic Impact

The impact of technogenic objects on the plant communities of the Taman Peninsula is considered. Technogenic transformations lead to destabilization of the balance in plant communities and landscapes of the Taman Peninsula. Anthropogenic successions are manifested differently in different types of ecosystems. The speed and nature of these processes usually determine the resistance of individual populations to the action of new environmental factors on them. When the vegetation cover is destroyed, the succession will focus on the formation of a ruderal community. When the sand-shell substrate was replaced with cement blocks in the littoral zone, the succession began to form linear synanthropic communities.

Formation and development of the Bosporus kingdom: separate historical and legal aspects

The article talks about the Bosporus kingdom as one of the states that managed to avoid annexation by Rome and preserved its autonomy for several centuries. This state was located in the Eastern Crimea and in the western part of the Taman Peninsula. Its capital was Panticapei (modern Kerch), which in ancient times was surrounded by nomadic (mainly Scythian and Sarmatian) peoples.
 It has been established that the Archeanactid dynasty ruled here at first, and from 438 to 109 B.C. - Spartokids dynasty. It was during the reign of Satyr I, Leukon I, Perisades I, Eumela I in the 4th century B.C. the Bosporus kingdom with its center in Panticapei reached its greatest power, an authoritarian system of government developed, and therefore, Bosporus came to be considered a kingdom with a monarchical form of government.
 The author analyzed the legal system of the Bosporus kingdom. It was found that the main sources of law were: the legislative activity of the kings of Bosporus, the rights of the Greek city-polises that were part of the Bosporus kingdom, and the customs of local tribes. Norms of civil law protected the interests of slave owners. Two main forms of ownership were defined: state and private. Land, slaves, cattle and movable property were owned. The main types of contracts were: purchase and sale, mine, loan and donation.
 The author also characterized the complex nature of marital and family relations. Agreements on the future marriage were usually concluded by the decision of the parents. A legal marriage resulted from an eggiesia, a formal private agreement between the head of the bride’s family, on the one hand, and the groom or his father, on the other.
 In the field of criminal law, the author established that the main types of crimes were: crimes against the state, against the community, and against a specific private person. However, the most serious crimes were often called adikia - a sin before the gods. The damage could be physical, moral or material.

On the Attribution of Lithic Industry from the Early Paleolithic Site of Bogatyri/Sinyaya Balka, the Taman Peninsula

The study describes and compares lithic artifacts from the Early Paleolithic site of Bogatyri/Sinyaya Balka, as well as those collected in coastal screes and on the nearby beach. Interdisciplinary studies, which have been ongoing at the site for more than 20 years, have made it possible to conclude that the age of the site exceeds 1 mln years, and that it was a butchering place. In the Early Pleistocene, a lacustral crater of a mud volcano was situated nearby. This mud marsh was a place where many large mammals such as Taman elephants and Caucasian elasmotheres bathed and perished. Humans procured them before they had drowned, and butchered them, as evidenced by the specifi c toolkit. The industry of the site is attributed to the Taman variety of the Oldowan stage of the Early Paleolithic. As the comparative analysis indicates, lithics from the screes and from the beach near the site are morphologically different from those at the site. The rocks of which they are made are of a higher quality, and the types are more expressive, which especially concerns cores and spalls. This industry should be attributed to the Taman variety of the Acheulean stage of the Early Paleolithic.

Coin Assemblages in Ancient Burials: Statement of the Problem

Abstract The present work is dedicated to the analysis of possible meanings of monetary offerings in ancient burial practice. It is clear from archaeological data that the placement of money in a grave was not an essential component of the funeral ceremony; therefore, the comparative variety of versions of this ritual is not surprising: the number and value of coins in burials varies rather widely. The author examines several possible situations of monetary offering (one, two, three, or four and more coins) and suggests, with the support of both literary and archaeological data, various interpretations (“Charon’s obol,” “return ticket,” unfixed transportation fee, gifts “just in case,” and an indicator of social status, respectively). The article focuses attention on the most recent find from the Taman Peninsula – a small deposit from the necropolis of Volna I settlement.

Desulfobotulus pelophilus sp. nov., an Alkaliphilic Sulfate-Reducing Bacterium from a Terrestrial Mud Volcano

—An alkaliphilic, sulfate-reducing, anaerobic bacterium (strain H1T) was isolated from a terrestrial mud volcano at the Taman Peninsula, Russia. The cells of the isolate were gram-negative motile vibrios, 1 µm in diameter and 2.0–2.5 µm in length. Strain H1T grew at 14–42°C (optimum at 37°C), pH 8.5–10.5 (optimum at pH 9.5), and NaCl concentrations of 0.5–6% (wt/vol) (optimum at 0.5–1.5%); pyruvate, lactate, butyrate, caproate, or pelargonate were used as electron donors, and elemental sulfur, sulfite, or sulfate were used as electron acceptors. Pyruvate and lactate were fermented. No growth occurred in the presence of oxygen. Thiosulfate, DMSO, fumarate, nitrate, nitrite, arsenate, selenite, and Fe(III) were not used as electron acceptors. Elemental sulfur, thiosulfate, and sulfite were not disproportionated. Glucose, fructose, sucrose, trehalose, galactose, xylose, fumarate, citrate, yeast extract, and peptone were not fermented. Predominant fatty acids were C20:0 (54.2%), C22:0 (24.6%), and C18:0 (11.1%). The genome of strain H1T was 3.66 Mb in size and had G + C DNA content of 51.1%. The genome contained the genes encoding the enzymes of dissimilatory sulfate reduction and β-oxidation of fatty acids. According to the results of analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence, Desulfobotulus mexicanus was the organism most closely related to strain Н1Т (98.3% similarity). Based on its phenotypic characteristics and the data of phylogenetic analysis, affiliation of the isolate as member of a novel Desulfobotulus species, Desulfobotulus pelophilus sp. nov., is proposed, with the type strain H1T (=DSM 112796T = VKM B-3697Т =UQM 41590T).

<i>Desulfobotulus pelophilus</i> sp. nov., an Alkaliphilic Sulfate-Reducing Bacterium from a Terrestrial Mud Volcano

Abstract—An alkaliphilic, sulfate-reducing, anaerobic bacterium (strain H1T) was isolated from a terrestrial mud volcano at the Taman Peninsula, Russia. The cells of the isolate were gram-negative motile vibrios, 1 µm in diameter and 2.0–2.5 μm in length. Strain H1T grew at 14–42°C (optimum at 37°C), pH 8.5–10.5 (optimum at pH 9.5), and NaCl concentrations of 0.5–6% (wt/vol) (optimum at 0.5–1.5%); pyruvate, lactate, butyrate, caproate, or pelargonate were used as electron donors, and elemental sulfur, sulfite, or sulfate were used as electron acceptors. Pyruvate and lactate were fermented. No growth occurred in the presence of oxygen. Thiosulfate, DMSO, fumarate, nitrate, nitrite, arsenate, selenite, and Fe(III) were not used as electron acceptors. Elemental sulfur, thiosulfate, and sulfite were not disproportionated. Glucose, fructose, sucrose, trehalose, galactose, xylose, fumarate, citrate, yeast extract, and peptone were not fermented. Predominant fatty acids were C20:0 (54.2%), C22:0 (24.6%), and C18:0 (11.1%). The genome of strain H1T was 3.66 Mb in size and had G + C DNA content of 51.1%. The genome contained the genes encoding the enzymes of dissimilatory sulfate reduction and β-oxidation of fatty acids. According to the results of analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence, Desulfobotulus mexicanus was the organism most closely related to strain Н1Т (98.3% similarity). Based on its phenotypic characteristics and the data of phylogenetic analysis, affiliation of the isolate as member of a novel Desulfobotulus species, Desulfobotulus pelophilus sp. nov., is proposed, with the type strain H1T (=DSM 112796T = VKM B-3697Т =UQM 41590T).

Early Middle Pleistocene Fauna Of Fossil Rodents And LoessPaleosol Series Of The Pekla Key Section (Taman Peninsula, Russia)

The history of the early Middle Pleistocene small mammal faunas of Eastern Europe is very complicated. The early Middle Pleistocene which spanned from the Brunhes-Matuyama transition (772.9 ka BP, within MIS 19) till the beginning of the Likhvin Interglacial (424 ka BP, MIS 11) includes a number of interglacials and glaciations. Rodent species of the Tiraspolian faunal assemblage were found in the Chaudian fluvial deposits of the Cape Pekla section (northern coast of the Taman Peninsula). The evolutional level of the Pekla rodents are similar to those from the stratotype section of the Tiraspolian faunal assemblage in the Kolkotova Balka in Moldova (MIS 17) , which includes Eolagurus sp., Mimomys savini, Microtus (Terricola) arvalidens, Microtus (Alexandromys) ex gr. oeconomus and other species. The Pekla fauna also resembles the rodent fauna from famous English West Runton Freshwater Bed locality formed during the Cromerian Interglacial II and some other East and West European faunas. In the current work the entire loess-paleosol sequence of the Pekla section was described with five paleosols from the Middle to the Late Pleistocene. The sequence reflects the complexity of climatic fluctuations from the early Middle Pleistocene to the Holocene.

Desulfatitalea alkaliphila sp. nov., an alkalipilic sulfate- and arsenate- reducing bacterium isolated from a terrestrial mud volcano.

A novel alkaliphilic sulfate-reducing bacterium, strain M08butT, was isolated from a salsa lake of terrestrial mud volcano (Taman Peninsula, Russia). Cells were rod-shaped, motile and Gram-stain-negative. The temperature range for growth was 15-42°C (optimum at 30°C). The pH range for growth was 7.0-11.0, with an optimum at pH 8.5-9.0 Strain M08butT used sulfate, thiosulfate, sulfite, dimethyl sulfoxide and arsenate as electron acceptors. Acetate, formate, butyrate, fumarate, succinate, glycerol and pyruvate were utilized as electron donors with sulfate. Fermentative growth was observed with fumarate, pyruvate, crotonate. Strain M08butT grew chemolithoautotrophically with H2 and CO2. The G + C content of the genomic DNA was 60.1%. The fatty acid profile of strain M08butT was characterized by the presence of anteiso-C15:0 as the major component (68.8%). The closest phylogenetic relative of strain M08butT was Desulfatitalea tepidiphila (the order Desulfobacterales) with 96.3% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. Based on the phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic characteristics of the isolate, strain M08butT is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Desulfatitalea, with proposed name Desulfatitalea alkaliphila sp. nov. The type strain of Desulfatitalea alkaliphila is M08butT (= KCTC 25382T = VKM B-3560T = DSM 113909T = JCM 39202T = UQM 41473T).