Search results for "Balkan Peninsula"
showing 10 items of 16 documents
A 1286‐year hydro‐climate reconstruction for the Balkan Peninsula
2018
We present a June-July drought reconstruction based on the standardized precipitation index (SPI) for the Balkan Peninsula over the period 730-2015 CE. The reconstruction is developed using a compo ...
Neogene paleogeography provides context for understanding the origin and spatial distribution of cryptic diversity in a widespread Balkan freshwater …
2017
BackgroundThe Balkans are a major biodiversity and endemism hotspot, worldwide. Among the freshwater biota, amphipods are known for their high cryptic diversity. However, little is known about the temporal and paleogeographic aspects of their evolutionary history. We used paleogeography as a framework for understanding the onset of diversification inGammarus roeselii: (1) we hypothesised that, given the high number of isolated waterbodies in the Balkans, the species is characterised by high level of cryptic diversity, even on a local scale; (2) the long geological history of the region might promote pre-Pleistocene divergence between lineages; (3) given thatG. roeseliithrives both in lakes …
Poa jubata (Poaceae), a rare Balkan species, first record for the Italian flora
2019
Abstract Poa jubata A. Kern., an annual South-eastern European species, is reported for the first time from Italy. It is a therophyte linked to temporary ponds with soils flooded during the winter period. It is a very rare and enigmatic species, currently known only from a few localities of the Balkan Peninsula. Recently, it was surveyed in an Apulian wetland, near Brindisi, where it grows with several other annual hygrophytes. For its taxonomical isolation, it is included in a monospecific section, as P. sect. Jubatae. In addition to a detailed description, the chromo-some complement (2n = 14) of this species is examined for the first time and a new iconography is provided.
Disentangling phylogeography, polyploid evolution and taxonomy of a woodland herb (Veronica chamaedrys group, Plantaginaceae s.l.) in southeastern Eu…
2010
Southeastern Europe is a centre of European biodiversity, but very little is known about factors causing the observed richness. Here, we contribute to fill this gap by reconstructing the spatio-temporal diversification of the cytologically variable and taxonomically intricate complex of Veronica chamaedrys (Plantaginaceae s.l.), growing in open forests, forest edges and grasslands, with flow cytometry, molecular markers (AFLPs, plastid DNA sequences) and morphometry. Our results show that both diploid and tetraploid cytotypes are widespread, but diploids predominate on the southern Balkan Peninsula. Plastid sequences suggest a first split into three main lineages in the mid-Pleistocene and …
First record for the flora of Italy and lectotypification of the name Linum elegans (Linaceae)
2017
Linum elegans has been detected in calcareous rocky garrigues on the Gargano promontory (Apulia, SE-Italy), representing the first record for the Italian flora and the first one outside the Balkan Peninsula. The geographical disjunction may provide evidence for past amphi-Adriatic/amphi-Ionic terrestrial connections. The population found was ascribed to L. campanulatum in the past. As a consequence, a comparison between these two species is undertaken. Furthermore, the name L. elegans is here lectotypified on a specimen preserved at G, and the IUCN assessment of the species in Italy is briefly discussed.
Preliminary results of carbon degassing in the tectonically active areas of Balkan Peninsula
2020
The deeply derived CO2 from tectonically active areas is contributing in a significant proportion, still unquantified in detail, to CO2 Earth degassing. Several studies highlighted how in these tectonically active areas most of the CO2 is dissolved in the groundwaters circulating in the large regional aquifers hosted by the permeable formations of the active orogens. Quantifying the amount of deep CO2 dissolved into groundwater can represent a powerful tool for regional investigations, because springs are representative of their catchment area that can extend from tens to hundreds of square kilometers. In the framework of a Deep Carbon Observatory supported project, we investigated for the …
Labdane Diterpenes from Stachys plumosa
2000
Three new labdane diterpenoids were isolated from the aerial parts of Stachys plumosa. The first two (1, 2) were the dextrorotatory enantiomers of the known 6-deoxyandalusol and 13-epijabugodiol. Structures were determined using NMR and MS techniques. The absolute stereochemistry of the third compound (3) was not experimentally proved.
Using genetic markers to unravel the origin of birds converging towards pre-migratory sites
2018
AbstractIdentifying patterns of individual movements in spatial and temporal scales can provide valuable insight into the structure of populations and the dynamics of communities and ecosystems. Especially for migrating birds, that can face a variety of unfavorable conditions along their journey, resolving movements of individuals across their annual cycle is necessary in order to design better targeted conservation strategies. Here, we studied the movements of a small migratory falcon, the Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni), by genetically assigning feathers from individuals of unknown origin that concentrate in large roosts during the pre-migratory period. Our findings suggest that birds fro…
The geopolitical importance of the Balkans: A general overview
2020
The Balkan Peninsula, located in South-Eastern Europe, is the fourth of the large European Peninsulas. The Balkans are considered the least known part of the Old Continent, which has for centuries been the scene of conflicts and wars. This article presents the geographical location of the Balkans and analyzes geopolitical theories that refer to this region. The main aim of the article is to show that the Balkans were subject to complex geopolitical processes and are still a zone of instability in Europe. This region is characterized by an extraordinary dynamic of change, which is a consequence of the interrelationship between geography and history. The post-Cold War enlargement of NATO and …
Water striders (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha: Gerridae) of Romania with an update on the distribution of Gerris gibbifer and G. maculatus in southeastern…
2018
The Romanian fauna comprises two species of Aquarius Schellenberg, 1800, eight species of Gerris Fabricius, 1794 and one species of Limnoporus Stål, 1868, and we hereby update the distribution and provide insights on the phenology and ecology of all eleven species in this country. We furthermore update the distribution of the two closely related species Gerris gibbifer Schummel, 1832 and G. maculatus Tamanini, 1946 in southeastern Europe. Gerris maculatus is recorded for the first time from Hungary, Montenegro and Slovenia, and the first detailed localities from Romania and Serbia are given. All bibliographic records of G. gibbifer from Romania, Macedonia and Serbia are based on misidentifi…