Additional Glacial Relicts in Carei Plain Natural Protected Area, North-Western Romania

This paper presents new scientific data on the spread of mountain elements in the plains of the northwestern part of Romania, species that managed to survive in this area since the last glacial period. Previous studies revealed that the northwestern part of Romania does not exhibit vegetation specific to the region of forest steppe, hills or low mountain areas, as expected. Many species common to mountainous regions were previously observed not only in Carei Plain, but also in Ier Plain, Tur Plain, Tăşnad Hills or Oaş region across Satu Mare, Bihor and Sălaj counties. The same observations were made in other parts of Carei Plain in Hungary, and conclusions were drawn that the area was a glacial refuge. On the Hungarian side of the Carei Plain, the ecosystems were also better preserved comparative to the Romanian side, where most of the natural ecosystems of the Carei Plain were destroyed due to the conversion to agricultural land starting with the 19th century and culminating in the communist period during the 20th century. The study is also intended to be a complement to the data on "Natura 2000" sites, whose goal is the protection of biodiversity in Europe along with their conservation in the most favorable conditions. An update of these sites is becoming increasingly necessary since in recent decades they have been greatly impacted by human activities.

The Occurrence of Marine Alga Enteromorpha Intestinalis in Water Courses from Salt Area Meledic Plateau, Vrancei Subcarpathians (Romania)

Three new sites of Enteromorpha intestinalis have been found in the drainage basin of the Slănic River located in the Subcarpathians region, salt Meledic Plateau. E. intestinalis is a cosmopolitan macro green alga species with tubular thali that is primarily found in the coastal zone, including the Romanian Black Sea coast. Due to its salt tolerance this alga it was found in some inland waters, both fresh and saline waters courses and limnic waters that are often positively correlated with cultural eutrophication. These new reported localities of E. intestinalis in inland waters from this saline region contribute new and essential information about the distribution of this originally marine species on the inland area of Romania.

Symphyotrichum ciliatum an Invasive Species in the Romanian Flora – Contributions to the Knowledge of the Vegetative Organs Structure

Symphyotrichum ciliatum (Ledeb.) G.L. Nesom is an adventive plant first reported in Romania in 1967, which has spread rapidly over the last few decades in Moldova, Muntenia and, more recently, in Transylvania. Although the species has been known for a while in Europe and Romania, there is no information about the anatomy of the vegetative organs of this invasive taxon. This paper presents a series of structural aspects of the vegetative body, of Symphyotrichum ciliatum collected from a sandy and salty substrate (Sacalin Island - Danube Delta). These demonstrate the ability of this plant to adapt to the environment and its capacity to achieve a wide spread. As such, although this plant is an annual species, the root and stem achieve secondary growth in their width, which offers robustness to the corm; the palisade tissue has an ecvifacial disposition which enhances efficiency in capturing light, especially on sandy soil that reflects light; there are aeriferous and aquiferous formations that ensure efficiency in adapting to a wet and relatively salty environment. These results are documented by original photographs of optical microscopy and a distribution map of the taxon in Romania as at 2011.

Fritillaria Meleagroides in Romania

The presence in the spontaneous flora of Romania of the species Fritillaria meleagroides is reported in this paper. It was identified in the North of the village Cotu Morii (Popricani Commune, Iaşi County), on (meso-) hygrophilous, slightly halophilous meadows, placed on the both sides of an old meander of the Jijia river. This place is at the western limit of natural area of F. meleagroides, which stretches from the Central Asia to the Eastern Europe (European Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria). Since F. meleagroides is an endangered species in large part of its natural range, we consider that urgent actions to protect its populations from Romania are necessary.

New Chorological Data for Rare Vascular Plants from Romania

New chorological data about seven rare vascular plant taxa are reported in the present paper: Conringia austriaca, Jurinea multiflora, Linaria arvensis, Nonea pallens, Ophrys apifera, Ophrys scolopax subsp. cornuta, Saponaria officinalis. For Linaria arvensis, previously considered doubtful in the absence of the herbarium material, we confirm its presence in Romania. The report of Nonea pallens is the first for Dobrogea, while the report of Jurinea multiflora is the first for Muntenia region of Romania.

Biological Action of Plant Extracts on a Fungal Plant Biostimulant Strain of Trichoderma Viride

The antifungal activity of nine plant extracts manufactured by Hofigal Import Export S.A. Romania against the biocontrol fungal agent Trichoderma viride Pers. (isolate Tv 82) was assessed in vitro for the first time in Romania. In general, the development (mycelial growth and sporulation) was not inhibited by the six plant extracts (Satureja hortensis, Achillea millefolium, Allium sativum, Mentha sp., Hyssopus officinalis, Artemisia dracunculus 'Sativa'), with three exceptions (Rosmarinus officinalis, Valeriana officinalis, Tagetes patula), applied in a concentration of 20%. Among these, the extract of Tagetes patula has inhibited the Tv 82 development, applied as lower concentrations (10% and 5%), efficacy being 54.3% and 50%, respectively. In addition, the tested plant extracts of Satureja hortensis, Achillea millefolium, Mentha sp. proved stimulative effect on Tv 82 development. This approach add to the early studies on the selectivity of Trichoderma spp. to chemicals used in plant protection, new data referring to the use of antagonistic fungi, like Trichoderma spp., as a protective mean against phytopathogens. Also, these data sustain the possibility of applying plant extracts as an alternative in plant protection or to apply together chemical (pesticides) and biological means (plant extracts) especially to protect ecological crops, as vegetables, medicinal plants a.o.

Analysis of the Saxicolous Lichen Communities in Măcin Mountains National Park

The assemblage of saxicolous lichenized fungal communities in Măcin Mountains National Park was assessed during a biodiversity study developed between 2006 and 2008. Fifty three species of saxicolous lichenized fungi were identified on Hercynic granites and granitoid outcrops characterized by intense weathering process. Apparently, competition was not the main mechanism in community assemblage as calculated C score showed (non-significant difference between mean calculated and simulated score). Niche overlap assessment showed that lichens avoided competition by spatial niche partition (mean Pianka index of 0.07 for sampling quadrats and 0.20 for locations). The estimation of nestedness index (N=0.63 at local scale and N=0.88 at sampling quadrat scale) indicated that local communities were subsets of a larger, regional scale metacommunity. Similarities in community composition across locations were assessed by means of Ward algorithm, results indicating that the most dissimilar communities were encountered at Pietrele Mariei, a residual inselberg and Suluc foothill. Conservation of saxicolous communities containing endangered species such as Umbilicaria grisea, critically endangered Ramalina obtusata and vulnerable Acrocordia gemmata, Pertusaria hemisphaerica, Pertusaria pertusa will be challenged in the future by anthropogenic impact coming from agriculture, sheep grazing and quarries operating in the proximity of the reserve area.

Neophytes In Protected Areas. Case Study: The Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve

The Danube Delta is a relatively young territory, formed about 14,000 years ago. It has quadruple status: Biosphere Reserve, Ramsar site, UNESCO World Heritage site, Natura 2000 site. Water and human activities are the most important factors influencing the flora of this area, including the penetration and spread of alien plants. The main goal of our research in this area was to inventory the alien plants and to identify those species which are invasive and potentially invasive in the natural and semi-natural ecosystems in order to propose measures for their prevention and mitigation. An inventory of these plants, conducted between 2009 and 2012 and based on bibliography and field research, comprises over 160 taxa. About half of them originated from America and less than a quarter of them from Asia. A relatively high number of species have unknown status in the Danube Delta; they were reported only from one or two localities and we did not record them during our extensive field work. In this category we also included some taxa of Xanthium without a very clear taxonomy. The taxa recorded as casual are usually ornamental plants escaped from cultivation; however among them there are some species which are known as invasive in other areas of Romania, as well as in Europe. There are 26 naturalised species, two of which established here over one hundred years ago. 37 invasive species were identified, many of them recorded in natural or seminatural places. In order to prevent and mitigate the spread of plants recognised as invasive, we propose the implementation of some measures such as providing relevant information to local communities and raising awareness about the damages caused by the alien species, and promoting further research on alien plant species in this protected area.

„Dimitrie Brandza” Botanic Garden, Potential Centre for the Dispersal of Invasive Plants?

Botanic gardens are important centres for the conservation of plant diversity, but at the same time they can be responsible for plant invasions. As such it is paramount that botanic gardens evaluate their collections of exotic plants, monitor them and seek to minimise the risk of some species becoming invasive. In this context an evaluation of the collection of woody plants in the „Dimitrie Brandza” Botanic Garden, Bucharest, Romania was carried out, and it was established that although there are over 70 species with invasive potential, these do not represent a source of dispersal as the botanic garden is surrounded by artificial habitats undergoing regular maintenance. Nevertheless, indirectly, the Botanic Garden might have contributed to the process of invasion of some species as over the years it has offered vegetal material of plants known as invasive in international exchanges with other botanic gardens and even to the general public for private gardens.

Romanian in Vitro Bryophyte Collection and its Role for Conservation

The in vitro bryophyte collection of the Institute of Biology Bucharest represents the first initiative at national level for bryophyte ex-situ conservation using biotechnological techniques. Micro-propagation and medium-term storage protocols have been developed for 25 bryophyte species of both liverworts and mosses. The collection serves for conservation as well as for research and biotechnological purposes.