Renata Šoštarić

Roman plant remains from Veli Brijun (island of Brioni), Croatia

Abstract. 41 archaeobotanical samples were analysed, which had been collected from the seabed at uvula Verige (Verige bay) on the island of Veli Brijun, Croatia, the site of a Roman villa which was settled from the 1st to the 5th century A. D. From the analysis of plant macrofos-sils it is evident that the eu-Mediterranean evergreen woodland, today described as Quercion ilicis in the phyto-sociological system, already existed in the Roman period. During this period it became degraded as a result of human activities to other vegetation types such as maquis and garrigue scrub, and grassland. The remains of Vitis vinifera (grapevine), Olea europaea (olive), Ficus carica (fig), and Pinus pinea (stone pine) were most frequently recorded; they all derive from very important and characteristic Mediterranean foods. Prunus avium (sweet cherry) and P. persica (peach), some vegetables and spices were probably cultivated, too, as well as some cereals, most probably Panicum miliaceum (millet). Juglans regia (walnut), Castanea sativa (sweet chestnut), and Corylus avellana (hazel) were possibly cultivated on the island or imported from neighbouring Istia. The records of some fresh water plants show that there was fresh water in uvala Verige and its surroundings in Roman times, much more than today.

Terrestrial isopod community as indicator of succession in a peat bog

Abstract Terrestrial isopods were studied in the Dubravica peat bog and surrounding forest in the northwestern Croatia. Sampling was conducted using pitfall traps over a two year period. Studied peat bog has a history of drastically decrease in area during the last five decades mainly due to the process of natural succession and changes in the water level. A total of 389 isopod individuals belonging to 8 species were captured. Species richness did not significantly differ between bog, edge and surrounding forest. High species richness at the bog is most likely the result of progressive vegetation succession, small size of the bog and interspecific relationships, such as predation. With spreading of Molinia grass on the peat bog, upper layers of Sphagnum mosses become less humid and probably more suitable for forest species that slowly colonise bog area. The highest diversity was found at the edge mainly due to the edge effect and seasonal immigration, but also possibly due to high abundance and predator pressure of the Myrmica ants and lycosid spiders at the bog site. The most abundant species were Trachelipus rathkii and Protracheoniscus politus, in the bog area and in the forest, respectively. Bog specific species were not recorded and the majority of the species collected belong to the group of tyrphoneutral species. However, Hyloniscus adonis could be considered as a tyrphoxenous species regarding its habitat preferences. Most of collected isopod species are widespread eurytopic species that usually inhabit various habitats and therefore indicate negative successive changes or degradation processes in the peat bog.

An evaluation of floristic diversity in Medvednica Nature Park (northwestern Croatia)

Abstract Mount Medvednica (northwestern Croatia), mostly consisting of slates and marls, rises to the north, above the Croatian capital of Zagreb, from 300 to 1,035 m a.s.l. A floristic research was carried out in the area of Medvednica Nature Park, which consists mainly of the western part of the mountain. On the whole, 1,352 taxa of vascular plants were recorded from all sources (field observations, literature and herbaria). Out of these, 48 taxa are strictly protected, 228 are protected, 67 taxa are considered threatened according to the IUCN categories, and 9 taxa are endemic for the Croatian flora. The life-form analysis of the investigated flora shows the predominance of hemicryptophytes, followed by therophytes and geophytes, while the chorological analysis has evidenced the prevalence of Euro-Asiatic, South European and cosmopolite geographical groups. The biological/chorological cross-spectrum was laid out by considering the percent of every life-form for each geographical element. In order to evaluate the floristic richness of the studied area, the α-index was calculated and then compared with the α-indices of similar regions in Croatia and several European countries. A floristic diversity map of Medvednica Nature Park is presented here for the first time.

Pollen morphology of the genus Iris L. (Iridaceae) from Croatia and surrounding area: taxonomic and phylogenetic implications

In Croatia and the surrounding area, the genus Iris is represented with about 20 Alpine-Dinaric, Mediterranean and Pannonian taxa from the subgenera Iris and Limniris. We researched pollen morphology of all taxa by using scanning electron microscopy. All pollen grains are sulcate with few palynological features, which could have taxonomic importance on different classification levels: shape of dry pollen grains; shape, outline and approximate size of hydrated pollen grains, approximate size of the sulcus, and ornamentation of the sulcus membrane and of the exine. At least four pollen types were recognised and taxonomically delimited to the series level: two characterise the subgenus Iris, section Iris (series Elatae and Pumilae), and two the subgenus Limniris, section Limniris (series Laevigatae, Sibiricae and Spuriae). Taxonomic implications of pollen morphology of their critical groups and taxa have been evaluated. Possible phylogenetic implications of pollen morphology of the genus Iris on the Southern European area were suggested: the subgenus Iris is more advanced than the subgenus Limniris;I. graminea seems to be the most primitive member of the subgenus Limniris on the Southern European territory; and pollen morphology of the population of the subspecies I. sibirica subsp. erirrhiza from the Mountain Bjelolasica could represent a link between the subgenera Limniris and Iris in the territory of Southern Europe. The possible pathway of evolution of the genus Iris on the territory of Southern Europe was suggested: from the subgenus Limniris, through the “linked taxon” I. sibirica subsp. erirrhiza from the Bjelolasica Mountain, to the subgenus Iris, series Pumilae, and finally to the series Elatae.

Archaeobotanical components of grave goods in prehistoric tumuli 6 and 7 at the archaeological site of Kaptol-Gradci, near Požega (Croatia)

Abstract The Iron Age site of Kaptol-Gradci belongs to the south-eastern periphery of the Hallstatt cultural complex, dominated primarily by the Kaptol cultural group, and encompasses a hillfort settlement and necropolis. During the investigation campaigns organized to date, 25 tumuli have been identified and 17 of them investigated. This paper presents the first results of the analysis of plant remains from a Hallstatt necropolis in Croatia, from tumuli 6 and 7, identified as an integral part of the complex burial ritual. In both tumuli, the predominant finds were of cereal grains (83% in tumulus 6 and 96.9% in tumulus 7). Besides the cereal grains, a very small quantity of weeds representing accidental associations have also been identified, as well as remains of wild fruits collected in the countryside. On the basis of the first results obtained from the archaeological site of Kaptol-Gradci and the scarce archaeobotanical research into Hallstatt necropolises in Europe, the conclusion can be drawn that a potential pattern can be observed, an element of a complex burial ritual in which cereal grains (overwhelmingly dominant in terms of their relative proportions) played an important role, together with various fruit deposits, whose type and quantity probably depended on the season, their availability in the environment and/or the possibility of their storage/preservation.

A comparison of the influences of flotation and wet sieving on certain carbonized legume and cereal remains

Abstract In order to determine the influence of recovery techniques with water (flotation and wet sieving) on carbonized plant remains, a certain amount of wheat, barley, millet, horsebean and lentil macrofossils from archaeological sites was taken and treated with water. Moist recovery was also applied to in-laboratory, artificially, charred barley, millet and lentil samples. After the treatments, the investigated remains were re-counted and the percentages of still recognizable remains for every plant species and for each method were recorded. Comparisons were made of the sensitivities of the investigated species and of the differences in the degree of macrofossil breakup depending on the method of recovery. Our investigation proved that flotation is a less aggressive method than wet sieving and that barley, horsebean and wheat carbonized macrofossils are resistant to moist treatments, while the breakup percentage of lentil and millet (from archaeological sites) is higher than 30%, which should be taken into account when deciding on the (non)use of water recovery in the investigations.

Agonum scitulum Dejean, 1828 (Coleoptera, Carabidae) – new data on a rare carabid beetle species in Croatia

1Division of Zoology, Department of biology, Faculty of science, University of Zagreb, rooseveltov trg 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia (*andreja.brigic@biol.pmf.hr) 2Division of botany, Department of biology, Faculty of science, University of Zagreb, Marulićev trg 20/II, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia 3National Museum Zadar, Natural History Department, Medulićeva 1, 23000 Zadar, Croatia (prirodoslovni.odjel@nmz.hr)

Phytolacca acinosa Roxb. (Phytolaccaceae), a new alien species in the Croatian flora

Abstract Phytolacca acinosa Roxb., an East Asian plant species naturalised in many parts of the European continent, has been recorded for the first time in Croatia in two anthropogenic habitats in Varaždin city (NW Croatia). This study reports the newly discovered localities and presents the characteristics of the new alien species in the flora of Croatia. A determination key is given for Phytolacca taxa registered in Croatia and neighbouring countries.

Progressive vegetation succession of fen habitats promotes the lack of habitat specialist ants

Vegetation succession, drainage, and climate change are causes of peatland habitat loss in the Western Balkans. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are one of the most ecologically important invertebrate taxa in terrestrial ecosystems. To explore whether, and to what extent, fen ant communities are specialized, we sampled an alkaline fen, adjacent habitats undergoing vegetation succession, and the surrounding beech forest in west-central Croatia. Here, we show how a fen and its surrounding habitats differ in ant community structure, and which of the environmental variables (soil temperature, moisture, and pH) have the strongest impact in shaping those communities. In the two growing seasons of sampling we recorded 16 ant species, none of which were peatland specialists. While species richness did not differ between the sites, species diversity was the highest at a succession site. Specific environmental conditions of the fen limit colony establishment and allow survival of a small subset of ant species from the surrounding habitats. Consequently, only two ant species (Myrmica rubra and Lasius platythorax) were abundant at the fen site. Their presence at other study sites indicates that the fen fauna is composed of generalist species. The fen and forest community composition differed from the successional sites, and it was most strongly affected by soil pH. The fauna of these habitat islands completely lacks peatland-specific ant species. Knowing more about communities of these disappearing habitats will help us predict future biodiversity losses in similar habitats threatened by vegetation succession.