A5005285330- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Subterranean biodiversity and taxonomy
- Karst Systems and Hydrogeology
- Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Marine and environmental studies
- Groundwater and Isotope Geochemistry
- Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Invertebrate Taxonomy and Ecology
- Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena
- Marine Ecology and Invasive Species
- Groundwater and Watershed Analysis
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Polar Research and Ecology
- Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal
- Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
- Building materials and conservation
- Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
- Environmental Science and Water Management
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Spider Taxonomy and Behavior Studies
Emil Racovita Institute of Speleology
2015-2024
Ştefan cel Mare University of Suceava
2024
Romanian Academy
2011-2024
Romanian Institute of Science and Technology
2020-2022
International Union of Railways
2019
University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca
2016
Babeș-Bolyai University
2014
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
2008
Niphargus dancaui sp. nov., previously referred to as cf. stygius, was sampled from various groundwater sites in and near the town of Mangalia (SE Romania) described with Movile Cave (a sulfidic, chemoautotrophically based ecosystem) type locality. A short comparison stygius specimens Slovenia made, together a morphological analysis interpopulational variability. Males N. nov. were relatively large (17 mm), long antennae, pereiopods uropod III. Females slightly smaller, shorter...
Abstract Groundwater is a vital ecosystem of the global water cycle, hosting unique biodiversity and providing essential services to societies. Despite being largest unfrozen freshwater resource, in period depletion by extraction pollution, groundwater environments have been repeatedly overlooked conservation agendas. Disregarding importance as an ignores its critical role preserving surface biomes. To foster timely groundwater, we propose elevating concept keystone species into realm...
Movile Cave hosts one of the world’s most diverse subsurface invertebrate communities. In absence matter and energy input from surface, this ecosystem relies entirely on in situ primary productivity by chemoautotrophic microorganisms. The source for these microorganisms is oxidation hydrogen sulfide provided continuously deep thermomineral aquifer, alongside methane, ammonium. microbial biofilms that cover water cave walls, sediments, along with free-swimming microorganisms, represent food...
Abstract Niphargus is a speciose amphipod genus found in groundwater habitats across E urope. Three N iphargus species living the sulphidic Frasassi caves Italy harbour sulphur‐oxidizing T hiothrix bacterial ectosymbionts. These three are distantly related, implying that ability to form ectosymbioses with may be common among . Therefore, – associations also aquifers other than Frasassi. In this study, we examined possibility by analysing niphargids of genera and P ontoniphargus collected...
Human activities and natural factors determine the hydrogeochemical characteristics of karst groundwaters their use as drinking water. This study assesses 14 water sources in Apuseni Mountains (NW Romania) potential sources. As shown by Durov Piper diagrams, chemical composition waters is typical it dominated HCO3− Ca2+, having a circumneutral to alkaline pH total dissolved solids ranging between 131 1092 mg L−1. The relation major ions revealed that dissolution main process contributing...
ABSTRACT Eukaryotes may influence pollutant degradation processes in groundwater ecosystems by activities such as predation on bacteria and recycling of nutrients. Culture-independent community profiling phylogenetic analysis 18S rRNA gene fragments, well culturing, were employed to obtain insight into the sediment-associated eukaryotic composition an anaerobic sandy aquifer polluted with landfill leachate (Banisveld, The Netherlands). microeukaryotic at a depth 1 5 m below surface along...
Heterogeneity in eukaryotic and bacteria community structure surface subsurface sediment samples downgradient of the Banisveld landfill (The Netherlands) was studied using a culturing-independent molecular approach. Along transect covering part aquifer most polluted by leachate, sampled at 1-m depth intervals, until 5.5 m, four distances from landfill. Two drillings were placed nearby clean area as reference. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis banding patterns revealed high bacterial...
Cave ice ecosystems represent a poorly investigated glacial environment. Diversity of cave bacteria and their distribution in perennial deposits this underground habitat could constitute proxy for microbial response to climatic environmental changes. Scarisoara Ice (Romania) hosts one the oldest largest blocks worldwide. Here we report on cultured diversity recent, 400, 900 years-old from cave, representing first characterization chronological cave-ice bacteria. Total cell density measured...
In karst areas, anthropogenic contaminants reach the subsurface with detrimental effects on groundwater ecosystem and downstream springs, which often serve as drinking water sources for local human communities. We analyzed chemistry microbial community composition in upstream locations of five hydrokarst systems (HKS) during four seasons. Conductivity nitrates were higher springs than pre-karst waters, whereas concentration organic matter, considered here a pollution indicator, was lower....
Recent studies substantiate the importance of unsaturated zone in ground-water biodiversity karst areas. Few investigations, however, have addressed temporal changes community composition relation to water physico-chemical features. We provide information on distribution pattern fauna dripping at spatial and scales. This is related variation chemistry other environmental features five caves within two hydrographic basins Pădurea Craiului Mountains (northwestern Romania). The analysis...
Abstract Screening of 1,000-years old ice layers from the perennial block Scărișoara Ice Cave (NW Romania) revealed presence fungal communities. Using culture-dependent methods and molecular techniques based on DGGE fingerprinting 18S rRNA gene fragments sequencing, we identified 50 cultured 14 uncultured fungi in presently-forming, 400 900 years layers, corresponding to 28 distinct operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The dominant ice-contained OTUs were related Ascomycota, Basidiomycota...
Scarisoara Ice Cave (Romania) hosts one of world’s largest and oldest underground glacier. While no studies were carried out on the existence microorganisms in this cave’s ice block, our interest is to investigate presence their chronological distribution subterranean relationship with past climatic changes. Samples collected from layers different age (from present ~900 cal. yrs. BP), diversity embedded microbial communities was assessed by classical cultivation molecular techniques. The...
In this article we present the first investigation of stable isotope composition groundwater in Romania, East-Central Europe, with a focus on karst areas. Our aim is twofold: (1) to provide countrywide map distribution oxygen and hydrogen ratios groundwater, (2) assess recharge patterns water. We collected more than 600 water samples from springs wells across Romania for analyses monitored detail waters as they pass through five cave systems. data show spatial low values mountainous area...
The increasing human impact in Romanian caves raises the urgency of publishing a correct database strictly-adapted cave fauna. Previous attempts at indexing fauna and classifying by using their opened many questions regarding use an incomplete list species mixed lists troglobionts/stygobionts with troglophiles/stygophiles for ranking priority protection. It has also become obvious that there is need to publish are under threat. Cave Romania (and elsewhere) endemic on small ranges, unique...
Movile Cave, situated in Romania close to the Black Sea, constitutes a distinct and challenging environment for life. Its partially submerged ecosystem depends on chemolithotrophic processes its energetics, which are fed by continuous hypogenic inflow of mesothermal waters rich reduced chemicals such as hydrogen sulfide methane. We sampled variety cave sublocations over course three years. Furthermore, microcosm experiment, minerals were incubated one year. Both endemic samples extracts from...
Sulfidic caves support diverse and abundant subterranean communities, including numerous endemic species complex food webs, though the full extent of diversity resource utilization in these ecosystems remains largely unexplored. This paper presents results biological surveys conducted from 2023 to 2024 Sulfur Cave, located Vromoner Canyon on Greek–Albanian border, focusing microbial, vertebrate, invertebrate communities investigating structure web. The microbial different biofilms are...
Abstract We examined the spatiotemporal changes of microbial communities in relation to hydrochemistry variation over time and space an aquifer polluted by landfill leachate (Banisveld, The Netherlands). Sampling 1998, 1999, 2004 at same year revealed that center pollution plume was hydrochemically rather stable, but its upper fringe moved surface time, especially distances greater than 40 m away from landfill. Complex heterogeneous bacterial eukaryotic were resolved using denaturing...
We characterized taxonomically, ecologically, and phylogenetically the amphipod community of Melissotrypa Cave (Central Greece), which comprises both freshwater sulphidic lakes. found four species: Niphargus jovanovici, lindbergi, gammariformis sp. nov. an unknown species Bogidiella. The three form a well-supported monophylum but differ in their ecology morphology: N. jovanovici is small slender inhabiting voids, lindbergi large stout living lakes, whereas predominantly lake. Available...
Abstract Thiovulum spp. (Campylobacterota) are large sulfur bacteria that form veil-like structures in aquatic environments. The sulfidic Movile Cave (Romania), sealed from the atmosphere for ~5 million years, has several aqueous chambers, some with low atmospheric O2 (~7%). cave’s surface-water microbial community is dominated by we identified as Thiovulum. We show this strain, and others subsurface environments, phylogenetically distinct marine assembled a closed genome of strain confirmed...