First Survey of the Vascular and Cryptogam Flora on Bulgaria's Ancient Mounds.

This work represents the first study of the floristic diversity on Bulgaria's ancient mounds. The objective of this research was to assess the importance of the mounds for the preservation of the native vascular and cryptogam flora. Our sampling design included 111 ancient mounds distributed throughout the country. We recorded a total of 1059 vascular plants, 58 bryophytes and 61 lichen taxa. Despite their small area, the mounds were shown to preserve nearly a quarter of the Bulgarian flora. The vegetation cover on the mounds included 61% perennials indicating a long-term persistence and stability. The majority (98%) of the established vascular plants were native species. Although the conservation significance of the vascular plant species were not common, we recorded 2 critically endangered, 9 endangered and 14 Balkan endemics during the present study. The lichen Arthopyrenia salicis was recorded for the first time in Bulgaria and a new locality of the rare bryophyte Ceratodon conicus was discovered. The established compositional difference between plots from the northern and southern slopes of the mounds (88.95%) is a testament to the high local habitat diversity. The prevalence of species characteristic for Festuco-Brometea suggests that the mounds preserve fragments of native grasslands and steppes. The variation in cover of agricultural and other human modified areas in the mounds' immediate surroundings did not substantially affect their species richness. We argue that the ancient mounds should be taken into consideration in future green space planning.

Assessment of pollution with aquatic bryophytes in Maritsa River (Bulgaria).

Bryophyte species composition and 26 common physico-chemical and inorganic chemical parameters were assessed at 23 selected sites in the Maritsa River (BG) over a 4-year period. Principal components analyses (PCA) of both bryophytes and water variables distinguished different locations in the ecosystem. The data imply that the content of elements measured in bryophytes represents river contamination, while species compositional patterns reflect hydromorphology and general degradation. This study for the first time combined aquatic bryophyte occurrence, the bioaccumulation of 17 macro-and microelements in 17 species, and 26 water factors by principal components analysis (PCA) in an assessment of river pollution.

Checklist of Sphagnum-dwelling testate amoebae in Bulgaria.

BACKGROUND: Until now, a complete checklist of Sphagnum-dwelling testate amoebae in Bulgaria has never been published. Records for species diversity and distribution in the country were scattered in many faunistic and ecological publications. The aim of the present study is to summarise all data for the species distribution at the level of country by reviewing the existing literature and by additional data obtained in our research over the past two years. NEW INFORMATION: The checklist comprises 171 species, classified into 43 genera, 20 families, three orders, three classes and three phyla. We present data for 16 new Sphagnum-dwelling testate amoebae in Bulgaria and new distribution data for 134 species. Of them, 99 species are recorded from Stara Planina Mt., for which there was no available data to date. Additionally are recorded 69 new species for Pirin Mt., 21 for Vitosha Mt. and 18 for Rila Mt. Thirty six species are synonymised according to the latest taxonomic changes. Two misidentified taxa (Euglypha brachiata Penard, 1902 and Difflugia compressa var. africana Gauthier-Lièvre et Thomas, 1958) are transferred into valid species E. acanthophora and Zivkovicia compressa, respectively. Three of the recorded species have not been included in the checklist, because they are currently not refering to testate amoebae (Cochliopodium bilimbosum (Auerbach 1856) and Cochliopodium echinatum Korotneef, 1879 are gymnamoebae (naked amoebae) and Microgromia elegantula (Penard 1904) = Paralieberkuehnia elegantula (Penard 1904) is freshwater foraminifera).