Mitochondrial ancestry of medieval individuals carelessly interred in a multiple burial from southeastern Romania

Abstract The historical province of Dobruja, located in southeastern Romania, has experienced intense human population movement, invasions, and conflictual episodes during the Middle Ages, being an important intersection point between Asia and Europe. The most informative source of maternal population histories is the complete mitochondrial genome of archaeological specimens, but currently, there is insufficient ancient DNA data available for the medieval period in this geographical region to complement the archaeological findings. In this study, we reconstructed, by using Next Generation Sequencing, the entire mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of six medieval individuals neglectfully buried in a multiple burial from Capidava necropolis (Dobruja), some presenting signs of a violent death. Six distinct maternal lineages (H11a1, U4d2, J1c15, U6a1a1, T2b, and N1a3a) with different phylogenetic background were identified, pointing out the heterogeneous genetic aspect of the analyzed medieval group. Using population genetic analysis based on high-resolution mitochondrial data, we inferred the genetic affinities of the available medieval dataset from Capidava to other ancient Eurasian populations. The genetic data were integrated with the archaeological and anthropological information in order to sketch a small, local piece of the mosaic that is the image of medieval European population history

Isolation and Characterization of the First Microsatellite Markers for the Endangered Relict Mussel Hypanis colorata (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Cardiidae)

Hypanis colorata (Eichwald, 1829) (Cardiidae: Lymnocardiinae) is a bivalve relict species with a Ponto-Caspian distribution and is under strict protection in Romania, according to national regulations. While the species is depressed in the western Black Sea lagoons from Romania and Ukraine, it is also a successful invader in the middle Dniepr and Volga regions. Establishing a conservation strategy for this species or studying its invasion process requires knowledge about the genetic structure of the species populations. We have isolated and characterized nine polymorphic microsatellite markers in H. colorata. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 28 and the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.613 to 1.000. The microsatellites developed in the present study are highly polymorphic and they should be useful for the assessment of genetic variation within this species

Ancient Faunal History Revealed by Interdisciplinary Biomolecular Approaches

Starting four decades ago, studies have examined the ecology and evolutionary dynamics of populations and species using short mitochondrial DNA fragments and stable isotopes. Through technological and analytical advances, the methods and biomolecules at our disposal have increased significantly to now include lipids, whole genomes, proteomes, and even epigenomes. At an unprecedented resolution, the study of ancient biomolecules has made it possible for us to disentangle the complex processes that shaped the ancient faunal diversity across millennia, with the potential to aid in implicating probable causes of species extinction and how humans impacted the genetics and ecology of wild and domestic species. However, even now, few studies explore interdisciplinary biomolecular approaches to reveal ancient faunal diversity dynamics in relation to environmental and anthropogenic impact. This review will approach how biomolecules have been implemented in a broad variety of topics and species, from the extinct Pleistocene megafauna to ancient wild and domestic stocks, as well as how their future use has the potential to offer an enhanced understanding of drivers of past faunal diversity on Earth

Current distribution and shell morphotypes of Rapana venosa (Valenciennes, 1846) in the Agigea 4M littoral. Analele Ştiinţifice ale Universitǎţii “Al

Abstract. The Asian gastropod species Rapana venosa, introduced in the Black Sea waters in 1946, has been spreading quickly enough to affect the natural equilibrium in the ecosystems that it has invaded. Previous studies mentioned a broad dietary preference for bivalves, including soft bottoms infaunal species Venuss gallina, Gouldia minima and Pitar rudis Keywords: Rapana venosa, length-frequency relationship, Bhattacharya method, morphotypes. Rezumat. Ditributia actuala si morfotipurile observate la specia Rapana venosa la Agigea 4 m litoral. Rapana venosa, specie de gastropode de provenienta asiatica, introdusa pentru prima data in Marea Neagra in 1946 s-a raspanadit destul de repede incat sa afecteze echilibrul natural al ecosistemelor in care a invadat. Studiile efectuate anterior mentioneaza o preferinta variata pentru hrana, sunt pradate si specii de bivalve care traiesc ingropate in sediment ca: Venuss gallina, Gouldia minima si Pitar rudi

Allelic distribution of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism in healthy Romanian volunteers

Population stratification of functional gene polymorphisms is a potential confounding factor in genetic association studies. The Val66Met (rs6265) single-nucleotide polymorphism in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene (BDNF) exhibits one of the highest variabilities in terms of allelic distribution between populations. The present study reports the distribution of BDNF Val66Met alleles in a sample of healthy volunteers (N = 1124) selected from the Romanian population. Frequencies were 80.74% for the Val allele and 19.26% for the Met allele. The data from this study extends efforts to map the allelic distribution of BDNF Val66Met in populations around the world and emphasizes that population stratification should be controlled for in future studies that report phenotypic associations in samples from different populations

Mitochondrial DNA Profiles of Individuals from a 12th Century Necropolis in Feldioara (Transylvania)

The genetic signature of modern Europeans is the cumulated result of millennia of discrete small-scale exchanges between multiple distinct population groups that performed a repeated cycle of movement, settlement, and interactions with each other. In this study we aimed to highlight one such minute genetic cycle in a sea of genetic interactions by reconstructing part of the genetic story of the migration, settlement, interaction, and legacy of what is today the Transylvanian Saxon. The analysis of the mitochondrial DNA control region of 13 medieval individuals from Feldioara necropolis (Transylvania region, Romania) reveals a genetically heterogeneous group where all identified haplotypes are different. Most of the perceived maternal lineages are of Western Eurasian origin, except for the Central Asiatic haplogroup C seen in only one sample. Comparisons with historical and modern populations describe the contribution of the investigated Saxon settlers to the genetic history of this part of Europe

Recent Research at the Basilica Extra Muros in Histria at 100 Years Since the Initiation of Archaeological Research on the Site

The Basilica extra muros is among the first monuments in Histria that started to be excavated right after Vasile Pârvan discovered the site in 1914. The uncovering of the only Early Christian basilica outside the precinct walls of Histria continued during several campaigns (1917 – under the leadership of the the German architect J. Jacobs ; 1955– 1956 – Em. Popescu ; 1961– 1964 – N. Hamparţumian), leading to the almost entire uncovering of the monument and the identification of two necropolises in the area – one earlier than the basilica (4th– 5th century AD) and the other contemporary to it (end of the 5th century – first half of the 7th century AD). At the initiative of Alexandru Suceveanu, the research of the Basilica extra muros was resumed again in 2001 by a team initially consisting of Viorica Rusu-Bolindeţ (MNIT), Karl von de Lohe (“ Ludwig Maximilian” University in München – the 2001 campaign), Alexandru Bădescu (MNIR), and since 2008 Vlad-Andrei Lăzărescu (IAIAC). The following goals have been reached during the five campaigns (2001, 2006, 2008– 2010, 2013) : the creation of an up-to-date survey of the basilica (2001) and archaeological research of both the annex on the north-eastern side (2006) and the area south of the three annex buildings of the Christian monument (2008– 2010, 2013). The present article aims at providing a synthesis overview of the results of the archaeological research performed during the previously mentioned campaigns. On the basis of the stratigraphy and the archaeological material we shall present both the new data obtained, aimed at contributing to a more detailed chronology, building and functioning stages of the Basilica extra muros, and at providing new information on the development of the extra muros area in Histria. Thus, it has been noted that the Late Roman habitation (end of the 5th century – first half of the 7th century AD) was present both north and south of the Basilica extra muros, as building elements discovered in the area south of the three annex buildings of the Christian monument, to the south, confirmed the observations we were able to make during previous research north of the basilica (2001– 2012). We have also obtained new data on the necropolises in that area – 23 more inhumation tombs were discovered on the southern side of the basilica (out of which 10 have been excavated so far), mainly belonging to a necropolis in use before the construction of the basilica (4th– 5th century AD), but also some were part of the necropolis that was contemporary to the building (end of the 5th century – first half of the 7th century AD). The presentation of these tombs, together with their inventory, typology and chronological setting, as well as the anthropologic analysis1 of the skeletons are a significant part of the results obtained by the team excavating the Basilica extra muros sector during the last years. We hope that the continuation of the archaeological research in that area, combined with those performed in the Histria South sector by colleague Mircea Dabîca (IAB), will bring more information on the possible boundaries between the habitation area and the necropolises and on the location of the harbor of the Greek-Roman city of Histria.Basilica extra muros este unul dintre primele monumente de la Histria a cărui cercetare a început odată cu descoperirea sitului de către Vasile Pârvan în anul 1914.Rusu-Bolindeţ Viorica, Bădescu Alexandru, Lăzărescu Vlad-Andrei, Dima Mihai, Radu Claudia, Szeredai Norbert, Kelemen Beatrice. Recent Research at the Basilica Extra Muros in Histria at 100 Years Since the Initiation of Archaeological Research on the Site. In: Materiale şi cercetãri arheologice (Serie nouã), N°10 2014. pp. 199-219