Carnivore impact on cave bear bones and the analysis of their dispersion. Case study: UrŞilor cave (NW Romania)

In taphonomy, the study of carnivore modification of fossil bones and the analysis of their dispersion represent the best approach to assessing the extent of bone modification and displacement for a given bone assemblage. Here we analyze the excavated bone deposit from Urşilor Cave, a well-documented and fossil-rich Upper Pleistocene cave bear site from the Romanian Carpathian Mountains. More than 1400 limb bones or bone remains were analyzed (NISPleft and right = 1424) and 69 measurable puncture marks were identified, measured and morphologically analyzed. Moreover, for assessing the degree of bone scattering, almost 540 cave bear limb bones and mandibles were refitted and the Index of Skeletal Disjunction (ISD) was calculated for the entire bone assemblage. More than 30 % of the analyzed cave bear limb bones were affected by carnivores: the ulnae were the most affected (39.3 %) while the humeri and femora were less modified (24.7 % and 25.5 %, respectively). The range of variation in size of the puncture marks, the morphological features of various tooth marks and the faunal composition of the studied bone assemblage indicate that at least two carnivore taxa are responsible for the bone modifications. The results obtained for the ISD index indicate higher displacement for femora when compared to other bones (e.g. tibiae, mandibles, humeri). Our analyses of bone modifications caused by carnivores indicate a low level of the scattering of intensely modified (by in situ consumption) bones, and notable carnivore impact on the configuration of the bone assemblage.Key words: Ursus spelaeus, taphonomy, ISD, tooth marks, Urşilor Cave, Romanian Carpathians.Vpliv zveri na kosti jamskih medvedov iz jame UrŞilor (SZ Romunija) in analiza njihove razkropljenostiProučevanje sledov zveri na fosilnih kosteh in razkropljenosti kosti v prostoru je najboljše tafonomsko orodje za pridobivanje podatkov o obsegu takšnih pojavov znotraj posameznega paleontološkega zbira. V raziskavi obravnavamo kosti jamskega medveda iz jame Urşilor, dobro raziskanega mlajšepleistocenskega najdišča v Romunskih Karpatih. Analizirali smo več kot 1424 dolgih cevastih kosti okončin ali njihovih odlomkov in pri tem prepoznali, izmerili in morfološko analizirali 69 odtiskov zob. Poleg tega smo izračunali indeks razkropljenosti okostja (Index of Skeletal Disjunction, ISD) za celotni paleontološki zbir, zaradi česar smo sestavili skoraj 540 dolgih cevastih kosti okončin in spodnjih čeljustnic jamskega medveda. Sledove zveri smo prepoznali na več kot 30 % kosti okončin, najpogosteje na komolčnicah (39.3 %), nekoliko redkeje pa na nadlahtnicah in stegnenicah (24.7 % oz. 25.5 %). Variabilnost v velikosti odtiskov zob, njihovih morfoloških značilnostih in favnistični sestavi proučevanega paleontološkega zbira pričajo o tem, da sta ugotovljene spremembe medvedjih kosti povzročili vsaj dve različni zveri. Vrednosti indeksa razkropljenosti okostja kažejo na izrazitejšo razkropljenost stegnenic v primerjavi z drugimi kostmi (npr. golenicami, nadlahtnicami, spodnjimi čeljustnicami). Naša analiza kaže na skromno razkropljenost intenzivno obgrizenih kosti (zaradi hranjenja v sami jami) in znaten vpliv zveri na konfiguracijo paleontološkega zbira.Ključne besede: Ursus spelaeus, tafonomija, ISD, ugrizi, jama Urşilor, Romunski Karpati

Can the subterranean fauna be used as proxy for past environmental changes? – the example of the Carpathians cave fauna

Carpathian Mountains were one of the main refuge areas during the climate changes of the Pleistocene and the Holocene in Europe and one of the richest regions in the world in subterranean (caves and associated habitats) endemic species. Nevertheless, the Carpathian Mountains subterranean fauna importance is underestimated especially due to dispersed information on its diversity and the scarcity of molecular studies in the area. Here, we present a first general view of the cave fauna hotspot represented by the Romanian Carpathians and the geological and historical processes that shaped the patterns of subterranean distribution and diversity at regional scale. The Carpathians are an amalgam of various geological units with complex paleogeographical evolution that is reflected in completely different species assemblages dominated by unit specific fauna groups. Phylogeography of Coleoptera and environmental parameters are adding to the general view at regional scale and offer additional explanation for this exceptional subterranean diversification in a non-Mediterranean region. We also use the example of the Carpathians cave fauna as proxy for past environmental changes in the area. Troglobionts are endemic on small areas and by studying their present distributions and phylogeny, past processes of landscape evolution on the surface can be better understood.

The paleoenvironmental reconstruction using fossil invertebrates of Zăton Lake (south-western Romania)

The Zăton Lake is a closed depressionlocated in the Ponoarele karst area (south-western Romania) formed along a tectonic-erosional window as a NE-SW corridor (250–450 m a.s.l.). In this area Mesozoic sedimentary rocks outcrop, along with the metamorphic basement of the Danubian Domain of the Southern Carpathians. The entire river basin is drained underground through the caves of Zăton (105 m in lenght) and Bulba (5 km long, developed on three levels). Flooding of the lake is temporary, during periods with high precipitation or the spring snow melting. A total of 34 samples were taken from one sedimentary section of the Zăton Lake and the diversity and abundance of fossil mites was assessed at different depths of the sediments. OSL (optical stimulated luminescence) datings and fossil mites’ determination were correlated with sediments geochemistry and rock magnetic properties and record the changes in temperature and vegetation in the area from present day to more than 2000 years ago.

The genus Protopholeuon (Coleoptera, Leptodirini): distribution, morphological, ultratructural and genetic details

Protopholeuon is a monospecific genus of Leptodirini, endemic to Romania, represented by Protopholeuon hungaricum, described incompletely by Csiki in 1904. In 1923, René Jeannel published a more comprehensive morphological description of the species, along with the first drawing of male genitalia.The type locality of the species is Lucia Cave, in the Metaliferi Mountains (Apuseni Mountains). This was the only locality where the species was found and collected. In the last decade, representatives of the genus Protopholeon were found in other caves of the Metaliferi Mountains. These caves are: Grohot, Izbucul Topliței, Ponor, Rusești, Hodobana, Cizmei, Urșilor Bulzești. The aerial distance between Lucia Cave and the newly explored caves is about 20 km. The patchy geology and hydrology of the area can act as natural barriers that shape the species' geographic distribution and enhance the speciation process.We provide morphometric information for Protopholeuon specimens obtained from 80 individuals. We also present the pictures of Protopholeuon with morphological and ultrastructural details (SEM microscopy) for head, mandibles, antennae, elytra surface and aedeagus. All this completes the morphological description made in 1923 by Jeannel.We present the first data on the molecular analysis of a mitochondrial COI fragment on Protopholeuon all the mentioned caves. For every cave, we analyzed 2-3 specimens. Our working hypothesis was that considering the distribution of caves, P. hungaricum from Lucia Cave represents a distinct phylogenetic unit from the other sampled caves of the Metaliferi Mountains. As an outgroup for rooting the phylogenetic tree, we used sequences from Pholeuon, another genus of endemic Romanian Leptodirini.The molecular analysis revealed a unique clade for all samples from Metaliferi Mountains. Moreover, a single clade is built by all Metaliferi haplotypes, except Lucia Cave, with a high bootstrap value (85%). The genetic distance between ingroup and outgroup samples is 7-8%, while between the Lucia haplotype and the other haplotypes from Metaliferi Mountain the range is 3-4%, which agrees with other results from the group of Romanian Leptodirini. The distances between Metaliferi Mountain haplotypes (except Lucia Cave) are 0.1-2.8%, grouping in two distinct clades, with high statistical values. Still, the taxonomic status of samples from the Metaliferi Mountains should be further investigated by corroborating morphologic and genetic data

The ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) from the René Jeannel collection of the Babeș-Bolyai University Zoological Museum, Romania

This paper reviews the ground beetles from René Jeannel collection which is preserved in Zoological Museum of Babeș-Bolyai University.The illustrious coleopterologist, René Jeannel was a French entomologist, who worked between 1920-1930 as Deputy Director of the Institute of Speleology founded by Emil Racovitza, the first institute of its kind in the world. He was also a professor of general biology at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Cluj Napoca. As well, in that period he published numerous articles on the systematics, phylogeny, biogeography and evolution of cave and endogenous beetles. In 1931, R. Jeannel left Romania to start working at the Muséum National d'histoire naturelle, whose director he was between 1945 -1951.During the 10 years of activity in Romania, he created and organized an important collection of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae). The total number of prepared and labeled specimens is 1672. The material was collected between 1921-1927, mostly in Transylvania, Romania.The collection includes 182 species from 56 genera and contains rare or endemic species. Among the endemic species we list: Pterostichus bielzii (Fuss, 1858), endemic to the Apuseni mountains, is present in the collection from 13 different locations; Nebria (Nebria) transsylvanica Germar, 1823, an endemic species in the Romanian Carpathians and in the southern part of the Carpathians in Ukraine; Platynus (Batenus) banaticus (I.Frivaldszky von Frivald, 1865) present in the collection from 3 locations.For the genus Carabus, representative species are Carabus (Megodontus) planicollis Küster, 1846, endemic species in Romania, and the Natura 2000 species Carabus variolosus Fabricius, 1787 and Carabus (Procerus) gigas (Creutzer, 1799).Among the Trechinae the most representative are the genus Duvalius, with four species: Duvalius cognatus subsp. longicollis Jeannel, 1928, D. laevigatus (Bokor, 1913), D. budae subsp. dioszeghyi Mallasz, 1928 and D. hegeduesii subsp. jonescoi (Jeannel, 1919), and the genus Trechus with 7 species, of which 3 are endemic in Romania: T. bannaticus Dejean, 1831, T. biharicus Meixner, 1912, and T. marginalis Schaum, 1862.The collection is a very valuable one, both from a historical and scientific point of view, because it offers an overview of the diversity and distribution of carabids in the karst areas of Romania, at the beginning of the 20th century

SIZE OF THE CAVE BEAR POPULATION AND SKELETAL DISTRIBUTION FROM URŞILOR CAVE, ROMANIA

Spatial distribution analyses of fossil bones are often used in cave taphonomy for i) assessing directly the size of a given fossil population and ii) indirectly, for palaeo-environmental reconstructions. Urşilor Cave from northwestern Romania hosts one of the richest MIS 3 cave bear bone assemblages of Europe, and as the nature of the bone deposition was not settled yet, the study of the size of cave bear population and the distribution of the skeletal element was needed. More than 11,500 cave bear skeletal elements (NISPtotal = 11, 511), derived from 105 individuals (MNIcanines = 105) were extracted from the palaeontological excavation (ca. 9 m2) from the lower level of the cave and documented (photographed, mapped, and topographically measured). Almost 58% of all analyzed bones and teeth are concentrated in three quadrants of the excavation (C1, D1 and E2); the bones’ density decreases in the D4 and A1 quadrants. Based on the obtained results on the spatial distribution of the cave bear bones, we assume that the studied bone assemblage should be now regarded as a consequence of a cave trap (deposition in situ) while the hypothesis of fluvial transport (previously assumed) becomes questionable

Yearly microbial cycle of human exposed surfaces in show caves

The human impact upon the subterranean microbiomes is not only a peril to the cave environment but might also affect future visitors. We focused on the changes that humans induced on the surfaces they came in direct or indirect contact with inside two intensely visited Romanian show caves, by means of commercially available microbial rapid test kits and molecular identification. Overall culturable bacteria abundance in the caves maintained high levels year-round while Enterobacteriaceae, coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli levels peaked during the touristic season, reaching levels that could pose a threat to the health of the visitors. Culturable fungi abundance usually peaked in the spring, remained at a high level in the summer and started to slowly decrease towards the winter months. Differences were observed between the direct and indirect exposed surfaces, as the later had lower overall levels of bacteria and fungi, with increased Enterobacteriaceae loads. Most of the taxa identified are known biodeteriorants of subterranean surfaces and were previously associated with human altered caves. A Dothideomycete sp. previously unknown to the cave environments was detected. This was the first study to analyse the dynamics of the microbial communities of delicate subterranean surfaces in show caves through the use of commercially available test kits. We revealed that exposed surfaces in show caves, in direct or indirect contact with tourists, are host to high concentrations of cultivable microbes. The touristic activity was shown to influence the abundance and dynamics of the microbial communities inhabiting surfaces of show caves

Data from: The diverse dietary profiles of MIS 3 cave bears from the Romanian Carpathians: insights from stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) analysis

Late Pleistocene European cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) have been considered to be largely vegetarian, although stable isotope data (δ13C and δ15N values) from the Romanian Carpathians has suggested considerable dietary variation. Here we evaluate previous and additional adult cave bear isotopic data from four Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) sites in the Carpathians. Peştera Urşilor (N = 35), Peştera Cioclovina (N = 32), Peştera Muierilor (N = 8), and Peştera cu Oase (N = 72) provide both a dichotomy between samples suggesting vegetarian diets (from Cioclovina and Muierilor) and more omnivorous diets (from Urşilor and Oase), and considerable isotopic variation within samples from each site. While an inference of a strictly vegetarian diet may apply to groups that lived in ecosystems which restricted the available animal protein for these large ursids, the within and between sample isotopic variation among the Carpathian cave bears indicates considerable flexibility in their sources of protein and hence in their dietary regimes. In addition, developmental assessment of Cioclovina isotopic profiles (neonates, juveniles, sub-adults and adults) provides patterns of transfer of stable isotope signatures throughout immature life for both δ13C and δ15N (increase and decrease, respectively), whereas those from Urşilor show little developmental shift

Data from: The diverse dietary profiles of MIS 3 cave bears from the Romanian Carpathians: insights from stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) analysis

Late Pleistocene European cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) have been considered to be largely vegetarian, although stable isotope data (δ13C and δ15N values) from the Romanian Carpathians has suggested considerable dietary variation. Here we evaluate previous and additional adult cave bear isotopic data from four Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) sites in the Carpathians. Peştera Urşilor (N = 35), Peştera Cioclovina (N = 32), Peştera Muierilor (N = 8), and Peştera cu Oase (N = 72) provide both a dichotomy between samples suggesting vegetarian diets (from Cioclovina and Muierilor) and more omnivorous diets (from Urşilor and Oase), and considerable isotopic variation within samples from each site. While an inference of a strictly vegetarian diet may apply to groups that lived in ecosystems which restricted the available animal protein for these large ursids, the within and between sample isotopic variation among the Carpathian cave bears indicates considerable flexibility in their sources of protein and hence in their dietary regimes. In addition, developmental assessment of Cioclovina isotopic profiles (neonates, juveniles, sub-adults and adults) provides patterns of transfer of stable isotope signatures throughout immature life for both δ13C and δ15N (increase and decrease, respectively), whereas those from Urşilor show little developmental shift

Monitoring Human Impact in Show Caves. A Study of Four Romanian Caves

(1) Background: Show caves are unique natural attractions and touristic traffic can trigger their degradation within a short time. There are no universal solutions to counter the effects of the touristic impact upon the cave environment and both protection protocols and management plans have to be established on a case-by-case basis. (2) Methods: The study includes four show caves from the Romanian Carpathians, where monitoring of the number of visitors, paralleled by the monitoring of the main physicochemical parameters of the air and water (CO2, temperature, humidity, drip rate, conductivity, and pH) was implemented. (3) Results and Conclusions: The results of the study have: established a set of basic principles to be enforced by the management of show caves and issued a set of preventive measures and instructions to be followed by the personnel and stakeholders of the caves