New paper on impacts of inland navigation and land on European freshwater biodiversity
Europe’s large rivers host a wealth of Europe’s freshwater biodiversity and are vital socio-economic systems. On the other hand, inland navigation in Europe is a low-carbon form of transport and is likely to increase in the coming years. However, we currently lack knowledge on how this would impact biodiversity at large scales and interact with existing stressors. An international team of scientists, with the participation of
Assoc. Prof. Vesela Evtimova from IBER - BAS, published in
Nature Ecology & Evolution the results of a pan-European study on the impact of inland navigation on river benthic invertebrates and fish. The research included almost 20,000 observations from over 4,000 sampling sites spanning the past 32 years.
Among the findings of the scientists were that ship traffic was associated with loss of taxonomic and trait diversity, losses in rare taxa and establishment of invasive species, with effects being cumulative. For instance, ship traffic was especially harmful for benthic taxa and those preferring slow flows. These effects often depended on local land use and riparian degradation. In fish, negative impacts of shipping were highest in urban and agricultural landscapes.
This study goes beyond existing work in showing that inland navigation affects the whole 35,000 km European inland waterway network and threatens biodiversity, building on previous work that focused on only sections of a particular river at a particular time. Integrative waterway management accounting for riparian habitats and landscape characteristics could help to mitigate these impacts.
For full text, see
the following link.
Figure captions:
Fig.1. Data on macroinvertebrate (a, purple dots, n = 1,668) and fish (b, purple dots, n = 2,381) communities across Europe. Large rivers and navigated canals are shown with blue lines (Sexton et al., 2024).
Fig. 2. Macroinvertebrate trait responses to various navigation pressures (text), while accounting for environmental variables (Sexton et al., 2024).
Fig. 3. Fish trait responses to various navigation pressures (text), while accounting for environmental variables (Sexton et al., 2024).
/IBER-BAS, 29.05.2024./
On May 21, we celebrate 32 years since the creation of Natura 2000!
In 1992 the NATURA 2000 network was founded in the European Union. Scientists from the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBER-BAS) actively participate in the creation and development of the ecological network in the country.
The EU annouces 21 may as NATURA 2000 day. Today we celebrate 32 years since the establishment of the NATURA 2000 network. For the event, Assoc. Prof. Yordan Koshev from IBER-BAS, participant of the project titled “Securing the recovery of the endangered Saker Falcon in Bulgaria and Southern Romania” (LIFE20 NAT/BG/001162) presented in front of Bulgarian media the importanve of protected areas and about conserving Bulgarian nature. The highlight of the conversation were the following species of conservation concern: European ground squirrel (souslik), Saker falcon, Imperial eagle and others.
For more information, please visit Bulgarian News Agency (link).
/IBER-BAS, 21.05.2024./
Trends in ecological quality of European rivers: improving but still some way ahead before reaching the goal
During the Anthropocene, humans and society are severely impacting on river ecosystems: directly, e.g. river regulation or/and pollution, or indirectly through facilitating the spread of invasive plants or animals, global or regional climate change, etc.
Within the framework of a pan-European study led by Dr. J. Sinclair and Prof. Dr. P. Haase from the Senckenberg Research Institute & Natural History Museum in Germany, rivers in 23 European countries have been studied, of which three are in Bulgaria. Members of the team are Chief Ass. Dr.
V. Tyufekchieva and Assoc. Prof. Dr.
V. Evtimova from IBER-BAS. Results regarding the ecological quality of rivers of 1,365 sites based on analyses of benthic macroinvertebrates are published in the last issue of Nature Ecology & Evolution titled "
Multi-decadal improvements in the ecological quality of European rivers are not consistently reflected in biodiversity metrics". The researchers established the quality has increased for the period 1992-2010, however they warn that the quality is still not good enough for almost 60% of the rivers or streams. This positive trend stalled around 2010 (for full text see
here).
A larger study led by prof. Dr. P. Haase (SRI & NHM), published in 2023 in Nature titled "Multi-decadal improvements in the ecological quality of European rivers" are not consistently reflected in biodiversity metrics, found that the biodiversity of riverine macroinvertebrate communities showed a sustained recovery trend for the period 1968-2010. Again, the restoration processes reached a plateau in 2010. Co-authors in the publication are Assoc. Prof. Dr. V. Evtimova, G. Georgieva, Chief Ass. Dr. V. Tyufekchieva, Prof. Dr. Y. Uzunov, Assoc. Prof. Dr. E. Varadinova, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Y. Vidinova from IBER-BAS.
/IBER-BAS, 21.03.2024./
ESENIAS and DIAS Conference 2023 and 12th ESENIAS Workshop
The Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, BAS (IBER-BAS) was the host of the Joint ESENIAS and DIAS Scientific Conference 2023 and 12th ESENIAS Workshop ‘Globalisation and invasive alien species in the Black Sea and Mediterranean regions – management challenges and regional cooperation’, which was held on 11–14 October 2023, in Varna, Bulgaria.
The conference was organised jointly by IBER-BAS, the Faculty of Agronomy, University of Forestry, Institute of Oceanology, BAS (IO-BAS), East and South European Network for Invasive Alien Species (ESENIAS), Danube Region Invasive Alien Species Network (DIAS), International Association for Danube Research (IAD), and SuEkos, Türkiye. The conference was supported by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the National Science Fund of Bulgaria (Project КП-06-МНФ/34/25.08.2023) and NeoBiota.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vladimir Vladimirov, Director of IBER-BAS, welcomed the participants. Welcome addresses were presented also by Dr. Teodora Trichkova on behalf of ESENIAS and DIAS, by Dr. Kremena Stefanova, Vice Director of IO-BAS, by Academician Julian Revalski, President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and by Mr. Julian Popov, Minister of Environment and Water of Bulgaria, presented by Ms Kalina Stoyanova from the National Nature Protection Service Directorate.
More than 100 participants from 15 countries attended the conference. A total of 105 communications, including 13 keynote presentations, 33 oral presentations and 59 posters were presented within 11 oral and 3 poster sessions. The abstracts were published in a Book of Abstracts. Selected full papers will be published after peer-review in "
Phytologia Balcanica" and "
Transylvanian Review of Systematical and Ecological Research".
Based on their presentations four young scientists were awarded by the Scientific Committee. Assistant Polina Nikova from IBER-BAS received NeoBiota Best Talk Award for her presentation titled ‘First documented records in the wild of American mink (Neogale vision von Schreber, 1776) in Bulgaria’. Three young scientists were awarded for best zoological presentations by Acta Zoologica Bulgarica – Dr. Halyna Morhun from Ukraine, and PhD students Alexandr Vasiliev from Moldova and Ovidiu Drăgan from Romania.
Further information about the conference and conference outcomes can be found at following links:
- ESENIAS (
link 1)
/IBER-BAS, 21.11..2023/
Research group blood parasites of birds is a part of International Wildlife Malaria Network (WIMANET): A Global Initiative to Study Vector-Borne Parasites
Vector-transmitted pathogens significantly contribute to the global disease burden and are causing increasing concern due to global warming and land use changes worldwide. Among these pathogens, haemosporidian parasites are of particular interest as they are widespread, extremely diverse, and can be associated with health issues for humans, livestock, and wildlife.
To address these growing challenges, researchers and scientists worldwide have come together under the banner of the "Wildlife Malaria Network (WIMANET)," a new initiative funded by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). This collaboration seeks to pool resources, expertise, and data from various research groups to tackle the challenges surrounding wildlife haemosporidian parasites on a global scale.
By coordinating and sharing research efforts, WIMANET aims at facilitating large-scale collaborative research initiatives that transcend local and regional boundaries. The COST action WIMANET has the following key objectives:
- Common Research Agenda: to encourage researchers to collaborate and exchange knowledge. By working together, the network hopes to address critical questions related to vector-borne parasites at a global level.
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration: to foster an interdisciplinary approach by bringing experts from various fields together. These diverse collaborations are expected to yield a more comprehensive understanding of the host-vector-haemosporidian system.
- Support for New Researchers: to attract and support researchers from diverse backgrounds, providing them with opportunities for training and collaboration. This inclusive approach aims to expand the network's expertise and strengthen its collective impact.
- Engaging Stakeholders: to actively engage with stakeholders, policymakers, and the general public to facilitate knowledge transfer. By raising awareness about vector-borne parasites and their impact, the initiative seeks to garner support for its research endeavors.
By uniting researchers and institutions from around the world, WIMANET holds the promise of advancing our understanding of wildlife haemosporidian parasites and finding effective strategies to tackle the challenges we face with wildlife malaria parasites in a changing world.
For more information about WIMANET, please visit the
COST Action CA22108 webpage.
Participants:
Prof. Dr. Pavel Zehtindjiev, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mihaela Ilieva, Ch. Asst. Dr. Martin Marinov, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Coordinators:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov (dimitar.dimitrov@iber.bas.bg) and Ch. Asst. Dr. Aneliya Bobeva (aneliabobeva@gmail.com), Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
/IBER-BAS, 20.11..2023/
A new species of Spinturnix from the Turkestani longeared bat Otonycteris leucophaea in Kazakhstan
A new ectoparasite species of the Turkestani long-eared bat
Otonycteris leucophaea (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae),
Spinturnix otonycterisi Dundarova & Orlova, 2022 (Acari: Spinturnicidae), has been described by our coleague
Heliana Dundarova, together with scientists from Russia and Kazakhstan (
link to Zootaxa).
Only a few records of the Turkestani long-eared bat are available from Central Asia, where at two localities in Kazakhstan. The lack of information for the
Otonycteris leucophaea is also evident in the IUCN Red List, where its status is Data Deficient with unknown population trends.
In addition, the phylogenetic position of the genus
Otonycteris is still unresolved, which is confirmed by the pronounced morphological isolation of its specific ectoparasite
Spinturnix otonycterisi. It is characterised by a bizarre form of the female dorsal shield and male sternogenital shield, and the absence of dorsal opisthosomal setae amongst others. We expect that this parasite is distributed within the range of its host in Central Asia. A key for the identification of the species of
Spinturnix von Heyden, 1826 found in Kazakhstan is provided.
Stay Tuned For The New Edition Of The European Researchers Night 2022 - SEARCH
After a one-year break, the next edition of
The European Researchers Night 2022 Project will take place on September 30, 2022 with presentations, demonstrations, lectures and meetings with hundreds of scientists from all over the country. Experts will introduce you to news from their research fields. They will comment on current news from the world of science and technology and explain to you the role of science in everyday life and its part in the development of humanity and share with you why they chose the field of science.
The code name of the innovative project, in which more than 300 cities in Europe and the world participate in, is SEARCH - Science+Environment+Art=Resilience.
The initiative to promote science and its achievements is funded by Horizon Europe 2021 - 2027 of the European Union. This year, 15 main and 16 associate partners from all over the country are participating in the Night and have prepared a special program of events that will last several months. The program covers exciting activities in schools, competitions, meetings with scientists in research institutes and universities, as well as events in public city places, in museums, laboratories and other educational institutions.
More about European Researchers Night 2022 can be found
here or at the following links:
https://fresher-researchersnight.bg/
https://www.facebook.com/ResearchersBG
https://www.instagram.com/researchersnightsofia/
https://www.tiktok.com/@searchbg?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
/IBER-BAS, 28.08.2022/
International Conference on DNA Barcoding and Biodiversity
In the period 25-27 May 2022, an International Conference on DNA Barcoding and Biodiversity was held at Park Hotel Moskva in Sofia city, Bulgaria. The conference was organized by the Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences within the
BULCode project, funded by the Ministry of Education and Science under the National European Scientific Network Program. Partners in the project are the Department of Plant and Fungal Diversity and Resources of the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Department of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Helsinki, Finland. Some of the leading scientists in the field of DNA-barcoding and metabarcoding were invited, such as Prof. Hugo de Boer from the University of Oslo, Canada, Dr. Čiampor JR from the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Prof. Torbjørn Ekrem from the Department of Natural History of the University Museum in Norway, Prof. Paul Hebert by University of Guelf, Canada, Dr. Marko Mutanen from Oulu University, Finland, Assoc. Prof. Laura Parducci from the University of Sapienza in Rome, Italy. More than 120 scientists from more than 40 countries took part in the conference, delivering 21 oral presentations, 9 of which were plenary, and 58 poster presentations (
link of event).
/IBER-BAS, 31.05.2022/
International Seminar of Ecology – 2022: Actual problems of Ecology
Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Section "Biology" of the Union of Scientists in Bulgaria kindly invite you to attend the
"International Seminar of Ecology – 2022", entitled
"Actual problems of Ecology".
The event will be held Online on September 29th - 30th, 2022.
All information is available on the
Official website of the event.
DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACT AND REGISTRATION FORM SUBMISSION - MAY 31th 2022.
/IBER-BAS, 10.05.2022/
BioBlitz survey on invasive alien species
BioBlitz survey on invasive alien species (IAS) will be conducted on 21 May 2022, in the region of Pancharevo Lake, Sofia Municipality. The survey has been organised at European level under the COST Action CA17122 Increasing understanding of alien species through citizen science (
Alien CSI).
Fish Migration Day will be celebrated as an accompanying event. Fish sampling methods will be demonstrated to the participants and they will be informed about the direct and indirect threats to native ichthyofauna arising from changed hydromorphological conditions and other human impact, including invasive alien species.
BioBlitz participants are invited to go out and by using the phone applications ‘Invasive Alien Species in Europe’ and ‘iNaturalist’ (BioBlitz IAS Bulgaria project) to take photos and record observations of alien species to collect data for the region. The participants’ observations will help our efforts to document alien and invasive alien species (IAS) of plants and animals of concern to European Union, Bulgaria and the Danube River basin. According to their interests, participants can select and join a field team, focusing on a particular group of organisms (plants, terrestrial invertebrates, aquatic animals). The field teams will be led by experts who will help to sample and identify the target species if necessary, but an active contribution by the participants is expected. For the purpose of recording their observations, the participants will need a phone or tablet.
Further information for the BioBlitz survey, for the apps, and for the IAS, which can be observed and registered in the region, may be found at the following links:
For registration to participate in the BioBlitz and to receive more detailed information please contact us at: Bulgaria.IAS@gmail.com
/IBER-BAS, 07.05.2022/
Award for IBER-BAS researchers at the Conference and Exhibition WindEurope – Electric City 2021, Copenhagen, 23-25 November 2021
Our colleagues Martin Georgiev and Professor Pavel Zehtindjiev participated in the event Electric City 2021 organised by the WindEurope Association. Their research results presented at the event were highly evaluated and awarded. A brief report prepared by our colleagues is presented below:
"WindEurope, formerly known as the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), is an association based in Brussels that promotes the use of wind energy in Europe. It has more than 600 members active in more than 50 countries, including producers with a leading share of the global wind energy market, component suppliers, research institutes, national wind and renewable energy associations, developers, contractors, electricity suppliers, financial companies, insurance companies and consultants. The WindEurope Electric City 2021 event was the largest forum for the wind industry in Europe in 2021. With nearly 400 exhibitors and 8,000 participants, the event was very productive. It was the Denmark's second most popular Twitter and Linkedin event for the week. It took place on 23-25 November 2021. The event was opened by the Prince of Denmark. At the conference, 253 posters were presented. Eight of them were awarded for contribution, innovation, originality and clarity. One of the awarded posters was presented by Martin Georgiev and Professor Pavel Zehtindjiev."
IBER participated in the conference with two posters. One of them was based on an experiment conducted at the Biological Experimental Station "Kalimok" in the spring of 2020 (
Poster 156: "The effect of sound on bird behaviour, application in wind farms").
The second poster was based on an experiment conducted on the territory of the wind farm St. Nicholas in the region of Kaliakra during the spring and autumn of 2020.
The award was given for this poster (
Poster 155: "Real-time bird detection and collision risk control in wind farms").
/IBER-BAS, 07.12.2021/
The Eurasian Beaver is returning to Bulgaria
A new paper published in
Acta Zoologica Bulgarica presented the first record of the
Eurasian beaver in Bulgaria considered extinct in our country for more than 150 years. The Eurasian beaver (
Castor fiber Linnaeus, 1758) (Rodentia: Castoridae) was recorded in the northeastern part of the Danubian Plain in Bulgaria (UTM code: MJ12), at about 25 km straight-line distance from the Danube River, 20 km from the Yantra River and about 85 km along the river bed of the Rusenski Lom River from its estuary.
The territory falls within Natura 2000 Special Area of Conservation BG0000608 "Lomovete" under the Habitats Directive. The first information about traces of the life activity of the species is from mid-September 2020, and the photo registration of an individual was reached in April 2021. During this period, there were similar registrations of beavers in other neighboring territories too, which increases the chances of the species returning to Bulgaria in a semi-natural way.
The newly established locality represents the southernmost point in the distribution of the species on the Balkan Peninsula, and is also one of the southernmost for Europe..
/IBER-BAS, 25.11.2021/
IBER-BAS is a partner in publishing the database of the primary forests in Europe
Primary forests, defined as forests in which traces of human impact are negligible, are rare in Europe and continue to disappear. This
publication presents a comprehensive geodatabase and map of known primary forests in Europe.
The geodatabase harmonises 48 different, mostly field-based datasets on primary forests and contains 18 411 individual polygons located in 33 countries. On the IBEР side,
Prof. Dr. Tzvetan Zlatanov has provided data for primary forests dominated by beech (Fagus sylvatica), spruce (Picea abies) and fir (Abies alba) on the territory of Bulgaria. The data were collected in the period 2013-2019, under a task funded by WWF Bulgaria. For the purpose of identification of a sample of primary forests in Bulgaria, over 300 experimental plots were set in forests over 140 years old, with over 40 of the plots located in primary forests.
/IBER-BAS, 18.08.2021/
New book authored by IBER-BAS staff members
The book is a results of the team work of scientists from the
Institute of Ethnology and Folklore with Ethnographic Museum-BAS and the
Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research-BAS in the frame of the "
The Garden: Site of Biocultural Diversity and Interdisciplinary Junction" project, funded by National Science Fund in 2016 (DN10/1/13.12.2016). The project explores the "biocultural" - the idea of linking the biological and sociocultural dimensions of the "people - plants" relationship. The object of the research were family/personal home gardens, but also the gardens on the outskirts of the settlements, because they, with the exception of those specialized in certain crops, are characterized by great plant diversity and proximity to home as well as by frequent meetings of farmers with plants. The garden is a biocultural refugium, where valuable genetic resources are preserved and passed down from generation to generation - plants that gardeners define as "ours", as well as knowledge and skills for growing and using them.
Free full text can be downloaded
here.
1st International Conference on Botany and Mycology, Sofia
The Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is pleased to invite you to attend the
1st International Conference on Botany and Mycology, Sofia. The event will take place on
25-26 October 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year the Conference will be held virtually.
Conference topics:1. Floristics, Plant Taxonomy and Phylogeny
2. Vegetation and Habitats
3. Applied Botany
4. Fungal Taxonomy and Phylogeny
5. Plant and Fungal Conservation
6. Sustainable Use of Plants and Fungi
7. Current Research Projects in Botany and Mycology
For more information, please visit the
official website of the Conference.
First steps in the digitalisation of scientific collections of the National Museum of Natural History of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
With a new joint project, the National Museum of Natural History and the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, will digitalise one of the largest collections of biological and geological diversity in Bulgaria, stored in the scientific repositories of the two institutes. The first official online meeting conducted on January 12th 2021 has marked the start of stage one of the Distribution of the scientific collections — Bulgaria (DiSSCo-BG).
The aim of the project is till 2027 to be digitalised and make available online a significant part of the scientific collections of invertebrates and vertebrates, paleontological materials of the NMNH-BAS, herbarium, mycological, zoological, paleontological and palynological collections and the collection of live plants of the IBER-BAS. The expectations of scientists are to be covered around 2 million collection items and about 500 000 digital images of samples associated with the database.
Securing the infrastructural and technical needs of the collections, development of policies of unification and standardisation of regulations related to the collections access and their databases, selection of database management systems and digitalisation standards in accordance with the best practices of leading institutions, will be the emphasis during the first year of the project. The financial assistance provided by the Ministry of education and science for the first year of the project is 800 000 BGN.
The two institutes are united in the consortium Upgrading a distributed scientific infrastructure: Distributed system of scientific collections-Bulgaria (DiSSCo-BG). The consortium is the Bulgarian link in the European distributed research infrastructure DiSSCo, included in the Roadmap of the European Strategic Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) in 2018. The project is implemented as part of the National Roadmap for Scientific Infrastructures for the period 2020—2027.
Coordinator:
Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBER-BAS)
For contacts: Boyko B. Georgiev
Tel:: +359899285317, E-mail: bbg@ecolab.bas.bg, boyko_georgiev@yahoo.com
Partner:
National Museum of Natural History at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NMNH-BAS)
For contacts: Borislav Georgiev
Tel.: +359886129564, e-mail: bobivg@yahoo.com
/IBER-BAS, 02.02.2021/
Eurasian Eagle Owl diet reveals new records of threatened giant bush-crickets
Bird diets provide a real treasure for research into the distribution and conservation of their prey, such as overlooked and rare bush-cricket species, point out scientists after studying the diet of the Eurasian Eagle Owl (
Bubo bubo) in southeastern Bulgaria.
In their paper, published in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal
Travaux du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle "Grigore Antipa",
Dr Dragan Chobanov (Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgaria) and
Dr Boyan Milchev (University of Forestry, Bulgaria) report the frequent presence of the threatened with extinction Big-Bellied Glandular Bush-Cricket (
Bradyporus macrogaster) in the diet of Eurasian Eagle Owls, and conclude that the predatory bird could be used to identify biodiversity-rich areas in need of protection.
Detailed press-release on Eurekalert (
линк)
Additional information could be found on the following links:
/IBER-BAS, 15.01.2021/
Participation of IBER in the COST Action ‘Increasing understanding of alien species through citizen science’ (Alien CSI)
IBER-BAS participates in the
COST Action ‘Increasing understanding of alien species through citizen science’ (Alien CSI). The Action addresses multidisciplinary research questions in relation to developing and implementing citizen science (CS), advancing scientific understanding of alien species (AS) dynamics, while informing decision-making specifically implementation of technical requirements of relevant legislation, such as the EU Regulation 1143/2014 on IAS, support of the EU biodiversity goals and embedding science within society.
In the frame of the Alien CSI COST Action, IBER has implementеd the project
‘Increasing understanding of alien species through citizen science (Alien CSI): Approaches to citizen science, data management and standards in Bulgaria (No КП-06-COST-13) co-fundеd by the National Science Fund of Bulgaria for the period 2019–2021.
The project objectives are as follows:
- Horizon scan available and novel technologies for CS in Bulgaria;
- Explore novel ways to increase the level of participation in AS related CS and to reach non-traditional audiences of citizen scientists, through translating into Bulgarian the smartphone application ‘Invasive Alien Species Europe’, including invasive alien species (IAS) of plants, animals and fungi of national/ regional concern, and promoting the app among different stakeholder groups;
- Coordinate activities related to the collection and validation of data with the ‘Invasive Alien Species Europe’ app in Bulgaria together with the JRC and EASIN;
- Review structure of data across existing AS CS initiatives in Bulgaria;
- Facilitate IAS data mobilisation, communication and awareness raising in Bulgaria;
- Disseminate results and cooperate with other AS CS projects, databases, and networks at regional and European level.
Further information about the Alien CSI COST Action and projects in Bulgaria can be found at the following webpages:
More information on project activities of IBER can be found at the ESENIAS webpage
(
link).
/IBER-BAS, 22.06.2020/
Can DNA document past interactions?
The main results from the PhD thesis of the Chief Assistant
Heliana Dundarova, Department of Ecosystem Research, Environmental Risk Assessment and Conservation Biology, IBER-BAS was published in the
Royal Society Open Science. The study was provided under the scientific partnership with colleagues form the Natural History Museum of Berlin, Germany.
The paper called "
Patterns of mtDNA introgression suggest population replacement in Palaearctic whiskered bat species" (
pdf) is focused on the phylogeographical relationships between Myotis mystacinus and M. davidii, part of the Whiskered bat cryptic complex. The results displayed mitochondrial introgression consequence from the
M. mystacinus populations hybridization with the expanding
M. davidii populations using mitochondrial and nuclear molecular markers.
The study traced the shift of M. mystacinus populations from those of M. davidii on the Balkan Peninsula, under the influence of the changing environment after the last glacial maximum. Further, clarified the taxonomic status of the Balkan populations and confirms that M. m. bulgaricus is a synonym of M. davidii.
Figure 1. Whiskered bat (Myotis mystacinus)
Figure 2. Mitochondrial phylogeography of the M. mystacinus and M. davidii complex. (a) Distribution of the Clade M and (b) distribution of the Clade D. (c) Bayesian phylogenetic tree of the partial ND1 gene.
/IBER-BAS, 03.06.2020/
"International Seminar of Ecology- 2020" - dedicated to the 10th anniversary of IBER-BAS
During last 13 years, the Seminar of Ecology has become well recognizable and expected scientific forum in the field of ecology. Annually, well known scientists from Bulgaria and abroad are invited to present plenary lectures and to make the auditorium familiar with the achievement and challenges of this branch of the science. Professors, scientists, PhD and Master Degree students take part to present and discuss their results. Very complicated epidemiological situation did not stop the Seminar of Ecology.
Online "International Seminar of Ecology - 2020", organized by Section "Biology" – USB and the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research (IBER-BAS) was held on April 23rd and 24th in Sofia. The scientific forum was dedicated to the 10th anniversary of IBER - BAS.
During the online sessions, a total of 44 presentations were reported as 4 plenary lectures, 18 oral presentations and 22 posters presentations in the six topics of the Seminar as follows:
- Biodiversity and conservation biology;
- Biotic and abiotic impact on the living nature and mechanisms of adaptation;
- Ecosystem research, service and ecological agriculture;
- Landscape ecology;
- Ecology and education;
- Other related topics.
Research teams from various universities, institutes, and organizations, ministries and departments, both from Bulgaria and abroad (Austria, Germany, Egypt, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Czech Republic and Switzerland) participated in the Seminar. Traditionally, six young scientists and students were nominated and awarded with a diploma and books for the "Best oral presentation" and "Best posters presentation".
The Organizing Committee of the "International Seminar on Ecology - 2020" would like to express its gratitude to the Pensoft Publishers Ltd., for providing free of charge on-line platform GoToMeeting, that has allowed to perform the Seminar. We also would like to thank the companies BULGAP Ltd., LKB-Bulgaria Ltd. and Pensoft Publishers Ltd. for the financial support provided.
We make our thanks to the governing body of IBER-BAS for the assistance in conducting the Seminar and the books given to awarded young colleagues, to everyone who contributed, assisted and supported this edition of the Seminar, to USB for dissemination of this scientific event. The Organizing Committee was given many positive feedback from the participants - one of the biggest acknowledgments for well done work.
After reviewing, the manuscripts will be published as a supplement to two peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Program and abstract book can be downloaded
here.
A paper of authors from IBER-BAS awarded as top downloaded for 2018-2019
Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is a member of
ENRAM (European Network for the Radar surveillance of Animal Movement). This is a research network whose activities were funded by the COST Programme (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) from October 2013 until October 2017.
Prof. Pavel Zehtindjiev and Boyan Michev from the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research together with the researchers from across Europe and a wide range of expertise – including ecology, biogeography, ornithology, entomology, meteorology, mathematics and engineering – has joined forces in the field of aeroecology to foster continental-scale remote sensing of animal migration for the first time. Thereby the already existing monitoring efforts and prediction of animal movement patterns can be coordinated and extended to a continental scale.
By establishing this coordinated network of international scientists and its multi-disciplinary approach ENRAM has consolidated Europe’s world leading position in the use of radar for animal movement studies, taking this area of science a major step forward.
Result of this multidisciplinary research project has resulted in a publication of the first wide picture of bird migration across the European continent and its spatial and temporal dynamics.
The published research in leading scientific journal Ecography is recently awarded with a special certificate as TOP DOWNLOADED PAPER for 2018-2019.
Publication is available at the following
link.
/IBER-BAS, 01.05.2020/
A new monograph of authors from IBER-BAS
The diversity of the smut fungi of Greenland is presented in a new monograph (The smut fungi of Greenland, MycoKeys 64: 1–164, link ), written by mycologists from Division of Mycology of the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Assoc. Prof. Teodor T. Denchev and Prof. Cvetomir M. Denchev, in collaboration with Dr H. Knudsen (Natural History Museum of Denmark). This is a first taxonomic treatment of the smut fungi in Greenland. A total of 43 species in 11 genera are treated and illustrated by photographs of sori, microphotographs of spores in LM and SEM, and distribution maps. Two species are recorded as new from North America. Thirteen species are reported for the first time from Greenland. The most numerous distribution groups are the following: circumpolar–alpine and Arctic–alpine species – 14; circumboreal–polar species – 10; and circumpolar and Arctic species – 6. Only plants belonging to six families, Cyperaceae, Poaceae, Juncaceae, Ranunculaceae, Caryophyllaceae, and Polygonaceae, out of a total of 55 in the flora of Greenland, host smut fungi. The total number of the host plants (45 species) is 8.5 % out of a total of 532 vascular plants in the flora of Greenland.
This monograph is very useful and will help mycologists studying this interesting group of parasitic fungi, and researchers studying basidiomycetes of the Arctic and Subarctic regions.
/IBER-BAS, 07.03.2020/
International Seminar of Ecology – 2020
Section "Biology" of the Union of Scientists in Bulgaria and the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences kindly invite you to attend the
"International Seminar of Ecology – 2020".
The event will be held on
23-24 April 2020 at IBER-BAS, 2 Gagarin Street, Sofia.
Deadline of registration and the abstracts submittion: 16 March 2020.
/IBER-BAS, 05.02.2020/
Eurasian African Bird Migration Atlas Project
EURING, the European Union for Bird Ringing, has long been keen to develop a continental-scale Migration Atlas that provides an up-to-date synthesis of the migration and movements of birds from the Palearctic-African Bird Migration System. This is about to happen in the near future as a new project is on the way initiated by EURING and the Convention on Migratory Species (often referred to as the Bonn Convention) as a result of funding granted by the Government of Italy under the Migratory Species Champion Programme. The Eurasian African Bird Migration Atlas is the first component of the Convention on Migratory Species Global Animal Migration Atlas. It is a result of the efforts of all Bird Ringing Schemes members of EURING, including the Bulgarian Ornithological Centre (as part of the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences) which is the national representative.
The project about Migration Atlas production is structured in nine modules, researchers have already been involved from a number of European countries and bird ringing centres. The main outputs will be presented as an integrated website combining species accounts, dynamic and static maps, table data etc.
The Bulgarian Ornithological Centre (IBER – BAS) has been involved as contractor within one of the most important project modules – the creation of 300 species accounts of the migration and movements of individual species. Dr. Boris Nikolov – as a Head of BOC – is among the four lead investigators responsible to do the task.
More information about the Eurasian African Bird Migration Atlas can be found in EURING’s web-site (
link).
/IBER-BAS, 16.12.2019/
Plant diversity towards society 2019 International Scientific Conference
The International scientific conference "Plant Diversity: sociocultural dimensions and interdisciplinary projections" was held on 21-22 November 2019 at the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The event gathered more than 50 researchers from six European countries. Broad spectrum of themes related to plant diversity, plant and traditional knowledge conservation, cultural, agronomical and socio-economic aspects of plants and bioculturе were discussed during oral and poster presentation sessions. Stockholders from academia, Ministry of agriculture, foods and forestry, as well as producers participated in a Round Table dedicated to policies related to local plant genetic resources.
Organizers are grateful to all participants for their active contribution and to the National Science Fund for the generous funding through Project DN10/1/2016 "The Garden: Site of Biocultural Diversity and Interdisciplinary Junction".
Book of abstracts (link)Photos from the event (link)
/IBER-BAS, 18.09.2019/
School of ornithology and nature conservation, season 2019
Bulgarian Ornithological Centre (IBER-BAS) is organising a School of Ornithology and Nature Conservation "Prof. Dimitar Nankinov", following a 32-year tradition. This educational program is free of charge. The lectures will be held every Tuesday at 18:30 at the meeting hall of the National Museum of Natural History - BAS (shared building with Base 2 of the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research - BAS, 1 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., 1000 Sofia).
Lecturer: Dr Boris Nikolov.
The first lecture will be on 22 October 2019.
/Bulgarian Ornithological Centre, IBER-BAS, 14.10.2014/
A new book has been printed out with autors from IBER-BAS
A monograph
"Atlas of Sphagnum-dwelling testate amoebae in Bulgaria" (
Pensoft Publishers) with authors
Dr Milcho Todorov and his
PhD student Nikola Bankov (Department of Animal Diversity and Resources) is printed out. A total of 120 species of testate amoebae are described in the atlas, including the majority of recorded Sphagnum-dwelling testate amoebae in Bulgaria. The information for each species included description, ecology, geographical distribution, distribution in
Sphagnum mosses in Bulgaria and relevant literature sources, morphometric characterisation, taxonomic notes, synonymous names, etc. Each species is illustrated by nine micrographs, primarily on scanning electron microscope (SEM), to receive information about the shell ultrastructure. Micrographs taken on light microscope (LM) are additionally given for most of them to illustrate the cytoplasm and pseudopodia of live individuals. Since most of the described species appear to be widely distributed in Europe, as well as in many other regions of the world, the atlas may be of interest to all researchers on testate amoebae and can also be used by specialists in ecology, hydrobiology, palaeoecology, environmental monitoring, as well as by lecturers and students in biology.
/IBER-BAS, 18.09.2019/
Pilot Stocking of Russian Sturgeon and Sterlet in Romania and Hungary
Danube River fauna will be enriched in April 2019 as two important sturgeon stocking events will take place; one on April 18th in Isaccea (Romania) and another on the 12th in Baja (Hungary). These events are part of the MEASURES Project (Managing and Restoring Aquatic Ecological Corridors for Migratory Fish Species in the Danube River Basin).
The aim of this activity is to save and strengthen two highly endangered Danube sturgeon populations by state-of-the-art conservational methods. Stocking of sterlet (
Acipenser ruthenus) will take place in Hungary, and stocking of Russian sturgeon (
Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) in Romania. The fish will be tagged to enable identification in case of recapture by
in-situ surveys, and assist evaluation of survival rates for those released. This will provide valuable insight for larger stocking plans in the future.
Sturgeon and other migratory fish species represent the historical, economic and natural heritage of the Danube. Furthermore, they are indicators of the ecological status of the river’s watercourses, especially concerning the function of the river as an ecological corridor. The fragmentation of rivers by transversal structures like hydropower dams or flood protection measures poses a threat to natural fish populations if they are no longer able reach important habitats like spawning grounds, feeding grounds and wintering habitats.
Transnational management and restoration actions to re-establish these corridors as migration routes, as well as stocking with indigenous species are essential until we have achieved a self-sustaining population again. "Conservational restocking is one of many necessary actions to save endangered fish. In conjunction with the provision and restoration of habitat it is essential to increase the number of animals of species and populations on the very brink of extinction", Thomas Friedrich, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna.
The events are organised by the MEASURES Project, which is co-funded by the European Union (ERDF, IPA). For more information, please visit the project
website.Despite the fact, the project is for conducting of fundamental research, the obtained results will contribute to conservation of the alpine biodiversity and mitigation of the adverse impacts of climate change. Thus, the project will contribute to solving social problems, especially for maintaining the ecosystem services the alpine biodiversity provides, e.g. supply of drinking water, disaster risk reduction (avalanches, flooding, landslides, substrate erosion), aesthetic appreciation of the alpine species and landscapes (cultural services, crucial e.g. for tourism development). Maintaining rich and healthy mountain ecosystems is crucial for the ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) to climate change, that is the use of the biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an overall adaptation strategy to help people adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. This EbA approach has been recognised as a significant strategy for disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR), which is defined as “sustainable management, conservation and restoration of ecosystems to reduce disaster risk, with the aim to achieve sustainable and resilient development” (CBD Technical Series No. 85).
With this project Bulgaria will join GLORIA – the Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments, a long lasting global network. The project will provide the baseline data for Bulgaria and would contribute to the global assessment of the climate change impacts on alpine biodiversity. Developments of the GLORIA monitoring network are most advanced on a European level, however, they are still lacking on the Balkan Peninsula.
Section "Biology" of the Union of Scientists in Bulgaria and the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, BAS kindly invite you to attend the "International Seminar of Ecology – 2019", dedicated to 75 years USB and 150 years BAS. The event will be held on 18-19 April 2019 at IBER-BAS, 2 Gagarin Street, Sofia.
IBER is a partner in the implementing of the planned activities of the project "Structure of Glacial refugia on the Balkan Peninsula and in Bulgaria – analysis of the model of genera Tilia and Ulmus", supported financially by the Science Fund of Bulgaria (contract № KP-06-N26/4, 07.12.2018), with base organization University of Forestry.
Bulgarian Ornithological Centre (IBER-BAS) is organising a School of Ornithology and Nature Conservation, following a 31-year tradition. This educational program is free of charge.
As a part of the outreach program, we have produced a 30-min documentary film on 
The IUCN Red List
