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This paper presents the first results of palynological research from the Spila nad Procjepom cave, situated in the Mljet National Park, Croatia. The palynological data obtained, enables a partial insight into the local vegetation cover, temporal changes in the vegetation during the accumulation of studied deposits (at ca. 3500 cal years BP), and post-depositional processes that influenced the palynomorph assemblage. Results of palynofacies analysis indicate changes from fluvial (channel deposits), through palustrine to terrestrial environments. Although the interpretation of changes in plant cover, due to the lack of statistical significance, should be taken with caution, preserved pollen types confirm the dominance of the Mediterranean evergreen forest vegetation on Mljet island. Moreover, a high proportion of non-arboreal pollen (NAP) indicates some level of forest degradation, ranging from Mediterranean open forest to degraded maquis. Abundant charcoal additionaly confirms that the cave was inhabited by humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Arheološki Vestnik is the property of Scientific Research Centre of Slovenian Academy of Sciences & Arts and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb / Vjesnik Arheološkog Muzeja u Zagrebu is the property of Archaeological Museum in Zagreb and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Histria Archaeologica is the property of Arheoloski Muzej Istre u Puli and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Natura Croatica is the property of Natura Croatica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper advances knowledge of human behavioural and adaptational strategies in coastal areas related to acquiring, producing and distributing ornaments, specifically, the omnipresent marine gastropod Columbella rustica. By applying quantitative and qualitative approaches to the most extensive collection of Columbella rustica shells in the Eastern Adriatic region discovered in the Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic levels of Vlakno cave in Croatia, we have determined the complete step-by-step life cycle of this bead type , in particular, where and how shells were collected, produced, used, distributed and discarded. By integrating different methodologies, our data revealed changes in the collection strategies, reduction of the shell size during the Mesolithic period, and standardisation and continuity in production techniques. Detailed analyses of broken shells in the archaeological assemblage identified the presence of technological traces resulting from processing mistakes, supporting our hypothesis of on-site production. A significant share of used and unused standardised beads points that bead production at this site was for personal use but also likely for the exchange and distribution systems. Standardised, systematic and long-lasting activity related to the ornaments places Vlakno cave as one of the leading centres for maintaining regional exchange and communication networks in the Eastern Adriatic region during significant climatic and environmental changes happening in this region in the Late Pleniglacial and the early Holocene. Detecting on-site activities related to the ornaments in Vlakno cave has extended our understanding of how symbolic motives influenced the settlement model of the Late Pleniglacial and Early Holocene hunter-gatherers in Eastern Adriatic region and overall contributed to fundamental questions about the complexity of ancient human societies' adaptation strategies. • Chaîne opératoire and in-situ production of C. rustica ornaments • Changes in collection strategies reflected in size reduction • Standardization of production techniques in Eastern Adriatic • Archaeological broken shells as processing mistakes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the construction of almost all the tunnels in the Croatian Dinaric Karst in the last 50 years thousands of caves have been encountered that represented the major problems during the construction works. Geological features (fissures, folding, faults, etc.) are described in this contribution, together with the hydrogeological conditions (rapid changes in groundwater levels). Special engineering geological exploration and survey of each cave, together with the stabilization of the tunnel ceiling, and groundwater protection actions according to basic engineering geological parameters are also presented. In karst tunneling in Croatia over 150 caves longer than 500 m have been investigated. Several caves are over 300 m deep, and 10 are longer than 1000 m. Different solutions were chosen to cross the caves depending on the size and purpose of the tunnels (road, rail, pedestrian tunnel, or hydrotechnical tunnels). This paper presents interesting examples of stabilization of ceilings in big cave chambers, construction of bridges inside tunnels, deviations of tunnels, filling caves, grouting, etc. A complex type of karstification has been found in the cavern at the contact between the Palaeozoic clastic impervious formations and the Mesozoic complex of dolomitic limestones in the Vrata Tunnel and at the contact with flysch in the Učka Tunnel. However, karstification advancing in all directions at a similar rate is quite rare. The need to have the roadway and/or tunnel above water from a spring is the biggest possible engineering-geological, hydrogeological and civil engineering challenge. Significant examples are those above the Jadro spring (Mravinci tunnel) in flysch materials or above the Zvir spring in Rijeka (Katarina tunnel), and in fractured Mesozoic carbonates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates changes in subsistence strategies at the upland cave site of Nugljanska (Croatia) at the end of the last ice age, during a time of rapid sea level rise and changing environment. We analysed the faunal assemblage from archaeological levels spanning the Pleistocene-Holocene transition (15,000-8000 years BP) and evaluated changes in relative abundance of species, measured species diversity, and compared the representation of terrestrial mammal and marine resources. We found a significant shift in the most abundant prey species exploited (from red deer, Cervus, to wild boar, Sus). There was some correlation between dietary diversification and periods of increased moisture availability and the spread of deciduous forest in the area. Our results suggest that there was a continuing reliance on terrestrial resources throughout time and that changes in dietary patterns were likely due to local environmental change and potentially, changing seasonal mobility strategies, at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Vindija cave is one of the most important Paleolithic sites in Europe, containing a large sample of Neandertal skeletal remains associated with both a distinctive lithic industry and a rich faunal assemblage. Results of detailed faunal analyses from layers G3 and G1 are presented in this paper together with a taphonomic analysis of the hominin remains from these layers. Various agents of modification on the hominin and faunal samples were identified based on the presence of different marks on the bones. The data obtained from these analyses are used, together with assessment of the associated lithic industry, for a reconstruction of Neandertal behaviour in layers G3 and G1. The results of these analyses are critical for understanding the subsistence strategies of the Vindija Neandertals and for a comparison of their behaviour between different occupational levels. The picture of Neandertals as highly effective predators who occasionally defleshed human bones, possibly with the purpose of cannibalism, is reinforced by the results of this study. The Vindija Neandertals practiced broad exploitation of local lithic resources and modified their raw material acquisition strategy at the end of the Middle Paleolithic. Taken together, these results provide further support for the diversity of Neandertal behaviour in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rudarsko-Geolosko-Naftni Zbornik is the property of Faculty of Mining, Geology & Petroleum Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Dinaric Karst is a global hotspot for subterranean diversity, with two distinct peaks of species richness in the northwest and southeast, and an area of a lower species richness in the central part. In this article, we present a species list and describe the ecological conditions of the Lukina jama–Trojama cave system, located in the central part of the Dinaric Karst. This cave system is the deepest and one of the most logistically challenging cave systems sampled so far in the Dinaric Karst. Repeated sampling resulted in a list of 45 species, including 25 troglobionts, 3 troglophiles, 16 stygobionts, and 1 stygophile. Most of the recorded species are endemic to the Velebit Mountain, while three species are endemic to the Lukina jama–Trojama cave system. Within the system, species richness peaks in the deepest third of the cave, most likely reflecting the harsh ecological conditions in the upper parts, including ice, cold winds, and occasional waterfalls. Milder and more stable deeper parts of the cave contain a rich subterranean species community, part of which is associated with two very distinct aquatic habitats, the cave hygropetric and the phreatic zone. The newly recognized hotspot of subterranean biodiversity in the central Dinaric Karst, which has emerged between the two known centers of biodiversity, further highlights the species richness in large cave systems, but also challenges the diversity patterns in the Dinaric Karst overall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is based on oribatid mite material collected from Čampari cave on Cres Island, Croatia; 28 species/ subspecies from 21 genera and 16 families are registered; of these, 12 species/subspecies are recorded in the Croatian fauna for the first time. One new species, Ceratoppia cavernalissp. nov. is described, and an identification key to the known species of Ceratoppia from the Palaearctic region is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present the results of the analysis of lithic industry from Vlakno Cave, which was discovered during excavations in 2004 and 2007. Radiocarbon dating positions the analysed lithic industry at the time of Pleistocene-Holocene transition. The technological and typological features of the lithic production show continuity during the abovementioned transition. Very clear continuity may also be observed in terms of the procurement of raw material, albeit with certain differences between the Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic, which could be the result of environmental changes. Certain adaptations of the hunter-gatherers from Vlakno to new environmental circumstances can also be traced through the more significant role of marine food sources and continental malacofauna in subsistence strategies during the Mesolithic. Vlakno cave was used as a residential base of a smaller group of hunter-gatherers at the time of the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Natura Croatica is the property of Natura Croatica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Ðurovića cave is located at the Airport Dubrovnik in Čilipi. Due to the interest of the Airport management for its touristic use, the cave was the object of various researches with purpose of determing its characteristics, suitability for a show cave and making of management plan. During geomorphological research their speleomorphological characteristics were determined. Besides that, the paper deals with the basic geomorphological characteristic of the surrounding karst plateau surface intensivly changed by human activities which also have influence on the cave. Hydrological characteristics are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper new palaeogeographic and archaeological data from the prehistoric cave Vela Spila on the island of Korčula in Croatia are combined with new realizations of two glacial isostatic adjustment models in order to present relative sea-level change scenarios confronting the inhabitants of the cave at different time slices and to show how they experienced and adapted to sea-level and climate change from the Late Pleistocene through the Holocene. Our results show that from the Late Upper Palaeolithic until the Mesolithic, humans in the study area would have experienced tens of metres of sea-level rise, at rates in some cases up to 12 mm per year, and, owing to the relatively flat morphology of the now submerged plains, hundreds of meters of horizontal coastline change in the plains to the north and south of the island. This evidence supports the hypothesis that the rapid loss of these plains likely contributed to the human abandonment of the cave after the Palaeolithic for about five thousand years, followed by significant changes in lifestyle and diet in the Mesolithic. Our results have important implications for the study of how past human groups, especially in vulnerable coastal areas, were affected by sea level, climate, and other environmental changes. Vela Spila represents a case study of how changing environment and rising seas can force significant alterations in human societies, even when there is no risk of inundation to settlement sites. • Vela Spila Cave site, Croatia, testifies how sea-level rise can force changes in human societies. • The cave was settled from the Late Upper Palaeolithic until the Neolithic. • In the study area humans experienced tens of metres of sea-level rise in their lifetime. • In the Late Upper Palaeolithic, abandonment of the cave was triggered by high rates of sea-level rise. • Stabilization of coastlines fostered the re-occupation of the cave at ca. 9.4 cal ka BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Harpactea Bristowe, 1939 (Araneae, Dysderidae) is one of the most diverse and abundant components of the Mediterranean ground-dwelling spider fauna. However, the taxonomic boundaries of the genus are unclear and its monophyly has been questioned, yet never tested, in a quantitative framework. The only taxonomic revisions in the genus trace back to the 1960s–1990s, and most subsequent work has consisted of single species descriptions. Part of the confusion surrounding the genus and species groups delimitations have to do with the lack of a standardized nomenclature for diagnostic structures based on explicit homology statements. Here we use the description of new species of Harpactea to propose a set of homologies in the male and female genitalia and a standardized nomenclature for those structures. We formally describe three new Harpactea species: H. salvatorei sp. nov., from a cave in the north-eastern Italian Alps, and H. damini sp. nov. and H. mateparlovi sp. nov. from different caves on the Biokovo Mountain and surroundings in Croatia. All the new taxa belong to the lepida species group. In addition, we use a multilocus target gene approach to provide the first hypothesis on the internal phylogenetic structure of the genus Harpactea and the subfamily Harpacteinae, which includes representatives of all currently accepted species groups in the genus and genera in the subfamily. Our results support the close affinities of the species here described but reject the monophyly of both Harpactea and some of the species groups proposed in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Natura Croatica is the property of Natura Croatica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The genus Troglocladius Andersen, Baranov et Hagenlund, gen. n. is erected based on T. hajdi Andersen, Baranov et Hagenlund, sp. n. collected at 980 m depth in the Lukina jama—Trojama cave system in Croatia. Morphological features such as pale color, strongly reduced eyes and very long legs make it a typical cave animal. Surprisingly, it has also retained large wings and appears to be capable of flight which would make T. hajdi the first flying troglobiont worldwide, disproving previous beliefs that bats are the only animals capable of flying in complete darkness. Morphologically the new species does not readily fit within any described genus, but shares characteristics with genera both in the tribes “Metriocnemini” and “Orthocladiini”. Bayesian molecular phylogenetic analysis using the markers COI, 18S rDNAs, 28S rDNA, CADI, and CADIV groups it with the genera Tvetenia, Cardiocladius and Eukiefferiella in the tribe “Metriocnemini”. Troglocladius hajdi may be parthenogenetic, as only females were collected. The discovery confirms the position of the Dinaric arch as a highly important hotspot of subterranean biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tritomurus veles sp. n. (Tomoceridae) is described from a Croatian cave. It is characterized by troglomorphic features (absence of eyes, reduced pigmentation, slender claw, pointed tibiotarsal tenent hairs) that only compare, among Tomoceridae, to the microendemic species T. falcifer from the Pyrénées. Tritomurus veles also shares with T. falcifer the absence of macrochaetae on head, a presumably non-adaptive character that within Tomoceridae is unique to these two species. Both species have no known epigean relatives in their respective distribution areas and can be considered as relictual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presently, 235 submerged caves and pits have been recorded along the Croatian coast and islands, partly or completely submerged by sea water. Contrary to the inland situation, recorded submerged features are predominantly horizontal (60%), though there are indications that the real situation is similar to that of the continental part where 69% are vertical pits. Completely marine conditions are established in 126 caves and the rest are anchihaline caves and submarine springs. Speleothems are found in more than 140 caves. By their origin, the investigated caves are all continental features formed in Mesozoic and Palaeogene carbonates, subsequently submerged owing to sea transgression. Due to the relatively low wave energy, rapid sea level rise and maturity of the host rock, they do not fit into concepts of a sea cave or a flank margin cave development, but they fulfil several conditions for being the blue holes. Since the term 'blue hole' is mainly associated with the Bahamian karst, our attempt is only to show the possible similarities with no intention of ascribing that term to the Croatian caves. Beside karstological issues, Croatian submerged caves are unique environmental, archaeological and tourism assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A geological and speleological investigation was conducted in the famous Blue Cave (Modra špilja) and the Monk Seal Cave (Medvidina špilja) on Biševo Island (Croatia) to promote the island's geoheritage through the new Visitor Centre. The island is mainly composed of Cretaceous to Paleogene neritic carbonates, which form the bedrock, whereas parts of the island are covered with thin Quaternary sediments. The caves are of small dimensions and a simple layout, composed of the main channel and few shorter side channels, all positioned in the tidal zone. Thus, the caves are semi-submerged sea caves located along the coastline. The Blue Cave and the Monk Seal Cave developed within the bedrock limestones and dolostones, respectively, within a zone of left-lateral NNE–SSW striking strike-slip faults that belong to the Biševo fault system. Conjugated discontinuities within the carbonate bedrock indicate a specific strike-slip tectonic regime. Additionally, the host rocks were probably also deformed and fractured during the rise of salt diapirs that characterise this part of the Adriatic foreland. Tectonic and bedding discontinuities form the fragments of the host rock, that combined with the impacts of the strong southern waves, significantly influenced the genesis of the caves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speleothems deposited from cave drip waters retain, in their calcite lattice, isotopic records of past environmental changes. Among other proxies, δ18O is recognized as very useful for this purpose, but its accurate interpretation depends on understanding the relationship between precipitation and drip water δ18O, a relationship controlled by climatic settings. We analyzed water isotope data of 17 caves from different latitudes and altitudes in relatively small but diverse Croatian karst regions in order to distinguish the dominant influences. Drip water δ18O in colder caves generally shows a greater resemblance to the amount-weighted mean of precipitation δ18O compared to warmer sites, where evaporation plays an important role. However, during glacial periods, today's 'warm' sites were cold, changing the cave characteristics and precipitation δ18O transmission patterns. Superimposed on these settings, each cave has site-specific features, such as morphology (descending or ascending passages), altitude and infiltration elevation, (micro) location (rain shadow or seaward orientation), aquifer architecture (responsible for the drip water homogenization) and cave atmosphere (governing equilibrium or kinetic fractionation). This necessitates an individual approach and thorough monitoring for best comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]