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Pollen and plant macrofossil analyses supported with radiocarbon dating were conducted on a Holocene core from the peat bog Beliya Kanton (1547 m a.s.l.) located in the Western Rhodope Mountains (South Bulgaria). In the early Holocene until ~10 000 cal. BP the mountain slopes were covered by Pinus, admixed with Betula, Juniperus and shrubland of Ephedra among herb communities dominated by Poaceae, Cichorioideae, Achillea, Artemisia, Brassicaceae species. Subsequently, the afforestation continued with the expansion of broadleaved oak forests with Tilia, Ulmus and Corylus which reached their maximum distribution ~8800 cal. BP. Gradually, these forests began to retreat, replaced at many places first by Corylus and later on by Picea abies, Abies alba and Fagus. The formation of the contemporary coniferous belt with the dominance of Pinus - Picea abies and fragmented mixed coniferous-deciduous communities in the late Holocene was attributed not only to climate change but also to diverse human interference in the natural forest cover. During the last 2000 years the continuous presence of Juniperus, Juglans, Rumex, Cirsium, Plantago lanceolata and Hordeum pollen indicated intensive stock-breeding, grazing and crop cultivation. The fragments of charred wood testify to tree felling and fire clearances on flat ground to obtain new pasture land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coniferous belt became dominated by I Pinus peuce i , I Picea abies i , I Pinus sylvestris i and some I Abies alba. i The human impact was not very intensive, most probably due to the partial abandonment of the high-mountain pasture in recent times. At lower altitudes were distributed I Pinus peuce i , I Abies alba i , some I Betula i and stands of I Alnus i in wetter places and along mountain brooks I . i The presence of deciduous tree pollen ( I Quercus i , I Tilia, Carpinus i , I Corylus i ) can be explained by aerial upslope transport from the mixed oak forests. Four local pollen assemblage zones (LPAZs), which correspond to successive stages of vegetation history (LV-1 to LV-4), can be recognized: I LPAZ LV-1, 490-425 cm (~6200-5940 cal. bp) i The lowermost section of the pollen record, as confirmed also by the find of subfossil stomata, reveals that stands of I Pinus i (most likely I Pinus mugo i ) and I Juniperus i occupied the slopes in the surroundings of the lake. [Extracted from the article]

The Balkan Peninsula represents one of the most important human pathways into and out of Europe during the Pleistocene. Mishin Kamik cave, located in the karst region of Western Stara Planina, has a rich faunal content and shows promising features indicating a human occupation site with the discovery of potential bone artefacts and an intriguing accumulation of bear skulls and bones. Petrographic study and U‐series dating of a stalagmite and other calcite deposits in the cave provide an absolute chronological frame for the detrital infillings and their archaeological content and inform the environmental and climatic context of the cave evolution. Most detrital deposits in the cave were probably deposited before Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 and the cave morphology and sedimentary deposits display current morphologies since ~135 ka. Consequently, the palaeontological and archaeological findings are older than ~135 ka. Calcite dated on and under the accumulation of bear skulls and bones suggests deposition during MIS 7. A first depositional contextualization of the bone accumulation does not allow us to discriminate between a natural or anthropogenic origin. The study emphasizes the added value of speleothem studies in archaeological sites and particularly in bringing a well‐constrained chronological and environmental framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent genetic studies have shed light on the phylogeography of cave bears; however, their paleoecology and their diet are still debated, and data from south-eastern Europe are still scarce. Magura Cave, in northwest Bulgaria, has delivered rich faunal assemblages from the Late Pleistocene. The chronology of the excavated area spans from ca. 35 kya to more than 50 kya; the oldest stratigraphic layers being associated with final Middle Palaeolithic tools. The fauna comprises herbivores and carnivores, and potentially different taxa of cave bears, the dental remains of which also showed different tooth morphotypes, suggesting the co-existence of different dietary adaptations. We investigated the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineages of the cave bears from Magura Cave as well as the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope composition of the faunal assemblage. Our data revealed that, regardless of the tooth morphotypes, only maternal lineages of Ursus ingressus were present in Magura Cave. Interestingly, one specimen with Ursus arctos mtDNA was also found, showing a clear carnivore diet. In contrast, the U. ingressus specimens had a predominantly herbivorous diet. The tooth morphotypes were associated with significantly different d13C values, suggesting different dietary adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disturbances by fire are among the most important processes that shape forest dynamics and diversity. However, the long-term variability of fire disturbance regimes in many European forests and specifically in the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula is not well understood. Here, we present the first Holocene record of fire regimes based on macrocharcoal morphologies in combination with pollen-based reconstruction of forest dynamics and fire-related strategies of prevailing mountain forests in the Rila Mountains, Bulgaria. While biomass burning followed the main trends in climate, the frequency and intensity of fire were strongly linked to fire-related coping strategies of dominant tree taxa (resisters, avoiders or invaders). Frequent fires of low intensity between 12,000 and 9000 cal year BP were concurrent with the dominance of invaders (Betula, herbs, ferns). Intermittent occurrence of low- and high-intensity surface and crown fires with longer return intervals between 9000 and 4000 cal year BP was associated with codominance of resister (Pinus sylvestris, Pinus peuce, Pinus mugo) and avoider (Abies alba and Picea abies) forest types, whereas a lengthening of the fire return interval over the past 4000 years was linked to increased abundance of P. abies. As a rising number of fire episodes may drive land cover towards more fire-adapted plant communities and towards less intense fire events, we expect increased dominance of invaders (resprouters that rapidly reach maturity stage) as well as resisters (properties protecting from fire damage) under future warmer and drier climate. This study also shows the potential of combining charcoal morphologies with pollen records to track variability in fire intensity and plant functional attributes over long timescales that are also relevant to forest management stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses possible evidence for cereal food from seven Bulgarian archaeological sites spanning the Early Neolithic to the Early Iron Age (6th millennium BC - 1st millennium BC). It aims to increase the awareness of excavators towards such finds and to present the methods for collecting and extracting such remains from archaeological layers and their laboratory analysis. The studied remains are mainly cereal fragments, agglomerations of fragments or amorphous/ porous masses with or without visible plant tissues. They were directly collected from vessel contents or derived by means of flotation from bulk samples taken from floor layers close to fireplaces/ cooking installations. The microscopic structure of the food remains is observed and described at plant tissue level under low magnification binocular, microscope with reflected light and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). These optical examinations were applied in order to detect alterations of the microstructure of the possible food remains and hence to trace the possible ways of food preparation. All the cereal food remains from the Neolithic/Chalcolithic period represent coarsely ground cereals, while the later ones (Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age) have characteristics of finely ground cereal products and may suggest the introduction of new cooking/ baking techniques as well as shifts in food processing practices. Based on their field experience and research results the authors strongly recommend careful sampling and documentation of any charred crusts recognisable as such in vessel contents, and deposits around installations like ovens and fireplaces, which could be related to daily food preparation or ritual offerings. Such systematic study of archaeological food remains will facilitate obtaining reliable information about food preparation and consumption in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen and plant macrofossil analyses were performed on a sequence 105 cm deep obtained from a peat bog (1750 m) that is located above the present timber-line in the Osogovo Mountain, Southwestern Bulgaria. The palaeovegetation reconstruction, supported by a radiocarbon chronology, revealed the vegetation dynamics and human impact during the last 5000 years. The peat bog formed when a coniferous belt of Abies alba and Pinus ( Pinus sylvestris , Pinus nigra ) covered the high mountain slopes. Charcoal fragments indicate the presence of a broad-leaved tree community composed of Quercus , Corylus , Carpinus , Tilia , Acer and Ulmus at lower altitudes. Stands of Fagus sylvatica in places with higher air and soil humidity, like river valleys and deep ravines, became established. The pollen assemblages after c. 3200 cal. BP record an important change in the forest composition that led to the replacement of the conifers, mostly A. alba , by the invading communities of F. sylvatica . The reasons for this replacement included factors related to both climate change and anthropogenic disturbance. During the last centuries a large-scale degradation of the woodlands in the mountain has occurred. On a regional scale the palaeoecological evidence is compared with information from palynological, archaeological and historical sources in Southwestern Bulgaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palaeoecological reconstructions from the region of southwestern Bulgaria were used for inferring the human impact on the vegetation and landscape during the last 8 millennia. They are based on data from pollen analyses of lakes and peat-bogs, plant macrofossils, archaeobotanical finds and radiocarbon dating. During the early Holocene, after 7900 cal. b.p. (5950 cal. b. c.) the climate changed to cooler summers, milder winters and higher precipitation resulting in the formation of a coniferous belt dominated by Pinus sp. and Abies alba. These favorable environmental pre-conditions had a positive influence on the Neolithisation of the Balkans after the 8200 cal. b. p. (6250 cal. b. c.) cold event, which caused drought in the Eastern Mediterranean. Direct evidence from wood charcoal records from the Neolithic settlement layers in the study area shows a slight modification of the surrounding woodlands and an increase of the light-demanding components, probably expressed through larger forest border zones and thinning out of the wood stands. The increase in the number of settlements in the valleys of southwestern Bulgaria intensified the human activity visible in the palaeobotanical record from 6950 cal. b. p. (5000 cal. b. c.) onwards. Between ca. 5700-5100 cal. b. p. (3800-3200 cal. b. c.) signs of anthropogenic influence on the vegetation are virtually absent. The intensity of human impact increased notably after 3200 cal. b. p. (1400-1250 cal. b. c., approx. Late Bronze Age), documented by a rise of pollen anthropogenic indicators. The final transformations in the natural forest cover after 2750 cal. b. p. (800 cal. b. c. onset of the Iron Age) marked the reduction of the coniferous forests dominated by Abies alba and Pinus sp. and the expansion of Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies. These vegetation changes are contemporaneous with increase of the palaeofire activities and the next peak of anthropogenic indicators. The changes in the landscape during the Roman period and the medieval period reflect regional environmental features and were forced by the diversification of anthropogenic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses two projects entitled "Joint Genomic Center" (JGC) and "Center for Sustainable Development of Plant and Animal Genomics," presented by the AgroBioInstitute and financed by the National Science Fund (NSF) in Bulgaria. Among the key activities involved in the second project are modernization of the AgroBioInstitute's research infrastructure and technology transfer and protection of intellectual property rights. It describes the use of several equipment purchased through a public tender.

The article focuses on the capacity building of Agrobiotech Park Ltd. (ABTP) in Sofia, Bulgaria for the development of planting material. It outlines the stages of development to be faced by ABTP Ltd. About 7,000 pre-basic and basic plant material of dessert and wine grape varieties were produced by the company to develop pilot mother vineyards on a project in five regions of the country. It explores another project entitled "Genetic Transformation of Vegetable Cultivars (Tomatoes, etc.) and Their Usage As Biorreactors."

Pollen analysis, plant macrofossil determination and radiocarbon dating were performed on profiles of Holocene age obtained from two subalpine lakes (2320–2340 m a.s.l.) in the Central Rila Mountains, Bulgaria. The palaeovegetational reconstruction dates back to the mid-Atlantic (6500–6700 cal. BP). The plant macrofossil record revealed that groups of Pinus mugo and Juniperus sibirica were distributed in the subalpine zone. The treeline was shaped by Pinus sylvestris and Pinus peuce and was higher (up to 2200–2300 m a.s.l.) compared with the present-day. A change to cooler summers and warmer winters after 6700 cal. BP, characterized by a rise in humidity and precipitation, stimulated the formation of a coniferous vegetation belt dominated by Pinus sylvestris, Pinus peuce and Abies alba. The pollen assemblages also indicated a dominance of deciduous trees (Quercetum mixtum-Corylus phase) at low altitudes until c. 6000 cal. BP. The sub-Boreal was characterized by a wider distribution of Abies alba in the lower part of the coniferous belt and a gradual enlargement of the areas occupied by Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies after 3800–3500 cal. BP. The macrofossil finds of Picea abies testify to its expansion after 2800 cal. BP when average temperatures dropped and precipitation increased. Traces of human disturbance in the subalpine area are continuously registered in the pollen and plant macrofossil records since 3770 cal. BP, indicating livestock-grazing, burning of dwarf-pine (Pinus mugo) for new pasture land and lowering of the treeline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the western Rhodopes Mountains, Bulgaria, where peat bog Beliya Kanton is found. It states that the peat bog found in the area has rectangular shape with 380 m long and 250 m wide. It mentions that changes in the forest composition of the area began around 6800 BC, wherein Pinus forests and groups of Betula have dominated the herb vegetation. It adds that the vegetation development in the area is observed with further enlargement of Pinus/Picea forests.

The article provides information on peat-bog Begbunar. It states that the peat-bog can be found in the Osogovo mountains located at the border between south-western Bulgaria and the north-eastern former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. It notes that the peat-bog was made close to a freshwater spring in the mountains.

Mountain vegetation is facing more rapid changes in temperature than the global average with the risk of losing essential ecosystem services in higher elevation environments. Therefore, it is important to thoroughly understand the sensitivity of mountain vegetation to climatic and anthropogenic induced changes. Although a general framework of Holocene tree-line evolution in Southwestern Bulgaria has already been established in previous research, data on higher elevations spanning the entire Holocene was still lacking. To provide this data, a multi-proxy analysis (comprising plant macro-remains, pollen and charcoals), covering the entire Holocene, was performed on a core from a peat bog near the tree-line of the Rila Mountains (Southwestern Bulgaria). The results of this study were subsequently interpreted in the framework of other palaeoecological records from the region providing information on tree-line shifts. The resulting reconstruction, supported by radiocarbon chronology, revealed the climatic and anthropogenic impact on the development of the postglacial vegetation. From this reconstruction can be concluded that our data is well in agreement with the general vegetational and environmental changes in the region. After the end of the last glaciation (around 11,500 cal. BP) open vegetation developed, which was gradually replaced by pioneer tree species. This phase was followed by the establishment of a coniferous belt (around 6700 cal. BP) as a response to an increase in humidity in the Atlantic. During the next period, the Subboreal (after 4800 cal. BP), the tree-line underwent major changes in composition as a response to a decrease in average temperatures and a rise in average precipitation. This signal is however biased during the Subatlantic (after 2400 cal. BP) because of the intensification of anthropogenic disturbance in the form of deforestation, burning and animal husbandry. Human impact in the area is still playing a significant role, threatening the peat bogs that provide valuable ecosystem services and serve as unique palaeoenvironmental archives. This study provides a more complete insight in the sensitivity of mountain vegetation to climatic and anthropogenic driven changes, in order to anticipate the likely future responses in tree-line position and diversity. In this way, it will contribute to the choice of more effective conservation strategies for the protection of the biodiversity and other ecosystem services in these ecological hotspots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two trenches excavated at Magura Cave, north-west Bulgaria, have provided Late Pleistocene lithic artefacts as well as environmental evidence in the form of large and small mammals, herpetofauna and pollen recovered from Crocuta coprolites. One of the trenches also has a visible tephra layer which has been confirmed as representing the major Campanian Ignimbrite eruption and is accurately dated at the source area to 39,280 ± 55 yrs and radiocarbon determinations have added to chronological resolution at the site. The palaeoenvironment of the region during the Late Pleistocene is discussed in the context of hominin presence and shows a mosaic landscape in a region considered a crucial refugium for both plants and mammals, including hominins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses several projects on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-based marker technologies conducted in AgroBioTech Park (ABTP) Ltd. in Bulgaria. The project is aimed at using DNA markers based methods in order to handle grapevine genetic resources in the country. It explains a genomic program which is created to characterize new sunflower genetic resources in order to choose genotypes. Also explored is a project that deals with a research on maize genetics and biochemistry conducted by MRI-Knezha and ABI/ATP.