Volume 9 (2004)

OBSERVATIONS UPON AMPHIBIAN SPECIES FROM CIRIC RIVER FLOODPLAIN – IASI

ANDREEA NICOARĂ, PAUL SZÉKELY

At the first international congress of herpetology in 1989, the scientists recognised that many amphibian populations are in decline. The main cause of this decline is the destruction of habitats. Main objective of biological conservation is identification of the factors that affect species distribution and abundance at large scale and for a long period. Without this knowledge is impossible to distinguish between the fluctuation of a natural population and the decline of current species due to anthropogenic or other causes. Purpose of the paper is the identification of amphibian species from Ciric River floodplain, their influence and role in anthropogenic habitat.

DATA ABOUT THE TROPHIC SPECTRUM OF A POPULATION OF BOMBINA VARIEGATA OF THE VÂRCIOROG AREA (PÃDUREA CRAIULUI MOUNTAINS, BIHOR COUNTY, ROMANIA)

ISTVÁN SAS, SEVERUS- DANIEL COVACIU – MARCOV, DIANA CUPŞA, ÉVA-HAJNALKA KOVÁCS, MELANIA GABORA

Bombina variegata is one of the most common species in Romania, being largely spread in the hill and mountains region (Cogãlniceanu et al. 2000). Although, the studies about the trophic spectrum of yellow - bellied toad are rare in the Romanian specialty literature. The only article of this kind refers to a population of Cluj-Napoca region (Sârbu, 1976). Foreign researchers, in Carpatian Mountains obtained data regarding the feeding of the yellow - bellied toad. In the circumstances of the reduced number of studies of trophic spectrum of the populations of Bombina variegata in our country, the objective of our study was to bring new data upon the feeding of yellow belied toad. Thus, we studied the trophic spectrum of a population of Bombina variegata from Vârciorog (Pãdurea Craiului Mountains region), having in focus the knowledge of the taxonomic belonging of the consumed prey, of their amount, of the frequency of capture and the role of these species in the ecosystem in which they live. Our study accentuates the following of the annually variance of the trophic spectrum and was carried on during one whole year.

AMPHIBIANS IN THE THERMAL WATERS IN THE WEST OF ROMANIA

SEVERUS-DANIEL COVACIU-MARCOV, ISTVÁN SAS, ALFRED-ŞTEFAN CICORT-LUCACIU, VIOLETA PETER, MARIUS GROZA

The Amphibians are greatly dependent on the aquatic environment; their attachment is different. There are species that live their whole life cycle in water; other species use water only for laying eggs (Fuhn 1960, Cogãlniceanu et al 2000). The characteristics and the specific traits of the water have a great influence on Amphibians; its p. h. affects the Rana arvalis larvae (Pahkala et al 2001), the oxygen level influences the Rana ridibunda larvae (Berger 1982). The water temperature, one of the most important parameters of the aquatic environment that influences the Amphibians has a great impact on them as it effects from a cellular level to a population level (Rome et al 1992). The water temperature influences the most of the bio – chemical processes of the Amphibians, changing even the duration of the development of the larvae (Bachman 1969). In the North – West of Romania there is a special category of Amphibian – populated habitats that are the thermal waters. The amphibians in the thermal waters suffer a series of changes in their biology under the influence of the high and constant temperatures (Covaciu – Marcov et al 2003). We noted 5 thermal habitats in the County of Bihor where there are changes of the biology of the Amphibians in a previous article. The main changes of the biology of the Amphibians living in thermal waters are: the absence of hibernation, the disappearance of the period of lying eggs (fact that causes the continuous reproduction all year long and an increase in larval gigantism). In addition to this, the purpose of this study was that of assessing the spread of the phenomenon in the West of Romania as a consequence of the fact that thermal waters are widely spread in the area in both the County of Bihor and in the neighboring counties. The theoretical importance of this type of investigations is enormous, as the thermal waters are a kind of “laboratories” to the Amphibians. In spite the high theoretical importance of this kind of studies, there is little data on this subject in Romania, as only one study was conducted (Covaciu – Marcov et al 2003 a) and even in the foreign literature the subject was approached in a very small measure (Cucchiara & Bologna 1996).

THE EVIDENTIATION OF MITHOTIC CHROMOSOMES FOR RANA SPECIES

LUCIAN D. GORGAN, ANDREEA NICOARĂ

We had tried to establish the number of chromosomes and the caryotype for two species of amphibians – Rana esculenta and Rana ridibunda from Ciric Lake (Iasi). The biological material was represented by individuals from these two species Rana ridibunda and Rana esculenta that provenance from Ciric Lake. Each individual was injected intraperitoneal with 0,5% colchicin solution. After 2 hours, spleen and gonads were extracted and hypotonized with sodium citrate 0,8% for 30 minutes, at the room temperature. We used the dried air method for making samples. After 24-48 hour of ice keeping, all slides were dried at the room temperature and colored with May-Grunwald-Giemsa colorant 4%. All slides were analyzed at 40X objective and pictures were made with 100x immersion objective.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TOTAL NUCLEIC ACID CONTENT FOR RANA SPECIES

LUCIAN D. GORGAN, ANDREEA NICOARĂ

Into the present experiment, we had tried to establish the total nucleic acid content for two species from the Ranidae Family, Rana gender – Rana esculenta and Rana ridibunda, with the provenience origin – Ciric Lake (Iasi) and the interval of variability for this parameter.