The heavy metals load in the forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula), inhabiting in forest shelter belts in the agricultural region was assessed. The concentrations of Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn (expressed in mg/kg of dry tissue) were... more
The heavy metals load in the forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula), inhabiting in forest shelter belts in the agricultural region was assessed. The concentrations of Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn (expressed in mg/kg of dry tissue) were established in the liver, using an atomic-absorption analysis. The fact that the highly toxic metals (Cd and Pb) were found in considerable concentrations together with other metals with concentration dependent toxic effect (Cu, Ni, Zn and Co) in the liver of forest dormice, suggests that it is necessary to carry out regular assessment and forecasting of accumulation of these metals in species, which are not direct targets of cultivation and control activities in agricultural ecosystems. The obtained values were used to create a baseline for estimation of heavy metal accumulation in the internal organs of the forest dormouse, both in anthropogenically transformed habitats and natural biotopes, as well as for using this species as a monitor of environmental s...
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The genetic diversity of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) in Hungary was studied using а full-length cytochrome b gene (1140 bp). The haplotype structure of this species was evaluated in the three main partially geographically separated... more
The genetic diversity of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) in Hungary was studied using а full-length cytochrome b gene (1140 bp). The haplotype structure of this species was evaluated in the three main partially geographically separated populations in this country. Throughout the country, the genetic diversity of the Red Deer was represented by individuals belonging to all the three distinct mitochondrial lineages of this species in Europe, i.e. western, eastern and Sardinian/Bulgarian. The presence of all the three mtDNA lineages in the Red Deer populations in Hungary implied the existence of an overlapping zone among them. The genetic distinction between Red Deer populations inhabiting this zone showed the highest levels of dissimilarity of the northeast population. The recorded population genetic peculiarities and the geographical variability of cytochrome b gene haplotypes in Hungarian Red Deer as well as clarification of its phylogenetic relationships to other genetically characterise...
This study describes several haematological components of the striped mouse (Apodemus agrarius) inhabiting anthropogenically uninfluenced riverside dense forest in North-eastern Bulgaria. Measurements of the haematological parameters... more
This study describes several haematological components of the striped mouse (Apodemus agrarius) inhabiting anthropogenically uninfluenced riverside dense forest in North-eastern Bulgaria. Measurements of the haematological parameters revealed that there is not statistical difference between males and females specimens from North-east Bulgaria. Only the number of granulocytes (GRA) and haematocrit values (HCT) differed significantly among both sex. The present examination and statistical analysis of the defined haematological parameters has established the initial norm of their variation described by the 95% confidence interval of their mean values in adult males and females and it can be used as a bio-indicative marker for evaluating the changing conditions in natural and agricultural ecosystems with various degrees and types of anthropogenic pollution in Bulgaria.
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The red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) is the most important big game species in Bulgaria with marked habitat fragmentation. The species is known to be strongly anthropogenic influenced by recent human activities in the country such as... more
The red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) is the most important big game species in Bulgaria with marked habitat fragmentation. The species is known to be strongly anthropogenic influenced by recent human activities in the country such as selective hunting for trophies. To estimate the hyplotype diversity of red deer from Northeast Bulgaria, a complete sequences of cytochrome b (1140 bp) was analyzed. 36 haplotypes were revealed in the investigated populations; thus much at least is clear the existence at least two different genetic lines of red deer in Bulgaria. The carried out comprehensive description of genetic structure of Bulgarian red deer’s populations and comparative analysis of their phylogenetic relationships among some other subspecies of Cervus elaphus in Europe does not exhibit remarkable loss of genetic diversity of the deer in Bulgaria. These results are discussed in respect to population conservation, sustainable management and prevention of loss of genetic diversity of red ...
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Research Interests:
The East Balkan pig (EBP) is a traditional domestic pig breed in Bulgaria managed in semi-wild conditions and well-adapted to the continental climate and rearing on pastures. From the genetical and historical point of view it is important... more
The East Balkan pig (EBP) is a traditional domestic pig breed in Bulgaria managed in semi-wild conditions and well-adapted to the continental climate and rearing on pastures. From the genetical and historical point of view it is important to preserve this ancient breed. However, over the last several years, a dramatic decline of EBP herds has been observed. Moreover, introgression between EBP and wild boar in Bulgaria (WBB) is very likely to have occurred. In this study we used a set of 10 microsatellites and the polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism method on melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) polymorphisms to study the degree of hybridisation between WBB, EBP, and a commercial pig breed (CPB). MC1R results identified WBB-EBP hybrids and the analysis of the microsatellite data with a Bayesian assignment approach and the Discriminant Analysis of Principal Components revealed a low genetic differentiation between WBB and EBP and a high amount of introgression...
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Research Interests: Genetics, Landscape genetics, Biology, Genetic Diversity, Small Mammals, and 15 morePopulation, Microsatellites, Sex ratio, Genetic Structure, Population Density, Human impact, Home Range, Clustering Method, Genetic Divergence, Population Genetic Structure, Landscape Genetics, Management Strategy, Population dynamic, Long Term Study, and Breeding season
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Comparative analysis of variations in 50 craniological parameters in 117 adult (59 male and 58 female) individuals of the striped mouse (Apodemus agrarius Pallas, 1771) in Bulgaria that belong to populations with 4 or 3 pairs metacentric... more
Comparative analysis of variations in 50 craniological parameters in 117 adult (59 male and 58 female) individuals of the striped mouse (Apodemus agrarius Pallas, 1771) in Bulgaria that belong to populations with 4 or 3 pairs metacentric chromosomes in the karyotype was performed. The identified craniological characteristic of the striped mouse populations in Bulgaria showed that the future analyses of its craniometric similarity to other European populations of A. agrarius should be performed based on: (i) their appurtenance to a specific chromosomal form and (ii) the presence of sexual dimorphism of their distinct craniological parameters. The skull morphometric characters, which do not exhibit sexual dimorphism, are quite effective for describing population geographical patterns of similarity. The comparative analysis of the population similarity of A. agrarius in European range manifested that the Bulgarian populations from both chromosomal forms are too similar to each other an...
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Research Interests:
In order to reveal the well-defined specificity of the number development of golden jackal (Canis aureus L.) in Bulgaria, its population dynamics was tracked using the available data from the official results of spring game counts,... more
In order to reveal the well-defined specificity of the number development of golden jackal (Canis aureus L.) in Bulgaria, its population dynamics was tracked using the available data from the official results of spring game counts, carried out by the Executive Agency for Forests throughout the country, during the period of 1960-2011. It seems that the largest jackal population (39 343 animals in 2011) in Europe occurs in Bulgaria. The increased number of golden jackal in Bulgaria requires implementation of adequate measures for its regulation in regions with proven harm on hunting, livestock breeding and human health. Preservation and stable presence of the jackal in Bulgaria could be achieved through declaring it normal game species and treating it as native species of Bulgarian mammals’ fauna.
Dekov O. & Markov G. (2008): The type of the Common Vole (Microtus arvalis Pall.) population development in Bulgaria. Proceedings of the III Congress of Ecologists of the Republic of Macedonia with International Participation,... more
Dekov O. & Markov G. (2008): The type of the Common Vole (Microtus arvalis Pall.) population development in Bulgaria. Proceedings of the III Congress of Ecologists of the Republic of Macedonia with International Participation, 06-09.10.2007, Struga. Special issues of Macedonian Ecological Society, Vol. 8, Skopje. The common vole (Microtus arvalis Pall., sensu lato) is a main rodent pest in Bulgaria. The analysis of long-term data of its occurrence and population levels in alfalfa and winter cereal fields resulted in classifying the territory of the country into five categories in regard to the degree of vole’s harmfulness: very strong, strong, medium, low and very low. It was found that several new zones of high vole’s harmfulness have recently arisen. They are situated mainly in North-eastern and North-western Bulgaria and in the region of high fields in West Bulgaria as well. The investigation of the numbers dynamics of the vole population under the specific climatic conditions in...
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The presence of sibling vole species (Microtus) in the most common forests and open landscapes in southeastern part of Thrace (Balkan Peninsula) of contemporary territories of Bulgaria and Turkey was studied. Only the southern vole... more
The presence of sibling vole species (Microtus) in the most common forests and open landscapes in southeastern part of Thrace (Balkan Peninsula) of contemporary territories of Bulgaria and Turkey was studied. Only the southern vole (Microtus levis) was found in the investigated region. In his northern part, the Southern vole is associated with semi dry, upland habitats such as deserted and overgrown with wild vegetation vines near sparse forests and large agricultural fields under autumn crops with adjacent non-arable lands with shrub vegetation. In the southern part, it is presented in open landscape related to water areas (meadows near rivers and wetlands). On the basis of trapping the Southern vole is a common species in the north part of Strandzha region. The established craniological characteristics of the Southern vole from investigated region, which can be considered as a zoogeographical crossroads, with a late Pleistocene connection between the Balkan Peninsula and the mamma...
This study aims to represent the first report on population variation of 20 non-metric skull characters in East European vole (Microtus levis) from the Balkan (populations from Northern Dobruja; Southern Dobruja; East part of the Danube... more
This study aims to represent the first report on population variation of 20 non-metric skull characters in East European vole (Microtus levis) from the Balkan (populations from Northern Dobruja; Southern Dobruja; East part of the Danube Plain; North-east Trace; Sofia field; South-east Trace) and Anatolian peninsulas (populations from North-west Anatolia region and Central Anatolia region), on the basis of which to determine its epigenetic variability and to analyse their mutual geographical epigenetic relations through comparison of the epigenetic divergence among them. Estimation of epigenetic variation of the studied populations of M. levis showed similar pattern of variation, but it is mostly higher than the other rodent species with a similar range of distribution, such as Microtus arvalis, Mus musculus, Apodemus sylvaticus, Apodemus flavicollis and Clethrionomys glareolus. Each one of the studied traits manifested some polymorphism. Moreover, all the calculated epigenetic dista...
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Sexual dimorphism is a widespread phenomenon among mammals, including carnivorans. While sexual dimorphism in golden jackals (Canis aureus) has been analysed in the past, in the related and apparently convergent canid, the African wolf... more
Sexual dimorphism is a widespread phenomenon among mammals, including carnivorans. While sexual dimorphism in golden jackals (Canis aureus) has been analysed in the past, in the related and apparently convergent canid, the African wolf (Canis lupaster), it is poorly studied and showed to be relatively small. Previously, sexual size dimorphism (SSD) research in these species was mostly based on skull and body measurements. In our study, we also included dental measurements, namely the diameter of the canine. We used 11 measured sections of 104 adult specimens, comprising 61 golden jackal and 43 African wolf skulls. Data analyses were carried out through logistic regression and conditional inference trees (CIT). To compare the results of SSD to other species, sexual dimorphism indices (SDI) were calculated. Golden jackals and African wolves show significant sexual size dimorphism, both in cranial and dental size. The logistic regression revealed that the mesiodistal diameter of the up...
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Research Interests:
Sex chromosome polymorphism in Bulgarian populations of Guenther's vole (Microtus guentheri Danford & Alston, 1880) has been described. All studied individuals of Guenther's vole have the diploid chromosome number 2n = 54 (FNa =... more
Sex chromosome polymorphism in Bulgarian populations of Guenther's vole (Microtus guentheri Danford & Alston, 1880) has been described. All studied individuals of Guenther's vole have the diploid chromosome number 2n = 54 (FNa = 52). The autosomes are acrocentric. All ...
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Despite some popularity of hamsters as pets and laboratory animals there is no reliable phylogeny of the subfamily Cricetinae available so far. Contradicting views exist not only about the actual number of species but also concerning the... more
Despite some popularity of hamsters as pets and laboratory animals there is no reliable phylogeny of the subfamily Cricetinae available so far. Contradicting views exist not only about the actual number of species but also concerning the validity of several genera. We ...
Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Molecular Evolution, Phylogeny, Fossil record, and 15 moreMitochondrial DNA, Late Miocene, Molecular clock, Animals, Laboratory Animals, Molecular phylogeny, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Morphological Characters, Molecular phylogenetics, Cytochrome B, Divergence Time Estimation, Base Sequence, DNA sequence, Molecular Sequence Data, and Cricetinae
... Georgi MARKOV 1, *, Gabor CSORBA 2 , Maria KOCHEVA 1 , Milena GOSPODINOVA 1 ... M. levis added new locations to the distribution map of the East European vole in Europe (Suchentrunk et al., 1998; Mazeikyte et al., 1999; Kalcheva and... more
... Georgi MARKOV 1, *, Gabor CSORBA 2 , Maria KOCHEVA 1 , Milena GOSPODINOVA 1 ... M. levis added new locations to the distribution map of the East European vole in Europe (Suchentrunk et al., 1998; Mazeikyte et al., 1999; Kalcheva and Topashka-Ancheva, 2005; Markov ...