Victor Fet

Biogeography and Ecology of Bulgaria - Monographiae Biologicae Victor Fet

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Biographical Note: Dr. Victor Fet is a Professor of Biology at Marshall University, West Virginia, USA. He was a co-editor of Biogeography and Ecology of Turkmenistan (Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1994) and authored dozens of research publications on animal biogeography, systematics and evolution. He is also one of the world s leading experts on scorpions and one of the authors of the Catalog of Scorpions of the World (New York, 2000). Dr. Alexi Popov is the Director of the National Museum of Natural History, Sofia, Bulgaria. He authored and co-authored 94 research publications on insect faunistics, taxonomy, ecology, and conservation. He served as a Secretary and/or the Member of the Editorial Board of Historia naturalis bulgarica, Acta entomologica bulgarica, and Journal of Neuropterology. In the project "Fauna Europaea," Dr. Popov leads the team of 30 entomologists working on the insects of Bulgaria."Table of Contents: Contributors -- Notes from the Editors -- 1. Introduction / Alexi Popov, VictorFet -- References -- 2. Terrestrial Mammals in Bulgaria: Zoogeographical and Ecological Patterns of Distribution / Vasil Popov -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Material and Methods -- 3. Results -- 4. Discussion -- 5. Appendix 1 -- References -- 3. Fauna, Zoogeography, and Ecology of Birds in Bulgaria / Zlatozar Boev, Boyan Milchev, Vasil Popov -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Material and -- 3. Exploration of the Bulgarian Avifauna -- 4. Historical Formation of the Bulgarian Avifauna -- 5. Composition and Changes of the Recent Avifauna -- 6. Importance of the Bulgarian Territory for the Migration and Wintering of the European Birds -- 7. Important Bird Areas -- 8. Spatial Differentiation of the Recent Avifauna: Characteristic Bird Communities of the Main Landscapes (Ordination-Correspondence Analysis) -- 9. Classification of Avian Assemblages: Two-way Indicator Species Analysis -- 10. Zoogeographical Types -- References -- 4. Amphibians and Reptiles of Bulgaria: Fauna, Vertical Distribution, Zoogeography, and Conservation / Boyan P. Petrov -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Brief History of the Herpetological Research in Bulgaria -- 3. Species Composition and Distribution -- 4. Altitudinal Distribution -- 5. Zoogeographical Analysis of the Herpetofauna of Bulgaria -- 6. Conservation of the Bulgarian Herpetofauna -- Acknowledgments -- References -- 5. Fauna and Distribution of Fishes in Bulgaria / Tihomir Siefanov -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Material and Methods -- 3. Discussion -- 4. Conclusions -- References -- 6. Fauna and Zoogeography of Marine, Freshwater, and Terrestrial MoIIusks (Mollusca) in Bulgaria / Zdravko Hubenov -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Material and Methods -- 3. Black Sea Mollusks -- 4. Freshwater Mollusks -- 5. Terresniat Mollusks -- 6. Molluskstin the Bulgarian Mountains -- References -- 7. Fauna, Ecology, and Zoogeography of Dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata) of Bulgaria / Venelin Beschovski, Milen Marinov -- 1. Fauna -- 2. Ecology -- 3. Zoogeography -- 4. Distribution Patterns in Bulgaria -- 5. Phenology -- 6. Habitat Classification -- References -- 8. Fauna and Zoogeography of the Orthopterid Insects (Embioptera, Dermaptera, Mantodea, Blattodea, Isoptera, and Orthoptera) in Bulgaria / Alexi Popov -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Faunistic Diversity -- 3. Distribution of Species -- 4. Zoogeography -- Acknowledgments -- References -- 9. Biogeography of the Endemic Carabidae (Coleoptera) in the Central and Eastern Balkan Peninsula / Borislav Gueorguiev -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Area Studied -- 3. Study Goals -- 4. Material and Methods -- 5. Faunal Features -- 6. Descriptive Biogeography -- 7. Causal Biogeography -- 8. Regional Division Based on Taxonomic, Macrohabitat, and Biogeographical Structure of Endemic Balkan Carabidae -- Acknowledgments -- References -- 10. Fauna and Zoogeography of Jewel Beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in Bulgaria / Vladimir Sakalian, Mario Langourov -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Methods -- 3. Zoogeographical Position and Connections of the Buprestid Fauna of Bulgaria -- 4. Zoogeographical Characteristics of the Bulgarian Buprestid Fauna -- 5. Regional Faunistic and Zoogeographical Characteristics -- 6. Trends in the Recent Formation of the Bulgarian Buprestid Fauna -- References -- 11. Fauna and Zoogeography of Myriapoda in Bulgaria / Pavel Stoev -- 1. Introduction -- 2. History of Bulgarian Myriapod Studies -- 3. Fauna of Myriapoda -- 4. Zoogeographic Aspects -- 5. Ecological Aspects -- 6. Main Gaps in Knowledge -- Acknowledgments -- References -- 12. Fauna and Zoogeography of Scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones) in Bulgaria / Victor Fet, Michael E. Soleglad -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Material and Methods -- 3. Fauna and Zoogeography -- 4. Further Research -- Acknowledgments -- References -- 13. Spatial Niches of Opiliones (Arachnida) from Vitosha Mountains, Bulgaria / Plamen Mitov -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Material and Methods -- 3. Result and Discussion -- Acknowledgments -- References -- 14. Fauna and Zoogeography of Spiders of the Family Linyphiidae (Araneae) in Bulgaria / Christo Delishev -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Study Area and Materials -- 3. Species Composition -- 4. Zoogeographical Analysis -- 5. Vertical Distribution -- 6. Discussion and Conclusions -- Acknowledgments -- References -- 15. Fauna and Zoogeography of Wolf Spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae) in Bulgaria / Gergin Blagoev -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Materials and Methods -- 3. Species Composition and Zoogeography -- 4. Discussion -- Acknowledgments -- References -- 16. Haplogyne Spiders (Araneae) in Bulgaria: Faunistic and Zoogeographical Analysis / Stoyan Lazarov -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Study Area and Materials -- 3. Species Composition -- 4. Zoogeographical Analysis -- 5. Vertical Disuibution -- Acknowledgments -- References -- 17. Terrestrialfcave Animals in Bulgaria / Petar Beron -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Karst and Caves in Bulgaria -- 3. History of Biospeleological Studies of Bulgarian Cave Animals -- 4. Survey of Terrestrial Cave Animals in Bulgaria -- 5. Zoogeographical Analysis of the Terrestrial Cave Fauna in Bulgaria -- 6. Endemics in the Cave Fauna of Bulgaria -- 7. Relicts in the Cave Fauna of Bulgaria -- References -- 18. Stygofauna of the Fresh Waters in Bulgaria / Ivan Pandourski -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Species Diversity and Distribution -- 3. Endemism -- 4. Origin -- 5. Conclusions -- Acknowledgments -- References -- 19. Biodiversity and Ecology of the Bulgarian Black Sea Invertebrates / Vassil Golemansky -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Bulgarian Black Sea Coast -- 3. Animal Biodiversity -- References -- 20. Testate Amoebas and Monothalamous Foraminifera (Protozoa) from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast / Vassil Gotemansky -- 1. Introduction -- 2. The Marine Supralittoral as a Habitat -- 3. Biodiversity of the Marine Interstitial Testate Amoebas and Foraminifera -- 4. Morphological Adaptations to the Marine Interstitial Habitat -- 5. Ecology of the Marine Interstitial Testate Amoebas and Foraminifera -- References -- 21. Florogeographical Elements and Evolutionary Trends in the Bulgarian Flora / Dimitar Peev, Malina Delcheva -- 1. Position of Bulgaria in the European Continent and the Balkan Peninsula -- 2. Taxonomic Richness and Structure of the Bulgarian Flora -- 3. Florogeographical Elements in Bulgaria -- 4. Centers of Speciation and Evolutionary Trends in the Bulgarian Flora -- References -- 22. Vegetation and Phytogeography: A Brief Characteristic / Tenyo Meshinev -- 1. Vegetation and Phytogeography -- 2. Human Influence on Vegetation in Bulgaria -- References -- 23. Landscapes and Climate of Bulgaria / Veliko Velikov, Milena Stoyanova -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Classification of Landscapes -- 3. Characterization of Landscapes -- References -- Systematic Index. Publisher Marketing: 1 2 Alexi Popov and Victor Fet 1 National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd. 1, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria, e-mail: alpopov@bulinfo. net 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia 25755-2510, USA, e-mail: fet@marshall. edu Europe grades to Asia through the Balkans. They act as a connecting corridor, a liberal barrier, and a mediating buffer. On top of this, humans with their several millennia of Balkan tenure have changed the biota here. Many creatures perished; others still fight back, meeting the anthropogenic challenge and coexistence with humans. A combination of geological factors, high mountains and river valleys, glacial processes, extensive karst regions with caves, forests and sea coast, as well as incessant human activity, made the Balkan Peninsula one of the two along with the Iberian Peninsula most interesting biogeographic regions in Europe. Biogeography, and specifically zoogeography, of the Balkans presents a fascinating reading for any specialist. The interest in the Balkan biodiversity grew steadily during the last hundred years; its patterns and processes have been recently reviewed in an important volume (Griffiths et al., 2004). The authors of this volume addressed the Balkan Peninsula as the great European hotspot of biodiversity. As they commented, The extremely high level of endemism in the Balkans compared to other parts of Europe is perhaps the most striking element of comparative pattern of biodiversity."

Contributor Bio:  Fet, Victor Victor Fet is Professor of Biology at Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia.