Influence of the urban environment on four mushroom species in the light of their elemental composition.

The mushrooms are living organisms with excellent capability to adapt to the multiple challenges of their environment. Several species are well represented in urban green areas (parks, green spots, and recreation grounds). We investigated the influence of the urban environment over two saprotrophic (Bovista plumbea, Lycoperdon perlatum) and two mycorrhizal (Amanita rubescens, Suillus granulatus) species commonly present in urban parks of Cluj-Napoca, a major city of Romania. Three control sites close to the city were chosen. We determined 19 elements (Ag, Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, S, Si, Sr, Ti, and Zn) in the fruiting bodies of mushrooms and in soils by ICP OES technique. S. granulatus was the most sensible species to the urban pollution; this species accumulated 130 and 4.40 mg kg-1 (dry weight) median concentrations of Al and Ni, respectively. The highest concentration of Ag, Cu and Fe was determined in B. plumbea (3.18, 83.7 and 141 mg kg-1, respectively) and L. perlatum (4.68, 91.0 and 125 kg-1, respectively) collected from the city. The saprotrophic species contained appreciably higher concentrations of Ag, Cu, Fe, Mg, P, and S than the mycorrhizal ones. Common feature of all four species was the higher Ag and Sr concentrations in the fruiting bodies of urban origin. Our results suggest that the unique defence mechanisms of the species might have higher impact over the elemental profile of the mushrooms than the soil properties. We propose L. perlatum and S. granulatus as suitable indicator species of the urban pollution with regard to inorganic pollutants.

Macro and trace elements in the black pine needles as inorganic indicators of urban traffic emissions.

Urban activities intensify air pollution by increasing the amount of particulate matter (PM). The trees collect PM by adsorption on the leaf surface and simultaneously absorb inorganic components. In this research, we investigated the potential of the black pine as bioindicator of road traffic emissions in Cluj-Napoca (Romania). We defined three sites types with different exposure to the road traffic (streets, outskirts, parks) and a control site far from the city. We quantified 17 inorganic components (Al, B, Ba, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Sr, Zn) by MP-AES (microwave-plasma atomic emission spectroscopy) technique in the one-year-old needles and we identified the best candidates for biomonitoring purposes. The concentration of Ba, Cr, Cu and Fe showed the most sensitive variations with the road traffic intensity. While in the streets the Ba, Cu and Fe increased by 2.8-3.5 times in relation to the control site, the Cr varied in the highest degree exhibiting ratios of 2.2 (parks), 3.3 (outskirts) and 6.3 (streets). The success of these elements lies in several characteristics: they are closely related to non-exhaust emissions, they are readily absorbed through the leaves rather than the roots, and they tend to accumulate in the needles instead of being relocated to other organs. The street maintenance activities caused considerable accumulation of Na in the trees from the roadsides, but had no impact over the trees from the parks. The elements originating mainly in the re-suspended urban dust (Ni, Pb, Sr) equally affected the pines from the streets and parks.

Effects of vineyard inter-row management on the diversity and abundance of plants and surface-dwelling invertebrates in Central Romania.

Vineyard inter-rows are important biodiversity hotspots within agricultural landscapes, especially when they are covered with vegetation. However, little is known on the effects to management intensity on a broad range of surface-dwelling invertebrates and their interaction with vegetation. We assessed the diversity and activity density of ants, beetles, millipedes, mites, spiders, springtails and woodlice using pitfall traps in vineyards with either high management intensity (HI) consisting of frequently tilled inter-rows or low management intensity (LO) with alternating tillage in every second inter-row. The study was performed in the Târnave wine region in Central Romania. We wanted to know whether, (i) vineyard management intensity affects the diversity of plants and invertebrates, and (ii) local habitat characteristics affect species richness of different functional guilds and taxa. Species richness of some invertebrate taxa (Coleoptera, Araneae, Formicidae) did significantly differ between HI and LO vineyards. Only phytophages (some Coleoptera) increased in species richness and activity density with vegetation cover. Vineyard soil properties (organic matter content, pH, P, and K) did not significantly differ between HI and LO vineyards. We conclude that vineyard inter-row management can affect both the conservation of biodiversity and the provision of biodiversity-driven ecosystem services.

Synanthropic spider fauna of the Carpathian Basin in the last three decades.

This paper reviews the scientific literature published on synanthropic spiders in three Carpathian Basin countries-Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. A total number of 204 spider species have been reported from human constructions. Most of the 204 spider species (165 species) found in buildings were only occasional visitors, so-called asynanthropic species with typically low abundance. On average, eusynanthropic (23 species) and hemisynanthropic (16 species) species accounted for 80% of the specimen number. We have discovered that the number of hemisynanthropic faunal elements have remained unchanged in the past three decades. At the same time 14 new eusynanthropic species have been observed in the region, roughly one new species in every 2 years. Some of them have been introduced from the tropics, but some species originates from southern Europe, which may be related to climate change. This hypothesis was also confirmed by the seasonal summer outdoor appearance of these eusynanthropic species. True tropical spiders could only be settled permanently in greenhouses with special climate (such as botanical gardens). We still do not have data of any synanthropic species posing a health risk in this region.

Elemental composition of Russula cyanoxantha along an urbanization gradient in Cluj-Napoca (Romania).

How far-reaching is the influence of the urban area over the mineral composition of the Russula cyanoxantha mushroom? We studied the metal uptake behavior of this fungus relying on the soil properties. We sampled mushroom and soil from six forests according to an urbanization gradient, and two city parks in Cluj-Napoca (Romania). The elements were quantified using inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The concentrations of some elements differed significantly (p < 0.05) in the samples from the city (0.39 ±â€¯0.35 mg kg-1 for cadmium (Cd), 0.40 ±â€¯0.19 mg kg-1 for chromium (Cr), 69.1 ±â€¯29.9 mg kg-1 for iron (Fe), 10.9 ±â€¯1.3 mg kg-1 for manganese (Mn), 0.76 ±â€¯0.45 mg kg-1 for titanium (Ti) compared with the samples from the forests (3.15-14.1 mg kg-1 Cd, < 0.18 mg kg-1 for Cr, 22.6-34.5 mg kg-1 for Fe, 15.9-19.1 mg kg-1 for Mn, 0.19-0.36 mg kg-1 for Ti). We observed a definite negative trend in the mineral accumulation potential of this fungus along the urbanization gradient. The fungus turned from a cadmium-accumulator to a cadmium-excluder. This highlights a positive environmental influence of the urbanization over the toxic metal uptake of R. cyanoxantha. The hypothesis, that the urban soil pollution would increase the metal content of the mushroom was disproved. The possible explanation might be the elevated carbonate content of the urban soil, which is known to immobilize the metals in the soil.

Data on elemental composition of Russula cyanoxantha along an urbanization gradient in Cluj-Napoca (Romania).

How far-reaching is the influence of the urban area over the mineral composition of the Russula cyanoxantha mushroom? To answer this question, we monitored the metal uptake behavior of this fungus relying on the soil properties. We sampled mushroom and soil from six forests according to an urbanization gradient, and two city parks in Cluj-Napoca (Romania). The elements were quantified using inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The concentrations of some elements differed significantly (p < 0.05) in the samples from the city (0.39 ± 0.35 mg kg-1 for cadmium (Cd), 0.40 ± 0.19 mg kg-1 for chromium (Cr), 69.1 ± 29.9 mg kg-1 for iron (Fe), 10.9 ± 1.3 mg kg-1 for manganese (Mn), 0.76 ± 0.45 mg kg-1 for titanium (Ti)) compared with the samples from the forests (3.15-14.1 mg kg-1 Cd, < 0.18 mg kg-1 for Cr, 22.6-34.5 mg kg-1 for Fe, 15.9-19.1 mg kg-1 for Mn, 0.19-0.36 mg kg-1 for Ti). We observed a definite negative trend in the mineral accumulation potential of this fungus along the urbanization gradient. The fungus turned from a cadmium-accumulator to a cadmium-excluder. This highlights a positive environmental influence of the urbanization over the toxic metal uptake of R. cyanoxantha. The hypothesis, that the urban soil pollution would increase the metal content of the mushroom was disproved. The possible explanation might be the elevated carbonate content of the urban soil, which is known to immobilize the metals in the soil.

Sparse trees and shrubs confers a high biodiversity to pastures: Case study on spiders from Transylvania.

The integration of food production and biodiversity conservation represents a key challenge for sustainability. Several studies suggest that even small structural elements in the landscape can make a substantial contribution to the overall biodiversity value of the agricultural landscapes. Pastures can have high biodiversity potential. However, their intensive and monofunctional use typically erodes its natural capital, including biodiversity. Here we address the ecological value of fine scale structural elements represented by sparsely scattered trees and shrubs for the spider communities in a moderately intensively grazed pasture in Transylvania, Eastern Europe. The pasture was grazed with sheep, cattle and buffalo (ca 1 Livestock Unit ha-1) and no chemical fertilizers were applied. Sampling sites covered the open pasture as well as the existing fine-scale heterogeneity created by scattered trees and shrub. 40 sampling locations each being represented by three 1 m2 quadrats were situated in a stratified design while assuring spatial independency of sampling locations. We identified 140 species of spiders, out of which 18 were red listed and four were new for the Romanian fauna. Spider species assemblages of open pasture, scattered trees, trees and shrubs and the forest edge were statistically distinct. Our study shows that sparsely scattered mature woody vegetation and shrubs substantially increases the ecological value of managed pastures. The structural complexity provided by scattered trees and shrubs makes possible the co-occurrence of high spider diversity with a moderately high intensity grazing possible in this wood-pasture. Our results are in line with recent empirical research showing that sparse trees and shrubs increases the biodiversity potential of pastures managed for commodity production.