Nikolai Spassov

Bio: Nikolai Spassov is an academic researcher from National Museum of Natural History. The author has contributed to research in topics: Late Miocene & Population. The author has an hindex of 20, co-authored 75 publications receiving 1499 citations. Previous affiliations of Nikolai Spassov include Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Current status and distribution of golden jackals Canis aureus in Europe

Abstract: The golden jackal Canis aureus is one of the most widespread canid species with a range covering areas of central, eastern and southern Europe, northern Africa and parts of Asia. Distribution of the golden jackal in Europe has been dynamic, including dramatic declines (until the 1960s), recovery (1960s and 1970s) and expansion (from the early 1980s onwards). 2. We present up-to-date information on golden jackal status in Europe and range expansion. 3. For data collection we reviewed the scientific literature and contacted scientists from the relevant countries. We distinguished between vagrant animals and estab- lished populations. 4. In the last decade, there has been an increase in jackal records in areas where the species has not been reported before. Increased presence is recorded northwards and westwards of the distribution range of the golden jackal, specifically in Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia. In Austria, the first case of reproduction was confirmed in 2007; reproduction has also recently been reported in Italy. 5. Results indicate an ongoing expansion in Europe's jackal population, with a particular spread of the Balkan populations towards central Europe. Although there are numerous reports of sightings, only few originate from confirmed sources and in many areas status is unknown or vague. There is a general lack of ecological data and almost no information on ecological consequences associated with the golden jackal expansion.

The palaeogenetics of cat dispersal in the ancient world

Abstract: Ancient DNA analysis of archaeological cat remains shows cats dispersed along trade routes from the Neolithic era onwards, while its gene pool shows admixture from multiple geographical sources and that the tabby allele originated in the Middle Ages.

Late Neogene stratigraphy, biochronology, faunal diversity and environments of South-West Bulgaria (Struma River Valley)

Abstract: The stratigraphy of the Neogene deposits along the Middle Struma River (SW Bulgaria) is revised Five genetic lithocomplexes are recognized, replacing the numerous lithostratigraphic formations currently used The basic concept is that the upper Miocene alluvial-proluvial deposits along the Middle Struma River Valley are a product of “braided rivers” transporting important volumes of loose rocks, characterized by rapid and irregular accumulation This accumulation occurred in conditions of increasing aridifi cation Uprising of the Rila and Pirin Mountains occurred later Unlike northern Greece, where Vallesian landscapes were relatively open, humid habitats and forest vegetation seem to be well represented in the late Vallesian of the middle Struma region, but herbaceous and shrub communities already had a significant role The Mesta River might have flowed into the Middle Struma, south of today's Petrich tectonic basin The Turolian landscape can be reconstructed thanks to the rich Turolian mammalian faunas from the numerous (about 40) localities along the Middle Struma Dominant taxa are Palaeoreas lindermayeri, Hipparion (H brachypus, H gr mediterraneum-moldavicum, and H cf macedonicum), Gazella, Tragoportax, giraffes Their likely ecological requirements show that the “Pikermian biome” (sensu Solounias et al 1999) was dominated by open woodlands resembling park type forest (rather than by shrubby vegetation) By the end of the middle and the beginning of the late Turolian, time of accumulation of Piperitsa Genetic Lithocomplex, characterized by reddish terrigenous-sandy deposits, open landscapes probably prevailed, with spots of sclerophyllous woodlands This is probably the time of the first occurrence of the genus Anancus in the middle Struma, Bulgaria, and Europe

Carbon isotope compositions of terrestrial C3 plants as indicators of (paleo)ecology and (paleo)climate

Abstract: A broad compilation of modern carbon isotope compositions in all C3 plant types shows a monotonic increase in δ13C with decreasing mean annual precipitation (MAP) that differs from previous models. Corrections for temperature, altitude, or latitude are smaller than previously estimated. As corrected for altitude, latitude, and the δ13C of atmospheric CO2, these data permit refined interpretation of MAP, paleodiet, and paleoecology of ecosystems dominated by C3 plants, either prior to 7–8 million years ago (Ma), or more recently at mid- to high latitudes. Twenty-nine published paleontological studies suggest preservational or scientific bias toward dry ecosystems, although wet ecosystems are also represented. Unambiguous isotopic evidence for C4 plants is lacking prior to 7–8 Ma, and hominid ecosystems at 4.4 Ma show no isotopic evidence for dense forests. Consideration of global plant biomass indicates that average δ13C of C3 plants is commonly overestimated by approximately 2‰.

International Code of Zoological Nomenclature

Abstract: DURING this year I have so often been asked how this Code could be obtained that I hasten, with your permission, to announce that the Washington Biological Society has just published a reprint at the price of one dollar. Prof. C. W. Stiles, secretary to the Commission, says: “I would suggest that, if your colleagues wish copies, it would expedite matters to order a number at once”. The address of the Society is at the Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

Multigene phylogeny of the Mustelidae: Resolving relationships, tempo and biogeographic history of a mammalian adaptive radiation

Abstract: Background: Adaptive radiation, the evolution of ecological and phenotypic diversity from a common ancestor, is a central concept in evolutionary biology and characterizes the evolutionary histories of many groups of organisms. One such group is the Mustelidae, the most species-rich family within the mammalian order Carnivora, encompassing 59 species classified into 22 genera. Extant mustelids display extensive ecomorphological diversity, with different lineages having evolved into an array of adaptive zones, from fossorial badgers to semi-aquatic otters. Mustelids are also widely distributed, with multiple genera found on different continents. As with other groups that have undergone adaptive radiation, resolving the phylogenetic history of mustelids presents a number of challenges because ecomorphological convergence may potentially confound morphologically based phylogenetic inferences, and because adaptive radiations often include one or more periods of rapid cladogenesis that require a large amount of data to resolve. Results: We constructed a nearly complete generic-level phylogeny of the Mustelidae using a data matrix comprising 22 gene segments (~12,000 base pairs) analyzed with maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods. We show that mustelids are consistently resolved with high nodal support into four major clades and three monotypic lineages. Using Bayesian dating techniques, we provide evidence that mustelids underwent two bursts of diversification that coincide with major paleoenvironmental and biotic changes that occurred during the Neogene and correspond with similar bursts of cladogenesis in other vertebrate groups. Biogeographical analyses indicate that most of the extant diversity of mustelids originated in Eurasia and mustelids have colonized Africa, North America and South America on multiple occasions.