The paper analyses land property relations on the island of Mljet in the 19th century based on the information from different sources, especially from cadastre, land registry documentation and ...inherited estates. In order to understand them, the paper shows in detail the situation in other parts of Dalmatia at the time, but also their genesis on the island beginning from the 14th century. A special attention is paid to understanding the differences related to land property relations on the eastern and western part of Mljet in the 19th century.
Geochemical patterns in the environment are always the result of certain processes. Therefore, it is essential to decipher a process to properly evaluate the environmental role and potential of ...chemical elements/compounds. This allows the distinction between natural and anthropogenic influence on elemental concentrations. However, if the compositional nature of geochemical data is neglected, erroneous or misleading conclusions regarding the processes involved are probable. In this study the reconstruction of depositional environments and processes through the Holocene in two sediment cores obtained from submerged sinkholes located on the island of Mljet, Croatia, was performed by taking into account the compositional nature of geochemical, mineralogical and grainsize data. Problems involving compositional data are always multivariate; for example, the concentration of a single element does not carry any interpretative information, as only the ratios between elements do. This has led to the discovery of a large number of geochemical proxies based on elemental ratios, which describe certain environmental conditions and processes involved. Nevertheless, some proxies have been found to be restricted to only some specific environments, thus preventing them from being used in general; therefore, some kind of relation between different proxies is necessary to obtain final conclusions. However, when using simple elemental ratios, those correlations cannot be obtained due to the nature of compositional data. With a sequential binary partition of a compositional vector, orthonormal log ratio (olr) coordinates (proxies) can be constructed. When based on expert knowledge, those proxies fully acknowledge the geochemical properties of the chosen elements with one major difference - that the correlation between newly obtained variables is mathematically well grounded. As a result, the final conclusion is more accurate. In this research, geochemical proxies obtained as a representation in olr coordinates of the elements that are enriched compared to the local soil were used to perform principal component analyses. It helped to unravel the evolution of sedimentary environments. Mineralogical (XRD and heavy mineral data) and grain size analyses supported the conclusions obtained based solely on geochemical data. Furthermore, data analysis suggests that the proxies for redox conditions described in the literature should be used with caution, as their use is somewhat limited.
Display omitted
•Construction of interpretable variables through OLR transformation.•Processes interpretation based on correlations between transformed variables.•Paleoredox reconstructions are based on a multivariate approach.
The imbricated margin of stable Adria, which belongs to the External Dinarides, comprises a chain of islands, which follow the dominant NW-SE Dinaric trend in the northern segment, while the dominant ...tectonic orientation changes to WNW-ESE in the central Adriatic area, near Split. The new paleomagnetic results documented in this paper are from the islands of the latter and can be interpreted in terms of tectonics together with already published robust data sets from the Northern Adriatic Islands and stable Adria, respectively. The problems addressed are the proposed extra CCW rotation in the central Adriatic area relative to the rest of the Dinarides, the differences in the tectonostratigraphic models of the offshore External Dinarides, the relationship to Stable Adria and the reason for the arcuated shape of the thrust front between stable and imbricated Adria.
From the five largest Central and Southern Adriatic Islands over 1000 independently oriented cores, representing 98 Upper Tithonian – Paleocene carbonate localities, were subjected to standard laboratory processing of the natural remanent magnetization, component analysis, and statistical evaluation on locality and between locality levels. The results lead to the conclusion that these islands moved in close co-ordination with both, the Northern Adriatic Islands and stable Adria, at least from the Albian on. The different tectonic trends characterizing the islands and reflected also in the arcuated shape of the thrust front between Stable and Imbricated Adria is explained by the dominance of one of the Late Cretaceous and younger compressional strain fields. The structures due to the Late Cretaceous strain field are dominant in Cres island (N-S trend), the ones formed during the Late Eocene-Early Oligocene prevail in the Northern Adriatic islands (NW-SE trend), SE of Cres. The WSW-ENE general orientation of the structures in the Central Adriatic area is due to the strong neotectonic deformation.
•There is no evidence for post-Aptian relative movement between the Adriatic islands.•The changing tectonic trend of the islands reflect differently oriented strain fields.•The Adriatic islands moved in close co-ordination with stable Adria after the Aptian.•The arcuated thrust front SW of the islands matches the tectonic trend of the islands.
The molybdenum (Mo) and uranium (U) isotope compositions recorded in carbonate rich sediments are emerging as promising paleo-redox proxies. However, the effects of early diagenetic effects within ...the sediments on these isotope systems are not well constrained. We examined the Mo and U isotopic systematics in anoxic carbonate rich sediments in a semi enclosed karstic marine lake (Malo Jezero) of the Island of Mljet, Adriatic Sea.
Measurements of water column redox behavior in the lake since the 1950s, have shown a transition from anoxic-sulfidic conditions in the deeper water column to more oxic conditions and anoxia refined to the sediment and pore-waters. A 50 cm long sediment core from the deepest part of the lake, show a transition from moderate to high authigenic Mo and U accumulation with depth, consistent with the changing lake redox environment in the past. In the deep euxinic part of the core, the authigenic Mo and U are isotopically lighter and heavier, respectively, than seawater, following similar systematics as observed in other modern euxinic basins, with high, but non-quantitative, Mo and U uptake into the sediments.
Based on Bahamas bank carbonate sediments, it has been suggested that the 238U/235U ratio is ~+0.25‰ higher compared to seawater from the effects of early carbonate sediment diagenesis and this carbonate vs. seawater off-set is applicable to carbonate rich sediments across the geological past. The shallower part of lake sediment core was deposited under similar redox conditions as the Bahamas sediments, and these sediments show an average 238U/235U ratio +0.31 ± 0.01‰ (2SE) higher than seawater. Although the average 238U/235U ratios for these two carbonate rich settings are similar, caution is necessary when inferring seawater 238U/235U compositions from such sediments, as they contain U from different sources (e.g. diagenetic uptake and carbonate-bound). The Mo isotope compositions within the same Malo Jezero sediments are variable but approaches the seawater composition at low pore-water H2S concentrations. This show the potential of using the Mo isotope composition from carbonate rich sediments to infer the seawater composition, however, further work is required to establish the link between the Mo isotope composition and the chemistry of the pore water environment.
•δ98Mo within carbonate rich sediments may be similar to seawater under certain conditions•diagenetic altered primary carbonates are enriched in heavy U isotopes•correlation of sedimentary organic matter with U and Mo was not observed•caution is necessary if applying off-sets values to infer seawater compositions•sedimentary δ98Mo likely is linked to the porewater H2S concentration•combined Mo and U isotope systematics is promising paleoredox tool
The paper investigates the intensity and rhythm of weddings in the parishes of Babino Polje (1870-1877) and Maranovići (1870-1884) on the island of Mljet. The authors have analysed the practice of ...choosing wedding witnesses, their number, gender structure and social status, the option of having multiple witnesses, and blood relations between the newlyweds and their wedding witnesses. Furthermore, the analysis includes kinship and widowhood marriages as well as “test marriages,” and sporadically also wedding customs on the island. Demographic and economic factors and emigration influenced the annual intensity of weddings, while the monthly rhythm reflected everyday life and was conditioned by seasonal work in agriculture, similar to the rest of Dalmatia. Wedding ceremonies in the parish of Babino Polje were mainly held on Sundays, and in the parish of Maranovići on Mondays. A strong horizontal link between the wedding witnesses and the bridal couple has been observed, which means that mostly they were all of the same social status. This is to be expected, because in a rural environment such as Mljet, where there are no cities, people live a rural life and the social differentiation of the population is very limited. Although social status is determined by a number of factors, in this paper it has been defined by occupation alone, given that the sources do not provide other data. Therefore, the results of this part of the research should be taken with some reserve, especially since persons of different social status may be hiding behind the same occupation. The offshore position of the island and the low rate of immigration narrowed down the choice of marital partners, which resulted in a large number of kinship marriages. Using the isonomy method, it has been determined that almost two fifths of the analysed marriages were concluded between relatives. Difficult living conditions in the 19th century, which marked the entire province, left their trace on Mljet as well, so every fifth bridegroom on the island was a widower. These were relatively young men who, due to the untimely death of their wives, were forced to look for a new life partner, partly because of the need to run a rural household and help them raise children, if they had any from their first marriage. Most likely in order to reduce the risk of infertility, but also to bring the couple closer together and especially to see if the girl was fitted the new family, the families organized “test marriages” that would often be formally legalized later on, usually only after the offspring was born.
Between 2007 and 2012 the Department for Underwater Archaeology of the Croatian Conservation Institute from Zagreb and the Department of Humanistic Studies of the Ca' Foscari University of Venice ...collaborated in the recording, underwater excavation and analysis of the unusually well-preserved wreck of a 16th century Venetian merchantman in the Svetti Pavao shallow off the southern shore of the island of Mljet, Croatia. The shipwreck preserved many personal possessions of the crew as well as a number of bronze artillery pieces and the remains of a cargo of luxury and richly decorated ceramic material from Iznik and other oriental workshops. Although the excavation is not complete, this volume presents the results of the project so far. The methodological and technical aspects of the underwater investigation of the site, mainly by photogrammetry, are described; the historical and archaeological context of navigation in the late Medieval period in the eastern Mediterranean discussed; and the recovered artefacts described and catalogued in detail, together with the remains of the ship and its equipment that, because of depth and of problems of conservation, have been left in situ. The conservation and restoration of the finds are described in an appendix.
Anogramma leptophylla is one of the rarest fern species in Balkan Peninsula. In Croatia, several localities were noted prior to this study, when its presence was confirmed with a discovery of a small ...population on the island of Mljet (Southern Adriatic). This was, after almost 80 years, the first reliable finding of this species along Eastern Adriatic. The establishment of A. leptophylla on the western part of the island of Mljet may be attributable to certain favourable environmental conditions, but essentially to higher air and soil humidity. Its unusual bryophyte-like life strategy, with short-living annual sporophytes, facilitates its survival under Mediterranean climate, generally unfavourable for pteridophytes.
This paper discusses the formation of whiting events, drifting milky clouds of water, and their role in the formation of recent aragonite sediments in a semi‐enclosed, karstic, marine lake on the ...island of Mljet (Adriatic Sea). This study is based on detailed structural, morphological and sedimentological characterization of, and strontium distribution in, particles originating from suspended matter and sediments. The particles were examined by X‐ray diffraction and electron diffraction analyses, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, as well as electron microprobe energy dispersive X‐ray analyses and atomic absorption spectroscopy. Morphological features, granulometric characteristics, strontium enrichment and characteristic details of the aragonite structure in the needle‐like particles were identical in both the suspended matter collected during whiting events and in the bottom sediments. The whiting events, which occasionally occurred in surface waters, were found to be sites of short‐term active authigenic aragonite precipitation and the main source of fine‐grained aragonite mud. This study exemplifies the role of biologically induced inorganic precipitation processes in the formation of recent aragonite mud in a restricted Mediterranean environment.
Parasites are known to induce phenotypic modifications in their hosts through direct competition for resources, which can negatively affect host fitness. Although parasite-induced phenotypic ...variation has been studied extensively in terrestrial and freshwater taxa, this phenomenon remains comparatively under-studied in marine pelagic invertebrates, such as ecologically important jellyfish. Here we studied the parasite–host relationship between Edwardsiella sp. anemone larvae (parasite) and medusae of Aurelia sp. 5 (host) in an isolated marine lake (Veliko Jezero) in Croatia. During 3 different seasons, we quantified differences in the vertical position in the water column, morphology, and egg production between parasitized and unparasitized medusae. Our results revealed that medusa behavior, morphology, and fecundity can be significantly affected by parasitism. Infected medusae were more abundant higher in the water-column where water was warmer, while unparasitized individuals displayed the opposite pattern. In addition, host somatic growth, gonad size, and egg production were negatively affected by parasitism, suggesting an ultimate negative effect on medusa fecundity. Parasitized individuals, however, developed relatively longer manubria and produced larger eggs than unparasitized counterparts, indicating a compensatory response to increase capture surface and reproductive effort. This study demonstrates the extent of parasite-induced phenotypic variation in jellyfish as well as the role of parasites in potential regulation of jellyfish population size.
PDF
