Previous studies have found a higher proportion of alien plant species along the coastal area of the Black Sea. The goals of the present study were to assess the role of two harbours as gateways and reservoirs for alien plant species, to compare the structure and invasion pattern of the alien plants recorded there, and test methods useful for effective monitoring programs. We inventoried 12 sites along the western Black Sea coast from the harbour of Sulina in the north to Cape Kaliakra in the south. Each site was visited at least three times each. A more intensive survey was done in the two harbours targeted by our study: Constanţa and Sulina. The proportion of neophytes was higher in the harbours (representing about one third of the total plant species) and lower in coastal protected areas (with an average proportion of 6.7%). Species accumulation curves and estimators of species richness indicated that while the plant inventory was not complete, invasive alien species (IAS) were adequately inventoried. Harbours act not only as gateways for IAS but also as reservoirs, facilitating their acclimatization and naturalization. The use of species accumulation curves and estimators of species richness are useful tools in designing and evaluating simple monitoring programs based on repeated inventories. Our study has stressed the importance of monitoring not only coastal waters but also green areas in harbours for the early detection of IAS.

This chapter describes the dry grassland vegetation of the Dobrogea region, which is significant for the Steppe and Pontic bio-geographical zones of Romania. Romania, (238,000 km 2) is covered by five bio-geographical zones: Continental, Pannonian, Alpine, Steppic and Pontic (Black Sea). Natural and semi-natural grasslands are still well represented in Romania and they are an important part of our natural heritage (Doniţă et al., 1992). They form a group of habitat types (European Habitats Classification System), with great value for the diversity of plants and other organisms (

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Abstract:The Danube Delta is a relatively young territory, formed about 14,000 years ago. It has quadruple status: Biosphere Reserve, Ramsar site, UNESCO World Heritage site, Natura 2000 site. Water and human activities are the most important factors influencing the flora of this area, including the penetration and spread of alien plants. The main goal of our research in this area was to inventory the alien plants and to identify those species which are invasive and potentially invasive in the natural and semi-natural ecosystems in order to propose measures for their prevention and mitigation. An inventory of these plants, conducted between 2009 and 2012 and based on bibliography and field research, comprises over 160 taxa. About half of them originated from America and less than a quarter of them from Asia. A relatively high number of species have unknown status in the Danube Delta; they were reported only from one or two localities and we did not record them during our extensive field work. In this category we also included some taxa of Xanthium without a very clear taxonomy. The taxa recorded as casual are usually ornamental plants escaped from cultivation; however among them there are some species which are known as invasive in other areas of Romania, as well as in Europe. There are 26 naturalised species, two of which established here over one hundred years ago. 37 invasive species were identified, many of them recorded in natural or seminatural places. In order to prevent and mitigate the spread of plants recognised as invasive, we propose the implementation of some measures such as providing relevant information to local communities and raising awareness about the damages caused by the alien species, and promoting further research on alien plant species in this protected area.

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