The biota of Romanian saline lakes on rock salt bodies: A review

An inventory of the aquatic and circum-lacustrine flora and aquatic fauna of 23 karst- and anthroposaline lakes formed on Miocene rock salt bodies in Romania was undertaken. Simultaneous field determinations of water and sediment pH, total dissolved solids, Secchi transparency and lake maximum depth were also made. Environmental conditions for phytoplankton, microphytobenthos, macrophyte and cormophyte species were defined. Relations between the numbers of plankton, microbenthos, macrophyte and cormophyte species differentiated pelogenous (usually, therapeutic) and non-pelogenous lakes. High densities and occurrence frequencies characterized the most representative species. For three of these species, Amphora veneta, Artemia sp. and Potamogeton pectinatus, ecological conditions were noted. In the circum-lacustrine vegetation, glycophytes were more important than halophytes.