PhD candidate, Environmental Sciences, Vigo University
you can reach me at: zaha_dragos@yahoo.com/zdragos@uvigo.es
Phone: 0034/696 59 43 13
I am currently working on issues related broadly to landscape processes (ecological and geochemical) in high altitude catchments.
How global climate change interacts with trace elements dynamics in altitude catchments is the new challenge I am undertaking.
I am also interested in other ecological/limnological aspects (e.g. biota interactions with the environment) in alpine and arid environments as well as anatomical responses to stress (Fluctuating Asymmetry) in organisms.
Research interests
Thesis title
Landscape ecology of high altitude lakes in the Pyrenees. Patterns and threats
Publications
Zaharescu DG, Hooda PS, Palanca-Soler A, Fernandez J, Burghelea CI (2009). Trace metals and their source in the catchment of the high altitude Lake Respomuso, Central Pyrenees. Science of the Total Environment 407, 3546-3553
Burghelea C, Zaharescu DG, Palanca-Soler A. Feeding habits and ontogenetic diet changes in a fast growing population of Rana perezi from an arid region (Monegros, NE Spain). Under review, Journal of Herpetology
Burghelea C, Zaharescu D, Palanca-Soler A (2008). Spatial and temporal distribution of three aquatic beetles (Dytiscidae) in Monegros arid zone, NE Spain. Ann. Fac. Bio. Iasi, Romania
Zaharescu D, Palanca-Soler A, Burghelea C, Palanca CN (2006). Alpine collections at high altitudes: Implementing a new educational strategy in the Central Pyrenees. Proceedings, BGCI´s 6th International Congress on Education in Botanic Gardens, Oxford, UK.
Conference presentations
Zaharescu DG, Hooda PS, Fernandez J, Burghelea CI, Palanca-Soler A (2009). Natural enrichment with As in a high mountain cirque in the Pyrenees. William Smith meeting: Environment, Pollution and Human Health, September 21-23, London.
Burghelea C, Zaharescu D, Palanca-Soler A (2008). Development under stress. Fluctuating asymmetry of Rana perezi from Monegros arid zone (NE Spain). XXth International Congress of Zoology (ICZ), August 26-29, Paris.
M’Hadhbi L, Zaharescu D, Gharred T, Palanca-Soler A, Boumaïza M (2008). Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the tissues of two flatfishes (Platichtys flesus and Solea vulgaris) from the outer coast and Ría of Vigo, NE Atlantic (Spain). ICZ, August 26-29, Paris.
Burghelea C, Zaharescu D (2007). Spatial and temporal distribution of three species of aquatic beetles (Dytiscidae) in Monegros arid zone, NE Spain. Annual Meeting “Human Impact on the biodiversity”, September 28-30, Iasi, Romania.
M´Hadhbi L, Zaharescu D, Gharred T, Boumaiza M, Palanca-Soler A (2007). Anatomical development in the skeleton of European flounder (Platichthys flesus, Linnaeus, 1758) in Ria de Vigo (Spain). Annual Meeting “Human Impact on the biodiversity”, September 28-30, Iasi, Romania.
Zaharescu D, Hooda P, Palanca-Soler A, Fernandez FJ (2007). An investigation of arsenic and other trace elements in Lake Respomuso and its catchment area. 30th Congress of the International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology (SIL), August 12-18, Montreal, Canada.
Zaharescu D, Palanca SA, Burghelea C, Palanca NC, Fernandez FJ (2007). Sitting on the shore of a remote aquascape: a two tails tale of fish introduction and frogs distribution in high altitude lakes. 30th Congress of the International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology (SIL), August 12-18, Montreal, Canada.
Burghelea C, Zaharescu D (2007). Feeding behaviour of Rana perezi (Seoane 1885) in artificial wetlands of Monegros arid zone, northern Spain. 30th Congress of the International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology (SIL), August 12-18, Montreal, Canada.
Burghelea C, Zaharescu D (2007). Fluctuating Asymmetry as a tool for biodiversity conservation of artificial aquascapes in arid zones. 30th Congress of the International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology (SIL), August 12-18, Montreal, Canada.
Zaharescu D, Burghelea C (2007). Feel the stress in artificial wetlands of arid zones. 5ème Symposium Morphométrie et Evolution des Formes, 26-27 mars, Paris, France.
Zaharescu D, Palanca-Soler A, Burghelea C, Palanca CN (2006). Alpine collections at high altitudes: Implementing a new educational strategy in the Central Pyrenees. In Proceedings, BGCI´s 6th International Congress on Education in Botanic Gardens, September 10-14, Oxford, U.K.
Zaharescu D, Palanca-Soler A, Aparicio LD (2006). Water catchments and protected species: predicting the spatial distribution of Vipera aspis populations in a Pyrenean glacial cirque. Annual Conference 2006, Water and the Landscape: The Landscape Ecology of Freshwater Ecosystems, September 5-8, Oxford, U.K.
Zaharescu D, Palanca CN, Fernández FJ, Palanca-Soler A, Burghelea C, Bouza RB (2006). Lacs glaciaires dans le paysage: relation biodiversité- milieu ambiant. La 8ème Conférence Internationale des Limnologues d'Expression Française (CILEF 2006), 18-21 mars, Hammamet, Tunisia.
Zaharescu D, Palanca CN, Fernández FJ, Palanca-Soler A, Burghelea C (2006). Révision de la limite altitudinale supérieure de distribution de Rana temporaria dans les Pyrénées. La 8ème Conférence Internationale des Limnologues d'Expression Française (CILEF 2006), 18-21 mars, Hammamet, Tunisia. Burghelea C, Zaharescu D, Castán LC, Palanca-Soler A, Bouza RB (2006). Utilisation de méthodes anatomique et géographique en études de dégradation des milieux aquatiques. La 8ème Conférence Internationale des Limnologues d'Expression Française (CILEF 2006), 18-21 mars, Hammamet, Tunisia.
Zaharescu D, Tilica D (2001). Corbicula fluminea fluminalis (Müller 1774), a new mussel species at the Danube-Black Sea Channel. Annual Meeting “Biology and Sustainable Development”, November 8-10, Bacau, Romania.
Zaharescu D (2000). The human impact concerning the benthic biocoenosis of terminal part of river Axios (Greece). Annual Meeting “The Ecology and Protection of the Ecosystems”, November 9-10, Bacau, Romania.
Nicoara M, Zaharescu D, Miron S (2000). Contributions to the study of macroinvertebrate fauna from the wetland Larga Jijia- Vladeni (Iasi County). Annual Meeting “The Ecology and Protection of the Ecosystems”, November 9-10, Bacau, Romania.
Mustata G, Zaharescu D, Tilica D (2000). The particular bioderma with Merceriela enigmatica tube worm from Constanta South - Agigea harbour (Romanian Black Sea coast). Annual Meeting “The Ecology and Protection of the Ecosystems”, November 9-10, Bacau, Romania.
Supervisors Antonio Palanca Soler, Animal Anatomy Lab, Faculty of Sciences, Vigo University, Spain
Peter Hooda, School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, Kingston University, London, UK
Last update: September 17, 2009
Member
in professional organisations
SIL (International Society of Limnology): since 1998 AFL (Association Française de Limnologie): since 2005 EPCN (European Pond Conservation Network): since 2007 GLEON (Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network): since 2007
_resize.jpg "Head of Llena Cantal glacial cirque (background peaks), Central Pyrenees, seen from Las Ranas lake (article graphical entry)")
_resize.jpg "Fig. 1 Digital elevation model of Piedrafita cirque (Central Pyrenees) with hydrological and geological features and the location of sediment and water sampling sites. The areas with high sediment (A)/water (B and A) arsenic content are enclosed in squares.")
_resize.jpg "Fig. 3 Variation in enrichment with natural arsenic (As normalised to Al2O3, mg kg-1) of sediments along the different stream courses/lakes of Piedrafita cirque. Numbers represent sampling locations and enrichment values (in brackets). The embedded graph shows the association of As enrichment levels to areas with different geology of the cirque.")