In 1920, Emil Racovita, one of the most prominent Romanian biologists, founded the first speological institute in the world, at Cluj. This institute was conceived as a universal model for the synthetic basic research of the subterranean domain. In the organization and orientation of the speological research, Emil Racovita cooperated with two well-known scientists: a Frenchman, Rene Jeannel, an eminent entomologist and a Swiss, P.A. Chappuis, a specialist in subterranean aquatic Crustacea.
After a period of eclipse during World War II, in 1956, under the direction of Professor Constantin Motas, Traian Orghidan and Margareta Dumitrescu, the Speleological Institute was reorganized, in two centres, one in Bucharest and one in Cluj. In 1958, its founder's name became the emblem of the renewed "Emil Racovita" Speological Institute which was meant to continue the complex scientific investigation of the underground, including Biospeleology, Physical Speleology and Speleopaleontology.
Organised after 1990 under the auspices of the Romanian Academy, the Speleological Institute consists of five departments representing the following branches: Biospeleology, Phreatobiology, Speleopaleontology, Geospeology and Regional Karstology and Karst Cadastre. Similar directions are also developed in Speleological department in Cluj with emphasis on Speleoclimatology and Glaciology.
Biospeleology. Phreatobiology
These departments include well-known specialists in the taxonomy of various invertebrate groups distributed in temperate, peri-Meditarranean and tropical regions. Investigations are focused on three main directions: (I) the development of models concerning the function of some natural subterranean ecosystem-types which can be used in the analysis of epigean ecosystems with similar structure, in solving theoretical problems of function as well as in ecological predictions; (II) studies on monitoring and biodiversity in karst zones and in underground networks, both natural and perturbed; (III) studies on the role of the edaphofauna in the process of amelioration of soils and vegetation in calcareous areas. These investigations are complemented by ecological and ethological studies upon subterranean terrestrial and aquatic taxa, organisation and function of trophic chains in karstic systems, dynamics of underground populations and other related topics. In addition, protection of euedaphic and subterranean ecosystems, especially those developed in karst areas, is also part of the activities of these departments.
Speleopaleontology
The paleontological programs are devoted to the study of Quaternary and pre-Quaternary mammalian assemblages from karstic and stratified deposits. Karst fossiliferous accumulations are very rich in mammal remains which are exceptionally suited for the study of the biological evolution under climatic constraints. The themes proposed concern the phyletic, biostratigraphic, paleoclimatic and paleontological significance of the mammalian taxa. An important topic in this field is the use of trends in morphological evolution in order to establish biostratigraphic subdivisions and their correlation on a continental scale. The knowledge of past epochs has made great advances in dating techniques (including 14C, U/Th dating, and oxygen isotopes in deep sea cores) and it became imperative to establish the relatioship between oceanic data and climates and faunal evolution in the terrestrial environment.
Geospeleology. Regional Karstology and Karst Cadastre
The geosystemic approach to the subterranean environment in an integrated spatial and causal context - the Karst - led to the creation of the distinct departments devoted to Geospeleology and to Regional Karstology and Karst Cadastre. The former studies the karst systems, their functions and dynamics, the latter the genesis and content of these karstic systems and their spatial networks.
In the frame work of Geospeleology, the main directions of scientific research are in the fields of Geology, Hydrogeology and Sedimentology of the karst areas in a program which aims at the knowledge of the Carpathian and Pontic karst within the European evolutionary context.
The department of Regional Karstology and Karst Cadastre includes three research directions: Geomorphology, Hydrochemistry and Karst Cadastre. Its program is to individualise and to study the karst areas of Romania in comparison with those from other morphostructures and climates of the world, in order to draw up the Atlas of the Romanian Karst.
Having a long tradition and an experienced staff (35 researchers), the Speleological Institute seeks to maintain a high scientific standard and to continue to play a leading role in the various branches of Speleology and Karstology. The institute co-operates with all non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved in the exploration, the investigation and the inventory of the Romanian Karst, achieving thus a national co-ordination of these specific activities. About 12,000 caves are known so far on the Romanian territory.
Since 1983, the Speleological Institute has organized a yearly Symposium on Theoretical and Applied Karstology, open to participants from all countries.
Through its specific activities, scientific expeditions (Spain, Cuba, Venezuela, Israel, Norway, Switzerland) and co-operative projects (the Subterranean Laboratory at Moulis, the Arago Laboratory at Banyuls-sur-Mer, the Museum of Natural History in Paris, the Laboratory of Quaternary Geology from Luminy-Marseille, the Uranium-series Dating Laboratory from Bergen University (Norway), the French Federation of Speleology, the Swiss Speleological Society, the Austrian Institute of Limnology (Mondsee), the Zoological Institute of the Republic of Moldova, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Cincinnati (U.S.A.), the Speleological Institute seeks to make a significant contribution to the development of Speleology and Karstology in the specific areas of the study of subterranean biota, remains of fossil mammals and human cultures, Hydrology, Hydrogeology, Hydrochemistry, Crystallography, Mineralogy, Sedimentology, Geomorphology and other related disciplines. One has become aware of the importance of studies in these fields and it is clear now that groundwater and karst Ecology, as well as protection of karst areas are on the brink of an explosive international developments.
In 1926, at Cluj, Emil Racovita started the series of publications of the Speleological Institute with the 1st volume of Lucrarile Institutului de Speologie din Cluj (1920-1924). This was an impressive volume of 553 pages, bound and beautifully ilustrated, containing the reprinting of part of papers published with his close collaborators Rene Jeannel and P.A. Chappuis in scientific or cultural reviews of the whole world. This series, without a rigorous periodicity, was to be continued, further tomes being published depending on the received contributions. Each volume was subdivided into issues corresponding in chronological order to a well-defined time span. The scientific articles were preceded by an Avant-Propos Written by the Master himself and, they concluded with an extremely important item, an Index of described species.
During his life, Emil Racovita edited seven tomes, the last dating from 1936. After 1940, the war and the refuge from Cluj to Timisoara as well as the post-war economic and political instability, followed by Racovita's death (1947) greatly perturbed the activities of the Speleological Institute at Cluj. In 1948, a short time before his expulsion from Romania, P.A. Chappuis who had assumed the direction of the Institute, succeeded in publishing a few bound copies of the two further volumes (VIII and IX) which mark the end of the series. The IXth volume contains the published papers up till 1941, the whole series including 127 issues, more than 4500 pages and approximately 6000 illustrations.
Although the Speleological Institute was reorganised in 1956, it is not untill 1963 that another volume of papers was printed. Afterwards, the new periodical of the "Emil Racovita" Speleological Institute has been published annually under the auspices of the Romanian Academy, the papers in Romanian having summaries in one or two foreign international languages. By tradition, to the former title the name of Emil Racovita was added as founder of the Speleological Institute (Lucrarile Institutului de Speologie "Emil Racovita", volumes I to VIII). Since 1970, this periodical meant for an international exchange has received a French title, Travaux de l'Institute de Speleologie "Emil Racovitza" (volumes X to XXXIV), the accepted articles being in French, English or German.
The most important scientific events of Romanian Speleology (meetings, expeditions, anniversaries) were followed by the publication of a collection of papers. Allocutions and scientific communications presented at Speleological Meetings dedicated to the Centenary of Emil Racovita and to the Semicentenary of the "Emil Racovita" Speleological Institute were published in two volumes (Livre du centanaire "Emile G. Racovitza" and Livre du cinquantenaire de l'Institute de Speologie "Emil Racovitza"). Biospeleological expeditions to Cuba and Venezuela opened two series of volumes devoted to the diffusion of scientific results: Resultats des expeditions biospeologiques cubano-roumaines a Cuba (vols. I to IV) and Fauna hypogea y hemiedafica de Venezuela y de otros paises de America del Sur (vol. I).
The wide variety of activities undertaken in the frame of the Speleological Institute, from the study of the subterranean domain and its faauna to that of the genesis and complexity of karst and peri-karst areas, has led to the publication of a karst review, Theoretical and Applied Karstology. Intended at the beginning as a series and printed at its own cost, since 1992, this review become a periodical supported by the Romanian Academy.
The remarkable and provocative discovery of a small cave in southern Dobrogea, named "La Movile Cave" with a particular genesis and containing the first subterranean ecosystem functioning independently of the surface photoautotrophic carbon fixation in green plants, including a troglobitic fauna considered as sensational through its adaptations to mesothermalism and sulphurous environment, was a good opportunity for publishing another occasional review to syntheses and collections of papers with monographic aspect - Miscellanea speologica romanica (vols. I and II).
To these periodicals or series of publications, indicated above in chronological order, may be added various catalogues, booklets and hand-books for the use of the cave explorers as well as programs and summaries concerning the scientific meetings organised by the Speleological Institute.
Address in Cluj: Clinicilor 5, P.O.Box 58, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Tel. & Fax +40.64.195954
Address in Bucharest: Frumoasa 11, 78114 Bucharest 12, Romania. Tel.
& Fax +40.1.2113874
E-mail: sconstantin@pcnet.pcnet.ro
This text was compiled by Dr. Costin Radulescu (Director of the "Emil Racovita" Speleological Institute)
