Delta vegetation is represented mainly by a specific vegetation wetlands (reed, bulrush, sedge, mixed with dwarf willow) and covers 78% of the total. Riverside coppices occupies 6% of the delta, are forests of willow, ash, alder, poplar, which grow on river levees, are regularly flooded and the stitches are covered by water and floating aquatic vegetation, occupying 2% of the delta. There is also the forests and fields Letea Caraorman and consist of gray oak, English oak, ash, poplar, elm, climbing plants.
Recent research has led to the identification of 955 species of wild cormophytes, including:
Eurasian elements (28%)
Eastern (24%)
European (14%)
cosmopolitan and adventive.
From an environmental perspective only a quarter of species (26%) are related to the aquatic environment (hydrophilic, hydrophilic and higromezofile), the rest being mesophilic, xerophyte, eurifile, halophile, psamofile. Note dominant give reed, bulrush, willows, floating plants (water lilies, cornacii, sickle). Find refuge in its delta some rare species, such as Ephedra distachya, Carex colchica, Nymphaea candida, Convolvulus persicus.
Fauna
Contains more than 320 species of birds as well as 45 freshwater fish species in its numerous lakes and backwaters. This is where millions of birds from different corners of the Earth (Europe, Asia, Africa, Mediterranean) come to roost. Major species of fish in the Danube Delta are pike and sleep.
Delta is a paradise fauna. Here lives 98% of European aquatic fauna, the whole fauna of Sighisoara, the lepidopteran aquatic mollusks and gastropods from Europe and here its rare mammals found refuge as lutreola Mustela, Lutra lutra and Felis silvestris. Vertebrates which, by their presence, give notice specifying the delta fauna. Amphibians are represented by two strange species and six species of anuria, with 8 species and reptiles, mostly snakes (4 species).
Fish are present in 65 species, mostly freshwater (60%), the rest of spring migrating from the Black Sea. Among the latter, sturgeon and mackerel are important, both scientifically and economically.
Birds are the ones that have created the fame of the Delta, known since the beginning of the century as an avian paradise. Fame is due to the 327 species that can be met in the delta that represents 81% of the fauna of Romania. Of these 218 species nest, the remaining 109 species passing through the delta and different periods of time remaining in autumn, winter and spring.
Aquatic birds are the most numerous: 81 nesting species and 60 species pass through the delta, a total of 141 species, representing 82% of European aquatic fauna. Aquatic fauna of the Danube Delta consists of a core of old species are well adapted to the aquatic environment, plus, accessories species and cosmopolitan species. Core avifauna is composed of 75 species whose life is related to the presence of water. They are grouped in five main ecological types: species closely related to water, strictly stenotope (dip, mirabelle, furtunari, pelicans, cormorants, spoonbills), species of reeds (all species of aquatic paseriforme) shore species (herons, fallow herons, spoonbills), hydrophilic vegetation species rich meadows with reeds (ralide), species of marine shores (some laride).
Many species, especially of ducks, geese, gulls, frequently occur in different biotopes. Accessory species are those that integrate secondary aquatic fauna, becoming increasingly turning as many aquatic ecosystems. Meadows are inhabited by Silvia, Flycatcher, filomele, Pitigoi, finches, plus, during the nesting ducks, cormorants and herons. In Letea forests and 64 species nest Caraorman nemoral typical forest avifauna (Silvia, blackbirds, woodpeckers, macaleandru, Pitigoi, starling, and tailed (Haliaetus albicilla), Milvus, dwarf eagle, osprey, etc.. Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) was introduced through colonization rapidly developing population. In sandy steppe meadows are specific partridge, quail, cicârliile, Stone Curlew (Burchinus oedicnemus). The delta villages, in addition to households, are common Collared Dove, House Sparrow, Swallow , stork, swallow.
In the Danube Delta are several types of colonies: herons, spoonbill, herons and cormorants, pelicans and cormorants, gulls, and the avoazete ciocântorsi, the Black Tern, the terns. Pelican colony strictly protected area-Buhaiova Rosca is the largest in Europe and is an example of a mixed colony *. This is associated with several thousand pairs of white pelicans, with tens to hundreds of pairs of Dalmatian pelican and cormorant sea in a landscape reminiscent of Jurassic Park. Access is allowed only near the colony specialists who have obtained special permits from ARBDD of Tulcea.
