O. G. Dely szerk.: Vertebrata Hungarica 18. (Budapest, 1978)

Kordos, L.: Historico-zoogeographical and ecological investigation of the subfossil vertebrate fauna of the Aggtelek Karst 85-100. o.

represent Late Bronze Age (700 B.C., younger Sub-Boreal Phase). Consequently, this stratigraphical column reveals an uninterrupted evolution of a fauna if roughly 2700 years. On the basis of the relative frequency distribution of vertebrate species (Figs. 2-3) together with the rough knowledge of their age, as well as on the basis of detailed floristic investigations made on the Torna Karst and especially on the Nagyoldal by JAKUCS (19 54, 19 65) the area displacement of plant associations from the late Bronze Age till now can be detected. Fig. 3. Frequency distribution diagram of the remains of Amphibia, Reptilia and bats of Nagy oldal Shaft According to JAKUCS (1954) by this time from the agricultural area of the Szelce Valley up to 350 m a.s.l. a typical oak-forest with gromwells (Querceto-Lithospermetum) has developed with a degraded karstic scrub forest on its margins (

Querceto-Cotinetum

). Upwards to about 450 m a.s.l. this plant association is gradually replaced by the Stipa pulcherrima subassociation of Caricetum humilis association. This ruprestine grass contains aboriginal endemic plant species. At 525-530 m a.s.l. in a thick soil the community of plateau grasses, Ca

ricetum humilis and on the ridges near the Oltárkő the oldest Seslerium Heuflerianae association are present. On the plateau of the Nagyoldal at first the Querceto-Cotinetum Melica-Waldsteinia karstic scrub