My recent investigations of Jurassic and Cretaceous floras of Israel and adjacent areas lead me to conclusion that in the Mesozoic the region was tightly connected with northern Africa as well as with southern Europe. Analysis of the distribution of Jurassic and Cretaceous ammonites, insects and frogs confirms these connections. The situation in the Mesozoic remarkably resembles the recent distribution of plants and animals as shown recently by Israeli zoologists and botanists.

These results remind us of  the idea of Krassilov that the distribution of Cretaceous floras is better seen on the modern map, than on any reconstructed map.

Another conclusion is that the relative movements of the African, Arabian and Eurasian plates during the Tertiary and Quaternary did not influence much, if at all, plant and animal geography. The modern picture of plant and animal distribution in the Old World appears to date back to at least since the Jurassic.

Dear colleagues and friends,

    This Website is devoted to the problem of responsibility of referees for their reviews. Sometimes they use their anonymity for irresponsible conclusions and rejection the paper which does not correspond his ideas.
    Some time ago I got a refusal from “Journal of Biogeography” in London to publish my paper
 “Levant in the geological past - a bridge or a barrier?” I would not mind getting a rejection on the basis of scientific remarks, even if I do not agree with them. But the referee added  a conclusion which is absent in my paper. And this fictitious idea was his main reason for not accepting the paper for publication.
    I suggest analyzing this case in which the decision of referee is based on a fictitious statement in my paper and also to look for hidden purposes for the rejection. It was not a scientific decision. I consider this review to be a very dangerous precedent for our science.

  The paper “Levant in the geological past - a bridge or a barrier?”
was published in Russian (with English abstract) a year ago:
Dobruskina, I. A. (2000) Levant in the geological past: a bridge or a barrier? Bull. MOIP
(Bull. Of  Moscow Society of Naturalists), otd. Geol., # 75, vyp. 3, p. 3-12. Moscow

    I thought it would be a good idea  to publish these results also in English. In October 2000 I sent an English translation of the paper to “Journal of Biogeography” in London. On June 5, 2001 I received a refusal to publish my paper for very, very… …let us call it ...  strange...  reasons..

    I do not worry about the decision of Editor. I worry very much about incorrect, unjust and unfriendly judgement of my paper by the referee. It was not a scientific judgement. Even more, it is based on a false statement about my conclusions, a statement which is his fantasy, a conclusion the referee added. I am concerned very much by this incorrect description of my paper and my ideas. I think that all of us should have the same concern. And I would like to inform everyone about this referee from "Journal of Biogeography" as many scientists as possible.

    For this purpose I have put in this Website “Comment of referee” and my answer to the Editor.
    I also put here a "line by line" answers to every comment of the referee.
    You can find in this Website also the full English translation of my paper.  May be somebody would like to become acquainted with my investigations or to check my complaints.

    To introduce myself to readers I  put here  my Curriculum Vitae and list of my publications

Fields of Research:
Geological mapping in the Caucasus, Soviet Far East, Siberia, Middle Asia.
Stratigraphy of Mesozoic deposits of the USSR.
Palaeobotany of Eurasia.
Teaching: Geological Mapping, Palaeobotany, Stratigraphy.

List of publications consists of 4 books and 95 papers

Award:
1995, March: Geological Society of Israel awarded a price named in honor of R. Freund for the book
“Triassic floras of Eurasia” published by the Austrian Academy of Sciences in 1994.

Employment:
1996 - 1999 The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Institute of Earth Sciences.
                    Position: researcher in project “Giladi”
1994 - 1996 Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ben-Gurion  University, Beer-Sheva
                    Position: researcher
1990 - 1994 The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Institute of Earth Sciences.
                    Position: Associate Professor.
1964 - 1989 USSR Academy of Sciences, Geological Institute.
                    Position: Junior researcher, senior researcher, leading researcher in the  laboratory of Paleofloristics
                    and  Stratigraphy (including work in field  expeditions).
1957 - 1964 Moscow State University (Lomonosov), Faculty of Geology.
                    Position: Laboratory technic, researcher in Amur Geological party (including  work in field expeditions).

Studies:
1977 - D. Sci. Thesis: “Triassic floras of Eurasia (stratigraphic position, systematics,  phytogeography)”.
            USSR Academy of Sciences, Geological Institute
1964 - Ph. D. Thesis: “Stratigaraphy and flora of the Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous  of the Amur river”.
             Moscow State University (Lomonosov), Faculty of Geology.
1960 - 1964 Moscow State University (Lomonosov), Faculty of Geology.
            Specialization: Geology and Palaeobotany. Doctorat studies.
1957 - M.  Sc. Thesis: “Stratigrahpy of Jurassic and Cretaceous deposits of the Main Caucasus Ridge”.
1952 - 1957 Moscow State University (Lomonosov), Faculty of Geology.
            Specialization: Geology (Stratigraphy)
 

1. 1961: Mesozoic flora of the Upper Amur. - Vestnik Mosk.un-ta,  ser.geol., # 6: 25-35 (in Russian)
2.  1962 a: Some new data on the stratigraphy and flora of continental  Mesozoic deposits of the Upper Amur. - In: Engineering geology problems of the Upper Amur (in Russian)
3.  ---- b: Lower Mesozoic deposits. - In: Geology and engineering geology characteristics of the Upper Amur valley, chapter 6, MGU (in Russian).
4.   ---- c: Lower Cretaceous flora of the Upper Amur. - Bull.MOIP, otd. geol., # 6 (in Russian).
5. 1964: New Jurassic cycadophytes from the Upper Amur. - Paleont. zhurn., # 2: 132-142 (in Russian).
6. 1965 a: Revision of the Jurassic flora of the Amur River, described by O. Heer. - Paleont. zhurn.,  # 3: 110-118 (in Russian).
7. ---- b: New data on the Tolbuzin palaeofloristic assemblage (the Upper Amur River). - Vestn.   Mosk. un-ta, ser. geol., # 2: 62-74 (in Russian).
8. ---- c: On the age of the Lower Shilka and Argun continental deposits. - Bull. MOIP, otd. geol.,  40, #6 (in Russian).
9. ---- d: On the presence of gigantopterids in the USSR territory. - Doklady AN SSSR, 171, # 5:   1187-1190 (in Russian).
10. 1967 a: On the great palaeobotanical wall, genus Gondwanidium, real and false, and yet about a  good tradition to the details (Palaeobotany  and continent drift hypothesis). - Znanie - sila, # 7(in   Russian). With S. V. Meyen.
11. ---- b: Biogeographical analysis of the Triassic flora of the Russian platform and Priuralye. -   Bull. MOIP, otd. geol., 42, # 2: 151-152 (in Russian).
12. 1968: On the boundary between the Middle and Upper Triassic in the continental sediments of  the USSR. - Izv. AN SSSR, ser. geol., # 9: 87-90 (in Russian).
13. 1969: Genus Scytophyllum (the morphology, epidermic texture and systematic position). - Trudy  GIN AN SSSR, vyp. 190: 35-58 (in?Russian).
14. 1970 a: The age of the Madygen Formation and the Permian -Triassic boundary in Middle Asia.  - Sov. geologia, #12: 16-28 (in Russian).
15. ---- b: The Triassic floras. - Trudy  GIN AN SSSR, vyp. 208: 158-212 (in Russian).
1972: Induan stage. - Bol. Sov. Entsiklopedia, 26 (in Russian).
16.  1973 a: Are there Upper Triassic plant-bearing deposits in Middle Asia? - Bull. MOIP, otd. geol.,  48, # 5: 55-70 (in Russian). With N. P. Gomolitskiy.
18. ---- b: Karnian stage. - Bol. Sov. Entsiklopedia, 11 (in Russian).
19. ---- c: Ladinian stage. - Bol. Sov. Entsiklopedia, 14 (in Russian).
20. 1974 a: Norian stage. - Bol. Sov. Entsiklopedia, 17 (in Russian).
21. ---- b: Olenekian stage. - Bol. Sov. Entsiklopedia, 18 (in Russian).
22. ---- c: The Triassic lycopsids. - Paleont. zhurn., # 3: 111-124 (in Russian).
23. 1975 a: Rhaetian stage. - Bol. Sov. Entsiklopedia., 22 (in Russian).
24. ---- b: Significance of the peltaspermous pteridosperms in the Late Permian and Triassic floras.  - Paleont. zurn., # 4: 120-132 (in Russian).
25. 1976 a: Correlation of the Triassic continental sediments. - Sov. geologia, # 3: 34-45 (in Russian).
26. ---- b: The Permian - Triassic boundary. - In: The boundaries of the geological systems: 145-166..  Izd. Nauka (in Russian).
27. ---- c: The Triassic - Jurassic boundary. - In: The boundaries of  the geological systems: 167-184.  Izd. Nauka (in Russian).
28. 1977 a: An important contribution to the knowledge of the Earl  Mesozoic flora. - Paleont. zhurn.,  # 4: 146-149 (in Russian).
29. ---- b: History of development of Eurasian Mesophytic floras. - In: Abstracts of XXIII session  of VPO: 28-29 (in Russian).
30. ---- c: Palaeontological evidences of the presence of the Lower and Upper Triassic in the Eastern  Predkavkazye. - Bull. MOIP, otd. geol., 52, # 4: 94-102 (in Russian).
31. ---- d: Triassic period /system. - Bol. Sov. Entsiklopedia, 26 (in Russian).
32. ---- e: Upper Triassic plant-bearing beds in the East Cis-Caucasus. - Izv. AN SSSR, ser. geol.,  # 3:63-72 (in Russian). With V. A. Vakhrameev, E. A. Zhatkova, O. P. Yaroshenko.
33. 1978 a: Die Trias Floren. - In: Palaeozoische und mesozoische Floren Eurasiens und die Phytogeographie dieser Zeit.: 101-131. VEBG.Fischer Verl. - Jena.
34. ---- b: Relationships in flora and fauna evolution during the transition from the Palaeozoic to   Mesozoic. - In: The problems of stratigraphy and geological history: 127-139. Izd. MGU (in Russian).
35. 1980 a: Mesozoic gymnosperms. -  Reference Manual (in Russian). With coauthors.
36. ---- b: Mesozoic higher spore plants. - Reference Manual (in Russian). With coauthors.
37. ---- c: Stratigraphical position of Triassic plant-bearing beds of Eurasia. - Trudy GIN AN SSSR, vyp. 346: 164 p. (in Russian).
38. 1981: Triassic Period/System (a translation of the thired edition of Great Soviet Encyclopedia, vol. 26, 1977). - Copyright Nac Millan Educational Corporation, 1981, vol. 26: 334-336. Mac Millan, Inc - New York;mCollier  MacMillan Publishers, London.
39. 1982 a: Macro- and microflora possibilities in view of stratigraphical subdivision and correlation of the Triassic. - Abstracts of the XXVIII session. of VPO: 11-13 (in Russian). With O. P. Yaroshenko.
40. ---- b: Meridional phytogeographical  zonation in the Triassic of Eurasia. - Bull. MOIP, otd. geol., 57, # 2: 143-144 (in Russian).
41. ---- c: Triassic floras of Eurasia. - Trudy GIN AN SSSR, vyp. 365: 196 p. (in Russian).
42. 1983 a: Subdivision of the Upper Triassic deposits of Kuma area (Cis-Caucasus).
- Sov. geologia, # 4: 54-63 (in Russian). With V. A. Vakhrameev,  E. A. Zhatkova, E. O. Turtygina.
43. ---- b: The relationships between the Triassic floras of both sides of the Northern Atlantic Ocean. - Bull. MOIP, otd. geol., # 3: 83-96 (in Russian). With O. P. Yaroshenko.
44. 1984: Triassic conifers as the basis for stratigraphical correlation.- Geobios, # 17, fasc. 6: 861-863 - Lyon.
45. 1985 a: Correlation of the Lower Triassic plant-bearing beds of Siberia and China. - Albertiana, # 3: 21-23 - Utrecht.
46. ---- b: Madygen flora (USSR, Middle Asia) as a typical representative of Keuper floras. - Memoria di simposio sobre floras del Triassico Tardio, su  Fitogeografia y paleoecologia. III Congresso Latino-Americano de Paleontologia, Mexico: 11-19. Publicado por Inst. Geol. UNAM de Mexico -Mexico.
47. ---- c: Questions on systematic of Triassic lycopods. - Paleont. zhurn., # 3: 90-104 (in Russian).
48. ---- d: The relationships between the Triassic floras of both sides of the Northern Atlantic Ocean. - Memoria di simposio sobre floras del Triassico Tardio, su Fitogeografia y paleoecologia. III Congresso Latino-Americano de Paleontologia, Mexico: 21-31. Publicado por Inst. Geol. UNAM de Mexico - Mexico.
49. --- e: Triassic flora of the Russian platform. - In: Triassic deposits of the Russian platform, Izd. Saratov University: 88-100 (in Russian) - Saratov.
50. 1986 a: Are there Upper Permian deposits in Gornyi Mangyshlak  - Geologia i Razvedka, # 9: 92-95 (in Russian). With V. R. Lozovski.
51. ---- b: Buntsandstein conifers in the Korvunchana flora. - In:"Biostratigraphy  of the Mesozoic of Siberia and the Far East". Trans. Inst. Geol. Geoph. of Siberian branch AN  SSSR, vyp. 649: 72-76 (in Russian). With N. K. Mogutcheva.
52. ---- c: Correlation of the Lower Triassic plant-bearing beds of Siberia and China. - In: The Permo - Triassic  events in the development of organic world of North Eastern Asia: 24-32, Izd. DVNTZ SSSR (in Russian) - Vladivostok.
53. ---- d: On the age of the Tunguska volcanics. - Geologia I Geofizika, # 1: 29-37 (in Russian). With N. K. Mogutcheva.
54. ---- e: The Permo-Triassic boundary in continental deposits of Siberia.- Permophiles (A Newsletter of the Subcomission on Permian Stratigraphy), # 10, January 1986: 5-6.
55. 1987 a: History of the Triassic flora and geological history. - In: "Historical geology: results and perspectives",Izd. MGU: 230-242 (in Russian).
56. ---- b: Lepidopteris from Northern Viet Nam. - Geobios, # 20, fasc. 1: 129-132 - Lyon.
57. ---- c: Phytogeography of Eurasia during the Early Triassic.  Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 58: 75-86 - Amsterdam.
58. 1988 a: Collections of the Lunz flora in Graz. - Mitt. Abt. Geol. Palaeont. Landesmus. Joanneum, Graz, heft 47: 19-25 - Graz.
59. ---- b: "Perestroyka" in the plant kingdom of Eurasia during the Triassic.  Resumes de Seminaire de Palaebotanique. Lille, 31 Mai - 1 Juin 1988 (Organization Francaise de Paleobotanique): 6 - Lille.
60. ----c: The history of land plants in the Northern hemisphere during the Triassic, with special reference to the floras of Eurasia. - Geol. Palaeont. Mitt. Innsbruck, 15: 1-12 - Innsbruck.
61. 1989 a:  Alpine Lunz Flora - a standard flora of the Karnian stage of the Triassic. - Izv. AN SSSR, ser. geol., # 11: 57-64 (in Russian).
62. ---- b: Correlation of Triassic plant - bearing beds of the Northern Hemisphere. - Abstracts of the 28th International Geological Congress in Washington DC, July 1989, vol. 1: 401-402. Washington.
63. ---- c: Palynological background of the Triassic - Jurassic boundary  of Kendelbachgraben, Austria. - Abstracts of the 6-th All Union Palynological Conference "Palynology and economic minerals, Minsk,  December 18-22:
 (in Russian). With M. A. Petrosyantz and M. N. Shelekhova.
64. ---- d: Particuliarities of the Lower Triassic stage of florogenesis. - In: "Problems of stratigraphy of the Upper Proterozoic and Phanerozoic", trudy GIN AN SSSR, vyp. 431: 146-156 (in Russian).
65. 1990 a: "Perestroyka" in the plant kingdom at the Palaeozoic -Mesozoic boundary. - Abstracts of Intern. Conf. on Late Palaozoic and  Mesozoic floristic change, 16-20 April, Cordoba: 7-8.
66. ---- b: Phytogeographical zonation in the Cretaceous. - Cretaceous field conference in Israel, Program and Abstracts, Jerusalem, Israel, Sept. 5-15: 9.
67. Triassic System (Period). - Mining Encyclopedia, vol. 5: 186-188. Izd-vo "Sovetskaya Enzyclopedia", Moscow (in Russian).
68. 1992 a: Asian Triassic Floras. - IOP (International Organisation of Palaeobotany, 4th conference, Paris, Abstracts, p. 50.
69. 1993 a: Mesozoic plant kingdom and plate tectonics. - Annual Meeting of Israel Geol. Soc., ed. I. Gabrieli, March 15é18 of 1993, Arad: 26.
70. ---- b: Relationships in flora and fauna evolution during the transition from the Palaeozoic to Mesozoic. - Bull. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, # 3: 107-112 (Trans. Intern. Symposium and Field Trip on the Nonmarine Triassic, 17-24 October, 1993, Albouquerque, New Mexico.
71. ---- c: The first data on Seefeld Conifer Flora (Upper Triassic; Tirol, Austria). - Bull. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, # 3: 113-115 (Trans. Intern. Symposium and Field Trip on the Nonmarine Triassic, 17-24  October, 1993, Albouquerque, New Mexico.
72. ---- d: Triassic plants and Pangea. - Program and abstracts of annual convetion of Canadian  Society of  Petroleum  Geology with Global Sedimentary  Geological  Program "Carboniferous to Jurassic Pangea" (August 15-19, 1993, Calgary, Canada): p.79.
73. 1994 a: Triassic floras of Eurasia. - Osterreich. Akad. d. Wissenschaften,Schriftenreihe d. Erdwiss. Komissionen, bd. 10: 408 p., 74 figs, 13 charts. Springer Verlag: Wien, New York.
74. ---- b: Damage from using computors. - IOP (International Organization of Paleobotany) Newsletter, vol. 52: 7-8.
75. 1995 a: Angiosperm fruit from the Lower Cretaceous of Israel and origins in rift valleys. -  Paleontological Journal, 20 (2A), p.110-115 (1996 Scripta Technica, Inc.). With V. A. Krassilov.
76. ---- b: Carboniferous and Permian plant localities in the Middle Cisural.  - Permophiles (A Newsletter of the Subcomission on Permian Stratigraphy),  # 27, November 1995: 13-17, 1 fig. With M. V. Durante.
77. ---- c: Fossil woods from Makhtesh  Ramon: stratigraphy, mineralogy, bilogy. - Annual Meeting of Israeli Geol. Soc., March 1995, ed. by Y. Arkin and  D. Avigad: p. 21. With Y. Gruzman Y.
78. ---- d: Keuper flora from Middle Asia (Madygen, Southern Fergana). - New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, bul. 5: 49 p., 46 plates, 17 figs, 4 charts, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
79. ---- e: Mesozoic floras of Israel. - Annual   Meeting of Israeli Geol. Soc., March 1995, ed. by Y. Arkin and D. Avigad: p. 20.
80. ---- f: The first review of Israeli fossil     floras. - International Conference on diversification and evolution of terrestrial plants in geological time, September 4-6, 1995, Nanjing, China: p.29-30.
81. ---- g: Triassic plants and Pangea. - The Paleobotanist, 44: p.116-127.
82.  1996 a: Alpine Triassic floras as standard floras  for global correlation. - Abstracts of the 30th International Geological Congress in Beijing, China, 4-14 August 1996, vol. 2: 63. Beijing.
83.  ---- b: An open letter to the Chief of International Stratigraphic Commission Prof. J. Remane. - Permophiles (A Newsletter of the Subcomission on Permian Stratigraphy), # 29, December 1996: 8.
84---- c: Connections of Israeli Upper Cretaceous flora with coeval floras of adjacent regions. - "Rheedea", 37: 15 p, 4 figs.
85.  ---- d: The Gerofit flora and its connections with coeval floras. - Annual Meeting of Israeli Geol. Soc. in Eilat, March 1996, ed. by Amit R et al.: p.21.
86.  ---- g. Permian plant localities in the northern Cisurals. Permian plant localities in the southern Cisurals.  - Permophiles (A Newsletter of the Subcomission on Permian Stratigraphy), # 28: 25-27. With M. V. Durante.
87.  1997  a: Rise and development of Late Palaeozoic phytochoria. Transition from Palaeophytic to Mesophytic. - Memorial conference dedicated to S. V. Meyen, abstracts. March 26, 1997. GIN RAS and Moscow Soc. of Naturalists, Moscow, p. 11-12 (in Russian). With  M. V. Durante.
88.  1997 b: Turonian plants from the southern Negev, Israel. - "Cretaceous Research", 17: p. 1-21.
89.  1997 c: Finds of fossil insects in Israel. - Paleontological Journal, # 5, p. 91-95 (in Russian).  With A. G. Pononarenko and A.P. Rasnitsyn.
90.  1998 a: Changes in floral composition, phytogeography and climate around the margins of the Russian Platform from the Carboniferous to the Triassic. – Abstracts of the International Symposium ”Upper Permian Stratotypes of the Volga Region”, 28 July – 3 August 1998. With M. V. Durante
91.  1998 b: Comparison between Triassic floras of the German Basin and the Alps. – Abstracts of the Epicontinentsl Triassic Symposium, Halle/Saale, Germany, September 21-23, 1998.
92.  1998 c: A Gramminoid Plant from the Cretaceous of the Middle East. - Paleontological Zhurnal, # 4: 106-110 (in Russian). With  V. A. Krassilov.
93.  1998 d: A Gramminoid Plant from the Cretaceous of the Middle East. - Paleontological Journal, # 4: 429-434 (Translation from Paleontological Zhurnal, # 4: 106-110). With  V. A. Krassilov.
94.  1998 e: Lunz flora in the Austrian Alps - a standard for Carnian floras. –"Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology", # 143 (4): 307-346. Amsterdam.
95. 1999. Final Discussion of the International Symposium ”Upper Permian Stratotypes of the Volga Region” (August, 2, 1998). – Proceedings of International Symposium ”Upper Permian Stratotypes of the Volga Region”, 28 July – 3 August 1998, Kazan State University, Tatarstan, Russia: 370-374 (in Russian), 374—377 (in English). Moscow, GEOS.
96. 1999: Upper Ctretaceous flora of Slovenia. – Annals  for Istran and Mediterranean Studies 17/ 99, series historia naturalis, 9, 2: 243-268: Koper. With Bogdan Jurkovsek and Tea Kolar-Jurkovsek.
97. 1999: The microspores of Pleuromeia rossica Neuburg  (Lycopsida; Triassic): comparative ultrastructure and phylogenetic implications. – C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris. Sciences de la terre et des planets/ Earth & Planetary Sciences, 329: 435-442. With Bernard Lugardon and Lea Graufogel-Stamm.
98. 2000: Comparative ultrastructure of the megaspores of the Triassic lycopsid Pleuromeia rossica Neuburg. – C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris. Sciences de la terre et des planets/ Earth & Planetary Sciences, 330: 501-508. With Bernard Lugardon and Lea Graufogel-Stamm.
99. 2000: Levant in the geological past: a bridge or a barrier? – Bull. MOIP (Bull. Of Moscow Society of Naturalists), otd. Geol., # 75, vyp. 3: 3-12 (in Russian). Moscow.

Note. The list includes four books:
37.  1980 c: Stratigraphical position of Triassic plant-bearing beds of Eurasia. - Trudy GIN AN SSSR, vyp. 346: 164 p. (in Russian).
41. 1982 c: Triassic floras of Eurasia. - Trudy GIN AN SSSR, vyp. 365: 196 p. (in Russian)
73. 1994 a: Triassic floras of Eurasia. - Osterreich. Akad. d.Wissenschaften, Schriftenreihe d. Erdwiss. Komissionen, bd. 10: 408 p., 74 figs, 13 charts. Springer Verlag: Wien, New York.
78.1995 d: Keuper flora from Middle Asia (Madygen, Southern Fergana). - New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, bull. 5: 49 p., 46 plates, 17 figs, 4 charts, Albuquerque, NM, USA