Cladogenesis and endemism in Tanzanian mole‐rats,genus Fukomys: (Rodentia Bathyergidae): a role for tectonics?

African mole‐rats of the family Bathyergidae are subterranean hystricomorph rodents found throughout sub‐Saharan Africa, where the distributional ranges of the most speciose taxa are divided by the African Rift Valley. In particular, mole‐rats of the genera Heliophobius and Fukomys are distributed widely, and their adaptive radiation appears to have been strongly influenced by the geological process of rifting. As a result, virtually all members of the genus Fukomys occur in locations west of the Rift Valley. However, a small number of isolated populations occur east of the Rift Valley in Tanzania, where Heliophobius is widespread and is the predominant bathyergid rodent. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences of previously unstudied Tanzanian mole‐rats (genus Fukomys) and geographically adjacent populations strongly suggests that vicariance in the Western Rift Valley has subdivided populations of mole‐rats and, together with climatic changes, played a role in the isolation of extralimital populations of Fukomys in Tanzania. Together with molecular clock‐based estimates of divergence times, these results offer strong support for the hypothesis that the observed patterns of cladogenesis are consistent with tectonic activity in the ‘Mbeya triple junction’ and Rungwe volcanic province between Lakes Rukwa and Nyasa. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 100 , 337–352.     

Biogeography and diversity among montane populations of mouse shrew (Soricidae: Myosorex) in Tanzania

We assess variation in morphological and molecular characters among three species of Myosorex (the mouse shrew) –Myosorex geata, Myosorex kihaulei, and Myosorex zinki– as a means to test previously proposed biogeographic hypotheses for Tanzanian ‘sky islands’ and systematic hypotheses for Tanzanian mouse shrews. We analyse 17 cranial and dental variables using multivariate statistics and perform phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses on sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA; samples are drawn from every known Tanzanian population of Myosorex. Morphometric and phylogenetic analyses reveal that M. zinki is distinct, but that currently isolated populations of M. geata and M. kihaulei are relatively similar to one another, and may not have been isolated over geological time scales. Analyses of molecular variance identify statistically significant, but limited, genetic variation within and between isolated populations of M. geata and M. kihaulei. Between two putative regional biogeographic boundaries, greater genetic variation is explained by grouping populations on either side of the Ruaha River than by grouping populations on either side of the Makambako Gap. Our results are in agreement with recent studies illustrating the close relationship between faunas of the Southern Highlands and southern Eastern Arc Mountains, diminishing the apparent importance of the Makambako Gap as a historical biogeographic barrier. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 100 , 669–680.     

云南哀牢山地区蕨类植物区系的垂直分布格局

根据大尺度的物种分布信息,利用聚类分析和数理统计的方法分析了云南哀牢山蕨类植物区系的垂直分布格局。研究结果表明,随着海拔的升高,热带区系成分所占比重呈显著递减趋势,而温带区系成分所占比重呈明显递增趋势。在整个海拔梯度上,东亚分布和热带亚洲分布成分始终占主导地位。区系过渡性随着海拔的升高呈先增强后减弱的单峰分布格局,平衡点出现于海拔1700 m左右。基于区系成分比重的聚类分析表明,在海拔1300 m,1900 m和2600 m左右,将海拔梯度上的蕨类植物分为4组,这与各海拔段内的物种组成和区系成分性质是一致的。     

淀山湖基于初级生产力的鲢鳙富营养化控制

于2008年10月—2009年9月,采用黑白瓶测溶氧法对淀山湖湖南区和围隔区初级生产力进行逐月测定,依据测定的湖南区初级生产力估算鲢、鳙渔产潜力及合理放养量,讨论温度、透明度、营养盐、叶绿素a等理化因子与初级生产力的相关性,分析鲢、鳙放养对淀山湖水体营养物质的定量去除效果。结果表明:1)湖南区平均水柱日毛产量(PG)为4.02gO2.m-2,8月最高、1月最低,净产量(PN)为1.99gO2.m-2,年PN/PG=52%;2)0～0.5m水层对水柱初级生产力贡献最大,湖南区占32.3%、围隔区占32.2%;3)初级生产力与透明度、水温呈明显正相关,与其他理化因子相关性不明显;4)淀山湖浮游植物年生产量为28.18×104t,按鲢鳙3:1比例放养,鲢渔产潜力为1621.58t,鳙为1216.18t,鲢合理放养量为16.94t.km-2,鳙合理放养量为6.35t.km-2;5)以淀山湖每年渔产2837.76t计算,可以固定氮、磷分别为85.50t、7.63t,由此可使淀山湖水体中氮、磷含量分别降低0.67和0.06mg.L-1。     

新疆其木干剖面中新世-上新世沉积物粘土矿物特征及其古气候指示意义

为重建新疆其木干地区中新世-上新世古气候,采用X射线衍射、扫描电子显微分析方法,对该区中新世-上新世沉积物中粘土矿物的相对含量、组合类型及显微形貌等进行了研究。结果显示:中新世早期-早中新世中期,沉积物中粘土矿物以伊利石和绿泥石为主,含少量的蒙脱石,表明以干旱气候为特征;晚中新世中期-早中新世晚期,伊利石的相对含量逐渐降低,且含有少量的蒙脱石和高岭石,指示相对温湿的气候条件;中新世晚期的粘土矿物组分与中新世早期相似,以伊利石和绿泥石为主,指示古气候以干旱为主导;晚中新世晚期至上新世伊利石相对含量降低,而蒙脱石和高岭石的相对含量升高,但由于粘土矿物中伊利石、绿泥石的含量仍然较高,指示古气候仍然以干旱为主导,但相对于中新世而言,这段时期为相对湿润期。以上结果表明,新疆其木干地区中新世-上新世古气候以干旱为主,并且气候经历了干旱-相对湿润-干旱-相对湿润的演化过程,但总体而言,本区中新世比上新世要更为干旱。     

Fire, fuels and restoration of ponderosa pine–Douglas fir forests in the Rocky Mountains, USA

Aim Forest restoration in ponderosa pine and mixed ponderosa pine–Douglas fir forests in the US Rocky Mountains has been highly influenced by a historical model of frequent, low‐severity surface fires developed for the ponderosa pine forests of the Southwestern USA. A restoration model, based on this low‐severity fire model, focuses on thinning and prescribed burning to restore historical forest structure. However, in the US Rocky Mountains, research on fire history and forest structure, and early historical reports, suggest the low‐severity model may only apply in limited geographical areas. The aim of this article is to elaborate a new variable‐severity fire model and evaluate the applicability of this model, along with the low‐severity model, for the ponderosa pine–Douglas fir forests of the Rocky Mountains. Location Rocky Mountains, USA. Methods The geographical applicability of the two fire models is evaluated using historical records, fire histories and forest age‐structure analyses. Results Historical sources and tree‐ring reconstructions document that, near or before ad 1900, the low‐severity model may apply in dry, low‐elevation settings, but that fires naturally varied in severity in most of these forests. Low‐severity fires were common, but high‐severity fires also burned thousands of hectares. Tree regeneration increased after these high‐severity fires, and often attained densities much greater than those reconstructed for Southwestern ponderosa pine forests. Main conclusions Exclusion of fire has not clearly and uniformly increased fuels or shifted the fire type from low‐ to high‐severity fires. However, logging and livestock grazing have increased tree densities and risk of high‐severity fires in some areas. Restoration is likely to be most effective which seeks to (1) restore variability of fire, (2) reverse changes brought about by livestock grazing and logging, and (3) modify these land uses so that degradation is not repeated.     

Gradual evolutionary transformations of ontogeny in an Ordovician ostracod lineage

Carapace morphology was studied biometrically for each instar in a series of populations of Mojczella Olempska 1988 from the Ordovician strata exposed in Mójcza, Holy Cross Mountains, Poland. Phosphatic coatings of ostracod valves occur there in abundance from the top of the Arenig to the Late Caradoc. The lineage shows smooth acceleration in ontogenetic expression of the junction of crests C1 and C3, which originally were separated throughout the ontogeny, while in the latest populations the separation was preserved only in the earliest moult stage. Moreover, the velar structure, being originally developed as a wide, slightly convex, flange-like dolon in heteromorphs, became transformed into a convex dolon.     

Cytological studies on the genus Holcoglossum (Orchidaceae)

The karyotypes of ten species of Holcoglossum (Orchidaceae), a highly endangered and diversified genus from China, were investigated to study the infrageneric relationships, biogeography, and speciation patterns in the Hengduan Mountains. The karyotype formulae of the studied species are as follows: 2 n  = 38 = 20m + 18sm in H. subulifolium , 2 n  = 38 = 22m + 16sm in H. amesianum , 2 n  = 38 = 26m + 12sm (6 SAT) in H. lingulatum , 2 n  = 38 = 26m + 12sm in H. wangii , 2 n  = 38 = 10m + 28sm in H. kimballianum , 2 n  = 38 = 14m + 22sm + 2st in H. flavescens , 2 n  = 38 = 24m + 12sm + 2st in H. rupestre , 2 n  = 38 = 14m + 20sm + 4st in H. sinicum , 2 n  = 38 = 16m + 14sm + 8st in H. weixiense , and 2 n  = 76 in H. tsii . The karyotypes of two tropical species, H. amesianum and H. subulifolium , are the most primitive in the genus, whereas those of four temperate alpine species, H. sinicum , H. rupestre , H. weixiense , and H. flavescens , are more advanced. H. tsii is a tetraploid and H. rupestr e may be one of its ancestors. The low frequency of polyploidy in Holcoglossum in the Hengduan Mountains region supports the conclusion that chromosome stasis during rapid speciation is common there.  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 154 , 283–288.     

Transitional reef-to-basin facies of Lower Frasnian limestones determined by microfacies analysis (Wietrznia,Holy Cross Mts,Poland)

Wietrznia section is situated between the shallow-water carbonate platform in the Kielce region and the Łysogóry basin. The transitional facies of the Wietrznia Frasnian includes two overlapping types of deposits: (1) thin-bedded dark-coloured limestone-marl alternations similar to the basin facies and (2) coarse-grained detrital limestones. Three lithotypes of limestones were identified: laminated or graded micritic, nodular, and detrital. The petrographic study makes it possible for the recognition of six major microfacies (MF 1 to MF 6). These lithotypes were formed by redeposition in a low- to high-energy environment. Their source material was the stromatoporoid-coral Dyminy reef in the central part of the Kielce region. Storms are considered to be the main agent, which causes in erosion and transport; micritic limestones and distal tempestites occur together, whereas detrital limestones are associated with proximal tempestites. Most probably, part of the detrital beds was formed as a result of grain-flow initiated under storm conditions.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Salpingoporella</Emphasis>? <Emphasis Type="Italic">popgrigorei</Emphasis>, a new species of Dasycladales (calcareous algae) from the Lower Aptian deposits of Pădurea Craiului (northern Apuseni Mountains,Romania)

A new dasycladalean alga Salpingoporella? popgrigorei n. sp. was identified in P?durea Craiului Mountains (northern Apuseni, Romania) in the Lower Aptian limestone of the Valea Bobdei Member. The new alga was found within the external platform coarse bioclastic facies with fragments of corals, sclerosponges, bivalves (including rudists), gastropods, echinoderms, brachiopods, and bryozoans. The micropaleontological assemblage consists of foraminifera, calcareous algae, rare rivulariacean-type cyanobacteria, and some problematic microfossils. The deposits are Early Bedoulian in age, as clearly indicated by the orbitolinid foraminifera Orbitolinopsis pygmaea, Paracoskinolina sunnilandensis and Palorbitolina lenticularis. Salpingoporella? popgrigorei n. sp. is a medium-sized dasycladalean alga showing funnel-like laterals with an euspondyl arrangement. The laterals consist of two distinctive parts. The proximal part is narrow and flattened. The distal part widens relatively suddenly, and then narrows slightly before the final widening towards the exterior, in the place where the laterals most probably formed an assimilatory cortex. The distinctive features of the new species are represented by the shape of the laterals. The new Salpingoporella best resembles the Upper Hauterivian–Lower Barremian p.p. Salpingoporella genevensis (Conrad), especially due to the quadrangular aspect of the laterals in middle-deep tangential section. However, differences refer to the laterals’ general shape, and to the typical features of the laterals in deep tangential section of Salpingoporella? popgrigorei n. sp.