Late Jurassic ichthyosaurs from the Neuquén Basin,Argentina

Late Jurassic ichthyosaurs are well represented in the Tithonian of the Neuquén Basin, in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. Most of the ichthyosaur material from the Neuquén Basin was originally identified as Ophthalmosaurus. Recently, the new ichthyosaur genus Caypullisaurus was described, based on an almost complete mature specimen from Cerro Lotena. Some material previously referred to Ophlhalmosaurus has been referred to the new genus. However, both genera are present in the Tithonian of the Neuquén Basin. The discovery of an articulated forefin in Cajón de Almanza (near Loncopue, Neuquén) confirms the presence of Ophthalmosaurus in the uppermost Tithonian of the Neuquén Basin.     

Pollen biology in four Mediterranean Quercus species

Potential pollen production, viability and germination were studied in the most important species of Quercus in the mountains of Córdoba to determine the contribution of each species to the total amount of airborne pollen. The results were compared over two consecutive years with different rainfall patterns. The viability of pollen grains was determined at anther opening, and during the pollination period, in order to determine potential pollination capacity. Results indicated that there were differences in the number of pollen grains produced by stamen in the four species. Equally, there were differences in the number of flowers among the species, being Q. suber the species with higher number of catkins groups and flowers per individual tree. Total pollen production per tree can be summarized in the following proportion: 1: 3: 3: 6 (Q. coccifera, Q. ilex ssp. ballota, Q. faginea and Q. suber). Potential pollen viability was estimated using the Fluorochromatic Reaction (FCR) and a germination assay. The results have shown that Quercus potential pollen viability is high and declines slowly with time. Q. coccifera was the species with the highest percentage of germination, with Q. suber being the lowest.     

Comparison of population genetic patterns in two widespread freshwater mussels with contrasting life histories in western North America

We investigate population genetic structuring in Margaritifera falcata, a freshwater mussel native to western North America, across the majority of its geographical range. We find shallow rangewide genetic structure, strong population‐level structuring and very low population diversity in this species, using both mitochondrial sequence and nuclear microsatellite data. We contrast these patterns with previous findings in another freshwater mussel species group (Anodonta californiensis/A. nuttalliana) occupying the same continental region and many of the same watersheds. We conclude that differences are likely caused by contrasting life history attributes between genera, particularly host fish requirements and hermaphroditism. Further, we demonstrate the occurrence of a ‘hotspot’ for genetic diversity in both groups of mussels, occurring in the vicinity of the lower Columbia River drainage. We suggest that stream hierarchy may be responsible for this pattern and may produce similar patterns in other widespread freshwater species.     

近60年挠力河流域生态系统服务价值时空变化

根据1950-2005年挠力河流域土地利用数据,利用中国陆地生态系统单位面积生态服务价值当量表,对近60年挠力河流域生态系统服务价值的时空变化进行研究.结果表明,自1950年至2005年,挠力河流域生态系统服务价值逐渐减少,由749.84亿元降低至308.82亿元,损失约58.82％;价值空间格局由以高价值区为主导的状态逐渐转化为以低价值区为主导的状态,且价值质心由北向南发生转移;挠力河流域生态系统服务价值的全局自相关指数逐渐减小,高-高自相关类型沿河流主干道逐渐萎缩,且呈现破碎化趋势,低-低自相关类型呈先减少后增加的“V”趋势,呈现不显著连片化趋势.人为垦殖活动是该流域生态系统服务价值时空动态变化的主要驱动因素.     

基于遥感和GIS的巢湖流域生态功能分区研究

生态功能分区是区域自然资源科学管理及可持续发展利用的基础。基于生态功能分区原则,考虑流域——子流域完整性进行巢湖流域生态功能分区。在综合分析巢湖流域生态环境基本特征的基础上,确定生态功能分区原则、依据、方法及命名,基于遥感与GIS在数据采集方面及多层面叠加功能的优势,通过遥感数据对研究区土地利用信息的提取以及利用DEM空间分析进行子流域划分等技术手段,探讨了遥感和GIS技术支持下的研究区子流域生态功能划分方法,形成了巢湖流域生态功能分区方案,将全流域分为5个生态功能区和12个生态功能亚区,并阐明了不同生态功能区的生态保护重点与经济社会发展约束。对于新调整行政区划的巢湖流域生态环境综合治理具有重要的现实意义,可为流域产业布局、生态防灾减灾、环境保护与建设规划等提供科学依据。     

临夏盆地早中新世上庄组的巨獠犀门齿化石(英文)

记述了在临夏盆地早中新世地层中发现的兰州巨獠犀(Aprotodon lanzhouensis)的下门齿化石,其特点为非常粗壮并强烈弯曲。新材料的发现使巨獠犀在临夏盆地的延续时代跨越渐新世/中新世界线的推测得到完全证实。巨獠犀分布的地质时代和地理范围与巨犀重合,但巨獠犀的化石地点和个体数量都相当稀少。巨獠犀的下颌形态功能特点指示其生活于晚始新世至早中新世中国西北、南亚和中亚干旱环境地带中镶嵌分布的少量近水环境。巨獠犀在中中新世之前彻底绝灭,其原因可能是气候变化的结果,也说明临夏盆地早中新世的环境特征与晚渐新世的疏林系统相似,而不同于中中新世的茂密森林。     

盐生荒漠净生态系统碳交换的涡度相关法和箱式法对比

将叶面积指数的季节动态,与箱式法同步观测得到的同化枝净光合（呼吸）速率和土壤呼吸速率相结合,对群落碳交换进行估算,并以此验证盐生荒漠涡度相关数据的可靠性。结果表明:盐生荒漠生态系统年叶片生物量为51.30±5.56 g·m^-2,其中90.45%以上来源于多枝柽柳的贡献;而整个生长季,群落叶面积指数（LAI）呈单峰形式变化,从5月30日—9月30日,LAI介于0.18⁰.30,并在第197天达到最大值。涡度相关法和箱式法对群落碳交换的测定结果表明,群落碳交换存在显著的季节变化,并于7月中旬达到碳同化峰值,与LAI有显著的相关性（P<0.001）。对比发现,两种测量方法对群落碳交换日过程的测定结果有很好的一致性,但对夜间生态系统呼吸的测定,涡度相关法较箱式法存在略微的低估,引起这种低估的原因可能是夜间湍流较弱。     

Taxonomic challenges in freshwater fishes: a mismatch between morphology and DNA barcoding in fish of the north‐eastern part of the Congo basin

This study evaluates the utility of DNA barcoding to traditional morphology‐based species identifications for the fish fauna of the north‐eastern Congo basin. We compared DNA sequences (COI) of 821 samples from 206 morphologically identified species. Best match, best close match and all species barcoding analyses resulted in a rather low identification success of 87.5%, 84.5% and 64.1%, respectively. The ratio ‘nearest‐neighbour distance/maximum intraspecific divergence’ was lower than 1 for 26.1% of the samples, indicating possible taxonomic problems. In ten genera, belonging to six families, the number of species inferred from mtDNA data exceeded the number of species identified using morphological features; and in four cases indications of possible synonymy were detected. Finally, the DNA barcodes confirmed previously known identification problems within certain genera of the Clariidae, Cyprinidae and Mormyridae. Our results underscore the large number of taxonomic problems lingering in the taxonomy of the fish fauna of the Congo basin and illustrate why DNA barcodes will contribute to future efforts to compile a reliable taxonomic inventory of the Congo basin fish fauna. Therefore, the obtained barcodes were deposited in the reference barcode library of the Barcode of Life Initiative.     

Neogene sloth assemblages (Mammalia,Pilosa) of the Cocinetas Basin (La Guajira,Colombia): implications for the Great American Biotic Interchange

We describe sloth assemblages from the Cocinetas Basin (La Guajira peninsula, Colombia), found in the Neogene Castilletes and Ware formations, located in northernmost South America, documenting otherwise poorly known biotas. The tentative referral of a specimen to a small megatherioid sloth, Hyperleptus?, from the early–middle Miocene Castilletes Formation, suggests affinities of this fauna with the distant Santa Cruz Formation and documents a large latitudinal distribution for this taxon. The late Pliocene Ware Formation is much more diverse, with five distinct taxa representing every family of ‘ground sloths’. This diversity is also remarkable at the ecological level, with sloths spanning over two orders of magnitude of body mass and probably having different feeding strategies. Being only a few hundred kilometres away from the Isthmus of Panama, and a few hundred thousand years older than the classically recognized first main pulse of the Great American Biotic interchange (GABI 1), the Ware Formation furthermore documents an important fauna for the understanding of this major event in Neogene palaeobiogeography. The sloths for which unambiguous affinities were recovered are not closely related to the early immigrants found in North America before GABI 1.