Predicting small‐mammal responses to climatic warming: autecology,geographic range,and the Holocene fossil record

Forecasting how species will respond to climatic change requires knowledge of past community dynamics. Here we use time‐series data from the small‐mammal fossil records of two caves in the Great Basin of the American West to evaluate how contrasting and variable local paleoclimates have shaped small‐mammal abundance dynamics over the last ～7500 years of climatic change. We then predict how species and communities will respond to future scenarios of increased warming and aridity coupled with continued spread of an invasive annual grass (Bromus tectorum). We find that most community‐level responses to climatic change occur in the mammalian abundance structure at both sites; the dominance of the community by individuals from species with a southern geographic affinity increases with climatic warming. This suggests that responses occurred in situ rather than by the immigration of new taxa over this time interval. Despite predictability at the community‐scale, species‐level relationships between abundance and climate are variable and are not necessarily explained by a species' geographic affinity. Species present at both sites, however, exhibit remarkably similar responses to climate at each site, indicating that species autecology (specifically dietary functional group) is important in determining response to climatic warming. Regression‐tree analyses show remarkable concordance between the two cave faunas and highlight the importance of a granivorous dietary strategy in this desert ecosystem. Under projections of increased temperature and decreased precipitation over the next 50 years, our results indicate that granivores should thrive as communities become more dominated by individuals with a southern geographic affinity. Granivores, however, are negatively impacted by the invasion of cheatgrass. The last century of anthropogenic impacts has thus placed granivores at a greater risk of extinction than predicted under climate‐only scenarios.     

Developing a vision for improved monitoring and reporting of riparian restoration projects

Representatives from agencies involved in natural resource management in the Murray‐Darling Basin gathered for a workshop in November 2010 to develop a vision for improved monitoring and reporting of riparian restoration projects. The resounding message from this workshop was that the effectiveness of riparian restoration depends on having sound, documented and agreed evidence on the ecological responses to restoration efforts. Improving our capacity to manage and restore riparian ecosystems is constrained by (i) a lack of ecological evidence on the effects of restoration efforts, and (ii) short‐termism in commitment to restoration efforts, in funding of monitoring and in expected time spans for ecosystem recovery. Restoration at the effective spatial scope will invariably require a long‐term commitment by researchers, funding agencies, management agencies and landholders. To address the knowledge gaps that constrain riparian restoration in the Basin, participants endorsed four major fields for future research: the importance of landscape context to restoration outcomes; spatio‐temporal scaling of restoration outcomes; functional effects of restoration efforts; and developing informative and effective indicators of restoration. To improve the monitoring and restoration of riparian zones throughout the Basin, participants advocated an integrated approach: a hierarchical adaptive management framework that incorporates long‐term ecological research.     

The roles of Neogene geology and late Pleistocene lake levels in shaping the genetic structure of the Lahontan redside shiner Richardsonius egregius (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)

Shifting drainage patterns in western North America, shaped by geological activity and changing global climates, have influenced the evolution of many aquatic taxa. We investigated the role of late Pleistocene high stands in pluvial Lake Lahontan on the genetic structure of Richardsonius egregius, a minnow endemic to the Lahontan Basin of the western Great Basin. We used the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene to generate a phylogeny and assess intraspecific genetic diversity, to estimate divergence times between clades, and to evaluate whether gene flow currently occurs. The results obtained show that R. egregius exhibits genetic divergence between eastern and western Lahontan Basin populations. Divergence time estimates show that intraspecific genetic diversification began in the Pliocene or early Pleistocene, before the pluvial lake high stands associated with the last glacial maximum. These results imply that the fluctuating water levels in pluvial Lake Lahontan had a minimal effect on shaping the genetic architecture of R. egregius. Coalescent analyses using the immigration with migration model show that contemporary gene flow between eastern and western Lahontan Basin populations does not occur. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 104 , 163–176.     

塔里木盆地塔河油田奥陶系牙形类的再沉积

牙形类化石因具微小、量多、硬度高、抗风化等特点,有时会在合适的沉积环境及外营力地质作用中,出现较老时代的分子混入其上覆较新地层中的再沉积现象。位于塔河油田沙雅隆起的奥陶系富产牙形类,由于长期存在北山南海退缩式的古地理格局,北剥蚀区外地质营力的频繁作用伴生多期古风化壳形成,导致南区一些钻井中陆续发现牙形类的再沉积现象。表...     

土地覆被变化的水文响应模拟研究

采用近年来快速发展的水文模型模拟的手段,应用SWAT模型模拟了长江上游梭磨河流域不同土地覆被情景下的多年降水径流关系,定量地评估了梭磨河流域的土地覆被变化对径流、蒸发和洪峰流量的影响．结果表明,随着土地覆被状况由无植被到全是有林地覆被,径流深减小,蒸发量增加,枯季径流深减小幅度明显小于雨季的减小幅度,而且雨季初期径流深减小的幅度大于雨季后期．相同的洪水重现期,流域全为有林地覆被的情景比无植被的情景洪峰流量减小31．2％．现状覆被与未来最佳覆被之间在较大洪水上的差别不大,在较小洪水上的差别稍大．     

苏北盆地高邮凹陷D1井白垩纪-古近纪微体古生物地层及沉积环境

高邮凹陷D1井富含介形虫、轮藻和孢粉等化石。通过系统的微体古生物分析,首次对该地区白垩纪一古近纪微体古生物地层进行了精确划分,从下到上共建立11个化石组合：其中介形虫4个,轮藻4个,孢粉3个。文中还简要探讨了沉积环境演变,为该地区油气勘探提供有力的生物地层依据。     

从塔北隆起奥陶纪钙藻化石探讨奥陶纪的古环境

塔里木盆地塔北隆起轮南46井、英买1、2井奥陶纪石灰岩内含有大量的钙藻化石、蓝细菌以及疑难微体化石。这些钻井岩芯均在深达5000-6200m的地下深部取得。钙藻主要为绿藻类的Dasyporella,Ver‘miporella,Moniliporella以及?Plexa;红藻类的管孔藻类Solenoporaceans;钙化蓝细菌则有Girvanella,Botomaella,?Subtifloria等;疑难微体化石有Bevocastria,Nuia,Rothpletzella。这些钙藻生活于热带或亚热带正常盐度的浅海水内,其水深不到20m。世界各地的奥陶纪Vermiporella均位于古赤道的两侧,这表明它们是在气候炎热、温暖海水中生活的一类海洋藻类。Girvanella以藻灰结核和内碎屑最为常见,某些球粒可能代表Girvanella破碎后形成的单管或小棒。塔里木盆地钙藻植物群相似于哈萨克斯坦、波罗的海周围地区以及北美同时代植物群,这表明这些钙藻和蓝细菌化石具有遍布于全球的性质。塔北隆起早、中奥陶世沉积属于典型的碳酸盐岩台地相沉积。到晚奥陶世时,碳酸盐岩沉积被浅水陆棚沉积所取代,以陆源碎屑岩为主,夹少量的碳酸盐岩。     

湖北秭归盆地中侏罗世陈家湾组孢粉组合的发现及其意义

本文首次报道了湖北秭归盆地陈家湾组孢粉组合,该组合可归入Cyathidites minor-Classopollis Callialasporites为代表的组合,时代属中侏罗世。陈家湾组孢粉组合的特征反映了秭归盆地中侏罗世泄滩组、陈家湾组和沙溪庙组三个组的孢粉组合的面貌基本一致,仅早期组合与中、晚期组合略有差别。建议以Gyathidites minor-classopollis-callialasportes组合代表湖北西部——重庆地区中侏罗世孢粉组合,早期为Lunzisporites pallidus亚组合,中晚期为Converrrcosisporites venitus亚组合。根据孢粉植物群在本区侏罗纪垂直分布情况,提出早侏罗世时期属亚热带一热带炎热潮湿气候环境,植物生长茂盛;早侏罗世之后,潮湿的气候仍占主导地位,但出现了干旱的先兆;中侏罗世早期进入了半干旱阶段,随后即为炎热干旱的气候所笼罩;至晚侏罗世达到非常干旱的程度,植物种类十份单调,唯有掌鳞杉科植物占据着统治地位。     

海河流域生态需水核算

从生态系统角度分析了生态需水内涵和生态需水与生态用水概念的差别。探讨了海河流域自然陆地、河流、湿地、城市 4种生态系统类型生态需水核算方法 ,并对其生态需水量进行了核算。大气降水首先被天然植被利用后形成地表径流 ,才能被人类管理利用来满足经济水量和生态水量需求。从水资源管理来说 ,河流、湿地、城市等生态需水来源于径流性水资源可称为狭义生态需水 ,而包括利用降水性水资源的天然植被生态需水在内的全部生态系统生态需水可认为是广义的生态需水。狭义生态需水是水资源管理及生态需水研究和关注的重心。研究结果表明 :海河流域河流生态需水 31.6 4× 10 8m3,占多年平均天然径流量的 12 % ;湿地生态需水为 34.31× 10 8m3,占 13% ;城市生态需水量 10 .83× 10 8m3,占 4 .1% ,3项合计占径流总量的 2 9.1%。生态需水量是一个动态的值 ,随生态保护目标的提高和经济的发展核算结果必然发生变化 ,维护生态环境质量的状况不同 ,也存在最大、最小生态需水量的阈值问题 ,此类问题需今后进一步研究