The Middle Asian Element in the Southern Rocky Mountain Flora of the western United States: a critical biogeographical review

Aim Presentation of an hypothesis suggesting that the extraordinarily similarity of the Russian Altai and the American Southern Rocky Mountain Flora represents an Oroboreal Flora; that had to have had an essential continuity across the northern part of the world in the Tertiary period, constituting a highland and steppe component of the better‐known Arcto‐Tertiary Flora of eastern and far‐western North America and eastern Asia. Location North America and Middle (Altai) Asia. Methods Summarization of the author's field and herbarium studies of whole floras over a period of over 60 years, consisting of successive specializations in vascular plants, lichens, and bryophytes. Main conclusions (1) The modern alpine and associated marginal steppe and montane floras contain taxa of Tertiary age. (2) The floras of the southern mountains antedate those of the present‐day Arctic. (3) The Middle Asiatic and the North American floras once enjoyed a contiguous existence over a broad area involving connections between North America and Asia across the North Pole by way of Greenland. Their present disjunctions are products of extinction and attrition of ranges, not of long‐distance migration or dispersal mechanisms. (4) North‐eastern North American disjunctions of so‐called Cordilleran species (the Nunatak hypothesis) need not require explanations involving long‐distance dispersal or migration, but represent relictual populations of the once widely distributed Oroboreal flora.     

Macroinvertebrate drift in a Rocky Mountain stream

An extensive series of drift collections from a Rocky Mountain stream was used to investigate quantitative patterns in the taxonomic composition of drift throughout spring, summer and fall for 1975–1978. Drift was estimated by drift rate, the number of organisms drifting past a point per 24 h; and by drift density, the numbers of organisms collected per 100 m³ of water sampled.Drift densities were up to ten times greater by night than by day, and 24 h drift densities for the total fauna approached 2000 per 100 m³ in June–July, declining to <500 by autumn. Ephemeroptera, and especially Baetis, dominated the drift. Drift rates were greatest in late spring, around 10⁶ per 24 h, which are among the highest values reported for small trout streams. Drift rates declined to <10⁵ during the summer, and shifts in the taxonomic composition are described.Multiple regression analysis of the relationship between drift rate and density, and the independent variables discharge, benthic density and temperature, showed that discharge typically was a significant predictor of 24 h drift rate, usually the best single predictor. In contrast, 24 h drift density most frequently was independent of discharge, indicating that this measure tends to correct for seasonal variation in discharge, as suggested in the literature. However, this was not invariably true. Drift density significantly correlated with benthic density in five of eight taxa inspected, thus seasonal declines in the benthos probably accounted for parallel declines in drift density.     

Phylogenetic Composition of Rocky Mountain Endolithic Microbial Ecosystems

The endolithic environment, the pore space in rocks, is a ubiquitous microbial habitat. Photosynthesis-based endolithic communities inhabit the outer few millimeters to centimeters of rocks exposed to the surface. Such endolithic ecosystems have been proposed as simple, tractable models for understanding basic principles in microbial ecology. In order to test previously conceived hypotheses about endolithic ecosystems, we studied selected endolithic communities in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States with culture-independent molecular methods. Community compositions were determined by determining rRNA gene sequence contents, and communities were compared using statistical phylogenetic methods. The results indicate that endolithic ecosystems are seeded from a select, global metacommunity and form true ecological communities that are among the simplest microbial ecosystems known. Statistical analysis showed that biogeographical characteristics that control community composition, such as rock type, are more complex than predicted. Collectively, results of this study support the idea that patterns of microbial diversity found in endolithic communities are governed by principles similar to those observed in macroecological systems.     

Phylogenetic composition of Rocky Mountain endolithic microbial ecosystems

The endolithic environment, the pore space in rocks, is a ubiquitous microbial habitat. Photosynthesis-based endolithic communities inhabit the outer few millimeters to centimeters of rocks exposed to the surface. Such endolithic ecosystems have been proposed as simple, tractable models for understanding basic principles in microbial ecology. In order to test previously conceived hypotheses about endolithic ecosystems, we studied selected endolithic communities in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States with culture-independent molecular methods. Community compositions were determined by determining rRNA gene sequence contents, and communities were compared using statistical phylogenetic methods. The results indicate that endolithic ecosystems are seeded from a select, global metacommunity and form true ecological communities that are among the simplest microbial ecosystems known. Statistical analysis showed that biogeographical characteristics that control community composition, such as rock type, are more complex than predicted. Collectively, results of this study support the idea that patterns of microbial diversity found in endolithic communities are governed by principles similar to those observed in macroecological systems.     

Sufentanil and xylazine immobilization of Rocky Mountain elk

From October 2009 through July 2010, five captive, 3-yr-old, female Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus) and nine free-ranging elk (one male, eight female) were immobilized with 0.1 mg/kg sufentanil plus 0.5 mg/kg xylazine which was antagonized with 1 mg/kg naltrexone and 2 mg/kg tolazoline. Induction and recovery times averaged 4.9 ± 0.3 min and 3.9 ± 0.4 min, respectively. Physiologic and blood gas parameters as well as bispectral index (BIS) were measured on the captive elk every 10 min for 30 min. Immobilization induced profound hypoxemia via hypoventilation and ventilation-perfusion mismatching as demonstrated by depressed partial pressure of arterial oxygen (P(a)O(2)) and increased partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (P(a)CO(2)). The only values to significantly (P<0.05) change over time were base excess (BE), bicarbonate (HCO(3)), and lactate. Bispectral index is a measure of anesthetic depth. The average BIS value over the 30 min period (59.1 ± 2.4) was higher than the BIS value at the approximate point where elk lose consciousness, which indicated that this drug combination produced neuroleptanalgesia but not general anesthesia. Sufentanil and xylazine provided effective remote immobilization in elk and could be substituted for carfentanil or thiafentanil and xylazine should the need arise.     

Motor Neuron Disease in the Rocky Mountain Region

We saw 166 patients with motor neuron disease over a ten-year period, 116 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis–111 sporadic and 5 familial–and 50 with progressive muscular atrophy. The age at onset varied widely, with the youngest mean onset occurring in the familial group. The most common presenting symptoms were leg or arm weakness and difficulty speaking or swallowing; fewer patients reported cramping, fasciculation, or fatigue. Mean survival time was less in familial cases, women, older patients, and in those with difficulty speaking and swallowing. A total of 50% of all patients were alive after four years; 13% were alive after ten years. Previous reports on the natural history of motor neuron disease may be overly pessimistic in suggesting that survival time rarely exceeds two years.     

南岳衡山藤本植物资源研究

根据野外调查,结合文献资料,对南岳衡山藤本植物的区系及其生态特征进行了初步的研究,结果表明:该区野生藤本植物共计59科129属282种(含变种),分别占该区维管植物科、属、种总数的29.35％、16.82％和15.60％.该区地里成分复杂,以热带性分布为主,温带成分亦占有较大比例,其中科、属以泛热带分布型最多,分别占科、属总数的38.98％和23.26％,而种以热带亚洲分布型最多,达25.89％,表明该区藤本植物区系是以热带性质为主的亚热带类型,同时也显示出该区藤本植物区系向温带渗透和过渡的性质;该区中国特有种丰富,共计106种,占种总数的37.59％,属华东区系,与华东、华中、华南及滇、黔、桂有着极密切的联系;该区藤本的生态分布是随着海拔的升高,温度的降低,藤本的种类与数量也相应地减少.树木和藤本无亲疏关系,未发现某些藤本偏爱某些树种胜于其他树种;在区系关系上,该区与康龙和庐山的关系最为密切,而与崀山和龙底的关系较为疏远.     

黄山苔类植物区系研究

黄山位于安徽省南部,根据调查和统计,共有苔类植物28科、48属、117种（包括亚种和变种）。该区苔类植物的优势科为细鳞苔科Lejeuneaceae、羽苔科Plagiochilaceae、光萼苔科Porellaceae、耳叶苔科Frullaniaceae;优势属为耳叶苔属Frullania、羽苔属Plagiochila、光萼苔属Porella、鞭苔属Bazzania、细鳞苔属Lejeunea。区系成分以热带成分和东亚成分为主,分别占到40％和39．09％,北温带成分占有一定的比例为20％。无毛拳叶苔Nowellia aciliata（P．C．Chen＆P．C．Wu）Mizut．和新绒苔Neotrichocolea bissetii（Mitt．）S．Hatt被列入我国濒危苔藓植物红色名录。     

南岳衡山蕨类植物区系研究

南岳衡山蕨类植物共计235种(含种下等级),隶属于36科75属。区系分析表明:该地蕨类植物具有较强的热带性质,同时也显示出该区蕨类植物区系向温带渗透和过渡的性质,科、属的分布区类型均以热带、亚热带分布型为主,而种以温带分布型为主。热带、亚热带分布型在该区有18科38属69种,分别占科、属、种数的50.00%、50.67%和29.36%;其中泛热带分布型有14科21属5种,分别占科、属、种数的38.89%、28.00%和2.13%;温带性分布型有3科18属158种,分别占科、属、种数的8.33%、24.00%和67.23%。表明泛热带分布型是该区科、属最重要的分布类型;在种的区系上,温带性成分占明显优势,反映了该区热带成分与温带成分的交汇与兼容。该区虽没有自己的特有属,但具1种特有种,而且中国特有种丰富,共计46种,占总种数的19.57%。该区系与周邻联系广泛,地理成分以华东成分为主。在区系关系上,该区与武夷山、庐山的关系密切,而与万佛山的关系较为疏远。