Vegetation dynamics in central Africa since 18,000 yr BP: pollen records from the interlacustrine highlands of Burundi, Rwanda and western Uganda

A standardized analysis of palaeoecological data, in the form of six pollen sequences and forty- four radiocarbon ages, has permitted a region-wide reconstruction of Late Quaternary vegetation dynamics for the interlacustrine highlands of central Africa.
A landscape widely dominated by ericaceous scrub and grasslands, but also supporting sparse patches of open-canopied montane forest, possibly in those areas with a topography most favourable to the growth of trees, is indicated for the last glacial maximum of 18,000 yr bp . Major expansions in the extent of upper altitudinal forms of montane forest occurred from around 12,500 yr bp , while lower moist montane forest—the expected climax for much of the region today—did not become prominent until 11,000 yr bp to 10,000 yr bp . From the palaeoecological evidence at least, it appears that the major east Central forest refuge, proposed by some workers on the basis of current species' distribution patterns, did not extend to the eastern flanks of the Albertine Rift.
A late glacial–early Holocene transition is only fully chronicled in two of the sites. However, it appears that the expansion of lower montane forest had a time-transgressive pattern across the region, and was not simply from low to high altitude. The composition of forests during the early Holocene appears to have been different to that in the later stages of the present interglacial, as taxa presently associated with wetter and/or more open forest types were much more common. Pollen data also indicate that higher altitude parts of the interlacustrine highlands were more attractive to the earliest (possibly Bantu-speaking) farmers and metal-workers. There is evidence of wide-spread forest clearance around the beginning of the present millennium, possibly as a result of substantial changes in socio-economic conditions, and patterns of settlement, associated with the onset of the Late Iron Age.     

Postglacial vegetation history around Torihama,Fukui Prefecture,Japan

A pollen analytical study of a core sample from the Torihama site in the Sea of Japan area of the Kinki region was carried out. This core, dated by three types of tephra, corresponded to the period between the early and the middle postglacial periods. In the early postglacial period, the cool-temperate deciduous forest was accompanied byCryptomeria japonica. In the middle postglacial period,C. japonica forests formed on the lowlands. Lucidophyllous forests developed after the deposition of K-Ah ash (6300 years BP) in the Sea of Japan area of the Kinki region, which was later than the development of those in the inland and Pacific Ocean areas.     

Evolutionary history underlies plant physiological responses to global change since the last glacial maximum

Assessing family‐ and species‐level variation in physiological responses to global change across geologic time is critical for understanding factors that underlie changes in species distributions and community composition. Here, we used stable carbon isotopes, leaf nitrogen content and stomatal measurements to assess changes in leaf‐level physiology in a mixed conifer community that underwent significant changes in composition since the last glacial maximum (LGM) (21 kyr BP). Our results indicate that most plant taxa decreased stomatal conductance and/or maximum photosynthetic capacity in response to changing conditions since the LGM. However, plant families and species differed in the timing and magnitude of these physiological responses, and responses were more similar within families than within co‐occurring species assemblages. This suggests that adaptation at the level of leaf physiology may not be the main determinant of shifts in community composition, and that plant evolutionary history may drive physiological adaptation to global change over recent geologic time.     

秦岭地区15kaBP以来的植被与环境

通过对秦岭海拔2200m-山间盆地沼泽沉积剖面的花粉分析和^14C年代测定,结合对该区植被与表土花粉的研究,认为秦岭的暗针叶林带15ka BP以来植被和环境经历了4个发展阶段：(1)约15450～6760a BP,植被为冷杉(Abies)-云杉(Picea)林,气候寒冷潮湿;(2)约6760～2940a BP,沉积物中花粉稀少,以冷杉、云杉、桦(Betula)、栎(Quercus)为主,出现了喜暖型植物桤木(alnus),气候暖湿;(3)2940～40a BP,植被为冷杉林,气候冷湿;(4)0～40a BP,植被为桦、栎、榛(Corylus)、桤木、铁杉(Tsuga)和小片状分布的冷杉,松(Pinus)的数量极少,气候向暖干方向发展,这是近期人为活动干扰的结果。     

Contrasting effects of climate and CO2 on Amazonian ecosystems since the last glacial maximum

The nature of Amazonian ecosystem responses to the large-scale environmental changes characterizing glacial–interglacial cycles is poorly understood. We investigated this issue with a series of transient, continuous 21 000-year simulations using a dynamic process-based ecosystem model. Our results indicate that the Amazon Basin has been dominated by evergreen rain forests since the last glacial maximum (LGM), demonstrating the resilience of this ecosystem to glacial–interglacial environmental change. We find that biome shifts in ecotonal areas since the LGM were driven predominantly by climate change, while coincident, increased ecosystem carbon storage throughout the Amazon Basin was driven largely by CO₂. Our findings imply that recent observed biomass increases in contemporary rain forest plots might be part of a long-term trend driven by the anthropogenic rise in CO₂ over recent centuries.     

Climate and CO2 controls on global vegetation distribution at the last glacial maximum: analysis based on palaeovegetation data, biome modelling and palaeoclimate simulations

The global vegetation response to climate and atmospheric CO₂ changes between the last glacial maximum and recent times is examined using an equilibrium vegetation model (BIOME4), driven by output from 17 climate simulations from the Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project. Features common to all of the simulations include expansion of treeless vegetation in high northern latitudes; southward displacement and fragmentation of boreal and temperate forests; and expansion of drought‐tolerant biomes in the tropics. These features are broadly consistent with pollen‐based reconstructions of vegetation distribution at the last glacial maximum. Glacial vegetation in high latitudes reflects cold and dry conditions due to the low CO₂ concentration and the presence of large continental ice sheets. The extent of drought‐tolerant vegetation in tropical and subtropical latitudes reflects a generally drier low‐latitude climate. Comparisons of the observations with BIOME4 simulations, with and without consideration of the direct physiological effect of CO₂ concentration on C₃ photosynthesis, suggest an important additional role of low CO₂ concentration in restricting the extent of forests, especially in the tropics. Global forest cover was overestimated by all models when climate change alone was used to drive BIOME4, and estimated more accurately when physiological effects of CO₂ concentration were included. This result suggests that both CO₂ effects and climate effects were important in determining glacial‐interglacial changes in vegetation. More realistic simulations of glacial vegetation and climate will need to take into account the feedback effects of these structural and physiological changes on the climate.     

Palaeovegetation of China: a pollen data-based synthesis for the mid-Holocene and last glacial maximum

Pollen data from China for 6000 and 18,000 ¹⁴C yr bp were compiled and used to reconstruct palaeovegetation patterns, using complete taxon lists where possible and a biomization procedure that entailed the assignment of 645 pollen taxa to plant functional types. A set of 658 modern pollen samples spanning all biomes and regions provided a comprehensive test for this procedure and showed convincing agreement between reconstructed biomes and present natural vegetation types, both geographically and in terms of the elevation gradients in mountain regions of north‐eastern and south‐western China. The 6000 ¹⁴C yr bp map confirms earlier studies in showing that the forest biomes in eastern China were systematically shifted northwards and extended westwards during the mid‐Holocene. Tropical rain forest occurred on mainland China at sites characterized today by either tropical seasonal or broadleaved evergreen/warm mixed forest. Broadleaved evergreen/warm mixed forest occurred further north than today, and at higher elevation sites within the modern latitudinal range of this biome. The northern limit of temperate deciduous forest was shifted c. 800 km north relative to today. The 18,000 ¹⁴C yr bp map shows that steppe and even desert vegetation extended to the modern coast of eastern China at the last glacial maximum, replacing today’s temperate deciduous forest. Tropical forests were excluded from China and broadleaved evergreen/warm mixed forest had retreated to tropical latitudes, while taiga extended southwards to c. 43°N.     

The population demography of Betula maximowicziana,a cool‐temperate tree species in Japan,in relation to the last glacial period: its admixture‐like genetic structure is the result of simple population splitting not admixing

Conservation of the local genetic variation and evolutionary integrity of economically and ecologically important trees is a key aspect of studies involving forest genetics, and a population demographic history of the target species provides valuable information for this purpose. Here, the genetic structure of 48 populations of Betula maximowicziana was assessed using 12 expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeat (EST‐SSR) markers. Genetic diversity was lower in northern populations than southern ones and structure analysis revealed three groups: northern and southern clusters and an admixed group. Eleven more genomic‐SSR loci were added and the demographic history of these three groups was inferred by approximate Bayesian computation (ABC). The ABC revealed that a simple split scenario was much more likely than isolation with admixture, suggesting that the admixture‐like structure detected in this species was due to ancestral polymorphisms. The ABC analysis suggested that the population growth and divergence of the three groups occurred 96 800 (95% CI, 20 500–599 000) and 28 300 (95% CI, 8700–98 400) years ago, respectively. We need to be aware of several sources of uncertainty in the inference such as assumptions about the generation time, overlapping of generations, confidence intervals of the estimated parameters and the assumed model in the ABC. However, the results of the ABC together with the model‐based maps of reconstructed past species distribution and palaeoecological data suggested that the modern genetic structure of B. maximowicziana originated prior to the last glacial maximum (LGM) and that some populations survived in the northern range even during the LGM.     

Evidence for cryptic northern refugia in the last glacial period in Cryptomeria japonica

MethodsGenetic diversity and structure were examined using 20 microsatellite markers in 37 populations of C. japonica. The locations of glacial refugia were assessed using STRUCTURE analysis, and potential habitats under current and past climate conditions were predicted using SDM. The process of genetic divergence was also examined using the approximate Bayesian computation procedure (ABC) in DIY ABC to test the divergence time between the gene pools detected by the STRUCTURE analysis.ConclusionsThe combined evidence from microsatellites and SDM clearly indicates that climatic changes have shaped the genetic structure of C. japonica. The gene pool detected in northern Tohoku district is likely to have been established by cryptic northern refugia on the coast of the Japan Sea to the west of the Archipelago. The gene pool in Yakushima Island can probably be explained simply by long-term isolation from the other gene pools since the LGM. These results are supported by those of SDM and the predicted divergence time determined using ABC analysis.     

Diatoms of the genus Attheya west, 1860 from the Sea of Japan

This paper documents the species diversity of the diatom genus Attheya from the Sea of Japan. Two species (A. arenicola and A. longicornis) were studied in field samples and in culture. Their morphology is described using light and electron microscopy; the ecology and the distribution data are provided. A. arenicola is a new record for the seas of Russia.     

末次冰期南海巽他陆架上的植被和气候——17962孔孢粉记录

提供了南海大陆坡上17962孔深海沉积物的孢粉记录。该孔长8m,底部^14C年龄为30000aBP,跨越了深海氧同位素3期,末次初期,冰消期和全新世几个地质历史阶段。孢偻记录显示末次冰期低海面时南海南部出露的陆架上了低地雨林。同时,在邻近的岛屿上山地雨林扩张,表明气候比较在凉,但是没有变干的迹象,冰消期植被和气候都经历了快速变暖的变凉的波动。全新世时,红树林和低地雨林的扩及孢粉沉积率的明显降低均表明气候变暖,海面上升,大陆架被淹没。     

Monitoring of phytoplankton in the area of a sea farm in Vostok Bay (Sea of Japan)

The qualitative and quantitative composition of phytoplankton in the area of a sea farm in Vostok Bay (Sea of Japan) was investigated from July 2001 to May 2002. The overall numbers of phytoplankton were 0.008 to 5.3 million cells/liter, and the biomass was 0.02 to 20.5 g/m³. The maximum density and biomass of phytoplankton were observed in summer, fall, and winter. Ten species known to be toxic were recorded. Of these, Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries (Hasle) Hasle, Alexandrium acatenella (Whedon et Kofoid) Balech, and Chattonella marina (Subrahmanyan) Hara et Chihara were found in Vostok Bay for the first time. For the diatom Skeletonema costatum (Greville) Cleve, which is an indicator of extremely eutrophic waters, the cell density was positively correlated with the area of the culture site.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Biologiya Morya, Morozova, Orlova.     

Imprints of glacial refugia in the modern genetic diversity of Pinus sylvestris

Aim To understand the impact of glacial refugia and migration pathways on the modern genetic diversity of Pinus sylvestris. Location The study was carried out throughout Europe. Methods An extended set of data of pollen and macrofossil remains was used to locate the glacial refugia and reconstruct the migrating routes of P. sylvestris throughout Europe. A vegetation model was used to simulate the extent of the potential refugia during the last glacial period. At the same time a genetic survey was carried out on this species. Results The simulated distribution of P. sylvestris during the last glacial period is coherent with the observed fossil data, which showed a patchy distribution of the refugia between c. 40° N and 50° N. Several migrational fronts were detected within the Iberian and the Italian peninsulas, and outside the Hungarian plain and around the Alps. The modern mitochondrial DNA depicted three different haplotypes for P. sylvestris. Two distinct haplotypes were restricted to northern Spain and Italy, and the third haplotype dominated most of the present‐day remaining distribution range of P. sylvestris in Europe. Main conclusions During the last glacial period P. sylvestris was constrained under severe climatic conditions to survive in scattered and restricted refugial areas. Combining palaeoenvironmental data, vegetation modelling and the genetic data, we have shown that the long‐term isolation in the glacial refugia and the migrational process during the Holocene have played a major role in shaping the modern genetic diversity of P. sylvestris in Europe.     

The early life history of kurosoi,Sebastes schlegeli (Scorpaenidae), in the Sea of Japan

Larval and juvenile stages of kurosoi,Sebastes schlegeli, are described and illustrated from wild specimens. Some ecological aspects of larvae and juveniles are also described. Notochord flexion occurred between 5.6–7.5 mm SL. Transformation occurred between 13–20 mm SL. Preflexion and flexion larvae ofS. schlegeli can be distinguished from similar larvae by the pigmentation of the dorsal and ventral midlines of the tail and absence of pigmentation on the ventral portion of the rectum. After notochord flexion, the dorsal and lateral regions in both larvae and pelagic juveniles were heavily pigmented, suggesting adaptation for neustonic life style. Larvae and juveniles were caught at many coastal stations, but did not occur in cooler offshore waters. Larvae smaller than 20 mm SL inhabited surface waters. Until ca. 40 mm SL, juveniles inhabited mainly surface waters (without drifting seaweed), but also used other habitats, such as the drifting seaweed, and near the sea bed. Small larvae (<7 mm SL) fed mainly on copepod nauplii. Larger larvae fed on calanoid copepodites andEvadne nordmanni. Pelagic juveniles fed mainly on fish eggs, with fish larvae also being important food items for some individuals. Most food items taken by juveniles that were associated with drifting seaweed were eggs with attaching filaments (Cololabis saira andHyporhamphus sajori), suggesting that the high density of such food items both attracts and keeps juveniles around drifting seaweed.     

New Data on Scleractinians from the Northwestern Sea of Japan

three species of scleractinians, individual caryophyllids Caryophyllia alaskensis, C. japonica, and the colonial dendrophyllid Dendrophyllia arbuscula were described for the first time for the Sea of Japan. The findings of these corals in different areas of Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan, allow us to expand their geographic range and the depth range of their distribution. The depth of inhabitation reached 1280 m for C. alaskensis and up to 15–3 m deep for D. arbuscula.     

Fauna of Prosobranch Gastropods of Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan,and the Biogeographical Composition

The complete list of prosobranch gastropods comprising 195 species classified in 97 genera and 38 families was compiled for Peter the Great Bay (northwest of the Sea of Japan) and the adjacent water areas. In general, in the bay low boreal species prevail, which supported its assignment to the Manchurian (North Japanese, Sea of Japan, Asian) Low Boreal Pacific Subregion of the Boreal Pacific Region. Shallow water thermotropic species mostly prevailed in the littoral and upper sublittoral (to a depth of 50 m) zones of the bay; psychrotropic species were found in the lower sublittoral and upper bathyal (50–500 m) zones; and bathyal thermotropic species inhabited the lower (more then 500 m) bathyal zone.     

Flora of planktonic microalgae of Amursky Bay, Sea of Japan

Long-term studies of the species composition of phytoplankton in Amursky Bay (Sea of Japan) carried out during the period from 1991 to 2006 revealed a total of 357 species of planktonic microalgae from eight divisions: Cyanophyta (8 species), Chrysophyta (8), Bacillariophyta (157), Cryptophyta (5), Dinophyta (143), Raphidophyta (3), Euglenophyta (11), and Chlorophyta (22 species). An annotated checklist of species is presented. In comparison with the late 1960s and early 1970s, the species richness of phytoplankton increased markedly; a greater number of bloom-forming species was recorded.     

Trophic Assemblages of the Rocky Intertidal Zone in Vostok Bay,Sea of Japan

The ratios between the indices of relative abundance for different trophic life forms have been used to characterize bionomical types of a rocky intertidal zone. It has been shown that the distribution of life forms is determined by the geomorphological peculiarities of the surveyed intertidal areas. A brief critical historical review has been provided of the terms bionomy and bionomical type.