安徽繁昌早更新世人字洞古人类活动遗址及其哺乳动物群

1998年,在安徽繁昌县癞痢山发现了两处洞穴、裂隙堆积。在随后两年中对其中之一的人 字洞进行了系统发掘,采集到一定数量的石制品、骨制品和属种丰富、生态习性多样的大量脊 椎动物化石。人字洞发育于三叠纪灰岩中,洞穴堆积物厚约30米,可分为上下两个堆积单元, 脊椎动物化石和古人类遗物主要产于上堆积单元。经初步研究,人字洞动物群包含67种哺乳动 物,与我国南、北方第四纪早期的其它主要动物群相比,其绝灭属、种比例更高,动物群中主 要属种的形态特征更原始,然而该动物群中真马(Equus)的出现,表明其地质时代为早更新世 早期。这一动物群具有浓郁的北方色彩,显示出更新世初期我国境内有一次明显的降温事件,促 使北方动物大规模向南迁徒,在长江以南形成东洋界和古北界动物地理区系交错带的过渡区动 物群。人字洞动物群的发现为研究我国第四纪早期动物群的特征和动物地理区系演化及古气候 环境变迁提供了重要的信息。     

大型鼩鼱Beremendia(食虫目,鼩鼱科)在江南的首次发现及其古气候学意义

记述了在现代东洋界发现的鼩鼱类一新种:江南贝列门德鼩Beremendia jiangnanensis sp.nov.。化石产自长江以南安徽繁昌早更新世早期人字洞古人类遗址。新种的体型比该属已知种大;形态特征比我国渤海种B.pohaiensis原始,但比欧洲早上新世的B.fissidens进步。贝列门德鼩是喜湿耐冷的北方型动物,最早发现于欧洲北部上新统,曾广泛分布于欧洲和中亚高纬度地区,种群密度大,中更新世完全绝灭;它在东亚出现较晚,零星发现于华北早更新世地层中,其起源尚不清楚。新种乃是人字洞动物群的主要成员之一,该动物群由70多种哺乳动物组成。动物群的生态类型分析和分类统计表明,它与以往发现的早更新世南、北动物群及当地现代动物群截然不同,具有东洋界和古北界交错带动物群的特色,但动物组合特征为北方动物稍占优势,北方色彩较浓。贝列门德鼩和三门马(Equus sanmeniensis)、次兔(Hypolagus)、科氏仓鼠(Kowalskia)、模鼠(Mimomys)等大量北方型动物在我国东洋界的出现,足以说明第四纪早期有一次明显的降温事件。寒冷气候促使北方动物大规模南迁,古北区动物地理区系的界线在早更新世时要比目前更靠南;而且在古北界与东洋界之间确实存在南、北动物过渡带,其界线大致南移至现在的长江以南。贝列门德鼩在我国现代东洋界地区的首次发现,为研究该属的系统演化,探讨上新世一更新世气候转型时期鼩鼱类扩散事件及我国第四纪动物地理区系的演变将提供重要的信息。     

中国东部晚新生代堆积中的刺山鼠化石（英文）

描述了安徽繁昌和江苏泗洪新发现的晚新生代堆积物中的刺山鼠科化石。化石共有两属3种,即产自安徽、江苏的中华新来鼠(新种)(Neocometes sinensis sp.nov.)和产自安徽的大新来鼠(新种)(N.magna sp.nov.)及猪尾鼠未定种(Typhlomys sp.)。安徽繁昌的材料来自裂隙堆积,采样时未作分层处理,对单个化石属种很难进行准确的时代确定;但根据所采集化石的组分和上下层位保存的颜色与埋葬方式上的差异,推测Neocometes的时代为中新世,而Typhlomys可能较晚。Neocometes属的出现和典型中新世动物成员的存在,表明繁昌这一含古猿的裂隙堆积中含有大致与江苏泗洪动物群和山东山旺动物群相当、甚至可与泰国中新世动物群对比的啮齿动物组合。新种牙齿的形态特征显示,Neocometes属在亚洲经历了个体迅速增大,齿冠增高,齿脊增强,上臼齿外脊和下臼齿内脊逐渐发育的过程,与该属在欧洲的演化趋势有所不同。     

An overview of rice genetics research in China

正Congratulations to the Genetics Society of China on their 40~(th) anniversary! Genetics has expanded in scope in that time frame and has penetrated into many areas of biology, medicine and agriculture. Genetics is poised to continue that trajectory into the future with promises of new understanding and new technologies for the benefit to society. Here, we will highlight some of the     

The vertebrate middle and inner ear: A short overview

The evolution of the various hearing adaptations is connected to major structural changes in nearly all groups of vertebrates. Besides hearing, the detection of acceleration and orientation in space are key functions of this mechanosensory system. The symposium “show me your ear – the inner and middle ear in vertebrates” held at the 11th International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology (ICVM) 2016 in Washington, DC (USA) intended to present current research addressing adaptation and evolution of the vertebrate otic region, auditory ossicles, vestibular system, and hearing physiology. The symposium aimed at an audience with interest in hearing research focusing on morphological, functional, and comparative studies. The presented talks and posters lead to the contributions of this virtual issue highlighting recent advances in the vertebrate balance and hearing system. This article serves as an introduction to the virtual issue contributions and intends to give a short overview of research papers focusing on vertebrate labyrinth and middle ear related structures in past and recent years.     

Taxonomy of parasitoid wasps in China: An overview

The parasitoid Hymenoptera are one of the most important groups of natural enemies of agriculture and forestry pests and have been used as biological control agents in IPM programs for a long time. The systematic research on parasitoids and their associations with hosts lays a solid base for biological control of pests. Here we summarize the taxonomic studies undertaken on the parasitoid wasps in China in the last eight decades. At present about 48 families in 12 superfamilies of parasitoid Hymenoptera are known in China, of which the majority of the families have been studied to some extent while a number of them are still poorly studied. Around 6000 species of 32 families which dealt with in this paper are known in China, and some of them have been successfully and widely used in the existing biological control while others are potentially useful in future biocontrol program. This overview provides the international audience a general idea about the current state of the systematic study of parasitoid Hymenoptera conducted in China, the known species of parasitoids and the native and introduced species used in biocontrol in China.     

Alternative models of vertebrate speciation in Amazonia: an overview

The main hypotheses proposed to explain barrier formation separating populations and causing the differentiation of vertebrate species in Amazonia are based on different (mostly historical) factors, as follows. (1) Changes in the distribution of land and sea or in the landscape due to tectonic movements or sea-level fluctuations (Paleogeography hypothesis). (2) The barrier effect of Amazonian rivers (River hypothesis). (3) A combination of the barrier effect of broad rivers and vegetational changes in Northern and Southern Amazonia (River-refuge hypothesis). (4) The isolation of forest blocks near areas of surface relief in the periphery of Amazonia during dry climatic periods of the Tertiary and Quaternary (Refuge theory). (5) Competitive species interactions and local species isolations in peripheral regions of Amazonia due to invasion and counterinvasion during cold/warm periods of the Pleistocene (Disturbance-vicariance hypothesis). (6) Parapatric speciation across steep environmental gradients without separation of the representative populations (Gradient hypothesis). Several of these hypotheses are probably relevant to a different degree for the speciation processes in different faunal groups or during different geological periods. The paleogeography hypothesis refers mainly to faunal differentiation during the Tertiary and in combination with the Refuge hypothesis; Milankovitch cycles leading to global climatic-vegetational changes affected the biomes of the world not only during the Pleistocene but also during the Tertiary and earlier geological periods. New geoscientific evidence for the effect of dry climatic periods in Amazonia supports the predictions of the Refuge theory.     

An editorial overview: HIV/AIDS in China

China has come a long way in fighting against HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Chinese government has taken an active role in combating this detrimental disease and such a welcome attitude by the Chinese government will certainly provide a positive spin on its effort in reducing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in China.……     

An editorial overview: HIV/AIDS in China

China has come a long way in fighting against its HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Chinese government has taken an active role in combating this detrimental disease and such a welcome attitude by the Chinese government will certainly provide a positive spin on its …