Late Oligocene to Early Miocene foraminifers and ostracods from Karben (Wetterau,Hesse State,Germany): stratigraphic occurrence and palaeoecological implications

Foraminiferal and ostracod assemblages from two upper Oligocene to lower Miocene sections located in the Wetterau region (NE Frankfurt a. M.) were analysed. The lithologie units investigated encompass Cyrenenmergel, Glimmersand, Vilbeler Kies, Cerithiensand, Cerithienkalk andCorbicula-Schichten. Hemicyprideis basiliensis, H. helvetica andCypridopsis? cyclocypriformae are characteristic of Cyrenenmergel deposits, representing the last marine influence around the Rupelian/Chattian boundary. The ostracod assemblages from the Cerithiensand are characterized by variousHemicyprideis species, of whichH. rhenana is the most frequent. The microfossil assemblages of the Cerithiensand indicate normal marine conditions for the basal and upper portions of the unit and slightly brackish to normal marine conditions for the middle portion. Very low salinities are indicated for some levels close to the base (around levels of emergence above sealevel) and for the clay layer around sample 30 in the lower part of the Cerithiensand. The Cerithienkalk represents a transitional facies from normal marine to brackish/freshwater conditions as indicated by successive higher contents of stress tolerant foraminifera and freshwater ostracods. TheCorbicula-Schichten are characterized by largeEucypris-moulds and various proportions ofCypridopsis spp. (freshwater indicators). When foraminifera (Bolivina spp.) are present, the fauna indicates slightly higher but still low salinities for a few levels of theCorbicula-Schichten. Oxygenation levels were generally high (presence of large ostracods and epifaunal foraminifera) and vary from suboxic to high oxic. As in the Mainz Basin, the last occurrence ofHemicyprideis rhenana marks the upper boundary of the Cerithienschichten.Protelphidium nonioninoides can be used to identify the Cyrenenmergel when it occurs in high numbers. Cerithiensand-samples show the highest diversities and contain high portions ofUvigerinella michelsi. Overall, highest diversities and normal marine salinities are reached during deposition of the basal and upper parts of the Cerithiensand, which may correspond to global sealevel rises at the end of the Chattian.     

New paleobiogeographical and paleoenvironmental insight through the Tortonian brachiopod and ichnofauna assemblages from the Mediterranean-Atlantic seaway (Guadix Basin,SE Spain)

The paleogeography of the Late Neogene Atlantic-Mediterranean seaway via the Betic-Rifean Domain is quite complex due to the presence of several marine corridors. The study of transitional basins in these seaways is crucial to understand the configuration and evolution of the Mediterranean-Atlantic inter-connection. A mixed skeletal-siliciclastic sandstone succession located in one of these transitional areas (Guadix Basin, Southern Spain) was studied from a comprehensive paleontological standpoint focused on the main benthic assemblages (foraminifera, brachiopods, and trace fossils), integrating the data with the study of planktic foraminifera for an accurate biostratigraphic framework. Brachiopods are mostly represented by the Aphelesia-Gryphus assemblage. Two trace fossil assemblages were observed, dominated by Ophiomorpha with Bichordites (1) and Macaronichnus (2), respectively. The benthic foraminiferal assemblage is mostly represented by Planulina and Cibicides. The data gathered from the benthic communities reveal habitats with high-energy and turbulent conditions in an outer neritic-upper bathyal bathymetric range. Brachiopods from the Alicún section show a Mediterranean paleobiogeographic affinity. They were constrained in the Late Tortonian to the restricted basins of the Betic-Rifean Seaway and after the Messinian Salinity Crisis proliferated in both Mediterranean- and Atlantic-type basins of the Betic-Rifean Domain. The Guadix Basin contributed to the Mediterranean-Atlantic faunal inter-connection through the Betic-Rifean Seaway during the Late Tortonian and facilitated the earliest Pliocene expansion of brachiopods in the Mediterranean.     

New Middle Devonian conodont data from the Dong Van area,NE Vietnam (South China Terrane)

Middle Devonian conodonts from the Si Phai section in NE Vietnam are described. The section ranges from the Middle Devonian ensensis to timorensis conodont zones to the Late Devonian rhomboidea conodont Zone. A rich overall assemblage is described, including 27 taxa of species or subspecies rank and 11 taxa described in an open nomenclature. Among the dominant Polygnathus forms, four new taxa are described: Polygnathus linguiformis saharicus subsp. nov., Polygnathus linguiformis vietnamicus subsp. nov., Polygnathus rhenanus siphai subsp. nov., and Polygnathus xylus bacbo subsp. nov. Conodont assemblages are attributed to polygnathid, polygnathid-klapperinid, and klapperinid conodont biofacies representing hemipelagic to pelagic environments. The klapperinid biofacies, unreported in the previous literature, are here attributed to offshore areas of the external shelf. The taxonomic compositions of the studied conodont assemblages, as well as their CAI characteristics (CAI 4–5), suggest a palaeogeographic affinity of the studied strata to the Chinese Devonian Guangxi Basin, and the South China Terrane in general. Furthermore, the conodont biofacies and the palaeogeographic distribution of the fauna are discussed.     

Potential for biocontrol of the exotic starfish<Emphasis Type="Italic">, Asterias amurensis</Emphasis>, using a native starfish

Asterias amurensis is a starfish native to the northern Pacific that was introduced into southern Australia in the 1980s. It is widely viewed as one of Australia’s most serious invasive marine pests, but there are few methods available to control new or established populations. The role of Coscinasterias muricata in controlling the distribution of Asterias in Port Phillip Bay, and its potential to eliminate new infestations of Asterias were investigated. Laboratory feeding trials, where alternative mussel prey were available, showed Coscinasterias consumed Asterias at the rate of ~45/year. Field surveys in Port Phillip Bay showed that most Coscinasterias occurred at depths shallower than 15 m, while most Asterias occurred at depths greater than 15 m, and the ratio of Asterias/Coscinasterias only exceeded 45 at depths greater than 15 m. Consequently, if laboratory and field feeding rates are similar, Coscinasterias would be expected to exert significant control over Asterias populations at depths shallower than 15 m, and augmenting Coscinasterias populations at sites of new Asterias infestations may help eliminate newly-established populations.     

Two new quill mite species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Psittaciphilus</Emphasis> Fain,Bochkov &amp; Mironov, 2000 (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) associated with pigeons and doves (Columbiformes: Columbidae)

Two new quill mite species of the genus Psittaciphilus Fain, Bochkov & Mironov, 2000 (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) collected from columbiform birds (Columbiformes) are described: Psittaciphilus montanus n. sp. form the ruddy quail-dove Geotrygon montana Gosse from Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil and Panama, and Psittaciphilus patagioenas n. sp. from the band-tailed pigeon Patagioenas fasciata (Say) from Colombia and the scaled pigeon Patagioenas speciosa (Gmelin) from Surinam. A key to the species of the genus Psittaciphilus is provided. Our finding is the first record of the representatives of this genus on columbiform birds.     

Neogene stratigraphy,foraminifera, diatoms,and depositional history of Maria Madre Island,Mexico: Evidence of early Neogene marine conditions in the southern Gulf of California

Foraminifera and diatoms have been analyzed from an upper Miocene through Pleistocene(?) sequence of marine sediments exposed on Maria Madre Island, largest of the Trés Marias Islands off the Pacific coast of Mexico. The Neogene stratigraphic sequence exposed on Maria Madre Island includes a mid-Miocene(?) non-marine and/or shallow marine sandstone unconformably overlain by a lower upper Miocene to uppermost Miocene upper to middle bathyal laminated and massive diatomite, mudstone, and siltstone unit. This unit is unconformably overlain by lower Pliocene middle to lower bathyal sandstones and siltstones which, in turn, are unconformably overlain by upper Pliocene through Pleistocene(?) upper bathyal to upper middle bathyal foraminiferal limestones and siltstones. These beds are unconformably capped by Pleistocene terrace deposits. Basement rocks on the island include Cretaceous granite and granodiorite, and Tertiary(?) andesites and rhyolites. The upper Miocene diatomaceous unit contains a low diversity foraminiferal fauna dominated by species of Bolivina indicating low oxygen conditions in the proto-Gulf Maria Madre basin. The diatomaceous unit grades into a mudstone that contains a latest Miocene upper to middle bathyal biofacies characterized by Baggina californica and Uvigerina hootsi along with displaced neritic taxa. An angular unconformity separates the upper Miocene middle bathyal sediments from overlying lower Pliocene siltstones and mudstones that contain a middle to lower bathyal biofacies and abundant planktonic species including Neogloboquadrina acostaensis and Pulleniatina primalis indicating an early Pliocene age. Significantly, this Pliocene unit contains common occurrences of benthic species restricted to Miocene sediments in California including Bulimina uvigerinaformis. Pliocene to Pleistocene(?) foraminiferal limestones and siltstones characterize submarine bank accumulations formed during uplift of the Trés Marias Island area, and include abundant planktonic foraminifera such as Pulleniatina obliquiloculata and Neogloboquadrina duterteri. Common benthic foraminifera in this unit are indicative of upper bathyal water depths. The Neogene depositional history recorded on Maria Madre Island involves an early late Miocene subsidence event marking formation of the Trés Marias Basin with relatively undiluted diatomaceous sediment deposited in a low oxygen setting. Subsidence and deepening of the basin continued into the early Pliocene along with rapid deposition of terrigenous clastics. Uplift of the basinal sequence began in late Pliocene time accompanied by deposition of upper Pliocene-Pleistocene foraminiferal limestones on a rising submarine bank. Continued episodic uplift of the Neogene deposits brought the island above sea level by late Pleistocene time.     

Feeding of pelagic fish in waters of Mauritania: 2. Representatives of Families Carangidae,Scombridae, Pomatomidae,and Trichiuridae

Feeding peculiarities of mass pelagic ichtyophagous fish from the Canary upwelling waters and frontal zones of Mauritania have been investigated: vadigo Campogramma glaycos, false scad Caranx rhonchus, bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix, Atlantic bonito Sarda sarda, West African Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus tritor, large-eyed hairtail Trichiurus lepturus and pompano Trachinotus ovatus. These species feed on epipelagic fish living or forming temporary agglomerations at the depths up to 200–250 m from the surface.     

First documentation of detailed behaviors of endangered adult Sakhalin taimen <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parahucho perryi</Emphasis> in the Bekanbeushi River system,eastern Hokkaido,Japan, using bio-logging and acoustic telemetry concurrently

Behavior of adult Parahucho perryi was examined using bio-logging and acoustic telemetry concurrently in the Bekanbeushi River system, eastern Hokkaido, Japan, in 2009 and 2010. Based on 46.1–87.9 h data from five P. perryi (69.0–80.0 cm fork length) caught from Lake Akkeshi, they used upstream (n = 2), midstream (n = 3), and downstream (n = 4) habitats. Large variability in diel activity and depth occupation existed in each stream habitat; however, fish in the downstream habitat tended to be more active than those in the upper habitats and mainly occupied shallower depths than mean bottom depth in this habitat.     

Polyploid speciation across a suture zone: phylogeography and species delimitation in S French <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leucanthemum</Emphasis> Mill. representatives (Compositae–Anthemideae)

Chromosome counts suggest that the three varieties of the SE French and NW Italian Leucanthemum vulgare subsp. glaucophyllum (var. glaucophyllum: decaploid; var. esterellense: octoploid; var. subglaucum: hexaploid) deserve acknowledgement as independent species. Here we use AFLP fingerprinting and sequence information from two chloroplast regions (psbA-trnH, rpl16) to gain insight into the evolutionary relationships among those species, along with those with the co-occurring and ecologically similar L. pallens (hexaploid) and the closely related L. ircutianum subsp. leucolepis (tetraploid). Both genetic marker systems reveal a geographical differentiation pattern in L. pallens with the Rhône valley forming a suture zone between the western (SW France, Spain) and eastern (SE France, NW Italy) populations, arguing for the existence of two lineages in the species that may have survived the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in refugia on the Iberian and Apennine Peninsulas. Transgressions of this suture zone are observable in the case of the hexaploid L. subglaucum from the Massif Central, which shows genetic relationships to the more eastern decaploid L. glaucophyllum from the Alps Maritimes, and the octoploid L. esterellense from the Esterel Massif (Côte d´Azur), for which relationships to the more western populations of the hexaploids L. pallens and L. subglaucum are observable. The genetic and cytological survey of a mixed stand of L. pallens and L. glaucophyllum on Monte Bignone (Liguria, NW Italy) reveals patterns of recent hybridisation of these two species with intermediate octoploid and nonaploid cytotypes that are, however, genetically distinct from L. esterellense.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Salpingoporella</Emphasis>? <Emphasis Type="Italic">popgrigorei</Emphasis>, a new species of Dasycladales (calcareous algae) from the Lower Aptian deposits of Pădurea Craiului (northern Apuseni Mountains,Romania)

A new dasycladalean alga Salpingoporella? popgrigorei n. sp. was identified in P?durea Craiului Mountains (northern Apuseni, Romania) in the Lower Aptian limestone of the Valea Bobdei Member. The new alga was found within the external platform coarse bioclastic facies with fragments of corals, sclerosponges, bivalves (including rudists), gastropods, echinoderms, brachiopods, and bryozoans. The micropaleontological assemblage consists of foraminifera, calcareous algae, rare rivulariacean-type cyanobacteria, and some problematic microfossils. The deposits are Early Bedoulian in age, as clearly indicated by the orbitolinid foraminifera Orbitolinopsis pygmaea, Paracoskinolina sunnilandensis and Palorbitolina lenticularis. Salpingoporella? popgrigorei n. sp. is a medium-sized dasycladalean alga showing funnel-like laterals with an euspondyl arrangement. The laterals consist of two distinctive parts. The proximal part is narrow and flattened. The distal part widens relatively suddenly, and then narrows slightly before the final widening towards the exterior, in the place where the laterals most probably formed an assimilatory cortex. The distinctive features of the new species are represented by the shape of the laterals. The new Salpingoporella best resembles the Upper Hauterivian–Lower Barremian p.p. Salpingoporella genevensis (Conrad), especially due to the quadrangular aspect of the laterals in middle-deep tangential section. However, differences refer to the laterals’ general shape, and to the typical features of the laterals in deep tangential section of Salpingoporella? popgrigorei n. sp.     

Production of nitrate spikes in a model of ammonium biodegradation

Nitrification at the site of a contaminant ammonium plume from a former coal carbonisation plant can be modelled with three competing bacterial populations of Nitrosomonas, Nitrobacter, and Brocadia anammoxidans. Oscillations of chemical species at the site can be explained by a reduced model of ammonium competition between Nitrosomonas and B. anammoxidans which effectively acts as an activator-inhibitor system. Stable oscillations occur in conditions of low nutrient (ammonium) supply and this causes a spatial travelling wave in a borehole profile when diffusion is introduced.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Weitschataster intermedius</Emphasis> gen. et sp. nov., a goniasterid starfish (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) from the Upper Cretaceous of Germany

Weitschataster intermedius gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Upper Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) of Hannover (Lower Saxony, N Germany). The new species is characterized by its conspicuous rimmed pedicellariae scars covering almost the complete actinal surface and by small body size. W. intermedius represents a transitional state between W. decipiens comb. nov. from the Lower Campanian and the well-known W. undulatus comb. nov. from the Lower Maastrichtian of NW Europe. Among Spencer’s types of W. undulatus, one paratype is recognized as belonging to the genus Parametopaster.     

Phylogenetic diversity of microbial communities of the Posolsk Bank bottom sediments,Lake Baikal

Massive parallel sequencing (the Roche 454 platform) of the 16S rRNA gene fragments was used to investigate microbial diversity in the sediments of the Posolsk Bank cold methane seep. Bacterial communities from all sediment horizons were found to contain members of the phyla Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Deinococcus-Thermus, Firmicutes, Nitrospirae, Chloroflexi, Proteobacteria, and the candidate phyla Aminicenantes (OP8) and Atribacteria (OP9). Among Bacteria, members of the Chloroflexi and Proteobacteria were the most numerous (42 and 46%, respectively). Among archaea, the Thaumarchaeota predominated in the upper sediment layer (40.1%), while Bathyarchaeota (54.2%) and Euryarchaeota (95%) were predominant at 70 and 140 cm, respectively. Specific migration pathways of fluid flows circulating in the zone of gas hydrate stability (400 m) may be responsible for considerable numbers of the sequences of Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, and the candidate phyla Aminicenantes and Atribacteria in the upper sediment layers and of the Deinococcus-Thermus phylum in deep bottom sediments.     

Some features of the biology and composition of the diet of the rock lobster <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acantharctus posteli</Emphasis> (Decapoda,Crustacea, Scyllarinae) (West Africa)

Acantharctus posteli (Crustacea, Decapoda, Achelata, Scyllarinae) belongs to the old relic circumtropical genus of mainly upper shelf rock lobsters. It is an endemic species of the West African tropical zoogeographic region with its distribution between the cape of Cap Blanc (21°40′ N) to the north and the mouth of the Congo River to the south (approximately 4° S). The length of the studied rock lobsters ranges from 10 to 80 mm. Males are slightly smaller than females. The smallest size of ovigerous females was 29 mm. The life cycle of A. posteli appears to be about 2 years. The stomach contents of 43 specimens ranging in size from 42 to 68 mm from the waters of the Republic of Sierra Leone were analyzed. Rock lobsters consume mainly detritus that includes benthic foraminifera. In addition, fish, echinoderms, mollusks, and decapods are secondary prey items. The mean Froerman coefficient of 3.96 allows suggesting that A. posteli can be characterized as a predator-collector, which is similar to rock lobsters of the genera Jasus and Projasus.     

Detection of anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria in oxygen-containing upper water layers of the Black and Baltic Seas

Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and PCR were used for analysis of phylogenetic structure of anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacterial communities in oxygen-containing upper water layers of meromictic basins: the Black Sea and the Gdansk Deep of the Baltic Sea. In the Black Sea (continental slope at depths 30–70 m), cells of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) hybridizing with 16S rRNA-specific FISH-probes for Desulfotomaculum, Desulfobacter, and Desulfovibrio genera were revealed, whereas Desulfomicrobium-related bacteria were prevalent in the chemocline zone at a 150-m depth. Besides Desulfotomaculum (SRB subgroup 1), Desulfobacter (SRB subgroup 4), and Desulfovibrio-Desulfomicrobium (SRB subgroup 6), nested PCR with the use of 16S rRNA gene-specific primers detected the presence of Desulfococcus–Desulfonema–Desulfosarcina (SRB subgroup 5) in the oxygen-containing water column of the Black and Baltic seas. Active enrichment SRB culture that contained bacterium Desulfosporosinus sp. as a major component was obtained from the Black Sea water sample collected at a 70-m depth.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hamaticolax</Emphasis> Ho &amp; Lin, 2006 (Copepoda: Bomolochidae) from deep water macrourids in the Mediterranean

Hamaticolax resupinus n. sp. is described from specimens collected from the gill cavities of Coelorinchus mediterraneus Iwamoto & Ungaro and Coryphaenoides mediterraneus (Giglioli) (Gadiformes: Macrouridae) caught in the Western Mediterranean Sea at depths between 1,236 and 1,626 m. Hamaticolax resupinus n. sp. closely resembles H. maleus Oldewage, 1994, but differs from the latter by its smaller body size and in having a genital double-somite in the female that is markedly wider than the free abdominal somites and has strongly convex lateral margins. The new species is only the second bomolochid found on a macrourid host and is the first from depths in excess of 1,200 m. Hamaticolax resupinus n. sp. also represents the first parasitic copepod recorded from Coe. mediterraneus and only the third one from Cor. mediterraneus worldwide.     

Ectomycorrhizal communities of ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine in the south-central Oregon pumice zone

Forest ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest of the USA are changing as a result of climate change. Specifically, rise of global temperatures, decline of winter precipitation, earlier loss of snowpack, and increased summer drought are altering the range of Pinus contorta. Simultaneously, flux in environmental conditions within the historic P. contorta range may facilitate the encroachment of P. ponderosa into P. contorta territory. Furthermore, successful pine species migration may be constrained by the distribution or co-migration of ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF). Knowledge of the linkages among soil fungal diversity, community structure, and environmental factors is critical to understanding the organization and stability of pine ecosystems. The objectives of this study were to establish a foundational knowledge of the EMF communities of P. ponderosa and P. contorta in the Deschutes National Forest, OR, USA, and to examine soil characteristics associated with community composition. We examined EMF root tips of P. ponderosa and P. contorta in soil cores and conducted soil chemistry analysis for P. ponderosa cores. Results indicate that Cenococcum geophilum, Rhizopogon salebrosus, and Inocybe flocculosa were dominant in both P. contorta and P. ponderosa soil cores. Rhizopogon spp. were ubiquitous in P. ponderosa cores. There was no significant difference in the species composition of EMF communities of P. ponderosa and P. contorta. Ordination analysis of P. ponderosa soils suggested that soil pH, plant-available phosphorus (Bray), total phosphorus (P), carbon (C), mineralizable nitrogen (N), ammonium (NH₄), and nitrate (NO₃) are driving EMF community composition in P. ponderosa stands. We found a significant linear relationship between EMF species richness and mineralizable N. In conclusion, P. ponderosa and P. contorta, within the Deschutes National Forest, share the same dominant EMF species, which implies that P. ponderosa may be able to successfully establish within the historic P. contorta range and dominant EMF assemblages may be conserved.     

Widespread Distribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dehalococcoides mccartyi</Emphasis> in the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay,Texas, Sediments and the Potential for Reductive Dechlorination of PCDD/F in an Estuarine Environment

Sediments in the Houston Ship Channel and upper Galveston Bay, Texas, USA, are polluted with polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDD/F; ≤46,000 ng/kg dry weight (wt.)) with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), the most toxic congener, contributing >50 % of the total toxic equivalents (TEQ) at most locations. We measured PCDD/F concentrations in sediments and evaluated the potential for enhanced in situ biodegradation by surveying for Dehalococcoides mccartyi, an obligate organohalide respiring bacterium. Dehalococcoides spp. (98 % similar to D. mccartyi) and 22 other members of the class Dehalococcoidia were predominant 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) phylotypes. Dehalococcoides spp. were also present in the active fraction of the bacterial community. Presence/absence PCR screening detected D. mccartyi in sediment cores and sediment grab samples having at least 1 ng/kg dry wt. TEQ at salinities ranging from 0.6 to 19.5 PSU, indicating that they are widespread in the estuarine environment. Organic carbon-only and organic carbon + sulfate-amended sediment microcosm experiments resulted in ～60 % reduction of ambient 2,3,7,8-TCDD in just 24 months leading to reductions in total TEQs by 38.4 and 45.0 %, respectively, indicating that 2,3,7,8-TCDD degradation is occurring at appreciable rates.