Cretaceous and Paleogene boundary strata in southern Tibet and their implication for the India-Eurasia collision

Recent stratigraphic studies in southern Tibet provide new information about the timing of the initial collision between the India and Eurasia continental blocks. The stratigraphic and paleontological evidence document dramatic changes in sedimentary facies and microfauna content across the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary. In the Zhongba and Gamba areas in southern Tibet, the K/Pg boundary is marked by a major disconformity, separating platform carbonates from overlying terrigenous conglomerates and sandstones. The stratigraphy of the boundary sequences has recently been improved with the recognition of three foraminiferal assemblages. They are: Maastrichtian Orbitoides-Omphalocyclus , Danian Rotalia-Smoutina-Lockhartia and Thanetian Miscellanea-Daviesina microfaunal assemblages. The K/Pg boundary at the Gamba area is placed between the Orbitoides-Omphalocyclus and Rotalia-Smoutina-Lockhartia faunas. In Tingri, Cretaceous Globotruncana and tertiary Globigerina-Globorotalia microfauna demark the position of the K/Pg boundary. The occurrence of terrigenous sandstones and boulder-size conglomerates in the early Paleocene is compelling evidence for tectonic uplift and emergence of the southern margin of the Lhasa block and of the northern margin of the Indian plate. Therefore, supported by biostratigraphic evidence, we argue that the uplift is caused by the onset of continental collision during the earliest Danian. Progressing plate collision resulted in deformation and fragmentation of the Paleocene carbonate platform and deposition of limestone breccias, which we consider as further evidence for tectonic compression as a result of early continental collision during the Thanetian, earlier than indicated by previous studies in the Himalayas. It is the change in the sedimentary facies and depositional environment that provides the earliest evidence and dating of the initiation of the collision process. From studies of sedimentary strata in southern Tibet, the collision of the India and Lhasa continental blocks was initiated at ~K/Pg boundary time (~65Ma). If that is the case, than the major lithofacies changes at the K/Pg boundary observed in the western Tethys, mostly referred to as intrinsic to the eustatic sea level change, has been driven by continental convergence and collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates.     

Early Cretaceous (Valanginian - Hauterivian) calcareous nannofossils and isotopes of the northern hemisphere: proxies for the understanding of Cretaceous climate

From three boreholes (DSDP Site 535; ODP Site 638; BGS borehole 81/43) of the Central Atlantic and the North Sea Basin 379 samples of early Cretaceous age (Valanginian-Hauterivian) were examined. The localities cover a S-N transect of approximately 3000 km stretching from 17°N to 40°N palaeolatitude. The distribution of calcareous nannofossils and fluctuations of the stable isotopes (δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O) have been recorded and were compared with results of recent studies. We differentiate between high nutrient indicators and oligotrophic taxa and propose a four step scheme to characterize the trophic level of the surface water. (1) High abundances of the fertility group (Biscutum constans/Zeugrhabdotus spp.) combined with a high dominance of B. constans and low abundances of Watznaueria barnesae/W. fossacincta represent a high nutrient environment (eutrophic setting). (2) High abundances of the fertility group combined with a high dominance of Zeugrhabdotus spp. and low abundances of W. barnesae/W. fossacincta reflect enhanced nutrient contents of the surface water (mesotrophic setting). (3) Enhanced abundances of the fertility group combined with high abundances of W. barnesae/W. fossacincta indicate slightly increased nutrient contents of the surface water (meso- to oligotrophic setting). (4) Low abundances of the fertility group and high abundances of W. barnesae/W. fossacincta are of low nutrient affinities (oligotrophic setting). Our estimations of seawater palaeotemperatures in combination with literature data show a distinctive trend for the Valanginian to Hauterivian interval. A general decrease of water temperature from the Valanginian to the early Hauterivian is obvious. This decrease of temperature coincides with the southward migration of the high latitudinal cold water species Crucibiscutum salebrosum to lower latitudes. Our findings shed new light on the evolution of the earliest Cretaceous climate, which may be characterized as a warm greenhouse world with interludes of short cooling.     

U‐CARE: Utilities for performing goodness of fit tests and manipulating CApture–REcapture data

In any statistical analysis, assessing the goodness of fit of a model to the data is crucial to avoid drawing incorrect conclusions. U‐CARE is a computer application that deals with the mandatory first steps of the analyses of capture–recapture data: the preparation of the data set and the assessment of the fit of a general model (Cormack‐Jolly‐Seber and variants for single‐state data; Jolly‐Move and variants for multi‐state data). U‐CARE implements the current state of the art in goodness‐of‐fit testing by incorporating components aimed at detecting the most likely departures from assumptions ( Pradel et al. 2003, 2005 ). It is a free and stand‐alone application for Windows.     

Early Cretaceous non‐marine Ostracoda from the North Falkland Basin,South Atlantic

Twenty‐seven species of well‐preserved and abundant Early Cretaceous non‐marine ostracod crustaceans were recovered from the North Falkland Basin. The assemblage is unusually diverse for a non‐marine palaeoenvironment and is sourced from cuttings samples collected during 2011 drilling of wells by Desire and Rockhopper Exploration, in the northern and southern areas of the basin. Ostracoda are entirely undocumented in published accounts from this basin, and all but one species appear to be new to science. For the new taxa, one new family (Alloiocyprideidae; type genus Hourcqia) is proposed and includes Hourcqia woodi sp. nov. Four new genera are erected: Falklandicypris gen. nov.; type species F. petrasaltata sp. nov., Gangamoncythere gen. nov.; type species G. colini sp. nov., Paraplesiocypridea gen. nov.; type species P. alloios sp. nov., and Musacchiocythere gen nov.; type species M. sarunata (Musacchio, 1978 ). Nine other species are described as new and are Falklandicypris desiderata, Clinocypris epacrus, Cypria poietes, Ilhasina? leiodermatus, Looneyellopsis tuberculatus, Theriosynoecum petasmathylacus, Theriosynoecum ballentae, Timiriasevia fluitans, and Vecticypris samesi. The remainder are left in open nomenclature due to paucity of material. The ostracod assemblage is largely restricted to the southern part of the basin (wells 25/5‐1 and 26/6‐1). In the northern part of the basin only four species, dominated by Vecticypris samesi, are present and with one possible exception are restricted there. There appears to have been little or no interchange of species suggesting that a barrier probably existed between the northern and southern regions. The more diverse southern assemblage indicates that more favourable conditions existed to the south. Stratigraphically, a distinct change in faunal composition recorded in both southern wells is likely to be an isochronous event correlatable across the southern area, and of an age no younger than Hauterivian.     

Early evolution of Nemopteridae illuminated with the first and oldest thread‐winged lacewing in Cretaceous amber

Nemopteridae are a charismatic family of lacewings distinguished by specialization of morphology in both larvae and adults as well as in their biology and behaviour. The evolutionary history of Nemopteridae is largely unknown due to the scarcity of fossil records. Here we report a new genus and species of Nemopteridae (Cretocroce xiai gen. et sp.n.) based on an exquisitely preserved adult specimen in mid‐Cretaceous Burmese amber. We place the new genus in the subfamily Crocinae, which is characterized by filamentous hindwings with a sensory function as an adaptation to their cavernicolous habitats. The new genus represents the first nemopterid in amber and the oldest crocine known to date. The new fossil crocine is nearly morphologically unchanged over 99 Ma compared with its modern counterparts. Moreover, it is estimated to be closely related to some extant crocines endemic to South America based on morphological phylogenetic analysis. The new finding provides direct evidence to demonstrate the antiquity of Crocinae morphological innovation and related biology, such as pollenophagous habits, and further corroborates Gondwanan origin of the subfamily. The published work has been registered on ZooBank: http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3D29DE48‐DBD8‐4614‐8387‐D9FCF90B0640 .     

Autotaxin–lysophosphatidic acid–LPA3 signaling at the embryo‐epithelial boundary controls decidualization pathways

During pregnancy, up‐regulation of heparin‐binding (HB‐) EGF and cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) in the uterine epithelium contributes to decidualization, a series of uterine morphological changes required for placental formation and fetal development. Here, we report a key role for the lipid mediator lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in decidualization, acting through its G‐protein‐coupled receptor LPA₃ in the uterine epithelium. Knockout of Lpar3 or inhibition of the LPA‐producing enzyme autotaxin (ATX) in pregnant mice leads to HB‐EGF and COX‐2 down‐regulation near embryos and attenuates decidual reactions. Conversely, selective pharmacological activation of LPA₃ induces decidualization via up‐regulation of HB‐EGF and COX‐2. ATX and its substrate lysophosphatidylcholine can be detected in the uterine epithelium and in pre‐implantation‐stage embryos, respectively. Our results indicate that ATX–LPA–LPA₃ signaling at the embryo‐epithelial boundary induces decidualization via the canonical HB‐EGF and COX‐2 pathways.     

Continental, brackish and marine carbonates from the Lower Cretaceous of Kolone–Barbariga (Istria, Croatia): stratigraphy, sedimentology and geochemistry

During the Early Cretaceous, wide areas of the Dinaric–Adriatic Carbonate Platform emerged for long periods. The Hauterivian–Barremian carbonates from Kolone–Barbariga show a few typical examples of lacustrine facies with dinosaur bones and brackish/palustrine facies. The sequence of the platform is made for the most part by subtidal and intertidal limestones. The bone levels are located in a large depression few meters deep in the uppermost Hauterivian marine limestones. The filling facies of this depression are made by oncolitic rudstones and algal boundstones, which represent marginal lacustrine facies, and by laminated limestones, thin stromatolitic levels and distal fringes of rudstones which represent relatively open lacustrine facies. The fossil content is characterized by rare charophyte stems, ostracods, gastropods and plant remains, while typical marine fauna is absent. At the Hauterivian–Barremian boundary a major emersion event has been observed, then a slow transgressive phase occurred. The transgressive facies are primarily made by mudstones with ostracods, charophytes and Spirillina (brackish and probably freshwater facies), wackestones with Ophtalmidiidae and rare dasyclad algae, storm layers with gastropods and miliolids and breccia-like dinoturbated beds. Wackstones, packstones and very rich in dasyclad grainstones outcrop at the top of the section, representing the maximum of the transgression. Trace elements content, carbon and oxygen stable isotope analyses have been performed to aid the palaeoenvironmental interpretation. In this geological setting, Barium seems to discriminate between brackish and freshwater facies. The isotopic values of the marine carbonates appear to depend on early diagenetic processes, meanwhile lacustrine facies seem to show a weak signal of the depositional environment.     

Length–weight and length–length relationships of four native fish species of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau,China

This study presents the length–weight (LWR) and length–length relationships (LLR) of four fish species (Gymnocypris namensis Wu & Ren, 1982; Herzensteinia microcephalus Herzenstein, 1891; Triplophysa stenura Herzenstein, 1888; and Triplophysa brevicauda Herzenstein, 1888) collected from the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau, China. A total of 291 specimens was collected using electric fishing (12V), gill nets (mesh size: 2 × 2 cm, 3 × 3 cm) and cast nets (mesh size: 2 × 2 cm), in July 1998 and October 2014.     

Early host–microbe interaction in a peri‐implant oral mucosa‐biofilm model

The host‐microbe relationship is pivotal for oral health as well as for peri‐implant diseases. Peri‐implant mucosa and commensal biofilm play important roles in the maintenance of host‐microbe homeostasis, but little is known about how they interact. We have therefore investigated the early host‐microbe interaction between commensal multispecies biofilm (Streptococcus oralis, Actinomyces naeslundii, Veillonella dispar, Porphyromonas gingivalis) and organotypic peri‐implant mucosa using our three‐dimensional model. After 24 hr, biofilms induced weak inflammatory reaction in the peri‐implant mucosa by upregulation of five genes related to immune response and increased secretion of IL‐6 and CCL20. Biofilm volume was reduced which might be explained by secretion of β‐Defensins‐1, ‐2, and CCL20. The specific tissue reaction without intrinsic overreaction might contribute to intact mucosa. Thus, a relationship similar to homeostasis and oral health was established within the first 24 hr. In contrast, the mucosa was damaged and the bacterial distribution was altered after 48 hr. These were accompanied by an enhanced immune response with upregulation of additional inflammatory‐related genes and increased cytokine secretion. Thus, the homeostasis‐like relationship was disrupted. Such profound knowledge of the host‐microbe interaction at the peri‐implant site may provide the basis to improve strategies for prevention and therapy of peri‐implant diseases.     

Biotic and environmental dynamics through the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous transition: evidence for protracted faunal and ecological turnover

The Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous interval represents a time of environmental upheaval and cataclysmic events, combined with disruptions to terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Historically, the Jurassic/Cretaceous (J/K) boundary was classified as one of eight mass extinctions. However, more recent research has largely overturned this view, revealing a much more complex pattern of biotic and abiotic dynamics than has previously been appreciated. Here, we present a synthesis of our current knowledge of Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous events, focusing particularly on events closest to the J/K boundary. We find evidence for a combination of short‐term catastrophic events, large‐scale tectonic processes and environmental perturbations, and major clade interactions that led to a seemingly dramatic faunal and ecological turnover in both the marine and terrestrial realms. This is coupled with a great reduction in global biodiversity which might in part be explained by poor sampling. Very few groups appear to have been entirely resilient to this J/K boundary ‘event’, which hints at a ‘cascade model’ of ecosystem changes driving faunal dynamics. Within terrestrial ecosystems, larger, more‐specialised organisms, such as saurischian dinosaurs, appear to have suffered the most. Medium‐sized tetanuran theropods declined, and were replaced by larger‐bodied groups, and basal eusauropods were replaced by neosauropod faunas. The ascent of paravian theropods is emphasised by escalated competition with contemporary pterosaur groups, culminating in the explosive radiation of birds, although the timing of this is obfuscated by biases in sampling. Smaller, more ecologically diverse terrestrial non‐archosaurs, such as lissamphibians and mammaliaforms, were comparatively resilient to extinctions, instead documenting the origination of many extant groups around the J/K boundary. In the marine realm, extinctions were focused on low‐latitude, shallow marine shelf‐dwelling faunas, corresponding to a significant eustatic sea‐level fall in the latest Jurassic. More mobile and ecologically plastic marine groups, such as ichthyosaurs, survived the boundary relatively unscathed. High rates of extinction and turnover in other macropredaceous marine groups, including plesiosaurs, are accompanied by the origin of most major lineages of extant sharks. Groups which occupied both marine and terrestrial ecosystems, including crocodylomorphs, document a selective extinction in shallow marine forms, whereas turtles appear to have diversified. These patterns suggest that different extinction selectivity and ecological processes were operating between marine and terrestrial ecosystems, which were ultimately important in determining the fates of many key groups, as well as the origins of many major extant lineages. We identify a series of potential abiotic candidates for driving these patterns, including multiple bolide impacts, several episodes of flood basalt eruptions, dramatic climate change, and major disruptions to oceanic systems. The J/K transition therefore, although not a mass extinction, represents an important transitional period in the co‐evolutionary history of life on Earth.     

Provenance analysis of Cenozoic conglomerates: Insights from Lower Cretaceous radiolarians in chert clasts from the Xigaze area,southern Tibet

Conglomerates, exposed on either side of the Yarlung Tsangpo suture zone (YTSZ) in southern Tibet, have attracted wide attention in elucidating uplift and erosion histories of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen. However, the provenance of these conglomerates remains controversial. Although radiolarian-bearing chert clasts within these conglomerates have received little focus, identification of the radiolarian assemblages they contain could shed light on the provenance of these sedimentary units. We present the first report of Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous (upper Kimmeridgian–lower Barremian) radiolarian assemblages recovered from chert clasts within the Liuqu and Gangrinboche conglomerates in the Xigaze area. To extract radiolarian fossils from independent clasts in the conglomerates, a detailed and efficient experimental process is illustrated. The assemblages are well correlated to those in the YTSZ and Tethyan Himalaya, showing typical Tethyan characteristics. The lithology of chert clasts and ages of constituent radiolarian faunas suggest that the chert clasts in Liuqu and Gangrinboche conglomerates were derived from the Bainang terrane. This interpretation implies that Early Cretaceous accretionary complexes in the YTSZ had been exposed and eroded before deposited as clasts in the Cenozoic Liuqu and Gangrinboche conglomerates.     

Interactions between host sex and age of exposure modify the virulence–transmission trade‐off

The patterns of immunity conferred by host sex or age represent two sources of host heterogeneity that can potentially shape the evolutionary trajectory of disease. With each host sex or age encountered, a pathogen's optimal exploitative strategy may change, leading to considerable variation in expression of pathogen transmission and virulence. To date, these host characteristics have been studied in the context of host fitness alone, overlooking the effects of host sex and age on the fundamental virulence–transmission trade‐off faced by pathogens. Here, we explicitly address the interaction of these characteristics and find that host sex and age at exposure to a pathogen affect age‐specific patterns of mortality and the balance between pathogen transmission and virulence. When infecting age‐structured male and female Daphnia magna with different genotypes of Pasteuria ramosa, we found that infection increased mortality rates across all age classes for females, whereas mortality only increased in the earliest age class for males. Female hosts allowed a variety of trade‐offs between transmission and virulence to arise with each age and pathogen genotype. In contrast, this variation was dampened in males, with pathogens exhibiting declines in both virulence and transmission with increasing host age. Our results suggest that differences in exploitation potential of males and females to a pathogen can interact with host age to allow different virulence strategies to coexist, and illustrate the potential for these widespread sources of host heterogeneity to direct the evolution of disease in natural populations.     

Distinct roles for U‐type proteins in iron–sulfur cluster biosynthesis revealed by genetic analysis of the Bacillus subtilis sufCDSUB operon

The biosynthesis of iron–sulfur (Fe–S) clusters in Bacillus subtilis is mediated by the SUF‐like system composed of the sufCDSUB gene products. This system is unique in that it is a chimeric machinery comprising homologues of E. coli SUF components (SufS, SufB, SufC and SufD) and an ISC component (IscU). B. subtilis SufS cysteine desulfurase transfers persulfide sulfur to SufU (the IscU homologue); however, it has remained controversial whether SufU serves as a scaffold for Fe–S cluster assembly, like IscU, or acts as a sulfur shuttle protein, like E. coli SufE. Here we report that reengineering of the isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway in B. subtilis can offset the indispensability of the sufCDSUB operon, allowing the resultant Δsuf mutants to grow without detectable Fe–S proteins. Heterologous bidirectional complementation studies using B. subtilis and E. coli mutants showed that B. subtilis SufSU is interchangeable with E. coli SufSE but not with IscSU. In addition, functional similarity in SufB, SufC and SufD was observed between B. subtilis and E. coli. Our findings thus indicate that B. subtilis SufU is the protein that transfers sulfur from SufS to SufB, and that the SufBCD complex is the site of Fe–S cluster assembly.     

Early age at first breeding and high natal philopatry in the Red‐necked Nightjar Caprimulgus ruficollis

Recruitment rates, natal philopatry and the onset of breeding activity are documented for the first time for the order Caprimulgiformes. Of 171 Red‐necked Nightjars Caprimulgus ruficollis ringed as fledglings in southwestern Spain between 2008 and 2011, 31 (18%) were later recovered. Females tended to disperse slightly further (680 m) than males (570 m), and no individual from the study site or nearby locations was ever recovered outside the area where it hatched, suggesting high natal philopatry. Most males (94%) and females (73%) recruited into the breeding population in their first year of life, and only a few individuals were not recovered until their second (10%) or third (7%) year of life. In contrast to most long‐lived birds, nearly all (95.5%) Red‐necked Nightjars started to reproduce in their first potential breeding season.     

Dung‐associated arthropods influence foraging ecology and habitat selection in Black‐necked Cranes (Grus nigricollis) on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Variation in grassland vegetation structure influences the habitat selection of insectivorous birds. This variation presents a trade‐off for insectivorous predators: Arthropod abundance increases with vegetation height and heterogeneity, but access to arthropod prey items decreases. In contrast, grazing by large herbivores reduces and homogenizes vegetation, decreasing total arthropod abundance and diversity. However, the presence of livestock dung may help counteract the overall reduction in invertebrates by increasing arthropods associated with dung. It is unclear, however, how the presence of arthropod prey in dung contributes to overall habitat selection for insectivorous birds or how dung‐associated arthropods affect trade‐offs between vegetation structure, arthropod abundance, and access to prey. To explore these relationships, we studied habitat selection of the Black‐necked Crane (Grus nigricollis), a large omnivorous bird that breeds on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. We assessed the relationships between habitat selection of cranes and vegetation structure, arthropod abundance, and the presence of yak dung. We found that Black‐necked Cranes disproportionately foraged in grassland patches with short sward height, low sward height heterogeneity, and high numbers of dry yak dung, despite these habitats having lower total arthropod abundance. Although total arthropod abundance is lower, these habitats are supplemented with dry yak dung, which are associated with coleopteran larvae, making dung pats an indicator of food resources for breeding Black‐necked Cranes. Coleopteran adults and larvae in yak dung appear to be an important factor influencing the habitat selection of Black‐necked Cranes and should be considered when assessing grassland foraging trade‐offs of insectivorous birds. This research provides new insights into the role of livestock dung in defining foraging habitats and resources for insectivorous predators.     

Atolchelys lepida,a new side-necked turtle from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil and the age of crown Pleurodira

We report a new pleurodiran turtle from the Barremian Morro do Chaves Formation, Sergipe-Alagoas Basin, Brazil. We tested the phylogenetic position of Atolchelys lepida gen. et sp. nov. by including it in a comprehensive cladistic analysis of pleurodires. The new species is a basal member of Bothremydidae and simultaneously the oldest unambiguous crown Pleurodira. The biogeographic and chronostratigraphic significance of the finding has implications for the calibration of molecular clocks studies by pushing back the minimum age of crown Pleurodira by more than 12 Ma (ca 125 Ma). The reanalysis of Pelomedusoides relationships provides evidence that the early evolution and relationships among the main lineages of side-necked turtles can be explained, at least partially, by a sequence of vicariance events.     

Cooperative binding of 2,2′‐bipyridine into polynucleotide poly(A)–poly(U‐) in an alkaline aqueous solution

UV absorption data analysis has been used to evaluate equilibrium constants of the pH‐induced interaction of 2,2′‐Bipy with polyadenylnic‐polyuridylic acid in aqueous solution. The conditional probabilities hard model has been adopted in treatment of concentration diagrams calculated by the soft modelling‐based Multivariate Curve Resolution‐Alternating Least Squares approach. Intrinsic binding constant (lgK_g = 1.93), and the cooperativity parameter (ω = 340), were calculated as the best fit. The plot of the experimental binding constant versus 2,2′‐Bipy equilibrium concentration shows two modes of ligand with polymer interactions. The equilibrium hard model correctly reproduced the binding constant variations observed in the experiment. The results indicated that ligand binding in two steps is governed by a cooperative process, that is, the enhancement of deprotonated structure stability. It would appear that proposed calculation approach can be used in future combined hard modelling theoretical and soft modelling experimental works. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 99:621–627, 2013.