Manometric Assessment of interstitial microalgae production in two estuarine sediments

Summary The potential production of estuarine interstitial microalgae from two tidal flats differing in sediment texture was determined manometrically. Sediment cores from the Southbeach tidal flat showed a maximum amount of productivity in the lower intertidal zone whereas sediment cores from Sally's Bend showed no production in this zone. The upper cm³ of sediment from both tidal flats had a higher amount of gross potential production than subsurface core sections. the sandy substratum from Southbeach had an estimated gross annual production of 275–325 g C m^-2 yr^-1 whereas the silty substratum of Sally's Bend had an estimated value of 0–125 g C m^-2 yr^-1. Respiration/Photosynthesis (R/P) ratios indicate that respiration often exceeds photosynthesis on the Sally's Bend tidal flat.This investigation was supported by a predoctoral traineeship from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and is part of a dissertation submitted by the senior author in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph. D. degree to the Graduate School of Oregon State University, Corvallis.     

中国石龙子一新纪录属和一新纪录种

记述了采自新疆西北部的察布查尔县的沙地泛蜥Ablepharus deserti Strauch,1868,是在中国的首次记录,同时泛蜥属Ablepharus Fitzinger,1823也是我国的新纪录属.该种与原记录分布在我国伊宁市的阿赖山裂睑蜥的主要区别是:1)环体中段背鳞少于22枚;2)成体背部一色或具暗色纵纹.标本收藏在新疆农业大学动物标本馆.     

Neogene Fallout Tuffs from the Yellowstone Hotspot in the Columbia Plateau Region,Oregon, Washington and Idaho,USA

Sedimentary sequences in the Columbia Plateau region of the Pacific Northwest ranging in age from 16–4 Ma contain fallout tuffs whose origins lie in volcanic centers of the Yellowstone hotspot in northwestern Nevada, eastern Oregon and the Snake River Plain in Idaho. Silicic volcanism began in the region contemporaneously with early eruptions of the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG), and the abundance of widespread fallout tuffs provides the opportunity to establish a tephrostratigrahic framework for the region. Sedimentary basins with volcaniclastic deposits also contain diverse assemblages of fauna and flora that were preserved during the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum, including Sucker Creek, Mascall, Latah, Virgin Valley and Trout Creek. Correlation of ashfall units establish that the lower Bully Creek Formation in eastern Oregon is contemporaneous with the Virgin Valley Formation, the Sucker Creek Formation, Oregon and Idaho, Trout Creek Formation, Oregon, and the Latah Formation in the Clearwater Embayment in Washington and Idaho. In addition, it can be established that the Trout Creek flora are younger than the Mascall and Latah flora. A tentative correlation of a fallout tuff from the Clarkia fossil beds, Idaho, with a pumice bed in the Bully Creek Formation places the remarkably well preserved Clarkia flora assemblage between the Mascall and Trout Creek flora. Large-volume supereruptions that originated between 11.8 and 10.1 Ma from the Bruneau-Jarbidge and Twin Falls volcanic centers of the Yellowstone hotspot in the central Snake River Plain deposited voluminous fallout tuffs in the Ellensberg Formation which forms sedimentary interbeds in the CRBG. These occurrences extend the known distribution of these fallout tuffs 500 km to the northwest of their source in the Snake River Plain. Heretofore, the distal products of these large eruptions had only been recognized to the east of their sources in the High Plains of Nebraska and Kansas.     

Coxites zubairensis Smout, 1956: a new record from Late Cenomanian of the Southern Galala Plateau,Egypt

Coxites zubairensis Smout 1956 is documented from the upper Cenomanian Galala Formation, Umm Khayshar stratigraphic section, Southern Galala Plateau, Eastern Desert, Egypt, and treated systematically.     

雅鲁藏布江大拐弯地区蕨类植物科属区系特征分析

雅鲁藏布江大拐弯地区蕨类植物区系共含４５科、１０８属。主要科为鳞毛蕨科Ｄｒｙｏｐｔｅｒｉｄａｃｅａｅ（８０／５,种数／属数）、水龙骨科Ｐｏｌｙｐｏｄｉａｃｅａｅ（６５／１４）、蹄盖蕨科Ａｔｈｙｒｉａｃｅａｅ（４５／１１）、铁角蕨科Ａｓｐｌｅｎｉａｃｅａｅ（２３／３）、中国蕨科Ｓｉｎｏｐｔｅｒｉｄａｃｅａｅ（１９／６）、金星蕨科Ｔｈｅｌｙｐｔｅｒｉｄａｃｅａｅ（１８／９）、凤尾蕨科Ｐｔｅｒｉｄａｃｅａｅ（１３／２）、卷柏科Ｓｅｌａｇｉｎｅｌａｃｅａｅ（１２／１）和膜蕨科Ｈｙｍｅｎｏｐｈｙｌａｃｅａｅ（１１／３）。主要属是耳蕨属Ｐｏｌｙｓｔｉｃｈｕｍ,鳞毛蕨属Ｄｒｙｏｐｔｅｒｉｓ,铁角蕨属Ａｓｐｌｅｎｉｕｍ,蹄盖蕨属Ａｔｈｙｒｉｕｍ等系统发育上较高级的类群;无典型的特有属,可认为它是随青藏高原隆起而形成的较年轻的蕨类区系。其热带成分科属虽多（科占６２２％,属占６７６％）,但优势科、优势属均为广布类型。本区蕨类植物的起源是古老的热带亚洲成分。     

Modelling the potential distribution of Mesalina watsonana (Stoliczka, 1872) (Reptilia: Lacertidae) on the Iranian Plateau

The Persian Long-tailed Desert Lizard, Mesalina watsonana, is one of the most common and most widely distributed lizards on the Iranian Plateau extending from Iran to Pakistan and Afghanistan. The species is frequently encountered in various types of habitats. We collected over 600 distributional records from available literature, museum collections, and our own field work and used bioclimatic and land cover characteristics to develop a model of potential distribution for M. watsonana. According to the model, the most important factors limiting the distribution of M. watsonana are: precipitation in wettest quarter exceeding 250–300 mm, precipitation in coldest quarter lower than 40 mm and exceeding 250 mm, altitudes above 2500 m and slopes steeper than 10.5°. The model suggests that most of the Iranian Plateau is suitable for the species except for some isolated areas such as the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut deserts in Iran, Helmand basin in Afghanistan, the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan, the western Chagai-Kharan deserts of Pakistani Balochistan, and Thar and Cholistan deserts in eastern Pakistan. The most important factor in these regions appears to be the extremely low rainfall during coldest quarter of the year. The outer boundary of the distribution of M. watsonana follows important biogeographic barriers that are also clearly delimited by climatic conditions.     

芒蛱蝶西藏一个新纪录及川藏地区黄缘蛱蝶的历史记录

在2017年6-7月对藏东南地区蝶类资源进行调查时,于墨脱县采集到了2枚芒蛱蝶Euripusnyctelius(鳞翅目:蛱蝶科)标本,经鉴定为西藏新纪种,同时也是首次在西藏发现芒蛱蝶属;于察隅县采集到1枚黄缘蛱蝶Nymphalisantiopa(鳞翅目:蛱蝶科),兹此列举诸多川藏地区黄缘蛱蝶的历史采集记录;并结合西藏处于古北区和东洋区生物交界带的地理位置,对在西藏发现两种蝴蝶的特殊意义进行了简要讨论。     

Soil Microbial Responses to Temporal Variations of Moisture and Temperature in a Chihuahuan Desert Grassland

Global climate change models indicate that storm magnitudes will increase in many areas throughout southwest North America, which could result in up to a 25% increase in seasonal precipitation in the Big Bend region of the Chihuahuan Desert over the next 50 years. Seasonal precipitation is a key limiting factor regulating primary productivity, soil microbial activity, and ecosystem dynamics in arid and semiarid regions. As decomposers, soil microbial communities mediate critical ecosystem processes that ultimately affect the success of all trophic levels, and the activity of these microbial communities is primarily regulated by moisture availability. This research is focused on elucidating soil microbial responses to seasonal and yearly changes in soil moisture, temperature, and selected soil nutrient and edaphic properties in a Sotol Grassland in the Chihuahuan Desert at Big Bend National Park. Soil samples were collected over a 3-year period in March and September (2004-2006) at 0-15 cm soil depth from 12 3 x 3 m community plots. Bacterial and fungal carbon usage (quantified using Biolog 96-well micro-plates) was related to soil moisture patterns (ranging between 3.0 and 14%). In addition to soil moisture, the seasonal and yearly variability of soil bacterial activity was most closely associated with levels of soil organic matter, extractable NH(4)-N, and soil pH. Variability in fungal activity was related to soil temperatures ranging between 13 and 26 degrees C. These findings indicate that changes in soil moisture, coupled with soil temperatures and resource availability, drive the functioning of soil-microbial dynamics in these desert grasslands. Temporal patterns in microbial activity may reflect the differences in the ability of bacteria and fungi to respond to seasonal patterns of moisture and temperature. Bacteria were more able to respond to moisture pulses regardless of temperature, while fungi only responded to moisture pulses during cooler seasons with the exception of substantial increased magnitudes in precipitation occurring during warmer months. Changes in the timing and magnitude of precipitation will alter the proportional contribution of bacteria and fungi to decomposition and nitrogen mineralization in this desert grassland.     

Biodiversity,Bioactivity, and Metabolites of High Desert Derived Oregonian Soil Bacteria

From arid, high desert soil samples collected near Bend, Oregon, 19 unique bacteria were isolated. Each strain was identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and their organic extracts were tested for antibacterial and antiproliferative activities. Noteworthy, six extracts (30 %) exhibited strong inhibition resulting in less than 50 % cell proliferation in more than one cancer cell model, tested at 10 μg/mL. Principal component analysis (PCA) of LC/MS data revealed drastic differences in the metabolic profiles found in the organic extracts of these soil bacteria. In total, fourteen potent antibacterial and/or cytotoxic metabolites were isolated via bioactivity-guided fractionation, including two new natural products: a pyrazinone containing tetrapeptide and 7-methoxy-2,3-dimethyl-4H-chromen-4-one, as well as twelve known compounds: furanonaphthoquinone I, bafilomycin C1 and D, FD-594, oligomycin A, chloramphenicol, MY12-62A, rac-sclerone, isosclerone, tunicamycin VII, tunicamycin VIII, and (6S,16S)-anthrabenzoxocinone 1.264-C.     

宽额甲属分类研究(鞘翅目,拟步甲科)

对宽额甲属Ascelosodis昆虫进行了分类研究.描述采自中国西藏3新种,即小粒宽额甲A.granata sp.nov.,郑氏宽额甲A.zhengi sp.nov.和班戈宽额甲A.baingoinana sp.nov..给出了已知种名录和检索表.模式标本保存于河北大学博物馆.     

Phylogeny, divergence times and species limits of spiny lizards (Sceloporus magister species group) in western North American deserts and Baja California

The broad distribution of the Sceloporus magister species group (squamata: phrynosomatidae) throughout western North America provides an appropriate model for testing biogeographical hypotheses explaining the timing and origins of diversity across mainland deserts and the Baja California Peninsula. We inferred concordant phylogenetic trees describing the higher-level relationships within the magister group using 1.6 kb of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and 1.7 kb of nuclear DNA data. These data provide strong support for the parallel divergence of lineages endemic to the Baja California Peninsula (S. zosteromus and the orcutti complex) in the form of two sequential divergence events at the base of the magister group phylogeny. A relaxed phylogenetic analysis of the mtDNA data using one fossil and one biogeographical constraint provides a chronology of these divergence events and evidence that further diversification within the Baja California clades occurred simultaneously, although patterns of geographical variation and speciation between clades differ. We resolved four major phylogeographical clades within S. magister that (i) provide a novel phylogenetic placement of the Chihuahuan Desert populations sister to the Mojave Desert; (ii) illustrate a mixed history for the Colorado Plateau that includes Mojave and Sonoran Desert components; and (iii) identify an area of overlap between the Mojave and Sonoran Desert clades near Yuma, Arizona. Estimates of bidirectional migration rates among populations of S. magister using four nuclear loci support strong asymmetries in gene flow among the major mtDNA clades. Based on the nonexclusivity of mtDNA haplotypes, nuclear gene flow among populations and wide zones of phenotypic intergradation, S. magister appears to represent a single geographically variable and widespread species.     

Community patterns of nectivorous adult parasitoids (Diptera,Bombyliidae) on their resources

Summary Highly diverse assemblages of nectivorous bee flies (Diptera: bombyliidae) occur at desert sites in California presenting an opportunity to investigate the ecology of this little-known group. This study compared communities of adult bee flies visiting flowers at two sites, one in the Mojave Desert (Darwin Plateau) and one in the Great Basin (Mono Basin), during periods of higher and lower resource abundance. The range of resources used by single species varied inversely with the number of species present, with the greatest number of species and smallest niche breadths occurring at the Darwin Plateau. Adult bee flies did not visit flower resources at random. Rather the two major divisions of the family exhibited contrasting patterns of specialization on plant species. Results of this study support the hypothesis that resources were limiting for adult bee flies in the period of lower food abundance at the Darwin Plateau and not limiting at the Mono Basin during this study. Bee flies at the Mono Basin exhibited lower densities per flower (despite higher densities per unit area), lower frequency of feeding, a lower degree of specialization, and less pronounced phenological changes than bee flies at the Darwin Plateau. The data suggest that episodes of population regulation in the non-parasitic (i.e. adult) stage, due to short supply of the adults' food, contribute to determining the structure of parasitoid communities.     

Shrub persistence and increased grass mortality in response to drought in dryland systems

Droughts in the southwest United States have led to major forest and grassland die‐off events in recent decades, suggesting plant community and ecosystem shifts are imminent as native perennial grass populations are replaced by shrub‐ and invasive plant‐dominated systems. These patterns are similar to those observed in arid and semiarid systems around the globe, but our ability to predict which species will experience increased drought‐induced mortality in response to climate change remains limited. We investigated meteorological drought‐induced mortality of nine dominant plant species in the Colorado Plateau Desert by experimentally imposing a year‐round 35% precipitation reduction for eight continuous years. We distributed experimental plots across numerous plant, soil, and parent material types, resulting in 40 distinct sites across a 4,500 km² region of the Colorado Plateau Desert. For all 8 years, we tracked c. 400 individual plants and evaluated mortality responses to treatments within and across species, and through time. We also examined the influence of abiotic and biotic site factors in driving mortality responses. Overall, high mortality trends were driven by dominant grass species, including Achnatherum hymenoides, Pleuraphis jamesii, and Sporobolus cryptandrus. Responses varied widely from year to year and dominant shrub species were generally resistant to meteorological drought, likely due to their ability to access deeper soil water. Importantly, mortality increased in the presence of invasive species regardless of treatment, and native plant die‐off occurred even under ambient conditions, suggesting that recent climate changes are already negatively impacting dominant species in these systems. Results from this long‐term drought experiment suggest major shifts in community composition and, as a result, ecosystem function. Patterns also show that, across multiple soil and plant community types, native perennial grass species may be replaced by shrubs and invasive annuals in the Colorado Plateau Desert.     

A microtiter plate procedure for evaluating fungal functional diversity on nitrogen substrates

Ascertaining the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on belowground diversity is of paramount importance because pollution from agricultural practices and industrialization are increasing worldwide. Although we have methods for evaluating soil microbial function with respect to carbon use our ability to evaluate use of other compounds is limited. Because N cycling is of paramount importance in ecosystem stability, evaluation of the ability of saprophytic soil fungi to use a variety of N sources would provide important information on possible alterations in ecosystem stability with disturbance. Herein is described a procedure (soil Nitrolog) for evaluating fungal functional diversity on a suite of 95 different N substrates. The soil Nitrolog procedure was evaluated by testing fungal functional diversity at two sites in Big Bend National Park (Chihuahuan Desert), differing in elevation and plant community composition. The soil Nitrolog procedure distinguished between the two sites based on overall use of the 95 N substrates. In addition the procedure detected differences in individual substrate use based on site specific plant compounds in response to changes in the amount of N entering these ecosystems from anthropogenic inputs.     

Impact of European red mite on Golden Delicious and Oregon Spur apples in Israel

To develop a damage threshold for the European red mite (ERM), Panonychus ulmi (Koch), the effect of ERM injury on fruit weight and return crop in the apple cultivars (CVs) Golden Delicious and Oregon Spur were studied in the Upper Galilee of Israel for two consecutive seasons. The ERM significantly affected the leaf colour, chlorophyll content, fruit weight and return harvest in both CVs. High population levels of 450 adult female cumulative mite days (ACMDs) reduced the fruit weight on Golden Delicious but not on Oregon Spur. Population levels above approximately 600 and 900 ACMDs in Golden Delicious and Oregon Spur, respectively, caused a substantial reduction in the return harvest. Because no damage was observed at low population levels, an action threshold of 150 ACMDs is recommended.     

Encalypta brevipes and E. brevicolla: new records from North America,Iceland, Great Britain and Europe

Abstract

Encalypta brevipes Schljak. is reported in North America from north-western-most Oregon, United States; from Iceland; and in Europe from the Alps in southeastern France, and the High Tatra Mountains in Czechoslovakia. Encalypta brevicolla (B.S.G.) Bruch ex Aongstr. is reported from southernmost coastal Oregon, United States and east-central Scotland, Great Britain.     

A forest‐specialist carnivore in the middle of the desert?Comments on Anabalon et al. 2019

We present comments on an article recently published in Ecology and Evolution (“High‐resolution melting of the cytochrome B gene in fecal DNA: A powerful approach for fox species identification of the Lycalopex genus in Chile”) by Anabalon et al. that reported the presence of Darwin's fox (Lycalopex fulvipes), a temperate forest specialist, in the hyperarid Atacama Desert of northern Chile. We argue that this putative record lacks ecological support in light of ongoing research on this endangered species, and contains numerous methodological flaws and omissions related to the molecular identification of the species. Based on these issues, we suggest the scientific community and conservation decision‐makers disregard the alleged presence of the Darwin's fox in the Atacama Desert.     

Diazotrophic community structure and function in two successional stages of biological soil crusts from the Colorado Plateau and Chihuahuan Desert

The objective of this study was to characterize the community structure and activity of N2-fixing microorganisms in mature and poorly developed biological soil crusts from both the Colorado Plateau and Chihuahuan Desert. Nitrogenase activity was approximately 10 and 2.5 times higher in mature crusts than in poorly developed crusts at the Colorado Plateau site and Chihuahuan Desert site, respectively. Analysis of nifH sequences by clone sequencing and the terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism technique indicated that the crust diazotrophic community was 80 to 90% heterocystous cyanobacteria most closely related to Nostoc spp. and that the composition of N2-fixing species did not vary significantly between the poorly developed and mature crusts at either site. In contrast, the abundance of nifH sequences was approximately 7.5 times greater (per microgram of total DNA) in mature crusts than in poorly developed crusts at a given site as measured by quantitative PCR. 16S rRNA gene clone sequencing and microscopic analysis of the cyanobacterial community within both crust types demonstrated a transition from a Microcoleus vaginatus-dominated, poorly developed crust to mature crusts harboring a greater percentage of Nostoc and Scytonema spp. We hypothesize that ecological factors, such as soil instability and water stress, may constrain the growth of N2-fixing microorganisms at our study sites and that the transition to a mature, nitrogen-producing crust initially requires bioengineering of the surface microenvironment by Microcoleus vaginatus.     

高原鼠兔寄生艾美耳球虫(顶复器门,艾美耳科)二中国新纪录种

记述从高原鼠兔Ochotona curzoniae新鲜粪便收集的艾美耳属Eimeria球虫二中国新纪录种:E.worleyi Lepp,Todd & Samuel,1972和E.klondikensis Hobbs & Samuel,1974,高原鼠兔是其寄生新宿主.鼠兔标本保存于青藏高原生物标本馆,孢子化卵囊标本保存于中国科学院西北高原生物研究所高原生物适应与进化重点实验室.     

Gifts of Pride and Love: The Cultural Significance of Kiowa and Comanche Lattice Cradles

Gifts of Pride and Love: The Cultural Significance of Kiowa and Comanche Lattice Cradles. Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown University, Bristol, RI, 1998; Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK, December 4, 1999-February 2000; Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ, April 20-July 16, 2001; Fowler Museum of Cultural History, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, August 27, 2000-January 16, 2001; National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Gustav Heye Center, New York, NY, March-May 2001; Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Norman, OK, June-September 2001; Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Ledyard, CT, October 2001-January 2002.
Gifts of Pride and Love: Kiowa and Comanche Cradles. Barbara A. Hail. ed. Bristol, RI: Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown University, 2000. 135 pp.