Foraminifera,Environmental Bioindicators in the Highly Impacted Environments of the Mekong Delta

Foraminiferal assemblages has been studied in three regions of the Mekong Delta subjected to different environmental characteristics: the Tra Vinh province, in the middle part of the Delta, under high freshwater influence; the Ca Mau peninsula, to the south, under maximum marine influence; and the Can Gio region, in the northern part of the Delta, with intermediate conditions. Intensive Rice–Shrimp Farming System is developing in these regions. Foraminiferal assemblages show the prevalence of the Mekong’s water pressure. Marine influence is strong only at a few stations along the shoreline, mainly in the Can Gio region. The rarity of allochthonous coastal species, in all the samples except one, suggests that up-river transport and settlement of foraminifera and sediment is significant only in the major channels. On a local level, foraminiferal assemblages provide a variety of information on environmental conditions. In a tidal channel of the Tra Vinh province, they suggest that lower reaches are more impacted by pollution than upper reaches; in the Ca Mau peninsula, under marine influence, low density and dominance of agglutinated species indicate the impact of deforestation and extension of acid sulfate soils; in shrimp pools, foraminifera may be used as indicators of the degradation of local conditions, in relation with accumulation of organic matter. The distribution of foraminiferal assemblages described in this study should be used as part of a reference point for further observations with a view to assessing environmental impacts of increasing human activities and/or climatic change.     

Trace and soft body fossils from the Pedroche Formation (Ovetian, Lower Cambrian of the Sierra de Córdoba, S Spain) and their relation to the Pedroche event

The low Lower Cambrian rocks from the Sierra de Córdoba contain one of the best successions in Europe, which consists of well exposed mixed facies with abundant fossil assemblages showing long stratigraphical ranges throughout the Pedroche Formation. These assemblages include diverse Ovetian archaeocyaths, trilobites, small shelly fossils, calcimicrobes, trace fossils and stromatolites. Trace fossils are still poorly known, and thus they are the main objective of this work. Ichnological data are obtained from the Arroyo de Pedroche 1, Arroyo de Pedroche 2 and Puente de Hierro sections. Trace fossils include the ichnogenera Bergaueria, aff. Bilinichnus, Cochlichnus, aff. Cosmorhaphe?, Cylindrichnus, Dactyloidites, Dimorphichnus, Diplichnites, Monocraterion, Palaeophycus, aff. Phycodes, Planolites, Psammichnites, Rusophycus, Skolithos, Torrowangea and Treptichnus, as well as faecal pellets, meniscate trace fossils and others. They are abundant in shales and sandstones, and indicate important changes in the benthic conditions with respect to the underlying Torreárboles Formation. Changes in fossil assemblages within Member I of the Pedroche Formation indicate palaeoecological disruptions, which led to the disappearance of numerous archaeocyath species and the decrease of stromatolite biodiversity. This was followed by dominance of trilobite and brachiopod assemblages, accompanied by trace fossils of the Psammichnites ichnosp. A ichnoassociation. This biotic turnover (Pedroche event) occurred at the lower part of the archaeocyath Zone III, within the Bigotina bivallata biozone. The diagnoses of the ichnospecies Cochlichnus anguineus and Dactyloidites cabanasi are emended.     

Herpetofaunas from the Upper Paleocene and Lower Eocene of Morocco

Two Upper Paleocene and one Lower Eocene localities from Morocco (Ouarzazate basin) have yielded terrestrial assemblages that stand among the rare herpetofaunas from the Paleogene of the African Plate. The collections include one of the rare frogs and the only lizards known from the Paleogene of Africa. One of the two Upper Paleocene localities, Adrar Mgorn 1, has produced an indeterminate anuran and the most diverse assemblage of squamates from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic of Africa. It has yielded the earliest known scolecophidian snake and the earliest Gekkonidae, amphisbaenians, Tropidophiidae, and perhaps Boidae from Africa. Moreover, a specimen represents either the last sphenodontian or the earliest acrodontan lizard from this continent. One of the amphisbaenians represents a very distinct new taxon, Todrasaurus gheerbranti gen. and sp. nov. Indeterminate scincomorphans, lacertilians, Madtsoidae, and Aniliidae are also present. The fauna from the Lower Eocene is less diverse than that from the Upper Paleocene, but some taxa are common to both levels. Contrary to nearly all other Paleogene herpetofaunas from the African Plate, these Paleocene and Eocene assemblages include taxa that were terrestrial, not aquatic.     

Siliceous phytoplankton assemblages and biostratigraphy of the pre-evaporite Messinian diatomites on Gavdos Island, Greece

Siliceous phytoplankton assemblages were examined from fine laminated diatomite beds of the Gavdos unit (Metochia A subsection) in the northeastern part of the Gavdos Island, southern of Crete in the Libyan Sea. The diatom associations characterized by species of low latitudes, belong to the upper part of the zone Nitzschia miocenica and the zone Thalassiosira convexa of Messinian age. The rich silicoflagellate association is assigned to the local biozone Distephanus speculum minutus. These biozones correspond approximately to the zones C9bA (Amaurolithus primus) and C9bB (Amaurolithus amplificus) of calcareous nannofossils and the zone Globoratalia conomiozea of planktic foraminifera.     

Stability of the spatio-temporal distribution and niche overlap in neotropical earthworm assemblages

The spatial distribution of soil invertebrates is aggregated with high-density patches alternating with low-density zones. A high degree of spatio-temporal organization generally exists with identified patches of specific species assemblages, in which species coexist according to assembly rules related to competitive mechanisms for spatial and trophic resources occur. However, these issues have seldom been addressed. The spatio-temporal structure of a native earthworm community in a natural savanna and a grass–legume pasture in the Colombian “Llanos” was studied during a 2-year-period. A spatially explicit sampling design (regular grid) was used to discern the distribution pattern of species assemblages in both systems. Earthworms were collected from small soil pits at three different sampling dates. Data collected from 1 m² soil monoliths were also used in the present study. Data were analyzed with the partial triadic analysis (PTA) and correlograms, while niche overlap was computed with the Pianka index. The PTA and correlogram analysis revealed that earthworm communities displayed a similar stable spatial structure in both systems during the 2-year study period. An alternation of population patches where different species' assemblages dominated was common to all sampling dates. The medium-sized Andiodrilus sp. and Glossodrilus sp. exhibited a clear spatial opposition in natural savanna and the grass–legume pasture for the duration of the study. The Pianka index showed a high degree of niche overlapping in several dimensions (vertical distribution, seasonality of population density) between both species. The inclusion of space-time data analysis tools as the PTA and the use of classical ecological indices (Pianka) in soil ecology studies may improve our knowledge of earthworm assemblages' dynamics.     

Benthic foraminiferal assemblages of the Cretaceous platform carbonate succession in the Yavca area (Bolkar Mountains, S Turkey): biostratigraphy and paleoenvironments

The microbiostratigraphic analysis of the three outcrop sections from the Cretaceous inner platform carbonate succession in the Yavca area (Bolkar Mountains) allows to recognize the four local benthic foraminiferal zones. These are: (1) Voloshinoides murgensis and Praechrysalidina infracretacea Cenozone in the Lower Aptian; (2) Pseudorhapydionina dubia and Biconcava bentori Cenozone in the Middle-Upper Cenomanian; (3) Ostracoda and Miliolidae Interval Zone in the probable Turonian, represented by dolomitized limestones without any significant markers; (4) Moncharmontia compressa and Dicyclina schlumbergeri Cenozone in the Coniacian-Santonian. The benthic foraminiferal assemblages correspond to those in other areas of the Mediterranean realm, with the exception of a lack of alveolinids and orbitolinids due to unfavorable environmental conditions (inner platform, restricted shelf). After the regionally well-known emergence during the late Aptian, Albian and early Cenomanian, very shallow subtidal to intertidal conditions were re-established during the middle-late Cenomanian time. The Coniacian-Santonian benthic foraminiferal assemblage shows an increase in diversity and abundance as a result of open marine influence, confirmed by the presence of larger foraminifera (Dicyclina), Rotaliidae and radiolitid fragments. Thaumatoporella and Aeolisaccus-bearing wackestone intercalations still indicate the existence of sporadic restricted environment conditions. The Cretaceous shallow-water platform carbonate succession of the Yavca area is conformably overlain by gray pelagic limestones with calcispheres and planktonic foraminifera. The Campanian flooding of the Bolkar Da? carbonate platform resulted in drowning of the pre-existing biota and facies.     

New xylological data and the biogeography of the Iberian Peninsula during the Early Cretaceous

The position of the Iberian Peninsula during the Early Cretaceous, sandwiched between Laurasia and Gondwana, makes it an important area for the biogeography study of terrestrial ecosystems. Relevant data are, however, scarce. The discovery of silicified wood in the west of the Cameros Basin, in the village Hacinas (Spain), is the first record of the genus Protopodocarpoxylon in Spain and the seventh of Agathoxylon. A new species, Protopodocarpoxylon haciniensis sp. nov., is described. The anatomy of the samples studied shows that paleoclimatic conditions during the Early Cretaceous in the western part of the Cameros Basin were favorable to tree growth, with good water supply during the growth season. Although much impoverished in comparison with Western Europe, the Iberian Early Cretaceous wood floras are clearly Laurasian in affinity.     

Identifying the Ca(++) signalling sources activating chloride currents in Xenopus oocytes using ionomycin and thapsigargin

The calcium ionophore, ionomycin (IM), and the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum (SER) calcium pump inhibitor, thapsigargin (TG), were used to study the roles of Ca(++) from different sources in regulating Ca(++)-dependent Cl(-) currents in Xenopus oocytes. The Ca(++)-dependent Cl(-) currents, Ic, were measured in voltage-clamped oocytes (Vc = -60 mV). In the presence of extracellular Ca(++), both TG (0.1 to 10 microM) and IM (0.1 to 10 microM) induce release of Ca(++) from SER and activated capacitative Ca(++) entry (CCE) across the plasma membrane leading to activation of both "fast" and "slow" Cl(-) currents. The fast Ic was produced by Ca(++) release from SER while Ca(++) entry across the plasma membrane activated the slow Ic. Intracellular application of the calcium buffer, BAPTA, blocked activation of the slow Ic due to Ca(++) entry via CCE pathways, but not via IM-mediated movement across the plasma membrane. It is concluded that predominantly Ca(++) release from stores regulates a fast Ic while Ca(++) entry through CCE pathways regulates a slow Ic. Further, the CCE and slow Ic pathways must be located in spatially separated compartments since BAPTA can effectively abolish the effects of Ca(++) entry via the CCE pathway, but not by the IM-mediated entry pathway.     

Current conservation status of Germain’s langur (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Trachypithecus germaini</Emphasis>) in Vietnam

Following the split of the silvered langurs of Indochina into two species based on molecular and phenotypic data, there is a need to reevaluate their distribution and update their conservation status. Here, we report the distribution and assess the population size of Germain’s langur (Trachypithecus germaini) within its known range across Vietnam. We confirmed this species at six of seven survey sites in different habitats within three provinces in the Mekong Delta Region, including semi-evergreen forest at the Seven Mountains of An Giang Province, mangrove forest in Ngoc Hien and Nam Can Districts and Melaleuca forest in U Minh Ha National Park of Ca Mau Province, and limestone forest at Kien Luong Karst Area and semi-evergreen and evergreen forests at Phu Quoc National Park of Kien Giang Province. We found no evidence of this species in Mui Ca Mau National Park, Ca Mau Province where it was previously reported. We conservatively estimate that the total population of Germain’s langurs in Vietnam consists of 362–406 individuals, with the largest population found in the Kien Luong Karst Area. Hunting and habitat loss are severely impacting Germain’s langur, resulting in the extirpation of the population in Mui Ca Mau National Park and small, isolated populations in the Seven Mountains and Ngoc Hien and Nam Can Districts. However, the ability of this species to inhabit a wide range of forest types, and its increasing population sizes in Phu Quoc National Park and Kien Luong Karst Area, provide signs of hope that continued conservation actions may help in its long-term survival.     

Farmers' Perceptions and Practices in Use of Dolichoderus thoracicus (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) for Biological Control of Pests of Sapodilla

In 1996, a majority (61%) of 190 sapodilla farmers in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam considered the black ant, Dolichoderus thoracicus (Smith), beneficial in decreasing damage by the fruit borer Alophia sp. (51%), the mealybug Planococcus lilacinus (Cockerell) (43%), and “bad” ants, notably Cardiocondyla wroughtoni (Forel) (38%). A significantly greater proportion of orchards in Can Tho had D. thoracicus (60%) than orchards in Tra Vinh (42%) (P < 0.05). In orchards where D. thoracicus were present, 25% fewer farmers sprayed insecticides than in orchards without D. thoracicus. Promoting greater farmers' acceptance of D. thoracicus may be difficult because 30% of the farmers said that D. thoracicus increases mealybug populations. The influence of D. thoracicus on both Alophia sp. and P. lilacinus infestations was tested in both provinces in 1996 and 1997. The mealybug P. lilacinus was not affected, but Alophia sp. damage was significantly smaller in ant-abundant trees (P < 0.01). In Tra Vinh, the use of high-pressure pumps to spray tree canopies with water hampered D. thoracicus and lessened Alophia sp. control. Farmer-to-farmer training and mass media campaigns about the beneficial effect of D. thoracicus should be conducted to promote wider use of this ant species as a biological control agent and to reduce pesticide use in sapodilla orchards.     

The Radiolarian biotic response to Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 in the southern part of the Northern proto-Atlantic (Demerara Rise, ODP Leg 207)

Rare Radiolaria occur in the Upper Cenomanian-Lower Turonian part of finely laminated black shales recovered from Sites 1258 and 1261 of Demerara Rise (Ocean Drilling Program Leg 207, western tropical Atlantic, off Surinam). The observed fauna are of a low diversity, with up to 12 species co-occurring in a single sample and 49 species identified in total in both sites. Nassellarians and “Spumellarians” are equally represented in the assemblages. Diverse species of Stichomitra and Theocampe are particularly common, including the two new species described herein: Theocampe costata and T. demeraraense. Radiolarian preservation is on average moderate to poor, suggesting substantial influence of diagenetic alterations to species diversity. The few well-preserved assemblages can potentially provide better information about Cenomanian-Turonian Radiolarian biodiversity, but given their low abundance in the processed sediment samples, the diversity sampled during this study is considered to be an underestimate of the original Radiolarian diversity at Demerara. However, the abundance and diversity of Theocampe in Upper Cenomanian levels is noteworthy. Given the earliest known occurrence of the genus from Upper Albian sediments of the Deep Ivorian Basin it is likely that it originated and diversified in the opening Equatorial Atlantic Gateway. Based on the stable carbon isotope curve, the OAE-2 interval is clearly identified in the sedimentary sequence of both studied sites and helps to specify the known age range of three species (Acanthocircus hueyi, Archaeospongoprunum bipartitum and Rhopalosyringium hispidum). The most intriguing result of this study is the paucity of Radiolaria within the OAE-2 interval of the deeper site (1258) and the total absence of this micro-zooplankton group in the OAE-2 interval of the proximal site (1261). Radiolaria are the most abundant and diverse at the distal Site 1258, below OAE-2, while the proximal Site 1261 contains very few Radiolaria. The opposite pattern is observed above OAE-2 (few Radiolaria at site 1258, more abundant at site 1261). The paucity or absence of Radiolaria within the OAE-2 interval may be due to the upward excursion of the chemocline in the southern part of the Northern proto-Atlantic. Upwelling of deep warm waters may have fuelled primary productivity (sulfate-reducing bacteria) but prevented at the same time micro-zooplankton survival and proliferation after intensification of euxinic conditions in the surface waters.     

Arginine/serine-rich protein interaction domain-dependent modulation of a tau exon 10 splicing enhancer: altered interactions and mechanisms for functionally antagonistic FTDP-17 mutations Delta280K AND N279K

Tau exon 10 splicing is altered by autosomal dominant mutations that cause frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism chromosome 17-type and by unknown mechanisms in other related neurodegenerative disorders. Identifying cis- and trans-regulators of tau exon 10 splicing is therefore crucial for understanding disease mechanisms. We previously identified several splicing enhancers and silencers within exon 10 and intron 10. Here, we show that splicing factors SF2/ASF, Tra2beta, and a 50-kDa nuclear protein bind in vitro to the polypurine enhancer at the 5' end of exon 10. Disease splicing mutations N279K and Delta280K disrupt the enhancer and alter associations with these factors. N279K targets robustly bind Tra2beta compared with the normal enhancer, which may explain why N279K enhances exon 10 splicing in vivo. In contrast, factor associations with Delta280K targets are nearly undetectable, explaining why Delta280K almost abolishes exon 10 splicing in vivo. Small interfering RNA-mediated suppression of endogenous SF2/ASF and Tra2beta significantly reduces exon 10 splicing. Exogenous SF2/ASF dramatically enhances normal exon 10 splicing and efficiently rescues the Delta280K splicing defect. Domain deletion analyses show that the C-terminal RS domains of SF2/ASF and Tra2beta are required for normal exon 10 splicing in vivo. In contrast to Tra2beta, the SF2/ASF RS domain remains essential in the presence of a strengthened enhancer or when either weak splice site is strengthened. The data suggest that SF2/ASF has both essential and regulatory roles, whereas Tra2beta has a supporting role in exon 10 splicing.     

Assessing transpiration in the tussock grass Stipa tenacissima L.: the crucial role of the interplay between morphology and physiology

Plant transpiration has a key role on both plant performance and ecosystem functioning in arid zones, but realistic estimates at appropriate spatial-temporal scales are scarce. Leaf and tiller morphology and crown architecture were studied together with leaf physiology and whole plant water balance in four individual plants of Stipa tenacissima of different sizes to determine the relative influence of processes taking place at different spatial and temporal scales on whole plant transpiration. Transpiration was estimated in potted plants by leaf-level gas exchange techniques (infrared gas analyzer and porometer), by sap flow measurements, and by integrating leaf physiology and crown architecture with the 3-D computer model Yplant. Daily transpiration of each individual plant was monitored using a gravimetric method, which rendered the reference values. Leaves on each individual plant significantly varied in their physiological status. Young and green parts of the leaves showed five times higher chlorophyll concentration and greater photosynthetic capacity than the senescent parts of the foliage. Instantaneous leaf-level transpiration measurements should not be used to estimate plant transpiration, owing to the fact that extrapolations overestimated individual transpiration by more than 100%. Considering leaf age effects and scaling the estimates according to the relative amount of each foliage category reduced this difference to 46% though it was still significantly higher than gravimetric measurements. Sap flow calculations also overestimated tussock transpiration. However, 3-D reconstruction of plants with Yplant and transpiration estimates, considering both the physiological status and the daily pattern of radiation experienced by each individual leaf section within the crown, matched the gravimetric measurements (differences were only 4.4%). The complex interplay of leaf physiology and crown structure must be taken into account in scaling up plant transpiration from instantaneous, leaf-level measurements, and our study indicates that transpiration of complex crowns is easily overestimated.     

Patterning of impoundment impact on chironomid assemblages and their environment with use of the self-organizing map (SOM)

The paper assesses the impact of the Jeziorsko dam reservoir on chironomid assemblages and selected environmental factors in the Warta River, Poland, by means of patterns recognized with the self-organizing map (SOM, Kohonen unsupervised artificial neural network). Over 1988–1996, in four annual cycles, a total of 233 monthly samples were collected in a seven order section of the river at two sites: WAA (backwater) located about 2 km upstream from the Jeziorsko Reservoir, and WAB (tailwater) located about 1.5 km downstream from the reservoir's dam. At each site three habitats were selected: H₁, H₂ and H₃ at WAA, and H₁₁, H₁₂ and H₁₃ at WAB. H₁ and H₁₁ were located in the depositional area close to the banks, H₂ and H₁₂ about 6–7 m towards the mid-river and H₃ and H₁₃ in the mid-river. SOM effectively vertically separated H₁ and H₁₁ (bank habitats) from H₃ and H₁₃ (the mid-river zone of both sites) and H₂ (the transition zone of the upstream site). The H₁₂ samples were scattered all over SOM but still exhibited a slight temporal gradient. At the end of the study the water discharge, especially in summers, stabilized at WAB at a level lower than natural and as a result submerged macrophytes appeared at H₁₂ making the abundance of macroinvertebrates increase very quickly. Moreover, a weaker horizontal grouping of samples by season and by site of collection (upstream or downstream from the reservoir) was observed over SOM: 1) bank upstream habitat H₁, with hydrological regime resembling natural, was separated from the downstream H₁₁, which enlarged and contracted in response to dam operation, 2) deeper habitats were less dependent on water level and this is why they underwent seasonal fluctuations. To sum up, the deepest habitats were most resistant to water level fluctuations, while the formerly most productive habitat at the tailwater WAB site, H₁₁, became the most negatively impacted. Nevertheless, the reservoir has not negatively influenced chironomid density, because the latter increased closer the mid-river, at H₁₂, where large patches of macrophytes developed.     

Breeding system and pollen limitation in the masting tree Sorbus aucuparia L. (Rosaceae) in the NW Iberian Peninsula

Mast seeding or masting is the supra-annual periodic production of a large number of seeds by long-lived plants. It has been suggested that this may be a strategy to increase pollination efficiency. Sorbus aucuparia is a masting tree typically showing rather low fruit set, though with some variation among years and populations, together with marked among-year variation in flower and fruit production. Here we report a study of the reproductive biology and insect-visitor spectrum of S. aucuparia in the NW Iberian Peninsula. Results obtained over a 4-year period indicate marked self-incompatibility, so that fruit set is strongly dependent on pollinator service. Nevertheless, fruit and seed set were not limited by pollen supply in any of the years of study, since fruit and seed set after manual cross-pollination were no higher than after natural pollination. Inflorescences were visited by diverse insect species. There was no significant correlation between fruit set and insect visit frequency. Taken together, these findings indicate that the rather low fruit and seed sets observed in this species, and the spatiotemporal variation in these parameters, must be attributed to other factors, such as abiotic resource availability. We conclude that masting in S. aucuparia is probably not a strategy for increasing pollination efficiency.     

Permian and Triassic Radiolaria from Northwest Thailand: paleogeographical implications

Well-preserved radiolarians were recovered from seven sections in the Mae Hong Son-Mae Sariang area, northwestern Thailand. 51 species assigned to 34 genera are identified, including 1 new species (Triassospongosphaera erici Feng sp. nov.) and 19 unidentified species. They are divided into the Late Permian, late Ladinian and middle Carnian radiolarian assemblages. Newly identified radiolarian assemblages, together with the published radiolarian biostratigraphic data from this region, indicate that there was a pelagic basin during the Late Paleozoic and Triassic. This basin was joined to the Chiang Dao and Changning-Menglian oceanic basins, and they represent the main oceanic basin of the Paleotethyan Archipelago Ocean. This main oceanic basin was situated in the traditional “Shan-Thai Block”. Therefore, “the Shan-Thai Block” was not a single block during that stage, but composed of the Paleotethyan Ocean and two continental terranes that were affiliated with the Gondwana and Cathaysian domains, respectively.     

Ammonite fauna from uppermost Bajocian (Middle Jurassic) calcitic concretions from the Polish Jura—biogeographical and taphonomical implications

Uppermost Bajocian (Parkinsoni Zone, Bomfordi Subzone) calcitic concretions from the epicratonic basin in South-Central Poland (Polish Jura) contain numerous, well-preserved ammonites unique for this area. Characteristic of the assemblages is the presence of small, juvenile specimens. Associated with dominant parkinsoniids (Parkinsonia (Parkinsonia) aff. dorni Arkell) are lytoceratids [Nannolytoceras tripartitum (Raspail)], lissoceratids [(Lissoceras (Lissoceras) oolithicum (d'Orbigny) and Lissoceras (Microlissoceras) solitarium Zatoń and Marynowski nov. sp.)], leptosphinctids (Vermisphinctes sp.) and strigoceratids [(Strigoceras (Strigoceras) sp. juv. gr. strigifer/pseudostrigifer)], as well as fragments of phylloceratids (Phylloceras sp.). Parkinsoniids (the most numerous) are considered here as host fauna. Other ammonites, especially phylloceratids and nannolytoceratids, are supposed migrants from the Mediterranean area into the shallow epicratonic Polish Basin during the Late Bajocian sea-level rise. N. tripartitum, which has a broad geographical range probably drifted as a plankton-feeder in the upper water column and, together with phylloceratids, are considered to be unsuccessful immigrants which did not adapt to the new environment. It seems that the whole fauna, inclusive of plant remains, was accumulated by bottom currents in randomly situated depressions on the sea-floor, where carcasses became ideal nucleation sites for concretion genesis. Early diagenesis, which played an important role, resulted in well-preserved ammonite assemblages close to the original biological assemblage. Most of described ammonites (nannolytoceratids, lissoceratids, strigoceratids and leptosphinctids) are reported from the Upper Bajocian epicratonic deposits of Poland for the first time. This makes the concretions a true “taphonomic window” into latest Bajocian census biocenosis. The organic geochemistry results suggest predominance of terrestrial organic matter in both concretions and surrounding clays, with well oxygenated conditions in the sedimentary basin. The large concentrations of Δ¹³⁽¹⁷⁾diasterenes in the analysed carbonate concretions indicates that these compounds must have been formed by contact with clay minerals before formation of the carbonate concretions. The processes described may have followed early stage of diagenesis, but certainly under tens of cm to even a few meters of burial. The high negative δC¹³ values in the inner zone of the concretions suggest that concretion growth began in the sulphate reduction zone and may have continued in the methanogenesis zone.     

High-resolution stratigraphy of the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary interval at Pueblo (USA) and wadi Bahloul (Tunisia): stable isotope and bio-events correlation

A high-resolution stratigraphy has been developed for the interval encompassing the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary (CTBI), by means of several lithological, biological and geochemical events. This work entails the study of two sections selected on the base of the completeness of their sedimentary record and their contrasting paleogeographical setting: (1) The Rock Canyon Anticline section west of Pueblo, Colorado, (US Western Interior Basin), which is the Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) candidate for the base of the Turonian stage, as well as the reference section for the ammonite biostratigraphy of the CTBI; and (2) The wadi Bahloul section in Central Tunisia which is the best and complete section spanning this time interval in the southern Tethyan Margin. These sections record similar biogeochemical events that can be correlated over a great distance.Several important biological and geochemical events determined in these sections relative to the ammonite zonation of the CTBI are listed below in chronological order from old to young: 1. FO (first occurrence) of Sciponoceras gracile-Metoicoceras geslinianum ammonite Assemblage-Zone, 2. δ¹³C peak I, 3. LO (last occurrence) of Rotalipora cushmani, 4. “Heterohelix shift”, 5. FO of the ammonites Pseudaspidoceras pseudonodosoides and Neocardioceras juddii, 6. δ¹³C peak II, 7. δ¹³C peak III, 8. LO of Cenomanian ammonites (Ps. pseudonodosoides and N. juddii), 9. LO of Anaticinella, 10. FO of Turonian ammonites (Watinoceras devonense, base of the Turonian stage), 11. “filament event”, 12. FO of Pseudaspidoceras flexuosum, 13. FO of the Tethyan Helvetoglobotruncana helvetica, 14. FO of Mammites nodosoides, 15. FO of the Western Interior H. helvetica.In the two sections, the Cenomanian-Turonian (C/T) boundary, as defined by the ammonite biostratigraphy, is placed within an interval about 50 cm thick. This interval is termed here as the C/T boundary “precision interval”. The δ¹³C peak III slightly precedes the precision interval. The genus Anaticinella planktic foraminifer disappears in the middle part of this interval. The “filament event” occurs just above it and is coeval with the first occurrence of Turonian ammonites. These events are useful for placing the C/T boundary precision interval in absence of ammonite markers.Comparing ammonite and planktic foraminiferal biostratigraphy we have dated and correlated changes occurring in planktic foraminiferal assemblages. On this base, as an important result, we have demonstrated the diachroneity of the FO of Helvetoglobotruncana helvetica and the variable duration of the Whiteinella archaeocretacea PRZ.     

Sexual and individual morphometric variation in Libycosaurus (Mammalia, Anthracotheriidae) from the Maghreb and Libya

Anthracotheres of late Middle Miocene and Late Miocene age have been described from several localities in northern Africa, all of them currently assigned to the genus Libycosaurus Bonarelli, although in several previous works they were assigned to Merycopotamus Falconer and Cautley, a considerably younger and specialised form from the Indian subcontinent which has quite different dental and cranial morphology. Three species of Libycosaurus have been named, but there has been some doubt about the morphometric variation within the various species, with some authors such as Gaziry (1987) placing the fossils from Sahabi (Latest Miocene, Libya) and Beglia (end Middle Miocene to basal Late Miocene, Tunisia) into the same species despite marked size differences, and others (Ducrocq et al., 2001) creating a species for a restricted sample of small specimens from Nementcha (Late Middle Miocene, Algeria), but which overlaps with the range of size variation of Beglia fossils. The aim of this paper is to examine the available samples in greater depth in order to understand the morphometric variation in these anthracotheres. It is confirmed that the Beglia sample is quite variable (Black, 1972), both morphologically and metrically, but it is concluded that it nevertheless belongs to a single species, because specimens from some of the localities within the Beglia Formation (e.g. Loc. 17 in the lower levels at Beglia) span the entire range of variation (Pickford, 1994). The sample from Nementcha cannot be distinguished from the Beglia sample on any consistent metric or morphological basis, but in general the specimens fall at the low end of the range of variation of the Beglia sample. It is thus likely that L. algeriensis is a synonym of L. anisae. The Sahabi and Chad samples (L. petrocchii), in contrast, fall above the known range of variation of the Beglia material in almost all metric features, but are close to it morphologically, and they are considered to represent a species distinct from the Beglia sample.