First radiation of Cretaceous planktonic foraminifera with radially elongate chambers at Angles (Southeastern France) and biostratigraphic implications

The study of planktonic foraminifera from the Lower Cretaceous succession at Angles (Southeastern France) directly correlated with ammonites, confirms that the origin of morphotypes with radially elongated chambers occur earlier than previously recorded. In particular, the species Hedbergella semielongata and Hedbergella roblesae bearing subclavate to clavate chambers first appear in the upper Hauterivian, just predating the onset of the oceanic anoxic Faraoni event. Based on these observations, a new zonation is proposed.     

<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.     

An Early Ordovician Trilobite assemblage from the Lashkarak Formation, Damghan area, northern Iran

A low diversity Lower Ordovician trilobite assemblage is described from the middle part of the Lashkarak Formation at Simeh-Kuh, northwest of Damghan, northern Iran. Co-occurrence with conodonts of the lowermost Paroistodusproteus Biozone suggests an uppermost Tremadocian age. This assemblage includes four taxa, including one new genus and two new species, Damghanampyxginteri nov. gen. nov. sp. and Asaphellusfecundus nov. sp. The third diagnosable species from the formation is Taihungshaniamiqueli (Bergeron, 1894) which has previously been reported from southern France and the Turkish Taurides, suggesting north Gondwanan faunal affinities.     

呼中自然保护区多年冻土活动层厚度的影响因子分析

以大兴安岭呼中国家级自然保护区为对象,调查了该区多年冻土的活动层厚度,并利用多重对比分析和相关分析方法,对多年冻土活动层的影响因子进行了分析。结果表明,多年冻土活动层厚度与多个环境因子之间存在着复杂的关系。土壤含水量、地形条件和不同群落对于活动层厚度具有重要影响,而活动层厚度也会反作用于这些影响因子。其中,土壤表层含水量与活动层厚度呈极显著负相关(P<0.001)。地形坡度和活动层厚度呈显著正相关(P=0.006)。几乎每个样带的海拔与活动层厚度都有显著的相关性,但在整个研究区域内海拔与活动层厚度不存在相关性。这说明活动层厚度的变异仅在本研究的样带尺度上具有规律性,而这种规律性在稍大尺度上会消失。对于不同的群落活动层厚度的多重对比分析表明,群落的差异对活动层厚度也有明显的影响,其中狭叶杜香-泥炭藓群落更有利于多年冻土的保存。     

The contribution of cacao agroforests to the conservation of lower canopy ant and beetle diversity in Indonesia

The ongoing destruction of tropical rainforests has increased the interest in the potential value of tropical agroforests for the conservation of biodiversity. Traditional, shaded agroforests may support high levels of biodiversity, for some groups even approaching that of undisturbed tropical forests. However, it is unclear to what extent forest fauna is represented in this diversity and how management affects forest fauna in agroforests. We studied lower canopy ant and beetle fauna in cacao agroforests and forests in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, a region dominated by cacao agroforestry. We compared ant and beetle species richness and composition in forests and cacao agroforests and studied the impact of two aspects of management intensification (the decrease in shade tree diversity and in shade canopy cover) on ant and beetle diversity. The agroforests had three types of shade that represented a decrease in tree diversity (high, intermediate and low diversity). Species richness of ants and beetles in the canopies of the cacao trees was similar to that found in lower canopy forest trees. However, the composition of ant and beetle communities differed greatly between the agroforest and forest sites. Forest beetles suffered profoundly from the conversion to agroforests: only 12.5% of the beetle species recorded in the forest sites were also found in the agroforests and those species made up only 5% of all beetles collected from cacao. In contrast, forest ants were well represented in agroforests, with 75% of all species encountered in the forest sites also occurring on cacao. The reduction of shade tree diversity had no negative effect on ants and beetles on cacao trees. Beetle abundances and non-forest ant species richness even increased with decreasing shade tree diversity. Thinning of the shade canopy was related to a decrease in richness of forest ant species on cacao trees but not of beetles. The contrasting responses of ants and beetles to shade tree management emphasize that conservation plans that focus on one taxonomic group may not work for others. Overall ant and beetle diversity can remain high in shaded agroforests but the conservation of forest ants and beetles in particular depends primarily on the protection of natural forests, which for forest ants can be complemented by the conservation of adjacent shaded cacao agroforests.     

Cueva Negra del Estrecho del Río Quípar: Comings and goings recorded in a late Early (Lower) Pleistocene microstratigraphical palimpsest

Preliminary conclusions from high-resolution microstratigraphical and taphonomical research suggest that Palaeolithic frequentation of the rock-shelter alternated with that of local fauna in the late Early (Lower) Pleistocene.     

A general view of the lower Palaeolithic of Turkey

Turkey is one of the rich countries in terms of the Lower Palaeolithic period. The favourable climatic and environmental conditions and quality stone raw material resources in the Pleistocene period caused the country to be heavily occupied by the people of the Lower Palaeolithic. Turkey has biface and flake industries of the Lower Palaeolithic period. Biface industries are more common in open-air sites and are often linked to the Acheulean. Biface tools are only found in the deposits of Karain Cave. The eastern and south-eastern parts of Turkey are the densest regions in terms of biface industries. This density decreases towards the west. However, this general appearance may have resulted from the insufficient level of excavations and surveys of Palaeolithic archaeology throughout the country. In this article, we try to draw a general framework of the Lower Palaeolithic period in Turkey, based on the important Lower Palaeolithic settlements in the country.     

Sexual size dimorphism and morphological divergence in the yellow‐whiskered Greenbul (Andropadus latirostris) in the Guineo‐Congolian rainforest of Africa

Evidence of sexual dimorphism in body size and the existence of morphological differences were studied in the yellow‐whiskered Greenbul Andropadus latirostris. We measured fresh body weight and seven linear parameters of external morphology in mature individuals of this species from three localities in Cameroon and two localities in Ghana. Based on general linear model analysis, we showed that males are significantly larger than females. We applied a discriminant analysis on eight morphometric parameters to create two discriminant functions, one for each country. The overall rate of well‐classified birds was 93.3% for Cameroon and 92.7% for Ghana. Wing length was the most accurate character for separating the sexes in both study areas. Significant sexual size dimorphism might be explained by sexual selection on male competitive ability and intraspecific competition. We also found morphological divergence in this species between the two study areas, including marked differences in size of the beak. This work provides statistical evidence of a substantial sexual size dimorphism in A. latirostris and geographic variation in morphology.     

Social structure varies with elevation in an Alpine ant

Insect societies vary greatly in social organization, yet the relative roles of ecological and genetic factors in driving this variation remain poorly understood. Identifying how social structure varies along environmental gradients can provide insights into the ecological conditions favouring alternative social organizations. Here, we investigate how queen number variation is distributed along elevation gradients within a socially polymorphic ant, the Alpine silver ant Formica selysi. We sampled low‐ and high‐elevation populations in multiple Alpine valleys. We show that populations belonging to different drainage basins are genetically differentiated. In contrast, there is little genetic divergence between low‐ and high‐elevation populations within the same drainage basin. Thus, elevation gradients in each of the drainage basins represent independent contrasts. Whatever the elevation, all well‐sampled populations are socially polymorphic, containing both monogynous (= one queen) and polygynous (= multiple queen) colonies. However, the proportion of monogynous colonies per population increases at higher elevation, while the effective number of queens in polygynous colonies decreases, and this pattern is replicated in each drainage basin. The increased prevalence of colonies with a single queen at high elevation is correlated with summer and winter average temperature, but not with precipitation. The colder, unpredictable and patchy environment encountered at higher elevations may favour larger queens with the ability to disperse and establish incipient monogynous colonies independently, while the stable and continuous habitat in the lowlands may favour large, fast‐growing polygynous colonies. By highlighting differences in the environmental conditions favouring monogynous or polygynous colonies, this study sheds light on the ecological factors influencing the distribution and maintenance of social polymorphism.     

海拔对白肋烟质体色素含量及相关基因表达的影响

以‘鄂烟1号’为供试品种,于湖北恩施选取高、中、低3个海拔(海拔高度分别为1 560m、1 200m、800m)种植区,研究不同海拔白肋烟主要生育期(旺长期、成熟期)内烟叶质体色素含量及其合成代谢过程中相关基因表达的差异,探讨白肋烟质体色素代谢对海拔高度的生理响应机制。结果表明:烟叶叶绿素a、叶绿素b和叶绿素总量及旺长期类胡萝卜素总量均以中海拔地区最高,且显著或极显著高于其他海拔梯度;成熟期高海拔烟叶类胡萝卜素总量最高,且较旺长期明显增加。叶绿素及旺长期类胡萝卜素合成有关的基因均为中海拔表达最强,成熟期类胡萝卜素合成基因在高海拔表达最强。结果说明‘鄂烟1号’更适宜种植在中海拔地区。