Announcing a Still Bay industry at Sibudu Cave, South Africa

Sibudu Cave in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, has a long Middle Stone Age (MSA) sequence with good organic preservation. The uppermost MSA sequence includes industries attributed to the final and late MSA and the Howiesons Poort. Below the Howiesons Poort are two layers containing some thin, bifacial lanceolate points, mostly in the form of distal and proximal fragments. These double-pointed foliates are the fossile directeur of the Still Bay Industry, and importantly, this Sibudu industry provides confirmation that the Still Bay predates the Howiesons Poort Industry. Technologically, the points from Sibudu are comparable to those from other South African sites with Still Bay occurrences (e.g., Blombos Cave and Hollow Rock Shelter). Although dating of the Sibudu Still Bay is preliminary, its age falls within the range of that at Blombos. For the past two decades, archaeologists have rejected the idea of a Still Bay Industry occurring outside of the Western Cape, but the Still Bay at Sibudu shows that this industry was, indeed, geographically widespread.     

Contrasting patterns of mussel abundance at neighbouring sites: does recruitment limitation explain the absence of mussels on Cook Strait (New Zealand) shores?

Wellington Harbour (New Zealand) supports large populations of mussels (Aulacomya maoriana, Mytilus galloprovincialis and Perna canaliculus), whereas these species are absent from Cook Strait shores only a few km away. The density of planktonic mussel larvae and their recruitment rates to artificial substrates were investigated at harbour (with mussels) and Cook Strait (no mussels) sites to determine if a diminished or a zero larval supply and/or settlement explains the absence of mussels from Cook Strait shores. At both locations, larvae were collected from the plankton approximately monthly between September 1998 and February 2000, and recruitment rates to artificial substrates were estimated between March 2000 and February 2001. Planktonic larval densities were almost an order of magnitude greater within the harbour than at coastal sites (mean (±S.D.) density was 982 m⁻³ (±1478) with a peak density in September 1998 of 4207 m⁻³, compared with 106 (±94) and 381 m⁻³, respectively, in March 1999). Larval recruitment at harbour sites was also significantly greater than at coastal sites (mean (±S.D.) recruitment density was 2169 m⁻² (±4207) with a peak of ca. 211,425 m⁻² in July 2000, compared with 88 m⁻² (±86) and ca. 3700 m⁻², respectively, in February 2001). It has been suggested that “bottom up” regulation of community structure, principally via a diet of particulates low in organic matter, is the explanation for the absence of suspension feeding mussels from Cook Strait sites [Helson, J. G., 2001. An investigation into the absence of mussels (Perna canalicus, Aulacomya maoriana and Mytilus galloprovincialis) from the South Coast of Wellington, New Zealand. Unpublished PhD thesis, Victoria University of Wellington, 183 pp.], but given that planktonic larval supply and recruitment rates are much reduced at coastal sites, these data may also be important in explaining the absence. Whether current levels of recruitment are sufficient to maintain an adult population is at present unknown and requires further examination.     

The surf zone: a semi-permeable barrier to onshore recruitment of invertebrate larvae?

The supply of larvae to the shore is important for population replenishment and intertidal community dynamics but its variability at most scales is not well understood. We tested the relationship between nearshore mussel larval abundance and intertidal settlement rates over several years at multiple spatiotemporal scales in Oregon and New Zealand. Abundance of competent larvae nearshore and intertidal recruitment rates were simultaneously quantified using collectors mounted at different depths on moorings 50-1100 m from shore, and at adjacent rocky intertidal sites. Total mussel larval abundance and oceanographic conditions were also measured in some locations. At all scales, abundance of nearshore mussel larvae was unrelated to intertidal recruitment rates. In the intertidal, patterns of mussel recruitment were persistent in space, with sites of consistently high or low recruitment. In contrast, nearshore competent larval abundance showed generally similar abundances among sites except for a high, and spatially-inconsistent, variability in Oregon during 1998 only. On moorings, recruitment tended to be greater on midwater collectors than shallower or deeper. Finally, on moorings larval abundance in traps and recruitment on collectors was unrelated. These results suggest that (1) among sites, the size of the nearshore larval pool is relatively uniform while onshore recruitment varies and is unrelated to larval abundance, (2) temporal variability in nearshore larval availability is not strongly expressed onshore, (3) vertical stratification of competent larvae nearshore is strong and may influence transport and recruitment, and (4) within-coast variability in onshore recruitment is strongly driven by processes occurring locally within the surf zone that need to be studied to understand coastal recruitment dynamics.     

贵州省发现翼手目动物——高颅鼠耳蝠

2015年7~9月在贵州省兴仁县、平坝县和兴义市的五屯镇及敬南镇捕获鼠耳蝠33只,鉴定为高颅鼠耳蝠(Myotis siligorensis),为贵州省新纪录物种。标本保存于贵州师范大学生命科学学院生态实验室。主要特征:体型较小,前臂长(36.03±1.50)mm(32.66~38.98 mm,n=33);耳狭长;耳屏直而细长;第Ⅲ掌骨最长,第Ⅴ掌骨最短;阴茎长(4.52±0.84)mm(2.85~5.75 mm,n=21);头骨狭长,颅骨凸显;颅全长(13.87±0.74)mm(13.00~14.88 mm,n=8),颅高(6.36±0.24)mm(6.03~6.74 mm,n=8);听泡较小;矢状脊细弱;上颌第1、2门齿向中央倾斜,上颌第1门齿有1个主尖和1个附尖;上颌第2门齿较第1门齿小,且与犬齿分离;上颌第2前臼齿(P3)位于齿列中。基于Cyt b基因(1 141 bp)序列进行的分子系统学分析显示,此次捕获鼠耳蝠物种与高颅鼠耳蝠聚在一起,二者遗传距离最近(仅为0.03),进一步确认所采集物种为高颅鼠耳蝠。     

The association between artificial light at night and prostate cancer in Gwangju City and South Jeolla Province of South Korea

Exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN) has been reported to be associated with various pathological changes including sleep deprivation, circadian rhythm disruption, and melatonin suppression with increase in various cancers such as breast or prostate cancers. In this study, we sought to elucidate the association between ALAN and prostate cancer in 27 districts within Gwangju City and urban and rural areas from South Jeolla Province in South Korea. We analyzed the correlation between ALAN and the incidence of a range of cancers by Poisson regression analysis, after adjustment for confounding risk factors, such as smoking, drinking, obesity, stress, air pollution (particulate matter <10 μm in diameter), urbanization (proportion of urbanized area), and the cancer screening rate. Interestingly, the incidence of prostate cancer was significantly associated with ALAN (risk ratio = 1.02, p = 0.0369) and urbanization (risk ratio = 1.06, p = 0.0055). In particular, comparing the prostate cancer incidence at 25% and 75% level of ALAN, the risk ratio was 1.726 (12.6 over 7.3, respectively). No significant association was observed between ALAN and other cancers, including stomach, esophageal, liver, pancreatic, laryngeal, lung and tracheal, bladder, and brain and central nervous system cancers, as well as lymphoma and multiple myeloma. In conclusion, this study shows that a high incidence of prostate cancer may be independently associated with light pollution and urbanization, which represent significant factors in the rapid process of industrialization of South Korea.     

Life‐history strategies of the rock hind grouper Epinephelus adscensionis at Ascension Island

Epinephelus adscensionis sampled from Ascension Island, South Atlantic Ocean, exhibits distinct life‐history traits, including larger maximum size and size at sexual maturity than previous studies have demonstrated for this species in other locations. Otolith analysis yielded a maximum estimated age of 25 years, with calculated von Bertalanffy growth parameters of: L_∞ = 55·14, K = 0·19, t₀ = ?0·88. Monthly gonad staging and analysis of gonad‐somatic index (I_G) provide evidence for spawning from July to November with an I_G peak in August (austral winter), during which time somatic growth is also suppressed. Observed patterns of sexual development were supportive of protogyny, although further work is needed to confirm this. Mean size at sexual maturity for females was 28·9 cm total length (L_T; 95% C.I. 27·1–30·7 cm) and no females were found >12 years and 48·0 cm L_T, whereas all confirmed males sampled were mature, >35·1 cm L_T with an age range from 3 to 18 years. The modelled size at which 50% of individuals were male was 41·8 cm (95% C.I. 40·4–43·2 cm). As far as is known, this study represents the first comprehensive investigation into the growth and reproduction of E. adscensionis at its type locality of Ascension Island and suggests that the population may be affected less by fisheries than elsewhere in its range. Nevertheless, improved regulation of the recreational fishery and sustained monitoring of abundance, length frequencies and life‐history parameters are needed to inform long‐term management measures, which could include the creation of marine reserves, size or temporal catch limits and stricter export controls.     

南沙群岛西南部和北部湾口海域鱼类物种多样性

根据2012-2013年在南沙群岛西南部和北部湾口海域春秋两个航次的调查资料, 分析了该海域鱼类种类组成、相对重要性指数和物种多样性等特征。结果表明, 两个航次调查共鉴定鱼类504种, 隶属于2纲31目129科294属; 其中北部湾口海域出现鱼类301种, 南沙群岛西南部海域出现鱼类357种。优势种数量较少, 多以中小型鱼类为主, 且季节间变化较大。春季多样性指数高于秋季, 这主要是因为春季出现的大量鱼类为补充群体, 而许多种类在秋季有向较深海区移动的趋势; 南沙群岛西南部海域多样性指数高于北部湾口海域, 这主要是由于南沙群岛西南部海域受水温和洋流的影响较大造成的。更替指数和迁移指数显示, 秋季鱼类群落结构稳定性要低于春季, 而且两个季节的鱼类群落结构都偏离平衡状态, 主要是由鱼类的洄游和不同适温性鱼类的迁入迁出造成的。综合来看, 南沙群岛西南部海域鱼类物种多样性和群落结构稳定性均高于北部湾口海域, 在努力控制资源可捕量范围的同时, 可合理开发南海中南部海域的渔业资源。