An Unusually Diverse Llandovery (Silurian) Diplograptid Fauna from the Southern Urals of Russia and Its Evolutionary Significance

This vesiculosus Biozone assemblage of chemically-isolated graptolites from the Orenburg District of Russia was obtained from limestones associated with pillow lavas of the Sakmara Formation of Silurian–Early Devonian age. It comprises 30 species, of which 24 are described. Nine are new, one is a new subspecies, and eight are left under open nomenclature. The assemblage is unique in its diversity of minute biserial graptolites referable to the genera ' Glyptograptus ', Normalograptus , Sudburigraptus , and Metaclimacograptus ; and is unusual in that well-preserved graptolite faunas are rare at this stratigraphical level, which is fixed by the occurrence of Cystograptus vesiculosus (Nicholson) s.l. and Paraclimacograptus innotatus (Nicholson). The following new forms are described: ' Glyptograptus ' tamariscus praecursor subsp. nov., G. mazovoensis sp. nov., G. nikitini sp. nov., G. pavlinovi sp. nov., G. telarius sp. nov., G. zimai sp. nov., Normalograptus legrandi sp. nov., N. melchini sp. nov., N. sobolevskayae sp. nov., and Metaclimacograptus bjerreskovae sp. nov. Five evolutionary lineages are defined within the ' Glyptograptus ' tamariscus (Nicholson) plexus, modifying and extending the pioneer work of Packham (1962). The diverse ' Glyptograptus ' faunas are considered to be a replacement for the Normalograptus fauna which peaked in the late Ordovician and early Silurian. Metaclimacograptus , although reasonably diverse in its speciation, exhibits a conservative style of evolution with little fundamental change throughout the Llandovery. It is suggested that cortical bandages have species-specific dimensions and micro-features. Some problematical micro- and ultrastructural features are described, notably fibrillar textures, parallel to the fusellar margins, in several species.     

Limnological characteristics of lakes located across arctic treeline in northern Russia

Limnological data (e.g., water chemistry, lakewater temperature, vegetation zone and degree of human impact) were collected from lakes spanning the Russian arctic treeline in three regions: on the Taimyr Peninsula and near the mouth of the Lena River, both in central arctic Siberia, and near the mouth of the Pechora River, western arctic Russia. Pearson correlation and canonical variates analyses revealed similar environmental gradients in all three regions. Variables expressing ionic composition of the water (i.e., cations, anions, dissolved inorganic carbon and conductivity) were highly intercorrelated, as were nutrients, chlorophyll a, particulate organic matter and metal (i.e., Fe and Mn) concentrations. Lakewater transparency was related to water colour (i.e., Fe, Mn and dissolved organic carbon) and productivity. Regional differences among the lakes were strong and appeared to reflect differences in geology, hydrology and human impact. For example, Na and Cl concentrations were related to proximity to the ocean in the Lena and Pechora River regions but not in the more inland Taimyr region. Extensive mining and smelting at Norilsk, on the Taimyr Peninsula, has apparently resulted in elevated major ion and metal concentrations in lakes closer to the city. Surface water temperatures, nutrients, and related variables were particularly useful for distinguishing lakes in different vegetation biomes. Forest lakes were typically warmer, with slightly elevated concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Lakes in the forest–tundra zone often had higher concentrations of particulate organic matter, Fe and Mn. Tundra lakes were characterized by low nutrient and DOC concentrations. These data will facilitate the development of models that predict the outcome of future climatic change on arctic and subarctic aquatic ecosystems, as well as provide baseline data for future limnological studies in these remote regions.     

Coral-microbialite reefs in pure carbonate versus mixed carbonate-siliciclastic depositional environments: the example of the Pagny-sur-Meuse section (Upper Jurassic,northeastern France)

Middle to Upper Oxfordian reefs of a shallow marine carbonate platform located in northeastern France show important facies changes in conjunction with terrigeneous contents. The Pagny-sur-Meuse section shows coral-microbialite reefs that developed both in pure carbonate limestones and in mixed carbonate-siliciclastic deposits. Phototrophic coral associations dominated in pure carbonate environments, whereas a mixed phototrophic/heterotrophic coral fauna occurred in more siliciclastic settings. Microbialites occur in pure carbonate facies but are more abundant in mixed carbonate-siliciclastic settings. Reefs seem to have lived through periods favourable for intense coral growth that was contemporaneous with a first microbialitic layer and periods more favourable for large microbialitic development (second microbialitic layer). The first microbialitic crust probably developed within the reef body and thus appears to be controlled by autogenic factors. The second generation of microbialites tended to develop over the entire reef surface and was probably mainly controlled by allogenic factors. Variations in terrigeneous input and nutrient content, rather related to climatic conditions than to water depth and accumulation rate, were major factors controlling development of reefs and their taxonomic composition.     

Renewed hope for the threatened avian endemics of northeastern Brazil

The forests north of the São Francisco River, in northeastern Brazil, conform a centre of endemism for plants and animals. Currently only 5% of its original forest cover is left, following 500 years of human colonisation. Avian endemism is high, and during the 1980s four birds were described from these forests, Alagoas Foliage-gleaner Philydor novaesi, Orange-bellied Antwren Terenura sicki, Alagoas Antwren Myrmotherula snowi and Alagoas Tyrannulet Phylloscartes ceciliae. Their type locality, Murici Ecological Station, in the coastal mountains of Alagoas state, was the only site where the four species were known to occur together, and became the focus of much attention from conservation organisations. We here report on recent surveys at Reserva Privada do Patrimônio Natural Frei Caneca, in the mountains of Pernambuco state, which found these 4 species and 27 other threatened and endemic birds, and a yet undescribed taxon. We propose that more thorough surveys are needed in the reserve and its vicinity, to locate fragments of suitable forest for these species. These should be regarded within a management plan for the reserve (including research and monitoring), and such work should be expanded to a regional level. An educational programme focusing on the values of these forests and the negative impacts of human activities is needed very much.     

Anatomy of a founder effect: myotonic dystrophy in Northeastern Quebec

Founder effects are largely responsible for changes in frequency profiles of genetic variants in local populations or isolates. They are often recognized by elevated incidence of certain hereditary disorders as observed in regions of Charlevoix and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (SLSJ) in Northeastern Quebec. Dominantly transmitted myotonic dystrophy (DM1) is highly prevalent in SLSJ where its carrier rate reaches 1/550, compared with 1/5,000 to 1/50,000 elsewhere. To shed light on the origin of DM1 in this region, we have screened 50 nuclear DM1 families from SLSJ and studied the genetic variation in a 2.05 Mb (2.9 cM) segment spanning the site of the expansion mutation. The markers analyzed included 22 biallelic SNPs and two microsatellites. Among 50 independent DM1 chromosomes, we distinguished ten DM1-associated haplotypes and grouped them into three haplotype families, A, B and C, based on the relevant extent of allele sharing between them. To test whether the data were consistent with a single entry of the mutation into SLSJ, we evaluated the age of the founder effect from the proportion of recombinant haplotypes. Taking the prevalent haplotype A1_21 (58%) as ancestral to all the disease-associated haplotypes in this study, the estimated age of the founder effect was 19 generations, long predating the colonization of Nouvelle-France. In contrast, considering A1_21 as ancestral to the haplotype family A only, yielded the estimated founder age of nine generations, consistent with the settlement of Charlevoix at the turn of 17th century and subsequent colonization of SLSJ. We conclude that it was the carrier of haplotype A (present day carrier rate of 1/730) that was a driver of the founder effect, while minor haplotypes B and C, with corresponding carrier rates of 1/3,000 and 1/10,000, respectively, contribute DM1 to the incidence level known in other populations. Other studies confirm that this might be a general scenario in which a major driver mutation/haplotype issued from a founder effect is found accompanied by distinct minor mutations/haplotypes occurring at background population frequencies.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at     

A role-type model (rope) and its application in assessing climate change impacts on forest landscapes

Gap-phase replacement is a general phenomenon found in forest ecosystems, worldwide. Different tree species can be expected to produce different sizes of gaps when they die. Species also vary in their regeneration success in gaps of different sizes. In this paper, the gap-phase interactions among tree species in a forest stand are simulated by a role-type stand model called ROPE. By incorporation of environmental effects on tree height, ROPE can simulate forest composition and stand leaf area under different climate conditions. The model was developed for forest ecosystems in northeastern China and was used to simulate the forest landscape structures under current climate conditions and under four climate change scenarios for greenhouse gas related warming. These scenarios were obtained from general circulation models developed by different atmospheric research centers. Korean pinebroadleaf mixed forest and larch forest are the major stand types in the study area under present conditions. Under the four climate change scenarios, Korean pine-broadleaf mixed forest would be expected to occur only on the higher parts of large mountains. Larch forest only would be found north of the study area. Broadleaf forest would become the dominant vegetation over the study area. Use of the Kappa statistic to test for similarity in spatial maps, indicates that each climate change scenario would result in a significant change of forest distributions.Supported by The United States National Science Foundation Grant BSR-8702333 to University of Virginia.     

Projected changes in the organic carbon stocks of cropland mineral soils of European Russia and the Ukraine, 1990–2070

In this paper, we use the Rothamsted Carbon Model to estimate how cropland mineral soil carbon stocks are likely to change under future climate, and how agricultural management might influence these stocks in the future. The model was run for croplands occurring on mineral soils in European Russia and the Ukraine, representing 74 Mha of cropland in Russia and 31 Mha in the Ukraine. The model used climate data (1990–2070) from the HadCM3 climate model, forced by four Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emission scenarios representing various degrees of globalization and emphasis on economic vs. environmental considerations. Three land use scenarios were examined, business as usual (BAU) management, optimal management (OPT) to maximize profit, and soil sustainability (SUS) in which profit was maximized within the constraint that soil carbon must either remain stable or increase. Our findings suggest that soil organic carbon (SOC) will be lost under all climate scenarios, but less is lost under the climate scenarios where environmental considerations are placed higher than purely economic considerations (IPCC B1 and B2 scenarios) compared with the climate associated with emissions resulting from the global free market scenario (IPCC A1FI scenario). More SOC is lost towards the end of the study period. Optimal management is able to reduce this loss of SOC, by up to 44% compared with business as usual management. The soil sustainability scenario could be run only for a limited area, but in that area was shown to increase SOC stocks under three climate scenarios, compared with a loss of SOC under business as usual management in the same area. Improved agricultural soil management will have a significant role to play in the adaptation to, and mitigation of, climate change in this region. Further, our results suggest that this adaptation could be realized without damaging profitability for the farmers, a key criteria affecting whether optimal management can be achieved in reality.     

Governing the Barents Sea Region: Current Status,Emerging Issues,and Future Options

The Barents Sea is an ecopolitical region bounded on the south by the north coasts of Norway and Russia, on the east by the 38th meridian, on the north by the Central Arctic Ocean, and on the west by the boundary of the Svalbard Fishery Protection Zone. The fact that much of this region has been largely ice free in modern times differentiates it from the rest of the maritime Arctic and has drawn the attention of both resource users and policymakers to the region. Norway and Russia, the key players in the Barents Sea Region, have developed a cooperative relationship in managing the shared natural resources of the region. Nevertheless, other states have interests in the region. Issues of governance in the Barents Sea Region involve growing needs for improved mechanisms to address the interplay among various elements of the complex of sectoral regimes applicable to the region and for agility in responding to rapid changes in the biophysical and socioeconomic conditions prevailing in the region.     

On the synonymy of two Acantholycosa species (Araneae,Lycosidae) from the Altai

Two species previously known from East Kazakhstan, Acantholycosa katunensis Marusik, Azarkina & Koponen, 2004, known from the holotype male, and Acantholycosa kurchumensis Marusik, Azarkina & Koponen, 2004, syn. n. known from females, are synonymized, and priority is given to Acantholycosa katunensis. Acantholycosa katunensis is reported for the first time in the Russian Altai. Both sexes of this species are illustrated, and a distribution map is provided.     

Research Note: Observations on a terrestrial charophyte in a temperate environment

This study describes the unusual growth forms of Chara (Charales) in a natural terrestrial environment in a temperate region (southern Siberia). Chara vulgaris had a moss‐like habit and grew on wet soil in small compact turfs probably germinated from oospores. The upper branchlets were curved in a hook‐liked manner and convergent above the apex of the thallus. The lowest internode and branchlets of fertile plants were ecorticate, whereas all other parts were normally corticated; the completely ecorticate plants were sterile. The terrestrial growth of charophytes had an irregular appearance but was successfully maintained in culture, providing a potential model of the first steps of land colonization by the ancestors of embryophytes.