东海表层沉积硅藻组合与环境关系研究

对东海表层沉积硅藻分析研究,共发现有103种和变种,根据其中分布特征和规律,结合因子负荷变化曲线,把东海表层沉积分为六个硅藻组合和分布区,并探讨影响硅藻分布的环境因素,为恢复古环境提供科学依据。     

中国石炭系孢粉组合带序列

我国是世界中唯一的在石炭纪发育有欧美植物区,华夏植物区,安加拉植物区和风瓦纳植物区植物群的国家,并以欧美－华夏植物群最为发育,本文总结了近20年来华北和西北（新疆,甘肃,宁夏）的石炭系孢粉研究成果,提出了适合我国大部分地区的古物 系孢粉组合带序列方案（计15个孢子带）,描述了各带的特征,依据孢子带的对比和同层所产动物化石,讨论了它们的时代。     

华北农牧交错带农田-草地界面土壤水分影响域分析

在华北农牧交错区,选择线状边界的农田与草地典型区进行调查与土壤水分测定,采用移动窗口法,对农田-草地景观界面表层（0～20 cm）土壤水分影响域进行研究.结果表明：界面水分的影响域为草地6 m到农田4 m,总宽度10 m,属急变型界面;将农田-草地景观界面划分为3个功能区：农田功能区、草地功能区和农田-草地复合功能区.其中农田-草地复合功能区的土壤含水量变化剧烈,而草地功能区与农田功能区内土壤水分基本呈线性分布;草地生态系统土壤平均含水量比农田高约1 g·g^-1,这主要是由于草地开垦为农田后风蚀等作用而引起的土壤毛管持水力下降所致.作为植被覆盖不同的两个生态系统,不同的植物蒸腾和地表蒸发,可使不同功能区的土壤含水量产生明显差异,从而使土壤水势发生变化,使水分跨生态系统运移成为可能.     

新疆鄯善照壁山克拉玛依组孢粉组合

本文研究了新疆鄯善照壁山沟口克拉玛依组顶部的孢粉化石,共鉴定孢粉４６属７０种,命名为Ｐｕｎｃｔａｔｉｓｐｏｒｉｔｅｓ－Ａｒａｔｒｉｓｐｏｒｉｔｅｓ－Ｔａｅｎｉａｅｓｐｏｒｉｔｅｓ－Ｐａｒａｔａｅｎｉａｅｓｐｏｒｉｔｅｓ组合。根据组合主要分子的时限及其含量变化,以及与有关已知时代孢粉组合进行对比,鉴定其其他质时代为中三叠世。根据孢粉植物群反映当时为温湿的气候特征。     

Meiobenthos of hypersaline tropical mangrove sediment in relation to spring tide inundation

Tropical intertidal sediments often contain porewater of relatively high salinity, especially in areas exposed to longer periods without seawater inundation and high evaporation. Such an area exists on the west coast of Zanzibar: a high intertidal mangrove plateau, flooded only during spring high tides, with sediment porewater salinities commonly exceeding 100 ppt. A field survey was conducted in this area to examine variations in population density of major meiofaunal taxa and the assemblage structure of free-living marine nematodes during spring-neap tidal cycles. Samples were taken on seven occasions for two months, starting from the end of the rainy season. Porewater salinity remained high throughout the sampling period, ranging from 89 to 160 ppt. Neither spring tide inundation nor heavy rains lowered the salinity markedly. The meiofauna consisted only of four taxa, present on all sampling occasions: nematodes, harpacticoid copepods, plathyhelminthes and chironomids. Densities in surface sediments (0–5 cm) were low compared to other mangrove areas, ranging from 271 to 656 animals 10 cm^-2 with nematodes dominant on all sampling occasions (58–87%). Density fluctuations could not be explained by the effects of spring tide inundation, but the meiofauna showed significant correlations with grain size and organic material. Despite the wide range of salinity, only the numbers of chironomids were negatively correlated with increased salinity. Nematode species diversity was low in all samples, although altogether 28 species were recorded in the samples. Four species occurred in more than 50% of the samples (Microlaimus sp. (100%), Metalinhomoeus sp. (76%), Daptonema sp.l (56%), Chromadorina sp. (56%)) while 12 species were found only in one or two samples. Multidimensional scaling ordination (MDS) of the nematode species abundance data indicated little effects of spring tide inundation on the assemblage structure, but rather a successive change from wet to dry season with a reduction in species diversity and increased numbers of the dominant nematode species Microlaimus sp.     

黄河干流鱼类群落特征及其历史变化

为了解黄河干流鱼类群落现状及其历史变化,于2008年春季(5-6月)和秋季(9-11月)开展了黄河干流鱼类调查。共记录到鱼类54种,隶属于7目13科43属,其中该流域特有种4种。种类组成以鲤形目为主,占总数的68.5%。上游物种少,群落较为简单,中游和下游物种丰富,群落较为复杂并且较相似,种数自上游至下游逐渐增加。黄河鱼类在洄游、摄食、繁殖及栖息习性等方面呈现多样化特征。调查河段渔获物组成虽存在差异,但都以黄颡鱼属(Pelteobagrus spp.)、鲇(Silurus asotus)、鲫(Carassius auratus)以及鮈亚科等小型鱼类为主,小型化现象明显。对比历史资料分析显示,黄河鱼类物种多样性和资源量均呈明显下降趋势,特有种鱼类退化尤为显著,推测水资源过度开发、大量水工建筑、水体污染以及不合理利用等人为因素是导致变化的主要原因。     

Linkages between coral assemblages and coral proxies of terrestrial exposure along a cross-shelf gradient on the southern Great Barrier Reef

Coral core records, combined with measurements of coral community structure, were used to assess the long-term impact of multiple environmental stressors on reef assemblages along an environmental gradient. Multiple proxies (luminescent lines, Ba/Ca, δ¹⁵N) that reflect different environmental conditions (freshwater discharge, sediment delivery to the nearshore, nutrient availability and transformations) were measured in Porites coral cores collected from nearshore reefs at increasing distance from the intensively agricultural region of Mackay (Queensland, Australia). The corals provide a record (1968–2002) of the frequency and intensity of exposure to terrestrial runoff and fertilizer-derived nitrogen and were used to assess how the present-day coral community composition may have been influenced by flood-related disturbance. Reefs closest to the mainland (5–32 km offshore) were characterized by low hard coral cover (≤10%), with no significant differences among locations. Distinct annual luminescent lines and elevated Ba/Ca values (4.98 ± 0.63 μmol mol⁻¹; mean ± SD) in the most inshore corals (Round Top Island; 5 km offshore) indicated chronic, sub-annual exposure to freshwater and resuspended terrestrial sediment that may have historically prevented reef formation. By contrast, corals from Keswick Island (32 km offshore) indicated episodic, high-magnitude exposure to Pioneer River discharge during extreme flood events (e.g., 1974, 1991), with strongly luminescent lines and substantially enriched coral skeletal δ¹⁵N (12–14‰). The reef assemblages at Keswick and St. Bees islands were categorically different from all other locations, with high fleshy macroalgal cover (80.1 ± 7.2% and 62.7 ± 7.1%, respective mean ± SE) overgrowing dead reef matrix. Coral records from Scawfell Island (51 km offshore) indicated little exposure to Pioneer catchment influence: all locations from Scawfell and further offshore had total hard and soft coral cover comparable to largely undisturbed nearshore to middle shelf reefs of the southern Great Barrier Reef.     

Shifting baselines and the decline of pelagic sharks in the Gulf of Mexico

Historical abundances of many large marine vertebrates were tremendously greater than today. However, while pelagic sharks are known to have declined rapidly in the northwest Atlantic in recent years, there, as elsewhere, little is known about the former natural abundances of these species. Here, we compare initial (1950s) and recent (late‐1990s) standardized catch rates of pelagic sharks in the Gulf of Mexico, the area where methods of exploitation between these two periods were most comparable. We estimate that oceanic whitetip and silky sharks, formerly the most commonly caught shark species, have declined by over 99 and 90%, respectively. That the former prevalence of oceanic whitetip sharks in this ecosystem is unrecognized today is clear evidence of shifting baselines. Our analysis provides the missing baseline for pelagic sharks in the Gulf of Mexico that is needed for the rational management and restoration of these species.     

Concordance among stream assemblages and spatial autocorrelation along a fragmented gradient

Patterns of spatial autocorrelation of biota and distributional similarity (concordance) between assemblages of different organism groups have important implications in both theoretical ecology and biodiversity conservation. Here we report environmental gradients and spatial distribution patterns of taxonomic composition among stream fish, benthic macroinvertebrate, and diatom assemblages along a fragmented stream in south‐western France. We quantified spatial patterns of lotic assemblage structure along this stream, and we tested for concordance in distribution patterns among the three taxonomic groups. Our results showed that both environmental characteristics and stream assemblages were spatially autocorrelated. For stream fish and diatom assemblages, these patterns reflected assemblage changes along the longitudinal stream gradient, whereas environmental variables and benthic macroinvertebrates exhibited a more patchy spatial pattern. Cross‐taxa concordance was significant between stream fish and diatoms, and between stream fish and benthic macroinvertebrates. The assemblage concordance between stream fish and diatoms could be attributed to similar responses along the longitudinal gradient, whereas those between stream fish and benthic macroinvertebrates may result from biotic interactions. Based on potential dispersal capacities of taxa, our results validated the hypotheses that weakly dispersing taxa exhibit greater concordance than highly dispersing ones and that dispersal capacities affect how taxonomic groups respond to their local environment. Both diatoms and highly dispersing stream fish were affected by stream fragmentation (i.e. the number of dams between sites), while the effect of fragmentation was not significant for invertebrates that fly well in their adult stage, thus emphasizing the importance of the way of dispersal. These results suggest that addressing the effects of dispersal capacity on stream assemblage patterns is crucial to identifying mechanisms behind patterns and to better understanding the determinants of stream biodiversity.     

Plecoptera response to acidification in several headwater streams in the Vosges Mountains (northeastern France)

Plecoptera are among the most threatened aquatic invertebrates in industrialised countries as they are very sensitive to many types of pollution. On the contrary, stoneflies are largely considered as tolerant to acidification in comparison with many other macroinvertebrate groups. However, an understanding of Plecoptera responses to acidification is lacking due firstly to the complexity of most Nemouroidea specific determinations at larval instars and secondly to the poor Plecoptera diversity in North European countries, where most studies on acidification impact were performed. In the present study, we assess the response of Plecoptera species and species assemblages to freshwater acidification by collecting adults, allowing specific determination. Significant relationships were observed between richness and several chemical parameters. The relative abundance of several species was also significantly correlated to pH and acid neutralizing capacity (ANC). The results highlight the importance of species determination to assess the effects of acidification. Direct effects, i.e. ecotoxicological effects, were not the only factor leading to the erosion of Plecoptera diversity. Finally, this study tends to demonstrate that this order of aquatic insects is more severely affected by freshwater acidification than commonly believed.