Origin of Jurassic-Cretaceous neptunian dikes from the Cracow-Częstochowa Upland in southern Poland

Neptunian dikes, representing deposit-filling fractures in older rocks, have long attracted the attention of paleontologists because they may provide unique insights into ancient cryptic submarine cave ecosystems. In the epicratonic Poland, fossil-bearing neptunian dikes are especially well known in Upper Jurassic (mainly Oxfordian) strata. However, the age, origin and faunal composition of these dikes remain the subject of debates. To address these issues, we integrated new paleontological and petrographic data from the Janina Quarry in southern Poland, where neptunian dikes are particularly well exposed. On the basis of sedimentary facies and faunal content occurring as infill of the analyzed dikes, we recognized three distinct stages of Neptunian dike development. Initially, these dikes represented fissures in the sea bottom resulting from the intense Oxfordian and/or Kimmeridgian synsedimentary processes related to Meso- and Neocimmerian tectonic movements. These initial voids were colonized by small crinoids (cyrtocrinids) and brachiopods (lacunosselids), which resulted in the formation of bioclastic limestones. This is the first Mesozoic record of cryptic cyrtocrinids, which implies that migration of this echinoderm group to cryptic habitats has already occurred in the Late Jurassic, consistent with the so-called Mesozoic Marine Revolution. After the initial opening and subsequent rapid sedimentary filling of voids, rejuvenation of these dikes occurred in the Aptian-Cenomanian that was likely induced by the Austrian tectonic phase. Reopened fissures were subsequently filled by rare allochthonous echinoderms and sandstones containing unusually high (5% vol.) content of heavy minerals implying the Bohemian Massif as the most probable source area. The neptunian dikes were finally reopened during the Turonian-Santonian that was probably related to the subhercynnian tectonic phase. They were presumably inhabited by annelids and ultimately filled by a micritic sediment subsequently bioturbated by infaunal echinoids.     

珠海市土石场空间分布特征与景观生态影响评价

人为水土流失是一种人类干扰下的典型景观退化现象．将人为侵蚀在空间上的表现称之为人为侵蚀景观．在遥感和GIS技术支持下,结合大量的实地调查资料,对珠海最主要的人为侵蚀景观类型——土石场开展空间分布分析和景观生态影响评价．调查范围内珠海土石场有235个,其中三灶、井岸两镇(区)分布最为集中,分别为28、29个．缓冲区分析表明,土石场的分布与距交通道路的远近呈对数线性相关,其中在距交通道路100～200m距离范围内分布最为集中．设计景观生态影响度评价指数,对面积大于5000m^2的152个土石场进行景观生态影响度评价结果表明,对周边景观生态环境影响极强的土石场有9个,属于强一级的有17个,应首先对这些土石场开展景观生态恢复．     

Associations between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and Rhynchrelyrum repens in abandoned quarries in southern China

The association between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Rhynchrelyrum repens was investigated. In six abandoned quarries in the Pearl River Delta area, R. repens was found to be associated with nine AMF species, including Glomus versiforme, G. brohultii, G. microaggregatum, G. clarum and G. claroideum, Acaulospora delicata, A. mellea, A. mollowae and Entrophospora infrequens. The genus Glomus and the species G. brohultii were recorded at the highest frequencies. Three typical arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) structures, i.e. hyphae, vesicles and arbuscules, were found in the roots of the R. repens specimens collected from all the quarries investigated. Vesicles were the most frequently recorded structure. Results of a container-based experiment showed that R. repens had very high mortality (83.3%) in the absence of AMF in soil containing sufficient P (phosphorus); this indicates that R. repens is an obligate mycotroph. The presence of AMF significantly increased the biomass accumulation of R. repens seedlings (p < 0.01). It was also observed that AMF colonization was related to soil P and K (potassium) utilization by R. repens seedlings. It is, therefore, important to inoculate with AMF when using R. repens for the restoration of damaged ecosystems.     

山西襄汾石沟砂场发现人类枕骨化石

2012年,山西襄汾县南贾镇上鲁村石沟砂场发现一件人类枕骨化石。该化石埋藏于汾河西岸第Ⅲ级阶地的砂砾层,地质时代可能是中更新世晚期。本文对枕骨形态特征进行描述,并将其与亚洲直立人、早期智人、早期现代人相关标本进行对比。观察发现,石沟古人类具有印加骨的形态特征,为中国古人类印加骨高频出现增添了新的证据;枕鳞中部没有发育枕骨圆枕,而具有最上项线,显示出枕骨形态的进步性,推测石沟古人类可能属于早期现代人。石沟古人类枕骨化石对于探讨中国及东亚地区古人类的系统演化问题提供了证据。     

Trentepohlia umbrina on Scots pine as a bioindicator of alkaline dust pollution

The present study was driven by the wish to broaden the selection of ecological indicators for estimating the alkaline dust pollution. The abundance of the algal species Trentepohlia umbrina was studied on Pinus sylvestris trunks, an acidic substrate that it normally does not occupy. The study was carried out in northern Estonia in the surroundings of four major limestone quarries, considerable local-level sources of dust pollution. The cover of T. umbrina on tree trunks was clearly higher near the quarries, evidently due to the elevated bark pH, its maximum values reaching ca. 30% (mean of five trees studied per sample plot). The cover of the species decreased steeply at the distance of 800–900 m from the quarries; further than 1000 m from the quarries the maximum cover was already less than 4%, and further than 2000 m less than 1%. The correlation between the cover of T. umbrina and measured bark pH values indicated a steep increase in cover at about pH 3.8–3.9; the cover values varied between 0 and 4% below and between 10 and 31% above that pH. These results confirm that T. umbrina could be used as an indicator species of alkaline dust pollution. The species forms reddish powdery coating on tree trunks, and in case of high abundance can be very conspicuous looking, being easily detectable at field.     

Post-fire and post-quarry rehabilitation successions in Mediterranean-like ecosystems: Implications for ecological restoration

Resilience against sudden changes in the environment is a very desirable trait in plants used for ecosystem restoration. Mediterranean-like vegetation exhibits particularly strong fire resilience. There are two main functional groups of fire-prone species among Mediterranean-like vegetation: seeders and resprouters. Our aims were to describe how the theory of succession after fire relates to rehabilitation and to use this knowledge to improve the results of rehabilitation attempts in Mediterranean-like ecosystems. Eight post-fire (PF) sites, 14 post-rehabilitated (PR) quarry sites and two woodland sites were sampled. Detrended Canonical Correspondence Analysis (DCCA) showed that PF and PR successions were quite different. Both displayed an increasing abundance of resprouters over time, but seeder density increased throughout PR succession and decreased during PF succession. Nine species were common to both successions in all studied stages. The results showed that until 15-21 years of succession, the post-rehabilitation sites had not become as resilient to fires as sites populated by indigenous vegetation due to the lack of a seeder seed bank. However, after 21 years of PR succession, the exponentially increasing seeder population may allow for seed bank formation and thus eventually improve the fire resilience of the site.