Metagenomic approach revealed effects of forest thinning on bacterial communities in the forest soil of Mt. Janggunbong,South Korea

The soil microbiome that plays important ecological roles in mountains and forests is influenced by anthropogenic and natural causes. Human activity, particularly harvesting or thinning, affects the soil microbiome in forests by altering environmental conditions, such as vegetation, microclimate, and soil physicochemical properties. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects on forest thinning on the diversity and composition of the soil bacterial community. From next-generation sequencing results of the 16S rRNA gene, we examined differences in soil bacterial diversity and community composition before and after thinning at Mt. Janggunbong, South Korea. We identified 40 phyla, 103 classes, 192 orders, 412 families, 947 genera, and 3,145 species from the soil samples. Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria were the most dominant bacterial phyla in the forest soil of Mt. Janggunbong. Soil bacterial diversity measures (richness, Shannon diversity index, and evenness) at the phylum level increased after thinning, whereas species-level taxonomic richness decreased after thinning. Thinning provided new opportunities for bacterial species in Chloroflexi, Verrucomicrobia, Nitrospirae, and other nondominant bacterial taxa, especially for those not found in Mt. Janggunbong before thinning, to settle and adapt to the changing environment. Our results suggested that thinning affected the diversity and composition of soil bacterial communities in forests and mountains.     

Cambrian Stem-group Cnidarians with a New Species from the Cambrian Series 3 of the Taebaeksan Basin, Korea

Five species, Lipopora lissa Jell and Jell, 1976, Lipopora daseia Jell and Jell, 1976, Tretocylichne perplexa Engelbretsen, 1993 from Australia, Cambroctoconus orientalis Park, Woo, Lee, Lee, Lee, Han and Chough, 2011 from China, and Cambroctoconus kyrgyzstanicus Peel, 2014 from Kyrgyzstan, belonging to the Cambrian stem-group cnidarians have been documented in the fossil record. Cambroctoconus coreaensis sp. nov., interpreted here as a stem-group cnidarian, from the Seokgaejae section in the Daegi Formation, Taebaek Group (Cambrian Series 3), Taebaeksan Basin, central-eastern Korean Peninsula, has a slender cup-shaped skeleton. A cladistic analysis produced 21 most parsimonious trees, which invariably placed the six stem-group cnidarians below the crown-group, but their relationships within the stem-group are unresolved. Nine out of the 21 trees suggest a monophyletic relationship for the Cambrian stem-group cnidarians, whereas in six other trees a monophyly of Cambroctoconus and Tretocylichne appeared as the sister-group to the crown-group cnidarians with Lipopora at the most basal branch. This result may reflect the fact that crown-group cnidarians evolved in the Precambrian, and suggests that the diversity of stem-group cnidarians was a result of an independent radiation in the Cambrian.     

Systematic Revision of Trilobites from the Middle Ordovician (Darriwilian) Klimoli Formation of the Zhuozishan Area, Inner Mongolia, China

New morphologic information permits systematic revision of trilobites from the Middle Ordovician Klimoli Formation of the Zhuozishan area, Ordos Basin, Inner Mongolia. The new assemblage is composed of 10 species of the Raphiophoridae, Nileidae, Asaphidae, and Telephinidae.? An asaphid, aff. Mioptychopyge lashachungensis (previously Paraptychopyge lashachungensis) displays an intermediate morphology between the Chinese nobiliasaphine genera Mioptychopyge and Zhenganites. The pygidial doublure is regarded as the most significant character to differentiate Symphysurus klimoliensis (previously Nileus klimoliensis) of the Nileidae from such closely allied taxa as Poronileus. A nileid, cf. Peraspis kujandensis displays typical nileid morphology, unlike the type species, Peraspis lineolata, which might turn out to be an asaphid. Ampyx gongwusuensis sp. nov. of the Raphiophoridae is the first record of the genus in the Zhuozishan area and reveals morphologic details that might be employed to resolve Ampyx taxonomy in China. Morphologic differences between A. gongwusuensis and Abulbaspis ordosensis might represent a case of sexual dimorphism.     

Latitudinal change in benthic foraminiferal fauna by ITCZ movement along the ~131°W transect in the equatorial Pacific Ocean

Modern and fossil benthic foraminifera were examined from nine surface sediments and two piston cores along the ~131°W transect in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. This study was conducted to clarify the biotic response of abyssal benthic foraminifera during the last 220 ka to changes in the seasonal extent of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The abundance of modern benthic foraminifera was high at stations between the equator and 6°N, whereas it was low at stations north of 6°N, which is generally consistent with the latitudinal CaCO₃ distribution of surface sediments. The northward increase of Epistominella exigua from the equator to ~6°N is similar to the seasonal variations in chlorophyll-a concentrations in the surface water and ITCZ position along ~131°W. This species was more common at core PC5103 (~6°N) than at core PC5101 (~2°N) after ~130 ka, when the Shannon-Wiener diversity (H’) between the two cores started to diverge. Hence, the presentday latitudinal difference in benthic foraminifera (E. exigua and species diversity) between ~2°N and ~6°N along ~131°W has been generally established since ~130 ka. According to the modern relationship between the seasonality of primary production and seasonal ITCZ variations in the northern margin of the ITCZ, the latitudinal divergence of benthic foraminiferal fauna between ~2°N and ~6°N since ~130 ka appear to have been induced by more distinct variations in the seasonal movement of ITCZ.     

Rare earth element fingerprints in Korean coastal bay sediments: Association with provenance discrimination

Rare earth elements (REEs: La-Lu) in surface sediments collected from the mouth and middle tidal flats of Gomso Bay, South Korea, in August 2011 and May 2012 were analyzed to investigate the fine-grained sediment provenance. The upper continental crust (UCC)-normalized light REEs (LREEs: La to Nd) were more enriched than the middle REEs (MREEs: Sm to Dy) and heavy REEs (HREEs: Ho to Lu), resulting in large (La/Yb)_UCC (1.9 ± 0.4) to (Gd/Yb)_UCC (1.4 ± 0.2) ratios. The monthly (La/Yb)_UCC values differed between the mouth and middle tidal flats due to deposition of fine-grained sediments that originated from distant rivers (the Geum and Yeongsan) and the Jujin Stream, located on the southern shore of the inner bay. We observed relative reductions in the (La/Yb)_UCC value and REE content in the sediments from the mouth of the bay compared with those from Jujin Stream sediments. Confined to the middle tidal flat around the KH Line of Jujin Stream, the sediments, most enriched in LREEs but depleted in Eu, were distributed in August as strong Jujin Stream runs. Here, we suggest that an increase in LREE/HREE and decrease in MREE/LREE ratios can be used as a proxy to identify the Jujin Stream provenance in mixed riverine sediments and to trace Jujin Stream sediments within the Gomso Bay tidal flat, especially in the summer rainy season.     

Distribution of chaetognaths (Aphragmophora: Sagittidae) in Korean waters

The distribution of chaetognaths was investigated at 10 stations in the southern part of Korean waters (line S), at six stations in the eastern part of Korean waters (line E) and at 8 stations in the western part of Korean waters (line W). Ten species were present at the stations at line S and Flaccisagitta enflata and Zonosagitta bedoti were dominant among these species. Mean densities at line S ranged from 7 inds.m^-3 to 27 inds.m^-3. Five chaetognath species were found at the stations at line E and Zonosagitta nagae and Parasagitta elegans were the most abundant. Mean densities ranged from 1 to 10 inds.m-3. Four chaetognath species were present at line W and Aidanosagitta crassa and chaetognath juveniles were dominant in this line. Mean densities ranged from 21 to 199 inds.m^-3. The density of chaetognaths was highest at line W while the diversity of chaetognaths was highest at line S. Individuals of chaetognaths were divided into two groups, a group of line E and a mixed group of lines W and E. This study suggests that F. enflata is a warm water species; Z. nagae is a mixed water species; P. elegans is a cold water species; and A. crassa is a less saline water species. The mtCOI of F. enflata, which was a dominant species in the sampling area, was analyzed. F. enflata that are present in waters around Korean were genetically divided into two groups, which may be influenced by various oceanic factors.     

Holocene and Eemian climatic optima in the Korean Peninsula based on textural and carbon isotopic records from the stalagmite of the Daeya Cave,South Korea

Textural and stable isotopic records from the absolute-dated stalagmite of the Daeya Cave (DY-1) provide new insights into the climatic evolution of the Korean Peninsula during the Holocene and Eemian climatic optima. The stalagmite yielded ages of 8572 ± 227 to 5907 ± 158 and 1,23,456 ± 535 to 1,19,837 ± 1089 years, which coincide with the Holocene and Eemian climatic optima, respectively. The stalagmite’s δ¹³C record closely resembles previously reported Chinese speleothem δ¹⁸O data. Thus it can be suggested that textural and geochemical results of the DY-1 reflect East Asian monsoon intensity, which is forced by summer insolation patterns in the northern hemisphere. Lighter carbon isotopic compositions, well-developed fibrous calcite crystals, and their relatively faster growth rate in the stalagmite sample are interpreted to reflect the warmest and wettest climate conditions of the Holocene and Eemian interglacials. Both climatic optima took place when insolation was decreasing from its maximum level, temperature in Greenland was highest, and sea level approached its maximum level. These climatic optima also coincide with decreasing Antarctic temperatures. Compared the DY-1 data to other proxies, it is suggested that the Holocene and Eemian climatic optima developed through a balance among boreal insolation, monsoon intensity, and sea level (also continental ice volume), which are the main climatic forcing factors in the northern hemisphere. These trends also follow the bi-polar seesaw mechanism as previously described.     

TRANSIENT EM ANALOGUE MODELLING FOR KOREAN TREASURE HUNTING WITH THE SIROTEM SYSTEM1

The inductive transient electromagnetic method (TEM) shows good potential for the detection of metallic relics of historical interest, such as buried antique bells, Buddhist idols, or precious metal nuggets. The effectiveness of the method was investigated with analogue models, using transmitter-receiver loop configurations with sizes or receiver spacings slightly different from those usually applied in earth resources exploration with the Sirotem system. The analogue modelling results show that the location and depth of the buried treasure may be obtained from the Sirotem data. A solid metallic object such as an antique bell could be detected to a depth about 12 times greater than its size, and treasure consisting of separate metallic objects, such as gold nuggets, could be detected to a depth 5 times its linear dimensions with a transmitter current of ? 20 A. In scaling down the dimensions of a target, its conductivity should be increased in order to preserve the same TEM conditions found in the field. However, since the buried treasure consists of gold or copper objects, it is not possible to properly scale the conductivity. Hence, in the field, the depth detection limit is expected to be greater than that derived from analogue modelling.     

Ripple formation in combined transdirectional steady and oscillatory flow

Measurements are described of the geometry of ripples formed on beds of sand exposed to a steady current at right angles to an oscillatory flow. Four different sands were studied. The oscillation was produced by an oscillating tray set into the bed of a steady-flow flume. It was observed that straight-crested ripples formed by oscillatory flow would usually develop a ‘serpentine’ form when the superimposed steady current exceeded a certain limit. For amplitudes of the tray velocity U_∞ less than about 0.38 m s^-1 this limit corresponded to U_∞/ū_*c>31, where ū_*c is the shear velocity measured just upstream of the oscillating tray. It is suggested that the serpentine form is caused by the interaction of vortices carried back and forth between adjacent ripples. On this assumption, the wavelength of the serpentine form would be proportional to the product of period of oscillation and near-bed steady current velocity. The present measurements appear to support this hypothesis although there is also evidence that the wavelength is influenced by preferred spacing patterns between vortices. The measurements also show the ratio of the amplitude of the serpentine form to its wavelength to be approximately constant. Empirical relationships are derived relating ripple geometry to flow and sediment properties. It is observed that the influence of Reynolds number and sediment properties on the geometry is very weak. It is suggested that this is typical of ripples formed with relatively low sediment transport rates. It is also found that, under the present experimental conditions, the ripple spacing in the direction of oscillation is almost independent of the magnitude of the steady current and in close agreement with the wavelengths previously measured in an oscillating water tunnel. This suggests that the additional inertia effects associated with oscillating tray rigs were not sufficient to affect bed geometry under the present test conditions.