Ecotone or Ecocline: Ecological Boundaries in Estuaries

Two main ecological boundaries, ecotone and ecocline, have been defined in landscape ecology. At this scale, the estuary represents a boundary between rivers and the sea, but there has been no attempt to fit empirical data for estuaries to these boundary models. An extensive data set from the Thames estuary was analysed using multivariate techniques and species-range analysis, in order to investigate whether the ecocline or the ecotone model was most relevant to this estuary. Data for periods of high and low freshwater flow allowed the impact of large-scale fluctuations implicit in both models to be determined.A continuum of assemblages existed along the salinity gradient from freshwater river to the North Sea, with shifts in the ranges of organisms apparent in response to changes in freshwater flow. This pattern closely fits an ecocline model. However, the estuary differs from previously defined ecoclines in having two overlapping gradients in the major stressor: from river to mid-estuary for freshwater species and from sea to mid-estuary for marine species. We propose, therefore, that the estuary represents a two-ecocline model, with fauna inhabiting the mid-estuary being either freshwater or marine species at the edge of their range, rather than ‘ true estuarine organisms ’. This allows a redefinition of the Remane diagram, with estuarine species removed, and supports previous arguments that brackish-water species do not exist. Such two-ecocline models may also exist in other marine systems, such as rocky shores.     

Distribution and abundance patterns of two parapagurid hermit crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) along the west and south coasts of South Africa

A series of over 6 000 research-trawl samples collected along the west and south coasts of South Africa between 1987 and 2014 were analysed for the presence and biomass of two parapagurid hermit crabs, Sympagurus dimorphus and Parapagurus bouvieri. The percentage of trawls that landed S. dimorphus and P. bouvieri and the mean caught biomass were higher on the west than on the south coast for both the more-abundant S. dimorphus (30.59 vs 5.81% success and 287.88 vs 31.37 kg km^–2, respectively) and for the less-abundant P. bouvieri (13.76 vs 3.58% success and 38.56 vs 16.32 kg km^–2, respectively). Very few parapagurids were caught shallower than 150 m; thereafter, the proportion of trawls containing hermit crabs increased, peaking over the depth range 201–250 m for S. dimorphus (54%) and 401–450 m for P. bouvieri (51%), and declining steadily thereafter. On the west coast, the relative caught biomass of S. dimorphus increased significantly from north to south, but there was no apparent latitudinal trend in relative biomass for P. bouvieri. Similarly, there was a significant decline in caught biomass of S. dimorphus with increasing longitude along the south coast, but no apparent trend for P. bouvieri. Although this represents by far the most comprehensive global analyses of distribution and abundance patterns for parapagurids to date, extremely little remains known about the biology and ecological relationships of these species, or indeed of other members of the group.     

Prosobranch family velutinidae (gastropoda) in cold and temperate waters of the northern hemisphere: history, biogeography, evolution and chorology

The history of investigation of the family Velutinidae from 1776 to the present day is briefly described in the last part of this review; the contemporary system of the family, consisting of 39 species and subspecies, belonging to 17 genera and subgenera, and three subfamilies, is presented here. A biogeographic analysis of the fauna has been made, the history of origin and development of the family, vertical distribution and relation to substrates have been described in this work.     

HUMBOLDT AND THE HABITABILITY OF CANADA'S GREAT NORTHWEST*

ABSTRACT. Alexander von Humboldt's influence in British North America during the nineteenth century was filtered mainly through British imperial applications of “Humboldtian” sciences, including geomagnetism and biogeography. The best‐known examples include Edward Sabine and John Henry Lefroy, Royal Artillery officers who, during the 1830s and 1840s, transformed British North American outposts and territories, including Rupert's Land, into Humboldtian sites and regions in Great Britain's imperial “magnetic crusade.” Important groundwork had already been laid by John Richardson, who applied data accrued during John Franklin's overland Arctic expeditions during the 1820s to systematize Humboldtian inquiries into the habitability of Canada's Great Northwest. Despite both the relative decline of Humboldtian sciences by midcentury and Humboldt's own reservations about the political ramifications of his science, his “cosmic” outlook circulated in Canada to refine territorial expansionists' scientistic arguments justifying annexation of Rupert's Land after the monopoly of the Hudson's Bay Company expired in 1869.     

Distribution and effectiveness of nivation in Mediterranean mountains: Peñalara (Spain)

Snow accumulation is responsible for geomorphic and biogeographic processes taking place in the southern sector of the Peñalara massif in central Spain (40°51′N, 3°57′W; max. altitude 2428 m at Pico de Peñalara). This work compares the intensity of nivation on the eastern slope, leeward of the prevailing westerly winds and heavily eroded by glacial activity during the Pleistocene, to that of the western slope on the windward side, unaffected by glacial erosion and completely covered by a thick weathering mantle. On the eastern slope, nivation is effective only where the weathering mantle is exposed or on morainic formations. It does not occur on the landforms derived from glacial erosion. In contrast, the western side shows almost no evidence of snow action except where catastrophic mass movements have altered the regularity of the slope. During the post-glacial epoch, nivation cirques formed in the scars left by mass wasting. In the last 30 years, spring temperatures have increased and this activity has diminished. The pattern of evolution observed at Peñalara can be extrapolated to other Mediterranean mountains with similar characteristics such as marginal glacial activity during the Pleistocene, unconsolidated formations on the summits caused by chemical weathering, and dry, hot summers that can increase the effectiveness of nivation.     

Interannual Variability in Pollen Dispersal and Deposition on the Tropical Quelccaya Ice Cap*

Pollen collected from snow samples on the Quelccaya Ice Cap in 2000 and 2001 reveals significant interannual variability in pollen assemblage, concentration, and provenance. Samples from 2000, a La Niña year, contain high pollen concentrations and resemble samples from the Andean forests (Yungas) to the east. Samples from 2001, an El Niño year, contain fewer pollen and resemble those from the Altiplano. We suggest that varying wind patterns under different El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions may affect the processes of pollen transport over the Altiplano and on the ice cap, although confounding variables such as flowering phenology and sublimation should also be considered     

Slope stability analysis using evolutionary optimization techniques

Slope stability optimization, in the presence of a band of a weak layer between two strong layers, is accounted for in complicated geotechnical problems. Classical optimization algorithms are not suitable for solving such problems as they need a proper preliminary solution to converge to a valid result. Therefore, it is necessary to find a proper algorithm which is capable of finding the best global solution. Recently a lot of metaheuristic algorithms have been proposed which are able to evade local minima effectively. In this study four evolutionary algorithms, including well‐known and recent ones, such as genetic algorithm, differential evolution, evolutionary strategy and biogeography‐based optimization (BBO), are applied in slope stability analysis and their efficiencies are explored by three benchmark case studies. Result show BBO is the most efficient among these evolutionary algorithms and other proposed algorithms applied to this problem. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

青藏高原高寒区生物地理学研究进展

近年来,随着DNA测序技术的发展,青藏高原及周边地区的生物地理学研究取得重大成果,从生物演化方面着手探讨了青藏高原隆升历史及其气候效应。综合近年来地质学、古生物学与生物地理学研究进展,我们发现高原及周边地区高寒生物类群的起源和分化时间以及多样性演化过程表明早在渐新世青藏高原部分地区就已经存在高寒生态系统,晚中新世以来青藏高原不同组成部分的地貌与气候格局发生重大改变,高寒生物的祖先类群不断迁入正在生长的高原或在高原上就地演化出适应高寒生境的新物种。晚上新世高寒区物种分化速率快速升高,多样性增加,可能是高原巨大山系和水系以及冰川作用造成地理隔离的结果。同时,生物地理学研究发现青藏高原及周边地区的高寒区与北半球高纬度地区存在密切联系,在第四纪冰期期间并未形成覆盖整个青藏高原的大冰盖,高原面上仍存在很多生物避难所。地质学、古生物学与生物地理学等进行的多学科交叉研究对全方位理解青藏高原隆升历史及其气候效应具有重要意义。     

试论西藏二叠纪(竹蜓)类及非(竹蜓)有孔虫的生物地理区系与古地理及古构造的关系

本文通过对西藏二叠系(竹蜓)类及非(竹蜓)有孔虫的研究认为,早二叠世早期(竹蜓)类以冷温型的Monodiexodina动物群为主,属冈瓦纳—特提斯生物区,冈瓦纳大陆与欧亚太陆及扬子地块的分界分别为昆仑山南坡断裂和金沙江断裂。早二叠世晚期(竹蜓)类Neoschwagerina-Polydiexodina动物群仍限于冈瓦纳北缘区,其生物区系以及扬子地块的分界与早二叠世早期相同,而冈瓦纳大陆北缘西部首先与欧亚大陆塔里木等地块接近,该动物群才越过了昆仑山北坡。晚二叠世晚期(竹蜓)类以Palaeofusulina动物群为主,与扬子地块相似属华夏—特提斯生物区,冈瓦纳与欧亚大陆的界线转为班公湖—怒江断裂,而冈底斯带与喜马拉雅带至今未见Palaeofusulina,该二带仍属冈瓦纳—特提斯生物区。     

三叠纪牙形石的古环境与古地理意义

牙形石广泛分布于寒武纪至三叠纪的海洋里。三叠纪牙形石的种类、形态、大小和产出频率受海水盐度、深度、温度和水动力条件等因素控制，不同的牙形石生态特征即牙形石相反映不同的沉积环境，所以，根据三叠纪牙形石相和牙形石特征属种的丰度，不但可区分三叠纪不同的沉积相区（台地相区、台地边缘相区、盆地相区），恢复三叠纪古地理面貌，而且可划分出牙形石生物地理区。中国早三叠世牙形石归属特提斯生物大区亚洲生物省，并可进一步划分出两个生物亚省和若干生态区。