金矿化指示菌的分子生物学鉴定

近年来, 土壤微生物蜡样芽孢杆菌(Bacillus cereus)芽孢计数对下伏金矿化的指示作用已被不同国家的地质工作者所证实, 但由于鉴别手段的限制, 对金矿化指示菌株的鉴定一直停留在传统的微生物分类鉴定上, 本研究将分子生物学的技术引入到金矿化指示菌株的鉴定中, 从而将微生物找矿中的微生物鉴定手段提高到分子水平.从湖北省嘉鱼县蛇屋山金矿区分离到的矿化指示菌株中随机挑取2株菌Y1和Y2, PCR扩增并测定其16SrDNA和16S-23SrDNA区间序列.经系统发育和生理生化试验综合分析, 表明Y1为蕈状芽孢杆菌(B.mycoides), Y2为蜡样芽孢杆菌, 两者都属于蜡样芽孢杆菌群, 证明蜡样芽孢杆菌群是金矿化指示菌, 同时也证明了传统微生物找矿法利用选择性培养基对蜡样芽孢杆菌群菌芽孢计数方法的可靠性和利用分子生物学技术进行采矿的可行性.菌株16SrDNA和16S-23SrDNA区间核苷酸序列的确定也为下一步微生物找矿中的基因探针试剂盒的制作奠定了基础.      

微生物地球化学探矿—蜡样芽孢杆菌法寻找金,铀矿的试验研究

壤中蜡样芽孢杆菌找矿法是微生物地球化学探矿方法之一。本文叙述了蜡样芽孢杆菌法的找矿原理、野外工作方法、室内测量技术、野外初步试验的地质效果以及测量中应注意的若干问题。在已知隐伏金矿床（点）和铀矿床（点）上测得了明显的蜡样芽孢杆菌计数异常，并在４６０铀（钼）矿床外围的铀矿化远景地段进行了试验，地质效果较为理想。     

Bacillus cereus,gold and associated elements in soil and other regolith samples from Tomakin Park Gold Mine in southeastern New South Wales,Australia

Efficient exploration for new Au deposits is increasingly important as existing deposits become depleted. This is particularly relevant in Australia, where exploration can be difficult because of a thick regolith cover. New and effective methods of exploration need to be developed, and possibilities lie in geomicrobiological methods. For instance, Bacillus cereus, a common soil bacterium, has been shown to act as a biogeochemical indicator for concealed mineralisations, including vein-type Au deposits. We report the results of the first Australian case study of the association of B. cereus and Au at the Tomakin Park Gold Mine in southeastern New South Wales. Soil samples from the Ah horizon were analysed for B. cereus spores and 56 major and trace elements. The results show enrichment of Au, As, B. cereus spores and, to a lesser extent, Sb, Bi and Pb over the top of the Au deposit. Gold concentrations over the mineralisation range from 100 ppb to 1.1 ppm compared to a background of 2 ppb and As concentrations are enriched to 100 ppm from a background of 5 ppm. B. cereus spore counts were up to 10 times higher in soils with elevated concentrations of Au. Factor analysis indicates four main associations: TiO₂+lanthanides+actinides; CaO+MgO+Cs+Be+Ba(+Ga+Pb+Rb); B. cereus+Au+As+Sb+Bi(+Pb); Fe₂O₃+MnO+Co+Ni+Cu+Mo. Selective sequential leaching was used to study the fractionation of Au and As in soils, other regolith materials and Au-bearing vein quartz to infer their mobility and bioavailability. In unweathered quartz vein material, the majority of the Au was extracted only in the strongest, final step, with aqua regia. However, in soils from the Ah horizon, 50% of the Au was present in the water-, ammonium acetate- and sodium pyrophosphate- and hydroxylamine hydrochloride-extractable fractions. In contrast, As displays little change in fractionation with an increasing degree of weathering, and is predominantly associated with the operationally defined Mn- and Fe-oxides and oxyhydroxides. These results indicate that: (i) Au is mobilised during the weathering of the host rock; (ii) Au is bioavailable in these soils; and (iii) the increase in B. cereus spores is likely to be linked to elevated concentrations of bioavailable Au in these soils. The results indicate also that an effective biogeochemical exploration technique may be developed, where B. cereus spore counts are measured in the field and used as a pre-screening method to target areas useful for further sampling and complete geochemical analysis.     

A procedure for estimating Bacillus cereus spores in soil and stream-sediment samples — A potential exploration technique

The presence of bacterial spores of the Bacillus cereus group in soils and stream sediments appears to be a sensitive indicator of several types of concealed mineral deposits, including vein-type gold deposits. The B. cereus assay is rapid, inexpensive, and inherently reproducible. The test, currently under investigation for its potential in mineral exploration, is recommended for use on a research basis.Among the aerobic spore-forming bacilli, only B. cereus and closely related strains produce an opaque zone in egg-yolk emulsion agar. This characteristic, also known as the Nagler of lecitho-vitellin reaction, has long been used to rapidly indentify and estimate presumptive B. cereus. The test is here adapted to permit rapid estimation of B. cereus spores in soil and stream-sediment samples. Relative standard deviation was 10.3% on counts obtained from two 40-replicate pour-plate determinations. As many as 40 samples per day can be processed. Enough procedural detail is included to permit investigation of the test in conventional geochemical laboratories using standard microbiological safety precautions.     

Mapping of benthic enrichment patterns in Narragansett Bay,Rhode Island

A synoptic reconnaissance survey was performed over a five-day period in August 1988 to assess benthic habitat quality throughout Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, using REMOTS^® sediment-profile photography and analysis in combination with measurements of the levels ofClostridium perfringens spores (a fecal indicator) in sediments. Three main areas of degraded benthic habitat quality related to either excessive organic enrichment or physical disturbance were identified based solely on the REMOTS^® analysis: the Providence River Reach, Greenwich Bay and its associated coves and harbors, and an area located along the southwest side of Prudence Island. Sediments at many stations in these areas exhibited shallow apparent redox-potential discontinuity (RPD) depths, high apparent oxygen demand, and low-order benthic successional stages. ElevatedClostridium perfringens spore counts in surface sediments were attributed to inputs from wastewater treatment facilities. The highest spore counts occurred at the head of the bay, where wastewater treatment discharges and associated combined sewer overflows are numerous. Using data from the REMOTS^® analysis and the sediment inventory ofC. perfringens spores, a distinction was made between organic enrichment of the bottom from sewage, versus nonsewage enrichment or physical disturbance. The combination of techniques employed in this investigation could be used to design more efficient monitoring programs to assess eutrophication effects in estuaries and determine the effectiveness of regulatory or management initiatives to reduce organic overenrichment of benthic habitats.     

Soil geochemical parameters influencing the spatial distribution of anthrax in Northwest Minnesota,USA

Bacillus anthracis is the pathogenic bacterium that causes anthrax, which dwells in soils as highly resilient endospores. B. anthracis spore viability in soil is dependent upon environmental conditions, but the soil properties necessary for spore survival are unclear. In this study we used a range of soil geochemical and physical parameters to predict the spatial distribution of B. anthracis in northwest Minnesota, where 64 cases of anthrax in livestock were reported from 2000 to 2013. Two modeling approaches at different spatial scales were used to identify the soil conditions most correlated to known anthrax cases using both statewide and locally collected soil data. Ecological niche models were constructed using the Maximum Entropy (Maxent) approach and included 11 soil parameters as environmental inputs and recorded anthrax cases as known presences. One ecological niche model used soil data and anthrax presences for the entire state while a second model used locally sampled soil data (n = 125) and a subset of anthrax presences, providing a test of spatial scale. In addition, simple logistic regression models using the localized soil data served as an independent measure of variable importance. Maxent model results indicate that at a statewide level, soil calcium and magnesium concentrations, soil pH, and sand content are the most important properties for predicting soil suitability for B. anthracis while at the local level, clay and sand content along with phosphorous and strontium concentrations are most important. These results also show that the spatial scale of analysis is important when considering soil parameters most important for B. anthracis spores. For example, at a broad scale, B. anthracis spores may require Ca-rich soils and an alkaline pH, but may also concentrate in microenvironments with high Sr concentrations. The study is also one of the first ecological niche models that demonstrates the major importance of soil texture for defining the ecological niche of B. anthracis. These results will help improve our understanding of the soil geochemical conditions most suitable for B. anthracis as well as more reliably identify areas where anthrax may be found to focus prevention and remediation efforts.     

塔里木盆地泥盆系——石炭系界线研究

塔里木盆地泥盆系－石炭系东河塘组,甘木里克组和巴楚组产生丰富的孢子,牙形刺和鱼化石,本文依据古生物地层的最新研究成果,论述了东河塘组和甘木里克组（含砾砂岩段）的时代为晚泥盆世,巴楚组（下泥岩段和生屑灰岩段）的时代限于早石炭世早期,论证了泥盆系一石炭系界线应划在含砾砂岩段和下泥岩段之间。     

Method of spore separation

Concentrates of spores belonging to genetically related groups of plants are separable from certain Visean rocks. Following preliminary chemical preparation and mechanical concentration, the spore residue is distributed equally into six centrifuge tubes and treated with Thoulet solution of gradually increased specific gravity in a stepped series. Eventually each tube will contain a genetically different group of spores floating on the surface of the liquid. The separation of individual spore groups by this method suggests the existence of a quality in the exine substance peculiar to spores of related plant groups. The technique offers new information useful in classifying spores and in correlating and dating the rocks containing them. — D. C. McGregor.     

Palynological and sedimentary analysis of the Igarapé Ipiranga and Querru 1 outcrops of the Itapecuru Formation (Lower Cretaceous,Parnaíba Basin), Brazil

The siliciclastic sediments of the Itapecuru Formation occur in a large area of the Parnaíba Basin and its deposits crop out along the Itapecuru River, in Maranhão State, northern Brazil. The palynological analysis of the Igarapé Ipiranga and Querru 1 outcrops strata yields a rich and diversified data. The presence of index-palynofloras in assemblages allows the identification of the Complicatisaccus cearensis Zone, of Late Aptian-Early Albian age. Terrestrial palynomorphs are abundant in the assemblages, being represented by bryophytes and pteridophytes, especially perisporate trilete spores (Crybelosporites and Perotrilites), and gymnosperms and angiosperms (Afropollis and Elaterosporites). The composition of palynological assemblages suggests the presence of moist soils for both outcrops. Acritarchs were recovered in the Querru 1 outcrop, which suggest a marine setting supporting a tidal flat environment indicated by facies associations. Furthermore, reworked Paleozoic palynomorphs were observed in the Querru 1 outcrop. The microflora from Igarapé Ipiranga outcrop suggests terrestrial environment corroborating with floodplain environment indicated by facies association.     

安徽南部地区浅变质地层孢子化石的发现及其地质意义

皖南地区广泛分布着溪口群浅变质岩地层,尽管对其进行了大量的研究,但关于地层时代的归属问题仍存在很大争议。在皖南溪口群采集的43件样品中发现较丰富的陆生植物孢子（Spoers）20余属,50余种,其中具有地层意义的孢子有15属25种。这些孢子组合可与中国华南、西南、西北地区及新疆塔里木盆地巴楚地区晚泥盆世晚期孢子带相比较,也可与西欧、东欧和北美地区晚泥盆世法门阶（Famennian）孢子带对比,其时代为晚泥盆世晚期,相当于西欧晚盆世晚期法门阶（Famennian）。     

安徽南部地区浅变质地层孢子化石的发现及其地质意义

皖南地区广泛分布着溪口群浅变质岩地层,尽管对其进行了大量的研究,但关于地层时代的归属问题仍存在很大争议。在皖南溪口群采集的43件样品中发现较丰富的陆生植物孢子(Spoers)20余属,50余种,其中具有地层意义的孢子有15属25种。这些孢子组合可与中国华南、西南、西北地区及新疆塔里木盆地巴楚地区晚泥盆世晚期孢子带相比较,也可与西欧、东欧和北美地区晚泥盆世法门阶(Famennian)孢子带对比,其时代为晚泥盆世晚期,相当于西欧晚盆世晚期法门阶(Famennian)。     

甘肃窑街中侏罗世植物化石Coniopteris simplex的原位孢子特征研究

通过大量的实验分析,揭示了Coniopteris simplex的原位孢子特征,甘肃窑街盆地中侏罗世Coniopteris simplex 原位孢子的基本特征可以概括为:孢子为四面体形,极面观为三角形至圆三角形,顶角钝圆,三边线内凹; 体积小,极面观直径为25～38 μm,平均约30 μm; 三射线平直或微弯,其长度为半径的2/3～3/4,宽度较窄,具唇状边缘。外壁近于光滑,但具多条不规则的褶皱; 无周壁; 孢子的颜色以黄褐色为主。明确了Cyathidites minor可能是Coniopteris simplex孢子,后者为前者的母体植物。     

Terrestrial sensitivity to abrupt cooling recorded by aeolian activity in northwest Ohio, USA

Lower slopes of the Sandia Mountains are characterized by granitic corestone topography and weathering-limited slopes with thin grusy colluvium and weakly developed soils. In contrast, thick soils with illuvial clay and pedogenic carbonate have developed below aplite outcrops. Aplite is resistant to chemical decomposition, but physically weathers to blocky clasts that enhance surface roughness and erosional resistance of colluvium, promoting accumulation of eolian fines. Thick B horizons on aplite slopes indicate limited erosion and prolonged periods of stability and soil development. Accretion of eolian material limits runoff and prevents attainment of a steady-state balance between soil production and downslope transport.     

坦桑尼亚乌本迪造山带的演化、金成矿作用研究进展及中国-坦桑尼亚造山型金矿床的异同

坦桑尼亚克拉通西—西南边缘的乌本迪带一直被视为是一个形成于古元古代的造山带,主要由一系列高级变质、变形的地体组成。该造山带中产出2个大型金矿区,即卢帕金矿田与姆潘达矿区,它们是坦桑尼亚境内仅次于维多利亚湖金矿集区的最重要黄金产地,而且卢帕金矿田内众多矿床(点)很可能属于造山型金矿。近年来,以乌本迪带新元古代榴辉岩的发现为标志,不同研究者相继在乌本迪带的区域构造演化和金成矿作用研究等方面陆续取得了一系列新突破,这表明乌本迪带的实际地质情况远比传统观点认为的更加复杂。本文全面回顾了乌本迪带的内部构造单元划分、地球动力学演化和金矿床成矿作用等研究概况,尤其是系统地总结了前人对乌本迪带在造山作用过程以及金矿成因方面所取得的认识,从而形成了本文最新的研究进展。最后,本文还将乌本迪带的金矿与我国胶东及小秦岭地区的造山型金矿进行了对比研究,并分析了二者之间的异同点,以期为乌本迪造山带下一步基础地质研究及找矿实践提供一些线索或启示。     

Nonmarine Cretaceous palynology of northern Kordofan,Sudan, with notes on fossil Salviniales (water ferns)

A palynological investigation of 164 samples from 18 water wells in northern Kordofan, Sudan, enabled the recognition of five informal zones based on pollen and spore assemblages ranging in age from Albian to Maastrichtian. The youngest (late Campanian-Maastrichtian) assemblages are restricted to the Bagbag Basin, whereas Albian-Cenomanian (to Turonian) sediments are widespread to the east and west of the Bagbag area. Impressions of Salvinia floating leaves from outcrops of the upper Hamrat el Wuz Formation, western part of the study area, are among the oldest occurrences of this water fern and indicate a Campanian-Maastrichtian age for these sediments.The vertical distribution of hygrophilous (pteridophytic spores) versus xerophilous (ephedroids and possibly small, weakly sculptured tricolporates) elements in the palynofloras suggests widespread moist or even aquatic habitats in the Albian-Cenomanian and Campanian-Maastrichtian. A shift towards drier conditions occurred in the late Cenomanian-Turonian. Throughout the Cretaceous, however, there may have been extensive arid/semiarid areas of non-deposition and seasonally dry periods. Some characteristics of the local palynofloras are attributed to its inner continental position. Rare Albian-Cenomanian and Campanian-Maastrichtian dinoflagellates could be interpreted as lacustrine phytoplankton rather than as evidence for marine influence.     

Revisiting the palaeoenvironmental and climatic history of the Cherangani Hills using fungal spores

Fungi are highly sensitive to environmental and climatic changes. Palaeoecological reconstructions utilising tropical African fungal spores, however, are rare and patchy. Here, we show that fossil fungal spores preserved in core KAP-01 from the Cherangani Hills in Kenya tracks critical environmental changes in the African tropics since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), largely synchronous with observations in the pollen record from the same site. Consistent with the pollen record, the presence of fungal taxa in the record, albeit meagre, during the LGM point to an intermittent wetter Cherangani that allowed for the presence of the observed taxa and the prevalence of cool, dry conditions during the last deglaciation. The elevated fungal spore activity during the Late Holocene is evidence for warm, moist environmental conditions and broadly consistent with the pollen record. These different fungal spore taxa, which can be employed to track distinct environmental conditions and processes, provide a dimension that can be overlooked if the reconstruction of the palaeoenvironment were to rely solely on pollen. Thus the fungal spore record enables us to affirm the interpretation of the prevalence of warm, moist conditions evident from such as the Holocene pollen record.     

Late Silurian to Early Devonian Palynomorphs from Qujing, Yunnan, Southwest China

Well-preserved and diversified spores, cryptospores, and acritarchs have been recorded from a relatively continuous sequence that encompasses the Silurian–Devonian boundary in Qujing, Yunnan, southwest China. Four spore assemblage zones from Late Silurian to Early Devonian in age are proposed based on the first appearance datum (FAD) of characteristic spore species. In ascending stratigraphic order, they are Ambitisporites dilutus–Apiculiretusispora synorea (DS; Late Ludfordian to Early Pridoli), Synorisporites verrucatus–Apiculiretusispora plicata (VP; Pridoli), Apiculiretusispora minuta–Leiotriletes ornatus (MO; Lochkovian), and Verrucosisporites polygonalis–Dibolisporites wetteldorfensis (PW; Pragian). The acritarch assemblage from the upper part of the Yulongsi Formation, the Xiaxishancun Formation, and the lower–middle parts of the Xitun Formation indicates an age of Late Silurian. Based on palynological evidence, the upper part of the Yulongsi Formation is considered Late Ludfordian to Early Pridoli in age; the Xiaxishancun Formation is believed to be Pridoli in age; the Xitun Formation is considered Late Pridoli to Early Lochkovian in age; the Guijiatun Formation is considered Lochkovian in age; and the Xujiachong Formation is Late Lochkovian to Pragian in age. The Silurian-Devonian boundary is recognized between the VP and the MO spore biozones, and occurs within the middle part of the Xitun Formation.     

Multidisciplinary approach of the hyperarid desert of Pampas de La Joya in southern Peru as a new Mars-like soil analog

The distribution of living organisms, organic matter, and chemical properties in Mars-like environments on Earth can be used as a model to guide the investigation of possible habitable environments on Mars. This work aims to demonstrate that the place known informally as the “Mar de Cuarzo” (Sea of Quartz) in the Pampas de La Joya desert southern Peru (between 16°S and 17°S latitude), contains soils with characteristics similar to those found on the Martian surface. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we studied the environmental data, geology, organic matter content, oxidant activity, and microbiology of this area. Our data show that (1) Mar de Cuarzo is a hyper arid area with a lower concentration of organic matter than those found in the Mars-like soils from Yungay area (Atacama Desert in Chile), while at the same time having, comparable extreme environmental conditions, and very low levels of microorganisms. (2) The detrital components of the soils come essentially from the Andean volcanic chain and local outcrops of Precambrian gneisses and Cretaceous granitic batholiths. (3) The presence of microclimates, geomorphological features, and the high influence of the “El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)” allowed the formation of exotic and heterogeneous chemical deposits in these soils, including iron oxides, sulfates, and other evaporites. (4) Thermal volatilization in these soils (using methods similar to the Viking and Phoenix instruments) shows high oxidant activity. (5) Labeled release experiment (similar to the Viking instrument) shows high degradation of nutrients added in these soils.Altogether, the Mar de Cuarzo area in the Pampas de La Joya is an interesting place for astrobiological studies as a new analog to Mars, and for comparative analyses with other hyperarid analogs as Yungay.     

Wetland soil moisture complicates the use of Sporormiella to trace past herbivore populations

Spores of the dung‐fungi Sporormiella provide a proxy for assessing past changes in herbivore abundance, and for temporally linking these with shifts in vegetation communities (pollen) and fire frequency (charcoal). Although the proxy is now widely used, potential influences of local environmental conditions are poorly understood. Here we assess the reliability of Sporormiella as a proxy of herbivores by presenting five new spore records from the South Island of New Zealand; a land where the herbivore extinction/introduction chronology is well established, and where extinctions occurred independently of major climate change. We show that Sporormiella spores from relatively dry soils provide a good proxy for herbivore extinctions and introductions. However, spore abundances from saturated soil sites appear to fluctuate in close correlation with changes in local hydrology (represented by wetland herb pollen, testate amoebae and moisture sensitive mosses). Our results suggest Sporormiella records derived from wetlands require cautious interpretation, and that proxies for hydrological conditions should also be considered when interpreting such records. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

海南岛兰洋地区石炭系孢子的发现及其意义

笔者等在海南岛兰洋地区发现了丰富的石炭系孢子,计３８属６４种。其中,产于青天峡组上部的孢子组合,与Ｇ．Ｃｌａｙｔｏｎ等人所建立的“ＰＵ“带相当,属韦宪期早期。产于石岭组下部的孢子组合,则具有韦宪期中晚期的色彩。这些孢子的发现,为该区石炭系的划分与对比提供了重要依据,同时也有助于探讨海南岛大地构造的某些问题。作者依据孢子组合及其伴生的植物化石,对石炭纪广东大陆与海南岛分属两个地体的看法提出了质疑,而