Extinct mountain goat (Oreamnos harringtoni) in Southeastern Utah

The extinct Harrington's mountain goat (Oreamnos harringtoni Stock) is predominantly known from dry cave localities in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, in addition to two sites in the Great Basin, Nevada, and from San Josecito Cave, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. A dry shelter in Natural Bridges National Monument, on the central Colorado Plateau, southeastern Utah, preserves numerous remains of the extinct mountain goat in addition to pack rat middens. Remains from a 100-cm stratigraphic profile indicate that O. harringtoni lived on the plateau >39,800 yr B.P., the oldest directly dated find of extinct mountain goat. Plant macrofossils indicate that Engelmann's spruce (Picea engelmannii), limber pine (Pinus flexilis), rose (Rosa cf. woodsii), and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) grew during the late Pleistocene where a riparian and a pinyon-juniper (Pinus edulis-Juniperus osteosperma) community now predominates; Douglas fir are found only in mesic, protected, north-facing areas. Limber pine, Douglas fir, bark, and grasses were the major dietary components in the dung. A springtime diet of birch (Betula) is determined from pollen clumps in dung pellets.     

The last 30,000 years of faunal history within the Grand Canyon, Arizona

The vertebrate fauna of the last 30,000 radiocarbon years in the Grand Canyon is reviewed. Faunas accompanied with 92 ¹⁴C dates have been analyzed from nine cave sites (four systematically excavated) and 50 packrat middens. Reasonably precise chronological and environmental data of late Pleistocene and Holocene age were obtained through dung studies in Rampart, Muav, and Stanton's Caves; from the numerous packrat middens; and from a ringtail refuse deposit in Vulture Cave. The desert tortoise, 8 species of lizards, 12 species of snakes, 68 species of birds, and 33 species of mammals are identified. Extinct animals include the avian carrion feeder, Teratornis merriami, and the mammalian herbivores, Oreamnos harringtoni, Camelops cf. hesternus, Equus sp., and Nothrotheriops shastense. There is no apparent abrupt end to the late Pleistocene as observed in the Grand Canyon fossil faunal or floral record. Animal and plant taxa of the Grand Canyon responded individually to the changes in climate of the last 30,000 yr. Both animal and plant fossil assemblages indicate that a pre-full glacial, a full glacial, and a late glacial woodland community with many less dominant desert taxa were slowly replaced by a Holocene desert community. All woodland taxa were absent from the lower elevations of the Grand Canyon by 8500 yr B.P.     

Analysis of coprolites from the extinct mountain goat Myotragus balearicus

Humans colonized the Balearic Islands 5–4 ka ago. They arrived in a uniquely adapted ecosystem with the Balearic mountain goat Myotragus balearicus (Bovidae, Antilopinae, Caprini) as the only large mammal. This mammal went extinct rapidly after human arrival. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the extinction of M. balearicus. For the present study ancient DNA analysis (Sanger sequencing, Roche-454, Ion Torrent), and pollen and macrofossil analyses were performed on preserved coprolites from M. balearicus, providing information on its diet and paleo-environment. The information retrieved shows that M. balearicus was heavily dependent on the Balearic box species Buxus balearica during at least part of the year, and that it was most probably a browser. Hindcast ecological niche modelling of B. balearica shows that local distribution of this plant species was affected by climate changes. This suggests that the extinction of M. balearicus can be related to the decline and regional extinction of a plant species that formed a major component of its diet. The vegetation change is thought to be caused by increased aridity occurring throughout the Mediterranean. Previous hypotheses relating the extinction of M. balearicus directly to the arrival of humans on the islands must therefore be adjusted.     

Paleoecological and biogeographical implications of late Pleistocene noble marten (Martes americana nobilis) in eastern Washington State, USA

A mandible identified as noble marten (Martes americana nobilis) recovered from sediments dating to 11,800 cal yr BP and a humerus identified as M. a. cf. nobilis recovered from sediments dating from 13,100 to 12,500 cal yr BP at the Marmes Rockshelter archaeological site in southeastern Washington represent the first record of this taxon in the state. Mammalian taxa associated with the Marmes Rockshelter noble marten represent a diversity of open mesic habitats corroborating earlier analyses of other records of the noble marten in the western United States and exemplify how paleozoologists determine the ecology and environmental predilections of extinct taxa. The recovery site represents the topographically lowest record of this species in western North America and the farthest north record in the United States. Future research should examine known late-Quaternary Martes spp. remains from British Columbia and Alberta to fill in the 2200-km geographic gap in the known distribution of this taxon between a record in the northern Yukon and those in the western United States, and to refine our knowledge of noble marten paleoecology.     

Asymmetric geophysical signatures in the Greenland-Norwegian and Southern Labrador Seas and the Eurasia Basin

A thorough examination of geophysical data from the Greenland-Norwegian Sea, Eurasia Basin and southern Labrador Sea shows significant asymmetry of several parameters (basement topography adjusted for sediment loading, free-air gravity anomaly, spreading half-rate and seismicity) with respect to crustal age:

1. (1) Average zero-age depth (0–57 m.y. B.P.), depth of highest rift mountain summits, and depth to magnetic basement (10–30 km from axis of Mohns and Knipovich ridges) is less on the North American plate flanks. The zero-age depth asymmetry is 400–500 m for the Eurasia Basin (0–57 m.y. B.P.) and for Mohns Ridge (57-22 m.y. B.P.), and 150–200 m for younger Mohns Ridge crust (22-0 m.y. B.P.) and for the extinct Aegir Ridge (57-27 m.y. B.P.). There is little or no asymmetry in the Labrador Sea except near the extinct rift valley, where the east flank is 150–300 m shallower. Magnetic depth-to-source computations provide an independent confirmation of basement asymmetry: The belts 10–30 km from the axis of Mohns and Knipovich ridges are 100–150 m shallower on the west flank of these ridges. The shallower ridge flank is topographically rougher, so that average rift mountain summits are 300 m shallower on the west flanks of the Mohns-Knipovich ridges, a larger asymmetry than for average zero-age depth. The amount of topographic asymmetry is greatest near the Mohns-Knipovich bend. Asymmetry appears to be greatest for ridges oriented normal to the spreading direction, and less for oblique spreading.

2. (2) Free-air gravity anomaly asymmetries of +5 to +20 mGal ( + sign indicates west flank is more positive) are associated with topographic asymmetry at least within 10–15 m.y. of the axis of Mohns and Knipovich ridges. Gravity is reduced on the older flanks west of the extinct Mid-Labrador Ridge and east of Mohns Ridge; asymmetric crustal layer thicknesses or densities provide one possible explanation, although deep-seated sources (e.g., mantle convection), unrelated to the crust, cannot be excluded.

3. (3) Spreading half-rate was about 5–15% lower on the North American plate flanks of Mohns Ridge (57-35 m.y.) and in the Eurasia Basin (0–57 m.y.); thus the fast-spreading flank tends to produce deeper, smoother crust. However, topographic asymmetry cannot relate only to spreading-rate asymmetry, since for the young Mohns Ridge crust (<9 m.y. B.P.) faster spreading and higher topography are both associated with the west flank.

4. (4) Mid-plate seismicity is higher on the Eurasia (eastern) flank of Mohns and Knipovich ridge, but this effect may be unrelated to the other three.

The fluid-dynamical model of Stein et al. correctly explains the sense of spreading-rate asymmetry (the North American plate, moving faster over mantle, is growing more slowly). However, the other asymmetries and their causal relationships remain theoretically unexplained.     

云南点苍山冰川湖泊沉积物磁化率的影响因素及其环境意义

文章通过对点苍山海拔3820m冰水沉积剖面的粒度参数、磁化率、氧化铁含量和有机质含量的综合实验分析,并讨论了这些指标的相互关系及其环境意义。实验结果表明,磁化率的强度与粗砂组分的含量成正相关,而与粘土等细粒组分含量成负相关;同时与有机质含量成负相关,与氧化铁含量成正相关。矿物组分分析实验表明,沉积物主要磁性来源于磁化铁。根据以上结果,结合冰川湖泊流域面积小、高寒环境的特点,其磁化率的影响因素与一般湖泊不同,认为冰川湖泊沉积中,因为物源较近导致外源磁性矿物主要赋存于粒度较粗的碎屑颗粒中,而高寒的环境条件使得有机质对沉积物的磁性矿物起到了稀释的作用,而很难有积极的贡献。根据磁化率的环境意义,恢复了全新世以来点苍山的古气候,从中可以划分6个不同的气候阶段:11.5～10.6kaB.P.,10.6～8.9kaB.P.,8.9～5.5kaB.P.,5.5～3.3kaB.P.,3.3～0.8kaB.P.和0.8kaB.P.至今,代表了末次冰期结束以后湖泊从产生至消亡的全过程。根据与其他相关地区的对比,分析了西南季风演变的一些规律。     

云南点苍山冰川湖泊沉积物磁化率的影响因素及其环境意义

文章通过对点苍山海拔3820m冰水沉积剖面的粒度参数、磁化率、氧化铁含量和有机质含量的综合实验分析,并讨论了这些指标的相互关系及其环境意义。实验结果表明,磁化率的强度与粗砂组分的含量成正相关,而与粘土等细粒组分含量成负相关;同时与有机质含量成负相关,与氧化铁含量成正相关。矿物组分分析实验表明,沉积物主要磁性来源于磁化铁。根据以上结果,结合冰川湖泊流域面积小、高寒环境的特点,其磁化率的影响因素与一般湖泊不同,认为冰川湖泊沉积中,因为物源较近导致外源磁性矿物主要赋存于粒度较粗的碎屑颗粒中,而高寒的环境条件使得有机质对沉积物的磁性矿物起到了稀释的作用,而很难有积极的贡献。根据磁化率的环境意义,恢复了全新世以来点苍山的古气候,从中可以划分6个不同的气候阶段:11.5～10.6kaB.P.,10.6～8.9kaB.P.,8.9～5.5kaB.P.,5.5～3.3kaB.P.,3.3～0.8kaB.P.和0.8kaB.P.至今,代表了末次冰期结束以后湖泊从产生至消亡的全过程。根据与其他相关地区的对比,分析了西南季风演变的一些规律。     

Paper II – Dirt,dates and DNA: OSL and radiocarbon chronologies of perennially frozen sediments in Siberia,and their implications for sedimentary ancient DNA studies

Arnold, L. J., Roberts, R. G., MacPhee, R. D. E., Haile, J. S., Brock, F., Möller, P., Froese, D. G., Tikhonov, A. N., Chivas, A. R., Gilbert, M. T. P. & Willerslev, E. 2010: Paper II – Dirt, dates and DNA: OSL and radiocarbon chronologies of perennially frozen sediments in Siberia, and their implications for sedimentary ancient DNA studies. Boreas, Vol. 40, pp. 417–445. 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00181.x. ISSN 0300‐9483 The sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) technique offers a potentially invaluable means of investigating species evolution and extinction dynamics in high‐latitude environments. An implicit assumption of the sedaDNA approach is that the extracted DNA is autochthonous with the host deposit and that it has not been physically transported from older source deposits or reworked within the sedimentary profile by postdepositional mixing. In this paper we investigate whether these fundamental conditions are upheld at seven perennially frozen wetland sites across the Taimyr Peninsula and coastal lowlands of north‐central Siberia. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon (¹⁴C) dating are used to constrain the ages of both the inorganic and organic fractions of perennially frozen deposits from which sedaDNA of extinct and extant species have been recovered. OSL and ¹⁴C age/depth profiles, as well as single‐grain equivalent dose (D_e) distribution characteristics, are used to assess the stratigraphic integrity of these sedaDNA sequences by (i) identifying the presence of primary or reworked organic and inorganic material, and (ii) examining the types of depositional and postdepositional processes that have affected specific sedimentary facies. The results of this study demonstrate that even though DNA preservation and stratigraphic integrity are commonly superior in perennially frozen settings, this does not, in itself, guarantee the suitability of the sedaDNA approach. The combined OSL and ¹⁴C chronologies reveal that certain perennially frozen sites may be poorly suited for sedaDNA analysis, and that careful site selection is paramount to ensuring the accuracy of any sedaDNA study – particularly for ‘latest appearance date’ estimates of extinct taxa.     

Small-Mammal Data on Early and Middle Holocene Climates and Biotic Communities in the Bonneville Basin, USA

Archaeological investigations in Camels Back Cave, western Utah, recovered a series of small-mammal bone assemblages from stratified deposits dating between ca. 12,000 and 500 ¹⁴C yr B.P. The cave's early Holocene fauna includes a number of species adapted to montane or mesic habitats containing grasses and/or sagebrush (e.g., Lepus townsendii, Marmota flaviventris, Reithrodontomys megalotis, and Brachylagus idahoensis) which suggest that the region was relatively cool and moist until after 8800 ¹⁴C yr B.P. Between ca. 8600 and 8100 ¹⁴C yr B.P. these mammals became locally extinct, taxonomic diversity declined, and there was an increase in species well-adapted to xeric, low-elevation habitats, including ground squirrels, Lepus californicus and Neotoma lepida. The early small-mammal record from Camels Back Cave is similar to the 11,300–6000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. mammalian sequence from Homestead Cave, northwestern Utah, and provides corroborative data on Bonneville Basin paleoenvironments and mammalian responses to middle Holocene desertification.     

Fossil insect evidence for late pleistocene paleoenvironments of the lamb spring site,Colorado

The study of Quarternary insect fossils has shown their value as paleoenvironmental indicators, especially during times of rapid climatic change, and this method is now being introduced into North America archeological studies. Abundant insect fossils have been recovered from 13,000 year old detrital organic materials from silty clays at the Lamb Spring site, south of Denver, Colorado. The spring deposits also contain bones of extinct camel and mammoth, thought to have been modified by human hunters. The late Pleistocene insect fauna from Lamb Spring comprises 71 identified taxa from 6 orders and 14 families, principally beetles, providing substantial paleoenvironmental data. The beetle fauna is a mixture of grassland and mountain elements, and they appear to represent an environment similar to that found today in high mountain valleys, such as South Park, Colorado. Based on this fauna, mean summer temperatures at 13,140 B.P. were probably 10°C cooler than present.     

Quaternary fossil fauna from the Luangwa Valley,Zambia

This paper describes a large collection of Quaternary fossil fauna from the Luangwa Rift Valley, Zambia. Stone Age artefacts have been recovered from stratified fluvial contexts, but no in situ fossil faunas have yet been recovered. We report on 500 fossil specimens collected from the surface of point bars exposed seasonally along the banks of the main Luangwa River channel. We used non‐destructive X‐ray fluorescence analysis of the fossils' chemical signatures to determine whether they derive from one or many primary contexts, and the relationship between chemical signature and state of preservation. Specimens are identified to taxon (genus) to reconstruct palaeoenvironments and biochronology. A relatively wide range of taxa is identified, including a fossil hominin talus, described here. None of the fossils is positively attributable to extinct species, except a femur of an extinct Theropithecus reported in 2003. Although no additional extinct taxa were identified, some of the remains were attributable to genera that are not currently found in this region. The results suggest that most of the assemblage derives from sediments which are Middle Pleistocene or later, and that past environments in the Luangwa Valley may have differed from the habitat availability found today.     

Late pleistocene/early holocene environments and climates,fauna, and human occupation in the argentine altiplano

The Barro Negro site (23°S lat., 65°37′W long.) in the Altiplano (Puna) of northwestern Argentina contains a well stratified sequence of remains of Hippidion, the American extinct horse, camelids, and archaeological materials, which is the focus of this study. In addition to establishing a reliable chronology, paleoenvironmental information was obtained based on analyses of pollen and stable isotopes (oxygen and carbon) from bone and marl. The data indicate that Hippidion was present at the site between 12,000 and 10,000 yr B. P., at a time when Altoandean grasslands had expanded to lower elevations. By 10,000 yr B.P., when modern semi-arid sub-puna scrub had replaced the Altoandean grasslands, only camelids (Lama or Vicugna) were present, simultaneous with the first evidence of local human occupation. This suggests that a climatic shift from cool and moist (winter rain regime) to warm and dry (summer rain regime) conditions took place simultaneously with the disappearance of the American horse and the appearance of camelids and man.     

New cyathealean tree fern,Yavanna chimaerica gen. et sp. nov., from the Early Cretaceous of Livingston Island,Antarctica

A new genus and species of cyathealean fern, Yavanna chimaerica gen. et sp. nov., is erected for several permineralized stems recovered from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian) Cerro Negro Formation, which crops out at the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The new species is characterized by solenostelic erect stems with medullary bundles traversing the pith, and surrounded by persistent petiole bases and adventitious roots. Proximal petiole bases present a one-parted modified omega-shaped trace, which becomes three-parted distally. The anatomy of the new fern show similarities with both Thyrsopteris elegans Kunze and with the Cyatheaceae s.s., suggesting that it is a representative of an extinct lineage among the Cyatheales.     

A fossil aardvark (Mammalia, Tubulidentata) from the lower Pliocene of Chad

The Mission Paléoanthropologique Franco-Tchadienne (MPFT) found a new species of Orycteropodidae (Mammalia, Tubulidentata) in the Kollé fossiliferous sector, northern Chad. After Orycteropus abundulafus [Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 20 (1) (2000) 205–209; Lehmann, T., Vignaud, P., Likius A., Brunet M., in press. A new Orycteropodidae (Mammalia, Tubulidentata) in the Mio-Pliocene of Northern Chad. Zool. J. Linnean Soc.], this specimen is the second complete skeleton of fossil aardvark found in the Djurab desert. It is the first complete representative of an Orycteropus species found in the Pliocene of Africa. In regard to the Miocene fossil aardvarks, this new taxon, Orycteropus djourabensis nov. sp., shows more affinities with the extant O. afer. The main differences are the larger teeth and the shorter hand in the fossil form. Kossom Bougoudi and Kollé represent a chronological series that gives a unique opportunity for studying the evolution of the African Tubulidentata around the Mio-Pliocene boundary (5.5-4 My). The new species is distinct from the older Chadian Orycteropodid from KB and it embodies the taxonomic turnover that took place within the order Tubulidentata around this boundary in Africa. Moreover, this new species is the oldest known Orycteropus species that clearly belongs to the modern forms including the extant aardvark.     

Late Wisconsinan Vegetation and Environment of the Tunica Hills Region, Louisiana/Mississippi

Pollen, plant macrofossil, and radiocarbon-dating studies of seven exposures of fluvial sediments in the Tunica Hills region of southeastern Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi provide new information on late Wisconsinan vegetation, flora, and environment of the region. The assemblages date between 25,250 and 17,530 yr B.P. Pollen and macrofossil assemblages are dominated by Picea, which comprises 40-70% of the pollen assemblages. Abies and Larix pollen and macrofossils are absent, in contrast to sites to the north in the central Mississippi Valley. Deciduous hardwoods (Quercus, Fagus, Fraxinus, Carya, Juglans nigra, Acer, Ulmus) are minor components of both pollen and macrofossil assemblages. Radiocarbon dates of Picea and Quercus wood indicate that these two genera grew contemporaneously in the region. Regional upland forests were dominated by Picea. Picea cones and cone fragments are not typical of any extant North American species, and probably represent either an extinct species or an extinct variety or subspecies of Picea glauca. Late Wisconsinan climate of the region was cooler than present, but not necessarily as cool as implied by P. glauca or other "boreal" taxa.     

Flat-footed Females and Missing Males: A New Genus and Species of Pleciofungivoridae (Diptera: Bibionomorpha) Represents the First Record of the Family from Mid-Cretaceous Kachin Amber

A new genus and species, Cretopleciofungivora simpsoni gen. et sp. nov., from the extinct family Pleciofungivoridae (Diptera: Bibionomorpha), is discovered in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber. Previously, this family was known only from imprints in sedimentary rocks of the Jurassic and the Lower Cretaceous. Discovery of a representative of Pleciofungivoridae in Kachin amber confirms the presence of the family in the Upper Cretaceous. The new species has a unique structure of fore tarsus, with lobed and extended tarsal segments II to IV, a feature hitherto known only in a few species of extant Sciaroidea. Although not particularly rare, the new species is currently known only from female specimens. Possible reasons for this phenomenon, very unusual in Sciaroidea, are briefly discussed, including parthenogenesis as a potentially plausible hypothesis.     

An illustrated key and (palaeo)ecological primer for Postglacial to Recent Ostracoda (Crustacea) of the Baltic Sea

Frenzel, P., Keyser, D. & Viehberg, F.A. 2010: An illustrated key and (pala6e6o)ecological primer for Postglacial to Recent Ostracoda (Crustacea) of the Baltic Sea. Boreas, Vol. 39, pp. 567–575. 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2009.00135.x. ISSN 0300‐9483 This synopsis of Baltic Sea brackish water Ostracoda gives an overview of all known Recent species for the first time. It also includes Holocene taxa now extinct in the area. There are 131 species, two of which are recorded only from Yoldia stage (Preboreal) sediments. The illustrated key is based exclusively on valve morphology, providing a taxonomical base for geoscience and biological studies using ostracods from the Baltic Sea area. A list of ecological tolerances and preferences as well as the latitudinal distribution of all species is intended as a reference for palaeoenvironmental analyses. Salinity, temperature and oxygen tolerance values as well as preferences for latitudinal distribution, water depth and energy, habitat and substrate are given. The data are based on quantitative sampling in the southern, central and western Baltic Sea and on information gained from literature.     

A new family of aphids (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea) in mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber

A new family of aphids, the Isolitaphidae fam. nov. (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea), is described for the new genus and species, Isolitaphis prolatantennus gen. et sp nov., in mid-Cretaceous amber from Myanmar (Burma). The new species is compared with previously described Mesozoic Aphidoidea, including members of the families Parvaverrucosidae and Burmitaphididae that were described earlier from Myanmar amber. The new taxon can be separated from all previously described extant and extinct Aphidoidea by its 10-segmented antenna, the presence of an ovipositor, siphons, a three-branched M vein and forked C vein. The new species adds to the morphological diversity of Mesozoic Aphidoidea.     

New Fossils of Eoptychopteridae (Diptera)from the Middle Jurassic of Northeastern China

Three new species of the extinct genus of Eoptychopterina from the Eoptychopteridae family, Eoptychopterina antica sp. nov., Eoptychopterina adnexa sp. nov., and Eoptychopterina mediata sp. nov., are described and illustrated. These three new species are established based on fossil specimens with bodies and complete wings. All were collected from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou in eastern Inner Mongolia, China. Based on the new materials, the name of two species in Eoptychopterina from China--Eoptychopterina elenae Ren and Krzeminski and Eoptychopterina gigantea Zhang--is sysnonymum junius.     

小翅目化石在中国首次发现

小翅目化石是一个绝灭目,分布于德国(C2)和捷克、中亚、俄罗斯、美国(P),但在中国从来未曾发现过这个目的化石。2000年,笔者等在中国陕西铜川地区中三叠统铜川组下段上部灰绿色泥页岩中首次采到了小翅目昆虫化石。根据世界历史的参考文献,小翅目化石被发现的很少,已知报道的共有3科10属。此次所发现的有1新属和1新种Triasomiomopteris oblongata gen. et sp. nov.。属种不多,但很珍贵,有一定的重要意义,首先填补了中国小翅目化石这个领域的空白,也填补了世界中三叠世这个时代的空白,同时也打破了小翅目昆虫化石仅产于古生代晚期的说法,从而对于研究小翅目昆虫化石从二叠纪到中生代早期的演化关系有一定的参考价值。