Fragmented subfossil <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chaoborus</Emphasis> mandibles reveal periods of cyprinid presence in lake histories

Cyprinid fish have pharyngeal teeth that mash ingested food. Here we show that roach (Rutilus rutilus L.), a common cyprinid in Swedish boreal lakes, often break the mandibles of ingested Chaoborus larvae into smaller fragments. The presence/absence of roach in historic fish communities could therefore possibly be determined from the proportion of fragmented Chaoborus mandibles in lake sediments, which we assessed using the following three approaches. (1) Roach that were fed Chaoborus larvae in laboratory aquaria evacuated a significantly higher fraction of fragmented prey mandibles than perch (Perca fluviatilis L.). (2) Surface sediments from lakes in an acidified region in southwestern Sweden showed significantly higher proportions of fragmented mandibles for lakes containing roach compared to lakes devoid of cyprinid fish. (3) A paleo-study in Lake Lysevatten, into which roach were introduced in the 1880s and were extirpated in the 1960s, showed significantly higher proportions of fragmented mandibles in sediment layers from the roach period. We conclude that mandible fragmentation was related to roach presence, and propose that the proportion of fragmented Chaoborus mandibles in lake sediments may provide important information when historical cyprinid alterations are of interest, as in paleo-studies on acidification, eutrophication, or fish introductions.     

On the presence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stephanodiscus niagarae</Emphasis> Ehrenberg in central Mexico

Stephanodiscus niagarae is frequently reported from late Pleistocene (>10,000 yr BP) sediments in central Mexico, with lower abundances through the Holocene. Its presence in Holocene and modern environments in central Mexico was not well documented until our study, where we report on three populations of S. niagarae, one middle Holocene population with particularly high abundance from the Upper Lerma Basin, and two modern sites, Valle de Bravo and Santa Elena. The three sites are located in the same geographical area, in the State of Mexico. The fossil material dates to ca. 6600–4900 yr BP, with S. niagarae reaching up to 90% of the diatom counts. Stephanodiscus niagarae is present in association with Fragilaria pinnata, F. brevistriata, and Aulacoseira granulata. In Valle de Bravo (ca. 30 m deep) S. niagarae is present in very low numbers in water column and surface sediments samples (<1%); the diatom assemblage is dominated by Fragilaria crotonensis in association with A. granulata, A. granulata var. curvata and Cyclotella ocellata. In Santa Elena, a shallow, intermittent irrigation channel, S. niagarae is the second most abundant alga; the diatom assemblage is dominated by S. niagarae in association with A. granulata, A. granulata var. curvata and F. crotonensis. Both modern sites show a trend to eutrophy and these diatom assemblages are taken as indicative of this trend. It is suggested researchers should be cautions when the presence of S. niagarae in sedimentary records is taken as indicative of deep waters conditions, as the present data show that this species can thrive in rather shallow environments in Mexico.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bosmina</Emphasis> remains in lake sediment as indicators of zooplankton community composition

We measured Bosmina spp. mucro and antennule lengths in surface sediment samples from Wisconsin lakes to test whether such measures could be used to reconstruct zooplankton community composition and size structure in paleolimnological studies. Our data set included 58 lakes of various depths, water chemistry, trophic state, macrophyte cover, and zooplankton community composition. We used non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination (NMS) and simple correlation analysis to assess whether mucro and antennule measurements reflect the zooplankton community size structure. Bosmina mucro length (r = 0.727, p < 0.05) and antennule length (r = 0.360, p < 0.05) correlated with the NMS axis, which essentially represents zooplankton community size structure. Bosmina mucro length correlated positively with the abundance of the large-bodied zooplankter Epischura lacustris (r = 0.364, p < 0.01), as well as Diacyclops thomasi (r = 0.256, p < 0.05), and Leptodiaptomus minutus (r = 0.578, p ≤ 0.001), but correlated negatively with the abundance of the small-bodied zooplankter Tropocyclops prasinus (r = −0.385, p < 0.01). Bosmina antennule length correlated positively with the abundance of L. minutus (r = 0.344, p < 0.01) and negatively with T. prasinus (r = −0.258, p < 0.05). This broad, spatial scale assessment supports the use of Bosmina mucro and antennule lengths as a proxy for zooplankton community size structure. Mucro length is a stronger indicator of zooplankton community size structure as seen in its strong correlation with the NMS axis 1 and the significant correlations with abundance of predatory copepods.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pediastrum</Emphasis> species as potential indicators of lake-level change in tropical South America

We explored the potential for using Pediastrum (Meyen), a genus of green alga commonly found in palaeoecological studies, as a proxy for lake-level change in tropical South America. The study site, Laguna La Gaiba (LLG) (17°45′S, 57°40′W), is a broad, shallow lake located along the course of the Paraguay River in the Pantanal, a 135,000-km² tropical wetland located mostly in western Brazil, but extending into eastern Bolivia. Fourteen surface sediment samples were taken from LLG across a range of lake depths (2–5.2 m) and analyzed for Pediastrum. We found seven species, of which P. musteri (Tell et Mataloni), P. argentiniense (Bourr. et Tell), and P. cf. angulosum (Ehrenb.) ex Menegh. were identified as potential indicators of lake level. Results of the modern dataset were applied to 31 fossil Pediastrum assemblages spanning the early Holocene (12.0 kyr BP) to present to infer past lake level changes qualitatively. Early Holocene (12.0–9.8 kyr BP) assemblages do not show a clear signal, though abundance of P. simplex (Meyen) suggests relatively high lake levels. Absence of P. musteri, characteristic of deep, open water, and abundance of macrophyte-associated taxa indicate lake levels were lowest from 9.8 to 3.0 kyr BP. A shift to wetter conditions began at 4.4 kyr BP, indicated by the appearance of P. musteri, though inferred lake levels did not reach modern values until 1.4 kyr BP. The Pediastrum-inferred mid-Holocene lowstand is consistent with lower precipitation, previously inferred using pollen from this site, and is also in agreement with evidence for widespread drought in the South American tropics during the middle Holocene. An inference for steadily increasing lake level from 4.4 kyr BP to present is consistent with diatom-inferred water level rise at Lake Titicaca, and demonstrates coherence with the broad pattern of increasing monsoon strength from the late Holocene until present in tropical South America.     

First evidence for the occurrence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Unapertura</Emphasis> (Crustacea,Branchiopoda, Anomopoda,Chydoridae) in North America based on subfossil remains

We recovered subfossil chydorid cladoceran remains, which morphologically resemble the remains of Unapertura latens, from the surface sediments of two small lakes (TK-32, TK-18) located in the Central Arctic Treeline region, Northwest Territories, Canada. This species had previously been described only from lakes in Europe, primarily in southern Finland. We compared head shields and postabdomens from Canadian and Finnish sites and found them to be morphologically identical. The occurrence of Unapertura remains in North America suggests that this group of chydorids may be much more widely distributed than previously reported.     

Late Holocene palaeoenvironmental evolution of the Roman harbour of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Portus</Emphasis>, Italy

We present a Holocene record of climate and environmental change in central New York (USA) inferred using lithologic and stable isotope data from two sediment cores recovered in Cayuga Lake. The record was divided into three intervals: (1) early Holocene (~11.6–8.8 ka), (2) Hypsithermal (~8.8–4.4 ka), and (3) Neoglacial (~4.4 ka to present). The early Holocene began abruptly, with rising lake level and relatively deep water. Between ~10.8 and 9.2 ka, cool and dry conditions prevailed at a time of maximum solar insolation. This anomaly has been referred to as the “post-Younger Dryas climate interval” and lasted ~1,600 years, the approximate length of one “Bond cycle.” The Hypsithermal was the warmest, wettest and most biologically productive interval of the Holocene in central New York. The Hypsithermal was characterized by centennial to multi-centennial-scale variability. The 8.2 ka event is one such variation. The Neoglacial was an interval of generally cooler and dryer conditions, falling lake levels, and several prominent climate anomalies. At approximately 2.4 ka, δ¹³C of bulk organic matter increased abruptly by 5‰ as lake level declined, and the lake flora was dominated by Chara sp. during the coldest interval of the Neoglacial. Numerous sediment variables display increased variability ~2.0 ka, which continues today. Archaeological data from the literature suggest that Native American populations may have been large enough to impact land cover by about 2.4 ka and we hypothesize that the “Anthropocene” began at about that time in central New York. We also found paleolimnological evidence for the Medieval Warm Period (~1.4–0.5 ka), which was warmer and wetter than today, and for the Little Ice Age (~500–150 years ago), a period with temperatures colder than today.     

The Fossil Record of Freshwater Micro-Algae <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pediastrum</Emphasis> Meyen (Chlorophyceae) in Southern South America

The structure and function of many Korean ecosystems have been rapidly modified since the 1960s when industrialization of the nation began. Ulsan City was the first in Korea to develop into a major industrial complex. To assess anthropogenic impacts on ecosystems surrounding Ulsan, sediment cores were collected from Mujechi-neup (bog) and Sanggae reservoir of Ulsan, and these cores were ²¹⁰Pb dated using the CRS model. Physical and chemical characteristics and pollen were analyzed, and the rates of sediment accumulation were calculated. Unsupported ²¹⁰Pb inventories in Mujechi-neup and the Sanggae reservoir were 18.04 and 16.53 pCi cm^–2, and the corresponding ²¹⁰Pb fluxes were 0.56 and 0.52 pCi cm^–2 yr^–1, respectively. The overall accumulation rate of dry matter was 0.26 kg m^–2 yr^–1 since 1852 (14 cm in depth) in Mujechi-neup. In the Sanggae reservoir, the accumulation rates of dry matter were increased from 2.1 in 1965 to 6.0 kg m^–2 yr^–1 in 1999. Pollen analysis revealed that three pollen zones existed in Mujechi-neup; a Pinus pollen-dominated zone from 0 to 5 cm in depth (1974 year), an Alnus pollen-dominated zone from 5 to 15 cm in depth (1827 year), and a Quercus pollen-dominated zone below 15 cm in depth. The shift from an Alnus dominated zone to a Pinus dominated zone was related to the Korean War between 1951 and 1953 and reforestation activities in the 1970s. In the Sanggae reservoir, there was an increase of Humulus pollen since 1996, an increase of Ambrosia pollen since the 1960s and the decrease of Graminae pollen since 1993 with the expansion of the industrial area. Similar to Mujechi-neup, the Sanggae reservoir also consists of three pollen zones: a Pinus and Typha pollen-dominated zone from 0 to 10 cm in depth (since 1993), a Graminae pollen-dominated zone from 10 to 22 cm in depth (between 1947 and 1993), and a Pinus pollen-dominated zone below 22 cm in depth (before 1947). The increase of Typha and Humulus in the 1990s indicates an increase in the inflow of nutrients into the wetlands. Also, pollen analysis revealed that Ambrosia was introduced in the 1960s during industrialization of the area. The sediment was composed of humic peat in Mujechi-neup and was composed of clay in the Sanggae reservoir. High LOI, P, and low C/N ratio between the depths of 5 to 7 cm in the Sanggae reservoir indicates an increased input of P and N. As a result, the growth of Typha was at its maximum. The total Pb content in Mujechi-neup has been increasing since the 1870s, and its accumulation in the Sanggae reservoir has been increasing since the 1960s. Thus, the history of local-scale disturbances and human activities in the watershed was reconstructed through paleoecological studies in Ulsan.     

The ecology of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pediastrum</Emphasis> (Chlorophyceae) in subarctic lakes and their potential as paleobioindicators

Subarctic and arctic lakes are the focus of many paleolimnological studies, as they are still among the least impacted lakes by humans. Hence they provide an excellent setting for studies on long-term climatic variability without the overriding effects of direct anthropogenic perturbation. On the other hand, these ecosystems are highly vulnerable to even moderate anthropogenic influence like long-distance airborne transport of nutrients and pollutants. The paleolimnological studies conducted in these areas usually include a multitude of different proxies, but so far only few have used the green algal group of Pediastrum Meyen. These algae, however, preserve well in sediments and can be identified to species level, which lends them potential as a paleo-proxy. In this study we analysed the present Pediastrum assemblages from surface-sediments of 16 subarctic lakes in Finnish Lapland as well as bottom samples from the same sediment cores, which are “spot” samples from the recent past. We found a total of 14 Pediastrum taxa, five of which occurred at moderate to high relative abundances. The majority of the taxa showed distinct relationships to environmental variables measured. Of these, pH and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) explained most of the variance in the distribution of Pediastrum and generally summarised the main environmental gradients in our data set well. Five of the studied lakes lacked Pediastrum taxa altogether, and Pediastrum occurred at low abundances in four additional lakes. All of these nine lakes have extremely low nutrient concentrations and generally lowest pH and DOC in the data set and were defined by barren catchment areas and scarce lake macrophyte growth. According to a top–bottom analysis of sediment cores, the Pediastrum assemblages of the study lakes have changed moderately, suggesting changed environmental conditions in the lakes. Although these changes appear to be climate-related, more studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.     

The spatiotemporal responses of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus euphratica</Emphasis> to global warming in Chinese oases between 1960 and 2015

Daily average temperature data from 48 meteorological stations in Chinese oases that are within the distribution area of Populus euphratica were analyzed to determine the spatiotemporal responses of this tree to climate change. Specifically, the start and end date as well as the number of days that comprised the growing season were analyzed with a multi-year trend line and using the Mann-Kendall mutation test, inverse distance weighted interpolation (IDW) in the software ArcGIS, a Morlet wavelet power spectrum, and correlation analysis. The results of this study show that, over the last 56 years, the start date of the P. euphratica growing season has advanced, while the end date has been postponed, and the number of days that comprise the growing season have gradually increased. The changing trend rates recovered in this analysis for these three time slices are -1.34 d/10 a, 1.33 d/10a, and 2.66 d/10a (α ≥ 0.001), respectively. Data show that while spatial disparity is extremely significant, it is nevertheless the case that along a southwest-to-northeast transect of Chinese oases, the later the start date of the P. euphratica season, the sooner the end data and the shorter the growing season. Mutations points in start and end date, as well as for the growing season overall were observed in 2001, 1989, and 1996, respectively, and the data presented in this paper show that, in particular, the date of this end of this period is most sensitive to climate warming. Growing season cycles for P. euphratica are between 3.56 years and 7.14 years, consistent with the periodicity of El Ni?o events, while a start date cycle between 3.56 years and 4.28 years is consistent with atmospheric circulation cyclicity. The causal analysis presented in this paper shows that the Asian polar vortex area index (APVAI), the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau index (TPI), the westerly circulation index (WCI), and carbon dioxide emissions (CDE) are the main factors influencing spatiotemporal changes in the growth of P. euphratica, the effect of latitude during the growing season is more significant than altitude, and the start date of the growing season is more significantly influenced by these factors than end date. In addition, data show that the start date, end date, and length of the growing season are all significantly correlated with their average corresponding monthly temperature (correlation coefficients are -0.875, 0.770, and 0.897; α≥0.001). Thus, if the average temperature in March increases by 1℃, the start date of the growing season will advance by 2.21 days, while if the average temperature in October increases by the same margin then the seasonal end date will be delayed by 2.76 days. Similarly, if the average temperature between March and October increases by 1℃, the growing season will be extended by 7.78 days. The results of this study corroborate the fact that changes in the P. euphratica growing are sensitive to regional warming and are thus of considerable theoretical significance to our understanding of the responses of Chinese vegetation to climate change as well as to ecological restoration.     

Calcium levels in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Daphnia</Emphasis> ephippia cannot provide a useful paleolimnological indicator of historical lakewater Ca concentrations

Despite reductions in atmospheric sulphur emissions and the resulting decline in acidic deposition, many lakes on the Canadian Shield that have experienced acidification are either recovering at a rate slower than expected or not recovering at all. This lack of recovery is believed to be partly the consequence of the depletion of exchangeable base cations (principally calcium, Ca) from watershed soils. Although the implications of reduced Ca availability for biological communities remain poorly understood, the effects on crustacean zooplankton populations may be severe, as Ca is the primary structural component of the crustacean zooplankton exoskeleton. Because the daphniid resting egg is protected by a modified portion of the exoskeleton (ephippia) and because these ephippia are well preserved in lake sediments, we investigated whether inter-specific differences in Ca content are recoverable from Daphnia ephippia. However, using two methods, we did not find a recoverable Ca signal in the ephippia, indicating that future efforts should be focused upon sedimentary taxonomic assemblage differences, not differences in ephippial Ca levels.     

油松树轮记录的1776年以来贺兰山地区气温变化

Tree-ring standardized chronologies are developed by 78 cores collected from the eastern and western Helan Mountain. Statistical analysis shows that both the STD and RES chronologies correlate negatively with the temperature of different periods of early half year, especially with January to August mean （JA） temperature, which means that JA temperature is one of the predominant limiting factors of tree growth in the Helan Mountain. Based on this analysis, we reconstructed JA temperature, and the explained variance is 43.3% （F=21.422, p〈0.001 ）. The comparatively high temperature periods in the reconstruction were： 1805-1818 1828-1857, 1899-1907, 1919-1931 and 1968-1995; and the comparatively low temperatu re periods happened in 1858-1872, 1883-1895 and 1935-1953. Ten-year moving average curve shows three slow uplifting trends： 1766-1853, 1862-1931 and 1944-1995. Each temperature increase was followed by a sudden temperature decrease about 10 years, that is to say, the JA temperature in the Helan Mountain is characterized by slow increase and sudden decrease. The 70- and 10.77-year periodicities detected in the temperature series correspond to the Gleissberg （80-year） and Schwabe （11-year） periodicities of solar activity respectively, the 2.11-2.62 years cycles are considered to be influenced by QBO （Quasi-Biennial-Oscillation） and the local environmental change.     

Oxygen isotope fractionation in the ostracod <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucypris mareotica</Emphasis>: results from a culture experiment and implications for paleoclimate reconstruction

Oxygen isotope analysis of the adult ostracod Eucypris mareotica cultured at controlled temperatures (10, 15, and 19°C) was used to measure isotopic fractionation during shell calcification. The ostracod shells that precipitated at experimental temperatures are almost in isotopic equilibrium with the culture water as compared to the oxygen isotope fractionation of inorganic carbonates. Moreover, they had almost constant offsets from equilibrium based on the oxygen isotope fractionation of inorganic carbonates. The δ¹⁸O values of ostracod shells from the 10°C cultures were higher than those of the 15 and 19°C cultures by 1.6 and 2.7‰, respectively. The observed fractionations are shown by the regression equations: *20c 10^° \textC:d ^{1 8} \textO_{\textostracod} = 1. 1 7+ 0. 5 7d ^{1 8} \textO_\textwater 1 5^° \textC:d ^{1 8} \textO_{\textostracod} = - 0. 4 8+ 0. 6d ^{1 8} \textO_\textwater 1 9^° \textC:d ^{1 8} \textO_{\textostracod} = - 1. 6+ 0. 6d ^{1 8} \textO_\textwater \begin{array}{*{20}c} { 10^\circ {\text{C}}:\delta^{ 1 8} {\text{O}}_{\text{ostracod}} = 1. 1 7+ 0. 5 7\delta^{ 1 8} {\text{O}}_{\text{water}} } \\ { 1 5^\circ {\text{C}}:\delta^{ 1 8} {\text{O}}_{\text{ostracod}} = - 0. 4 8+ 0. 6\delta^{ 1 8} {\text{O}}_{\text{water}} } \\ { 1 9^\circ {\text{C}}:\delta^{ 1 8} {\text{O}}_{\text{ostracod}} = - 1. 6+ 0. 6\delta^{ 1 8} {\text{O}}_{\text{water}} } \\ \end{array} The fractionation factors (α) are slightly lower for the 15 and 19°C cultures, but slightly higher for the 10°C culture, as compared to inorganic carbonates (O’Neil et al. in J Chem Phys 51:5547–5558, 1969). The oxygen fractionation factors of E. mareotica are very close to those of synthetic calcite formed in isotopic equilibrium. The ‘vital offsets’ of valve-δ¹⁸O for E. mareotica is so small that we can neglect its effect when using the δ¹⁸O of E. mareotica living in lake waters with high pH and salinity to reconstruct the paleoenvironment. The paleotemperature or paleoisotopic composition of lake water interpreted from a core of lacustrine sediment may be closer to the true values when the δ¹⁸O data for E. mareotica are used.     

内蒙古锡林河流域羊草草原植物生长旺季呼吸的影响因素分析和区分

Based on the static opaque chamber method,the respiration rates of soil microbial respiration,soil respiration,and ecosystem respiration were measured through continuous in-situ experiments during rapid growth season in semiarid Leymus chinensis steppe in the Xilin River Basin of Inner Mongolia,China. Soil temperature and moisture were the main factor affecting respiration rates. Soil temperature can explain most CO2 efflux variations (R2=0.376-0.655) excluding data of low soil water conditions. Soil moisture can also effectively explain most of the variations of soil and ecosystem respiration (R2=0.314-0.583),but it can not explain much of the variation of microbial respiration (R2=0.063). Low soil water content (≤5%) inhibited CO2 efflux though the soil temperature was high. Rewetting the soil after a long drought resulted in substantial increases in CO2 flux at high temperature. Bi-variable models based on soil temperature at 5 cm depth and soil moisture at 0-10 cm depth can explain about 70% of the variations of CO2 effluxes. The contribution of soil respiration to ecosystem respiration averaged 59.4%,ranging from 47.3% to 72.4%; the contribution of root respiration to soil respiration averaged 20.5%,ranging from 11.7% to 51.7%. The contribution of soil to ecosystem respiration was a little overestimated and root to soil respiration little underestimated because of the increased soil water content that occurred as a result of plant removal.     

Oxygen and carbon isotope records of cultured freshwater pearl mussel <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hyriopsis</Emphasis> sp. shell from Lake Kasumigaura,Japan

We present oxygen and carbon isotope ratios and the morphological structure of the cultured freshwater pearl mussel (Hyriopsis sp., Unionidae) shell and pearl. The number of first-order fluctuations of δ¹⁸O of the outer shell layer along the maximum growth axis was consistent with the number of cultured years. The dominant factor controlling annual δ¹⁸O fluctuations was water temperature with a minor contribution from the variation in δ¹⁸O of ambient water, especially during the rainy season. The δ¹³C values were approximately constant throughout the life of the mussel, suggesting that the contributions of body size to δ¹³C of the shell were minor. We observed nine distinct disturbance rings on the outer surface of the shell. Five rings coincided with the five winter peaks of the δ¹⁸O profile, indicating winter growth cessation below approximately 10°C, probably because of either inactive growth at low water temperatures or reproduction. Summer disturbance rings were not observed in all years. Moreover, some summer rings showed discontinuity in the inner structure. These findings suggest that summer growth cessation may be caused by occasional events such as heavy rains, as the decrease of dissolved oxygen concentration. The δ¹⁸O profile and shell structures indicated that shell aragonite was precipitated at close to equilibrium conditions with respect to the oxygen isotope composition of the ambient water. Hyriopsis sp. shells can potentially be used for reconstruction of past hydrologic conditions. The δ¹⁸O of a pearl indicated that calcification occurred over a temperature range of at least 13–23°C. The optimal temperature for pearl calcification in this species is lower than that for marine pearl calcification.     

Population trends in the Slavonian grebe <Emphasis Type="Italic">Podiceps auritus</Emphasis> (L.) and Chironomidae (Diptera) at a Scottish loch

Loch Ruthven holds the largest British population of the rare water-bird Podiceps auritus, the Slavonian or horned grebe. The breeding success of this bird has fluctuated annually since records began in 1970. To investigate whether these trends are linked to the abundance of chironomid midges, which are an important food-source for the grebe chicks, we analysed a sediment core from the lake, which was sliced at 2.5-mm intervals and provided near-annual sampling resolution. We also analysed diatoms and algal pigments in the lake sediments and inferred changes in total phosphorus from the diatom assemblage to determine whether changes in lake productivity have influenced the abundance of chironomids. Trends in grebe productivity, chironomid abundance and algal assemblages were compared against climate data to determine whether climate, specifically, the North Atlantic Oscillation, was the ultimate driver of the trends we recorded. Our results show that grebe breeding success is positively correlated with chironomid abundance and chironomid abundance is positively correlated with diatom-inferred total phosphorus. Lake productivity and chironomid abundance began to rise early in the twentieth century and continued to rise on a steeper trajectory from the mid-twentieth century to the present. Since the mid-1960s, chironomid abundance began to fluctuate erratically and since 1970 was in phase with grebe productivity, with the grebe trends most plausibly lagging by 1 year. These trends appear to correlate with inter-annual fluctuations in diatom-inferred total phosphorus. No correlation was found between grebe productivity or chironomid abundance and climate variables, suggesting that the size of the chironomid population and breeding success of Podiceps auritus at Loch Ruthven is resource-linked.     

Mid- to- late Holocene hydroclimatic changes on the Chinese Loess Plateau: evidence from <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-alkanes from the sediments of Tianchi Lake

We have reconstructed the history of mid-late Holocene paleohydrological changes in the Chinese Loess Plateau using n-alkane data from a sediment core in Tianchi Lake. We used P_aq (the proportion of aquatic macrophytes to the total plant community) to reflect changes in lake water level, with a higher abundance of submerged macrophytes indicating a lower water level and vice versa. The P_aq-based hydrological reconstruction agrees with various other lines of evidence, including ACL (average chain length), CPI (carbon preference index), C/N ratio and the n-alkane molecular distribution of the sediments in Tianchi Lake. The results reveal that the lake water level was relatively high during 5.7–3.2 ka BP, and decreased gradually thereafter. Our paleohydrological reconstruction is consistent with existing paleoclimate reconstructions from the Loess Plateau, which suggest a humid mid-Holocene, but is asynchronous with paleoclimatic records from central China which indicate an arid mid-Holocene. Overall, our results confirm that the intensity of the rainfall delivered by the EASM (East Asian summer monsoon) is an important factor in affecting paleohydrological changes in the region and can be considered as further evidence for the development of a spatially asynchronous “northern China drought and southern China flood” precipitation pattern during the Holocene.     

Long-term changes in the tree radial growth and intrinsic water-use efficiency of Chuanxi spruce (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Picea likiangensis var. balfouriana</Emphasis>) in southwestern China

Elevated CO₂ level in the atmosphere is expected to improve the tree growth rates and intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE). Although current results inferring from tree rings found the tree growth decline in water-limited area, it is still unclear whether spruce trees in humid southwestern China benefit from the increasing CO₂. In this study, tree-ring width data were used to investigate the tree radial growth rate of Chuanxi spruce (Picea likiangensis var. balfouriana). Moreover, combining with the tree-ring carbon isotope date, we analyzed the physiological responses of Chuanxi spruce to rising CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere (Ca) associated with climatic change in southwestern China. From 1851 to 2009, iWUE of Chuanxi spruce rose by approximately 30.4%, and the ratio of atmospheric CO₂ to leaf intercellular CO₂ concentration (Ci/Ca) showed no significant trend in the study area. The result suggested that Chuanxi spruce used an active response strategy when Ca was significantly increased. iWUE showed a significant increasing trend in parallel with tree radial growth, indicating that the increasing iWUE resulted in an increase in radial growth. These results suggest that spruce forests in southwestern China have not shown declining trends under increasing Ca and climate change scenarios, in contrast to trees growing in water-limited areas. Therefore, spruce forests benefit from the increasing CO₂ in the atmosphere in the humid areas of southwestern China.