The birds of Anak Krakatau: the assembly of an avian community

The avian colonization of Anak Krakatau, an emergent volcanic island, is described for the period 1952–1991 with emphasis on the resident land birds. The few species that had colonized the island by 1952 were destroyed in a volcanic eruption. Recolonization has been rapid and extensive but only documented by regular surveys that began in the 1980s. The waves of avian colonists associated with the following stages of plant succession are described: pre-vegetation, beach and grassland pioneers, casuarina woodland and mixed forest. Rainforest frugivores first reached the island in 1985 coinciding with the fruiting of the first fig trees. The three stages of plant succession and the bird communities associated with them co-exit on three separate lowland sites with about a 10–15 year delay between them. The guilds of shorebirds, predators, nectarivores, frugivores and insectivores are described. Densities of insectivores are very high; however between 1986 and 1990, some generalist species have fallen in abundance whereas some specialists have increased. The establishment species have fallen in abundance whereas some specialists have increased. The establishment of new colonists, especially pigeons, has been limited by the arrival of two species of falcons.     

Photographic evidence of rate of development of plant cover on the emergent island Anak Krakatau from 1971 to 1991 and implications for the effect of volcanism

Photographs of the vegetated North and East Forelands of Anak Krakatau, which emerged from the sea in 1930 and was totally devastated by volcanic activity in 1952/53 provide some evidence of rate of change of plant cover from grassland to woodland between 1971 and 1991. The series of photographs demostrate that vegetational stages of the two forelands have not been synchronous and suggest that the North Foreland is lagging the East Foreland by about 12 years.A recent hypothesis that Anak Krakatau's vegetation was destroyed, totally or almost so, by eruptions in 1972/73 and the island's vegetation has regenerated since that time is not easily accommodated by the photographic evidence, nor by the relative rates of change on Rakata (Krakatau's post-1883 remnant) and Anak Krakatau. The photographic evidence accords more closely with a hypothesis that the 1972/73 eruptions affected the North Foreland's vegetation only, or affected it to a much greater degree than that of the East Foreland, allowing the latter's post-1952/53 succession to proceed relatively unhampered.     

Colonization of the Krakatau islands by vertebrates

80 species of non-marine, non-migrant vertebrates, excluding also shore birds, have been recorded from the Krakatau archipelago since the explosive eruption of 1883.73 of these are believed to have established breeding populations and successfully colonized the islands (47 resident land birds species, 13 bats, 11 reptiles and 2 rats). A large proportion of these colonizers consists of species with wide distributions, broad ecological tolerances and/or association with urban or rural situations. 11 of the 73 colonizing species (8 resident land birds, 2 reptiles and a bat) have become extinct on the islands. No amphibian species has yet been recorded and successful non-volant mammal colonists consist only of rats.Species turnover is considered to be largely associated with successional change of habitat. Progressive loss of coastal habitat through marine erosion and of open inland habitats through forest formation and canopy closure has been important and volcanic activity is indicated in the case of one or two extinctions.Active flight has been the predominant dispersal method (63 of the recored species, 79%, are birds or bats). Of the 17 recorded non-volant vertebrates, 6 species are assessed as having dispersed by swimming, 4 by means of natural rafts and 7 most likely through human agency (on boats). Human-assisted dispersal is seen to be of increasing importance with the increasing number of tourist visits and this may prove to be significant in determining the nature and rate of future colonization by vertebrates.     

Colonisation of the Krakatau islands by invertebrates

Arrival of invertebrates on the Krakatau islands, and the development of invertebrate assemblages there since 1883, are reviewed. Many data are imprecise, and difficulties of interpretation are outlined. A few well-known groups, such as butterflies, are used to suggest that much colonisation so far has been by relatively generalist species,and that the rate of addition of new species may become slower as the less vagile specialists characteristic of later successional vegetation may find natural colonisation harder. Studies of the assemblages developing in association with particular plant species are likely to be helpful in assessing future trends of invertebrate colonisation.     

Ecological aspects of plant colonisation of the Krakatau Islands

Species assemblage data from the Krakatau Islands, Indonesia, are presented for the period 1883 to 1989 (including previously unpublished data from the 1989 survey). Since 1934, 16 additional families of higher plants have colonised. Recent arrivals at the family level are mostly of zoochorous species of forest tree, indicating (subject to the effects of disturbance) a continuing increase in potential niche space within the island interiors. The data for Rakata (an uninterrupted prisere) conform to a successional explanation in which identifiable ecological groups of plants exhibit differing colonization and turnover patterns. Animal-dispersed canopy tree species and species which are widespread within the group, exhibit a very low probability of extinction once they have colonized successfully. There are, however, several constraints on the rapid spread of species within the group, in particular those connected to local dispersal (eg lack of large terrestrial mammals). In respect of dispersal to the group, partial survey data for the island of Sebesi from 1921 (revised) and 1989 provides the basis for comment as to the changing biogeographical circumstances of the Sunda Straits and the role of Sebesi as a stepping stone island.The varied data discussed in the paper indicates that with the exception of the strand-line, no component of the Krakatau flora or vegetation has yet approached a stable composition. Both floral and faunal diversification are argued to be proximally controlled not only by dispersal opportunities but also by the dynamics of the dominant life-forms of the system, ie, the forest trees. Such hierarchical links, across trophic boundaries, should receive greater recognition in the construction of island biogeographical theory.     

Anak Krakatau's vegetation and flora circa 1991, with observations on a decade of development and change

Ecological surveys were conducted over the period 1989 to 1991 on the island of Anak Krakatau. The aims of the study were to detail a key phase of rapid change in the vegetation succession and plant colonization of this young volcano and to compare results with those from earlier studies.Floristic composition was determined by reconaissance of all vegetated areas during the period 1989 to 1991. Colonization has been rapid since 1983 with 53 species newly recorded for Anak Krakatau, comprising 8 Pteridophyta and 45 Angiospermae. Of the latter, a significant element (13) were of species believed to be human-dispersed. Comparison of all floral surveys has revealed a core of strand-line and pioneer colonists which has been common to each restart of colonization. The sea-dispersed component is already comparable in size to that of Rakata and is thought unlikely to increase significantly from this point. The accumulation of animal-dispersed species of interior habitats has only recently begun to pick up speed.Vegetation was characterised by means of plot-based sampling, including the establishment of three permanent plots, and by mapping at the whole-island scale. Variation in composition within the island is discussed, with particular reference to the three vegetated forelands. Anak Krakatau now supports the most extensive and advanced vegetation in its disrupted 61-year history. A more or less closed cover extends along the eastern/north-eastern coast-line, but the xeric interior remains only sparsely vegetated. It is concluded that because of volcanic disturbance a base-line for ecosystem development on Anak Krakatau cannot be calculated but that the pattern of change is not inconsistent with significant disturbance ca. 1972 and the subsequent relaxation of these peculiar environmental constraints.     

Recent plumbing system of the Krakatau volcano revealed by teleseismic earthquake distribution

Spatial and temporal analysis of global seismological data 1964–2005 reveals a distinct teleseismic earthquake activity producing a columnar-like formation in the continental wedge between the Krakatau volcano at the surface and the subducting slab of the Indo-Australian plate. These earthquakes occur continuously in time, are in the body-wave (m _b) magnitude range 4.5–5.3 and in the depth range 1–100 km. The Krakatau earthquake cluster is vertical and elongated in the azimuth N30°E, suggesting existence of a deep-rooted fault zone cutting the Sunda Strait in the SSW-NNE direction. Possible continuation of the fault zone in the SW direction was activated by an intensive 2002/2003 aftershock sequence, elongated in the azimuth of N55°E. Beneath the Krakatau earthquake cluster, an aseismic gap exists in the Wadati-Benioff zone of the subducting plate at the depths 100–120 km. We interpret this aseismic gap as a consequence of partial melting inhibiting stress concentration necessary to generate stronger earthquakes, whereas the numerous earthquakes observed in the overlying lithospheric wedge beneath the volcano probably reflect magma ascent in the recent plumbing system of the Krakatau volcano. Focal depth of the deepest events (~100 km) of the Krakatau cluster constrains the location of the primary magma generation to greater depths. The ascending magmatic fluids stress fault segments within the Sunda Strait fault zone and change their friction parameters inducing the observed tectonic earthquakes beneath Krakatau.     

An interpretation of the 1883 cataclysmic eruption of Krakatau from geochemical studies on the partial melting of granite

Pumice flow from the 1883 Krakatau eruption significantly differs in both mineral and chemical compositions from any other volcanic rocks or ejecta of the Krakatau group, which belong to the tholeiitic series. Lithic fragments of granitic Rock, discovered in the pumice flow, are similar to West Malayan granitic rocks. No other granitic rock occurs throughout the Krakatau group, therefore, we consider that the granitic fragments came from the underlying complex at depths, where they were captured as foreign materials by the magma.It is possible that sialic crustal materials plunged into depths along a peculiar tectonic structure located at the Sunda Strait, which appears to be a sheared portion caused by deformation of the Sunda arc due to differential movement between the Indo-Australian oceanic plate and the Eurasian continental crust. The crustal materials were partially melted and produced a magma of granitic composition. The magma was mixed with or assimilated by an ascending basaltic magma originating probably from the upper mantle. This resulted in a dacitic magma distinctly dominant in silica, alkalis and volatile components, and the 1883 Krakatau eruption, characterized by the pumice flow of dacitic composition, took place.     

Cobalt mineralization at Mount Isa,Queensland, Australia,with references to Mount Cobalt

Mineralium Deposita - In North Western Queensland, Australia, there are numerous small cobalt deposits of which Mount Cobalt is the largest. Recent work has shown that cobalt is also a significant...     

Emplacement of a Debris Avalanche during the 1883 eruption of Krakatau (Sunda Straits,Indonesia)

Conclusion The data collected during the Mentawai cruise help to clarify understanding of the 1883 eruption of Krakatau. We have previously discussed the weaknesses of the interpretation of Williams (1941) and others (Self and Rampino 1981) and emphasized that only a Mount St. Helens-type collapse during the course of the eruption could account for all the characteristics of the eruption and of the related deposits.The discovery on land of deposits attributable to a debris-avalanche, in the stratigraphic position where they were expected, is a strong argument for the validity of our scenario.Marine surveys confirm that the sea bottom around Krakatau is covered by a thick ignimbritic deposit. But the presence of this deposit does not invalidate the presence of a debris-avalanche deposit under the ignimbrites. The hummocky morphology favours this hypothesis.Flank-failure of volcanoes is generally considered as a very efficient mechanism for triggering tsunamis (Kienle et al. 1987; Siebert et al. 1987). However, the majority of the volcanoes where flank-failure has been described are tall and bulky and the collapse of a broad edifice like Krakatau may be surprising. However the geological evidence shows that such a mechanism can act at various scales; for example the flank collapse of Mayu Yama volcano (height 700 m, volume 0,3 km³), a parasitic cone of Unzen volcano (Japan), triggered a debris-avalanche into the sea that was 1 km long, with a characteristic hummocky surface; the resulting tsunami killed 9528 people (Katayama 1974). In the same way, a partial collapse of Iliwerung volcano, Indonesia (50 × 10⁶ m³) in July 1979, triggered a tsunami which killed several hundred people (McClelland et al. 1989). At Krakatau, the main summit was 822 m asl; the collapse took place along the edge of the prehistoric caldera and this structural unconformity probably facilitated the triggering of the process.     

Graphitization of carbonaceous matter during metamorphism with references to carbonate and pelitic rocks of contact and regional metamorphisms,Japan

This study is an attempt to correlate the graphitization process of carbonaceous matter during metamorphism with metamorphic grade. Graphitization can be parameterized using crystal structure and chemical and isotopic compositions. The extent of graphitization could be characterized mainly by temperature, duration of metamorphism and rock composition. We compared the graphitization trends for two metamorphic terrains, a contact aureole of the Kasuga area and a regional metamorphic terrain of high-temperature/low pressure type of the Ryoke metamorphic terrain in Northern Kiso area, Central Japan, and for two different lithologies (carbonate and pelite), using X-ray diffractogram, DTA-TG analysis, and chemical and stable isotope analyses. During contact metamorphism, graphitization and carbon isotopic exchange reactions proceeded simultaneously in pelitic and carbonate rocks. The decreases in basal spacing d(002) of the carbonaceous matter in carbonate rocks is greatly accelerated at temperatures higher than about 400° C. Furthermore, carbon isotopic ratios of graphite in carbonate rocks also change to ¹³C-enriched values implying exchange with carbonates. The beginning of this enrichment of ¹³C in the carbonaceous matter coincides with an abrupt increase of the graphitization processes. Carbon isotopic shifting up to 5 in pelites could be observed as metamorphic temperature increased probably by about 400° C. Carbonaceous matter in pelitic rocks is sometimes a mixture of poorly crystallized organic matter and well-crystallized graphite detritus. DTA-TG analysis is an effective tool for the distinction of detrital graphitic material. Two sources for the original carbon isotopic composition of carbonaceous matter in pelites in the Kasuga contact aureole can be distinguished, about-28 and-24 regardless of the presence of detrital graphite, and were mainly controlled by depositional environment of the sediments. Graphitization in limestones and pelitic rocks in regional metamorphism proceeds further than in a contact aureole. In the low-temperature range, the differences in extent of graphitization between the two metamorphic regions is large. However, at temperatures higher than 600° C, the extent of graphitization in both regions is indistinguishable. The degree of graphitization is different in limestones and pelitic rocks from the Ryoke metamorphic terrain. We demonstrate that the graphitization involves a progressive re-construction process of the crystal structure. The sequence of the first appearance of crystal inter planar spacing correlates with the metamorphic grade and indicates the crystal growth of three-dimensional structured graphite.     

A study on the characteristics of heavy metals in orange ecosystem

An investigation was conducted to identify the characteristics of heavy metals in orange ecosystem in three areas in the Three Gorge Reservoir Region by using the modified Tessier sequential extraction procedure. The contents of Cu and Pb in different speciation fractions of the soils can be ordered as the Residual (F6)>Reducible (F4)>Oxidable (F5)>Water soluble (F1)>Carbonate (F3)>Exchangeable (F2), and the contents of Zn and Ni follow the order of the Residual (F6)>Oxidable (F5)>Reducible (F4)>Water soluble (F1)>Carbonate (F3)> Exchangeable (F2), and those of Cd follow the order of the Reducible (F4)>Oxidable (F5)>Exchangeable (F2)>Carbonate (F3)>Residual (F6)>Water soluble (F1). The concentrations of Cu in the different organs of oranges follow the increasing sequence of pulp>leaf>pericarp, those of Zn and Ni following the increasing sequence of leaf>pulp>pericarp, and those of Pb and Cd follow the increasing sequence of leaf>pericarp>pulp. Correlation degrees of different forms of same heavy metals in soils are according to the order of Cu>Zn>Cd>Pb>Ni. Correlation degrees of different heavy metals in same forms are according to the order that the forms of Reducible (F4), Oxidable (F5) and Residual (F6) are higher than the forms of Water soluble (F1), Exchangeable (F2) and Carbonate (F3). There are either positive or negative correlations between heavy metals in leaves and in pulp, while there are all positive correlations between heavy mentals in leaves and in pericarp. There are significant correlations between the concentrations of some heavy metals in leaves, pericarp or pulp, and those in speciation fractions in the soils.     

筑坝对河流生态系统影响研究进展

河流是陆地生态系统和水生态系统间物质循环的通道,筑坝人为改变河流物理、化学、生物地球化学循环模式,影响河流生态系统的结构、功能.分析了筑坝对河流水文水力特性、生源要素(氮、磷、硅等)、水生态系统结构和功能的影响以及河流生态系统恢复等研究的进展.随着水库成为陆地水分循环的一个主要组成部分,对流域生态系统健康的影响日益显著,进而对大坝的生态效应、河流生态恢复等需要进行深入的研究,减轻大坝的负面效应.