Preliminary investigations on fossil diversity variation of Mesozoic Marattialean ferns in China

The Marattiales is one of the oldest lineages of vascular plants with extensive fossil records dated back to the Carboniferous. Understanding the fossil diversity variation and distribution pattern is helpful for exploring the evolutionary history of this fern group. In this work, the preliminary analysis of diversity change and distribution of the Mesozoic Marattialean fossil records in China are reported covering the Triassic and Jurassic periods based on available published data. In addition, a brief discussion is made regarding to the potential causes for these variation and distribution of this fern group.     

Diversity,composition and host-species relationships of epiphytic orchids and ferns in two forests in Nepal

Epiphytic plant species are an important part of biological diversity. It is therefore essential to understand the distribution pattern and the factors influencing such patterns. The present study is aimed at observing the patterns of species richness, abundances and species composition of epiphytic orchids and ferns in two subtropical forests in Nepal. We also studied the relationship of host plants (Schima wallichii and Quercus lanata) and epiphyte species. Data were collected in Naudhara community forest (CF) and the national forest (NF) in Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. The data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate tests. In total, we recorded 41 species of epiphytes (33 orchid and 8 fern species). Orchid species abundance is significantly higher in CF compared to NF. Orchid species richness and abundance increased with increasing southern aspect whereas it decreased with increasing canopy cover, and fern species richness increased with host bark roughness. Orchid abundance was positively correlated with increasing bark pH, stem size, tree age and tree height and negatively correlated with increasing steepness of the area. Likewise, fern abundances were high in places with high canopy cover, trees that were tall and big, but decreased with increasing altitude and southern aspect. The composition of the orchid and fern species was affected by altitude, aspect, canopy cover, DBH, number of forks and forest management types. We showed that the diversity of orchid and fern epiphytes is influenced by host characteristics as well as host types. The most important pre-requisite for a high epiphyte biodiversity is the presence of old respectively tall trees, independent of the recent protection status. This means: (i) for protection, e.g. in the frame of the national park declaration, such areas should be used which host such old tall trees; and (ii) also in managed forests and even in intensively used landscapes epiphytes can be protected by letting a certain number of trees be and by giving them space to grow old and tall.     

山东莱阳盆地中华弓鳍鱼的发现及其在地层上的意义

1984年以来,我队开展了1:20万莱阳幅区域地质测量的修测工作。为了配合野外的地质工作,我组对莱阳盆地莱阳组的各门类化石进行了采集。在莱阳县团旺镇团旺村西采集到一批鱼化石,它们产于莱阳组的中上部黄绿、灰绿色砂质页岩中。所采鱼化石保存较好的不多,经笔者初步鉴定,多数为狼鳍鱼(Lycoptera),主要是中华狼鳍鱼(Lycoptera sinensis),但是还有一块鱼化石为中华弓鳍鱼属(Sinamia)。这种鱼化石在本区是首次发现。这一新的发现,丰富了本地区的鱼化石种类,同时对中华弓鳍鱼的地理分布有新的补充,有助于对这类鱼化石的进一步研究,而且还为我国华北地区中生代后期地层对比提供了     

热应力对恐龙化石风化损坏的影响研究

由热应力引起的热破裂作用是造成恐龙化石破坏的一个重要因素。在太阳照射条件下,由于受热不均匀及日照的长久往复循环作用,使得化石表面发生热破裂作用,导致化石表面产生裂缝,加速了恐龙化石风化。采用模拟实验的方式,主要针对恐龙化石试件的物理力学受力变形特性进行研究。通过有限差分软件FLAC3D进行数值模拟,揭示日光辐射造成的恐龙化石温度差异分布对化石风化的影响。试验结果表明:恐龙化石不同部位的温度差异,是造成化石内部热应力分布不均匀的重要原因,热应力的不均匀性导致化石发生热破裂,加速了化石风化受损,因此化石保存要尽量放在恒温环境下,避免化石温度往复变化。     

Anomozamites (Bennettitales) from Middle Jurassic Haifanggou Formation,western Liaoning,China

The Middle Jurassic Hangfanggou Formation is well exposed in Shangsanjiao and Xiasanjiao villages area,Baimashi town of Huludao,western Liaoning,China.Recently,abundant fossil plants were collected from the Hangfanggou Formation.One new species,Anomozamites sanjiaocunensis sp.nov.(Bennettitales),is described in this study.This is the first report of the genus Anomozamites from the Haifanggou Formation based upon the leaf morphology and epidermal structures.The discovery of the new species extends significantly the stratigraphic and geographic distribution of Anomozamites in the Middle Jurassic.It also shows that Anomozamites was a common member of Bennettitales once lived in the Middle Jurassic warm temperate region.The new species also improves the knowledge on understanding the leaf morphology,epidermal features and the diversity of Anomozamites during the Middle Jurassic.The epidermal characters of the new species and its associated plants reveal that the plants grew in a warm and moderately humid environment in the warm temperate zone.The presence of some deciduous plants,such as ginkgoaleans,czekanowskialeans and conifers,indicate the climate with seasonal fluctuations in temperature.     

物化探信息综合调查在章丘市洛庄汉墓中的应用

诸城市恐龙化石资源非常丰富,全市共发现恐龙化石产地30多处,其中典型的化石产地有"库沟化石长廊"、"恐龙涧隆起带"、"臧家庄化石层叠区"和"黄龙沟足迹化石群"。当地政府为了保护这些珍贵的化石资源,采取了许多行之有效的保护措施,但在保护过程中发现仍然存在一些不足之处。该文根据目前保护现状,针对保护中存在的主要问题,进行深入分析查找原因,提出可行性措施。     

恐龙化石风化效应的TM耦合分析研究

恐龙化石对研究地球演化、生物进化、地层对比、地质年代、古环境、古地理、古气候等方面具有重要的科学价值。但恐龙化石发掘后面临着严重的风化问题,许多化石发掘后十几年甚至几年内就迅速遭受风化破坏。为深入研究探索恐龙化石地质遗迹的深层次风化原因和机理,该文采用TM（温度和应力）耦合分析方法,对山东诸城恐龙化石风化规律进行深入分析研究。根据化石与围岩间膨胀的不协调性,探索在温度变化情况下化石与围岩间的相互作用规律及对风化造成的影响。结果揭示了温度作用下化石风化的初步原因和规律,可为化石保护提供参考科学依据。     

Prediction of Suitable Habitat for Lycophytes and Ferns in Northeast China: A Case Study on Athyrium brevifrons

Suitable habitat is vital for the survival and restoration of a species.Understanding the suitable habitat range for lycophytes and ferns is prerequisite for effective species resource conservation and recovery efforts.In this study, we took Athyrium brevifrons as an example, predicted its suitable habitat using a Maxent model with 67 occurrence data and nine environmental variables in Northeast China.The area under the curve(AUC) value of independent test data, as well as the comparison with specimen county areal distribution of A.brevifrons exhibited excellent predictive performance.The type of environmental variables showed that precipitation contributed the most to the distribution prediction, followed by temperature and topography.Percentage contribution and permutation importance both indicated that precipitation of driest quarter(Bio17) was the key factor in determining the natural distribution of A.brevifrons, the reason could be proved by the fern gametophyte biology.The analysis of high habitat suitability areas also showed the habitat preference of A.brevifrons: comparatively more precipitation and less fluctuation in the driest quarter.Changbai Mountains, covering almost all the high and medium habitat suitability areas, provide the best ecological conditions for the survival of A.brevifrons, and should be considered as priority areas for protection and restoration of the wild resource.The potential habitat suitability distribution map could provide a reference for the sustainable development and utilisation of A.brevifrons resource, and Maxent modelling could be valuable for conservation management planning for lycophytes and ferns in Northeast China.     

中街山水域虾类组成及其群落多样性

根据2010~2011年中街山列岛水域4个季节的渔业资源调查资料,分析了该水域虾类资源密度和群落多样性,并探讨了底层温度、底层盐度和水深对虾类数量分布和多样性的影响.结果表明:共有虾类20种,隶属于9科18属;广温广盐种无论在种类数还是尾数密度与生物量均占主导地位;虾类生物量和尾数密度在季节分布上,以冬季最高,冬季均与春、夏和秋三季呈显著差异(p值<0.05);平面分布上,生物量与密度指数总体上呈南北高、中间低,东部高西部低的特征;生物量与平均底温显著相关(P<0.05),与平均底盐和水深相关性较差(p值>0.05);葛氏长臂虾、细巧仿对虾、中国毛虾、日本鼓虾和中华管鞭虾为四季的优势种,且均属广温广盐种;虾类群落Margalef丰富度指数为0.61~1.09,Shannon-Wiener多样性指数为0.76~1.31,Pielou均匀度指数为0.50~0.70,其中丰富度指数和多样性指数春季与冬季均存在显著差异(P<0.05),均匀度指数秋季与冬季存在显著差异(p值<0.05).     

用随机有限断层方法模拟2016-11-13新西兰Mw7.8地震

在未来大地震发震构造已知的前提下,提出用经验公式确定大地震断层长度、宽度、地震矩和滑动分布等参数,并用随机有限断层方法预测未来大地震。用随机有限断层方法模拟2016-11-13新西兰M_W7.8地震的12个基岩台站地震动时程和反应谱,并用模拟的频谱幅值与记录频谱幅值平均比值确定模拟误差。结果表明,在周期为0~10 s的范围内,模拟误差在0.92~1.08之间,不同频率模拟误差的标准差变化范围不超过1。95%的置信区间宽度随频率无明显变化,模拟结果反映了地震动记录的平均效果。用准随机方法重新获取新西兰大地震断层初始破裂点和位错滑动分布,模拟地震动并计算模拟误差随频率的变化,得到与最初模型相似的结论,从而进一步证实了本文提出的获取震源参数并用随机有限断层方法预测未来大地震的可靠性,且其特别适用于大地震远场模拟。     

Genetic diversity and population structure of Eleutheronema rhadinum in the East and South China Seas revealed in mitochondrial COI sequences

Eleutheronema rhadinum is a potential commercial fisheries species and is subject to intense exploitation in China. Knowledge on the population structure of E. rhadinum in Chinese coastal waters, which is important for sustainable exploitation and proper resource management, is lacking. In the present study, the genetic diversity and population structure of E. rhadinum were evaluated using a 564-base pair fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I （COl） gene. A total of 76 specimens were collected from three localities around the East （Qidong and Zhoushan） and South China Seas （Zhuhai）. Among these individuals, nine polymorphic sites were detected and 1 l distinct haplotypes were defined. High levels ofhaplotype diversity （h=0.759i0.035） and low levels of nucleotide diversity （re=0.001 98i0.003 26） were observed in these populations, Hierarchical analysis of molecular variance （AMOVA） indicated that 96.72% of the genetic variation occurred within the populations, whereas 3.28% occurred among populations. No significant genealogical branches or clusters were recognized on the neighbor-joining tree. Intra-group variation among populations was significant （~0~t=0.032 85, P〈0.01）. These results suggest that E. rhadinum populations in the East and South China Seas have developed divergent genetic structures. Tests of neutral evolution and mismatch distribution suggest that E. rhadinum may have experienced a population expansion. The present study provides basic information for the conservation and sustainable exploitation of this species.     

全国古生物化石保护工程研究

古生物化石是确定地质时代、研究古生态环境以及探索地球演化的重要材料。我国古生物化石资源丰富,一些重要的化石和化石产地是我国乃至世界宝贵的自然遗产。全国古生物化石保护工程研究在充分研究全国古生物化石典型产地资料的基础上,对全国17个古生物化石典型产地的化石属种、保护的重要意义、自然地理、地形地质条件以及保护现状进行详细的总结论述。同时通过对全国73家与古生物化石相关的博物馆的现场调查,摸清了各省拥有和建设古生物化石博物馆的基本情况。根据野外调研和综合分析,对我国古生物化石保护工程类型进行了划分。认为我国现行的古生物化石保护工程可分为化石产地保护工程和化石标本保护工程两大类。分析论述了水、冻融、风化、地形地质条件对化石产地保护工程的影响,以及温度、湿度等对古生物化石标本保护工程的影响;在此基础上提出了我国进行古生物化石重点保护工程的规划部署建议。     

Floristics and soil characteristics of Ohud mountain,AlMadinah AlMunawarah,Western Saudi Arabia

Ohud mountain is one of the main important historic sites in the Arab Peninsula, and it is distinguishable over the rest of the mountains in the region. No extensive floristic survey has been carried out on Ohud mountain because of the rugged topography of this mountain. The current study investigates the floristic diversity and the correspondence of environmental factors of the phytogeographical distribution of plants, based on the floristic analysis of the present region. The research question is about the relationships between the species diversity and the human impacts of populated area at lowlands around Ohud mountain. A total of 59 species belonging to 56 genera and 28 families were recorded. Asteraceae had the highest contribution, about 12% of the total plant species. The analysis of the life forms demonstrated the prevalence of therophytes(68%) followed by chamaephytes(24%), indicating the adaptation of these life forms to hyperarid conditions. The chorological analysis indicated the predominance of the bi-regional taxa over the other phytochoria. Most of the recorded plant species belong to Saharo-Arabian and Sudano-Zambezian(24%) phytochoria. TWINSPAN analysis was performed to detect the indicator species of different vegetation groups and confirmed by detrended correspondence analysis(DCA or DECORANA). It is concluded that species richness and diversity revealed clear variation along the mountain and among the studied sites. Plant species diversity and richness were more pronounced in the intermediate portion of the elevation gradients across the mountain, with a decrease in the high altitudinal belts. The decrease was also recorded at the lower altitudes, where human impacts clearly affected vegetation; leading to a decrease in alpha diversity. In addition, the beta diversity among moderately highlands and lowlands was considerably high indicating the heterogeneous species composition among the studied sites along mountain elevations. The general pattern of vegetation groups distribution is controlled by a number of environmental factors; such as latitude, longitude, elevation, organic matter and some anions and cations. A Canonical Correspondence Analysis(CCA) ordination revealed that the vegetation structure has a strong association with the latitude of the mountain followed by organic matter and Magnesium. It is recommended that the populated area should be subjected to restoration of mountain ecosystem that might be degraded by human activities.     

Molecular Grouping of Grateloupia Tissues Collected Along Chinese Coast and Microsatellite Diversity Analysis of G. asiatica

Genus Grateloupia is one of the most speciose genera in family Halymeniales. It is also one of the sources for natural materials, food and medicine. With different environments, Grateloupia change their morphological characteristics, making their morphological identification very difficult. In addition, few of the species diversity in this genus has been described before. In this study, phylogenetic analysis based on rbc L gene sequence was employed to group Grateloupia collected from three locations along Chinese coast. The microsatellites were also used to evaluate their genetic diversity. In total, the tissue parts of 6 putative species were collected from G. asiatica, G. livida, G. lanceolate, G. catenata, G. turuturu and G. filicina. In order to evaluate their genetic diversity and then conserve them better, 40 microsatellites available for Grateloupia were used to evaluate their genetic diversity, and 11 microsatellites were found to be applicable to determine the genetic diversity of G. asiatica. It was found that the genetic diversity of G. asiatica around Qingdao was very rich. We suggested that the species of genus Grateloupia should be identified based on rbc L phylogenetic analysis before the diversity evaluation with microsatellites. The microsatellites should be developed for each species of Grateloupia so that their genetic diversity can be evaluated appropriately.     

Plant diversity as a good indicator of vegetation stability in a typical plateau wetland

Biotic indicators have been widely used to monitor wetland health. However, few studies have explicitly evaluated if plant diversity could serve as a useful community-level indicator of wetland stability, especially when wetlands are confronted with anthropogenic perturbations. Based on three-year record of wetland plant species abundance in Napahai plateau wetland, Shangri-la under the influence of varying anthropogenic perturbation types, our study tests the impact of such perturbations on plant richness and the relationship between ecosystem temporal stability and plant richness, and further assesses the effectiveness of using plant diversity indicator to probe ecosystem temporal stability of Napahai plateau wetland and the potential mechanisms. The results showed that anthropogenic perturbations could have contributed significantly to realistic variation in plant diversity, and further demonstrated that ecosystem temporal stability was positively related to realistic variation in plant diversity. In particular, communities with high levels of diversity might have better capacity to dampen perturbation impacts than communities with low levels of diversity, and statistical averaging could have played an important role in causing greater stability in more diverse communities. Also, asynchrony might have a stabilizing effect on community stability, and diversity could have stabilized communities through both species asynchrony and population stability propagation. Therefore, our results suggest that plant diversity could be used as a useful indicator of the stability conditions of plateau wetland ecosystems confronted with anthropogenic perturbations, and the preservation of plant communities at sufficient abundance and diversity is necessary for maintaining healthy plateau wetlands and for sustaining their essential ecosystem functions and services.     

The Clam Cyclina sinensis (Gmelin) Phylogeography Study with 28S rRNA Gene and Potential of Nuclear rRNA Genes in Genetic Assessments of Molluscs

Intraspecific diversity of molluscan species is usually studied based on maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA,from which only part of the evolutionary history can be reflected.Some nuclear ribosomal RNA genes such as 28S rRNA represent poten-tial candidates that can be easily applied in phylogeography because of lacking intraindividual variation.However,considering their low polymorphism,genetic appraisals on whether and how they can be used in population studies are necessary.Here,we applied a short 28S rRNA to assess genetic patterns of the clam Cyclina sinensis along the coast of China and compared the results with a for-mer study based on COI and ITS-1 analyses.The results revealed the 28S rRNA data set was characterized by an extremely low level of variation,with only seven haplotypes defined for 93 individuals.Haplotype and nucleotide diversity for each population was al-most the lowest when compared with the other two markers.However,the distribution of two dominant haplotypes showed clear geo-graphic patterns,and significant population differentiation was revealed between the East China Sea and the South China Sea.These patterns were highly concordant with findings of the former study that populations of C.sinensis were historically separated by land bridges among sea basins.Our study suggested that although the nuclear rRNAs have shortcomings such as low variation,they have advantages including lack of intraindividual variation and high amplification rates.Applying rRNA genes can enrich the toolbox of nuclear markers in molluscan phylogeographic studies.     

Plant communities and factors responsible for vegetation pattern in an alpine area of the northwestern Himalaya

The study intended to describe the alpine vegetation of a protected area of the northwestern Himalaya and identify the important environmental variables responsible for species distribution. We placed random plots covering different habitats and altitude to record species composition and environmental variables. Vegetation was classified using hierarchical cluster analysis and vegetation-environment relationships were evaluated with Canonical Correspondence Analysis. Four communities, each in alpine shrub and meadows were delineated and well justified in the ordination plots. Indicator species for the different communities were identified. Maximum species richness and diversity were found in community IV among shrub communities and community II among the meadows. Studied environmental variables explained 61.5% variation in shrub vegetation and 59.8% variation in meadows. Soil variables explained higher variability (∼35%) than spatial variables (∼21%) in both shrubs and meadows. Altitude, among the spatial variables and carbon/nitrogen ratio and nitrogen among the soil variables explained maximum variation. About 40% variations left unexplained. Latitude and species diversity among the other variables had significant correlation with ordination axes. Study showed that altitude and C/N ratio played a significant role in species composition. Extensive sampling efforts and inclusion of other non-studied variables are also suggested for better understanding.     

Vertical patterns in plant diversity and their relations with environmental factors on the southern slope of the Tianshan Mountains (middle section) in Xinjiang (China)

The investigation of distribution patterns of species diversity is significant for successful biodiversity conservation. The spatial patterns of vegetation and different life-forms species diversity along an elevation gradient in the middle section of the southern slope of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, China were explored, using the detrended canonical correspondence analysis(DCCA) and the generalized additive model(GAM) methods based on a field survey of 53 sampling plots. In this work 158 species of seed plants were recorded, including 141 herbaceous, 14 shrub, and 2 tree species, in which the woody plants are very limited. 53 sampling plots were classified into 9 major plant communities. The results indicate that the herb communities were the most sensitive to changes in elevation gradient. The diversity indices of the community as a whole presented bimodal patterns. The peak values for the species diversities were found in the transition region between mountain steppe desert and mountain desert steppe(2,200–2,300m), and in the alpine grassland region(2,900–3,100m), while maximum species diversities were in the areas of intermediate environmental gradient. The main environmental factors on the distribution patterns in plant diversity were the elevation, soil water, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, organic matter, and total salt. The response tendency of the four diversity indices for the whole community to the soil environment was the same as that of the herb layers.     

黔南独山县羊凤乡祥摆组海相动物群及其环境分析

黔南祥摆组的化石资料稀少且以植物化石为主,在独山县羊凤乡祥摆组中发现了一个海相动物群,主要化石有腕足类、珊瑚类、苔藓虫类、头足类和遗迹化石,其中以腕足类最为丰富.在鉴定分析所发现化石的基础上,结合该动物群所在层位的岩性特征、矿物特征和区域上该时期的沉积特征,采用古生态学分析方法,认为该动物群生存环境为一个淡化潟湖.区域上,该潟湖主要位于平塘县与独山县之间,而构成潟湖与外海的障壁则主要位于摆者至麻尾一线东北,呈北西向延伸;在北部兔场附近祥摆组已演变为以泛滥平原沉积为主.潟湖范围内现今构造形态完整,同时这种局限低能的沉积环境可以形成良好的烃源岩,因此它们在区域上的分布对岩相古地理和油气生储盖组合研究具有重要意义.     

Qinghai lake fluctuation and climatic change singce the last glaciation

Qinghai Lake is located in a hydrologically closed basin at the conjunction of SE and SW monsoons and westerlies. Its frequent lake level fluctuations arising from climatic and monsoonal changes have left a series of geological records since the last glaciation. The coarse sediments in Core QD₁, the sporopollen assemblage representing steppe, the eolian paleo-sanddunes in the east and southeast banks and the fossil glacial topography all indicated frigid and arid climatic conditions and large scale shrinkage of the lake during the last glacial maximum.