Influence of food web structure on the biochemical composition of seston,zooplankton and recently deposited sediment in experimental freshwater mesocosms

The effects of food web structure on the quantity and biochemical composition of seston, zooplankton and recently deposited sediment in experimental freshwater mesocosms were examined. Food web structure was manipulated by addition of zooplanktivorous fish. Biochemical characterisations were carried out using lipid biomarkers (sterols, fatty acids, chlorophyll-derived compounds and long-chain alkanediols). Fish addition decreased zooplankton biomass and increased seston biomass and deposited sediment through a trophic cascade. Fish presence strongly influenced the biochemical characteristics of seston and sediment. In contrast, food web structure had a minor impact on the lipid biomarker composition of zooplankton. Although the relative abundance of sterols in the different compartments did not differ strongly between treatments, sterol profiles in seston and sediment depended on food web structure. The predominance of Δ⁷-sterols in seston and sediment in the fish treatment indicated a major contribution of Chlorophyceae. In contrast, the distribution of sterols in seston and sediment in the fishless treatment, dominated by cholesterol, indicated a major zooplanktonic input. The distribution of fatty acids and the relative abundance of chlorophyll-derived compounds and long-chain alkanediols agreed with the predominant contribution of phytoplankton or zooplankton to seston and sediment in the two treatments. The relative abundance of bacterial biomarkers suggested that the contribution of bacteria was rather low. The high relative abundance of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and the absence of stanols in sediments suggested low microbial reworking of organic matter in the recently accumulated sediments. The trophic cascade, generated by the addition of fish, increased the relative abundance of PUFAs in deposited organic matter, thus enhancing sediment quality and potential degradability.     

A method to reduce the influence of ice-rafted debris on a grain size record from northern Fram Strait, Arctic Ocean

The granulometric composition of terrigenous deep-sea sediments provides information on current speed if certain frame conditions are fulfilled. These include that current transport is the only transport process. At high latitudes this type of investigation is impaired due to the influence of ice-rafted debris (IRD) which contaminates the current-sorted grain size fractions. This study presents a new method that addresses this problem by setting the ice-rafted sand in relation to the silt of both current- and ice-transported origin. Deviations from the resulting regression function are then used to determine the behaviour of the silt mean grain size as a function of current speed largely independent from IRD bias. The study is based on sediments from the Yermak Plateau, Arctic Ocean, a region influenced by IRD brought with the south-headed Transpolar Drift and by north-directed bottom currents. The IRD correction results in displaying changes of current speed at much higher clarity; climate forcing of the currents becomes more evident. For example, the 8200 year cold event shows up as a major event in the corrected record whereas it is hardly visible in the original record.     

Klüfte und Talrichtungen im Turon des südöstlichen Münsterlandes

Zusammenfassung Am Südostrand des Münsterländer Kreidebeckens fließen alle größeren Wasserläufe im Bereich der Turonkalke nach NNE oder NE, obwohl das allgemeine Gelände- und Schichtengefälle nach NNW gerichtet ist. Die Ursachen für diese Abweichung sind im Mechanismus der Felserosion zu suchen, der im wesentlichen durch die Eigentümlichkeiten der Karstgerinne und durch die Gesteinszerklüftung bestimmt wird. Bei den Detailuntersuchungen geben sich komplexe Beziehungen zwischen Fließrichtung und Kluftrichtungen zu erkennen.Besonders bedeutend für die Entstehung der NNE gerichteten Täler sind die 170°- und 30°-streichenden Klüfte.

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On the south-east border of the Cretaceous basin of Munster, Westfalia, the current directions of streams in the area of Turon-limestone go to NNE or NE, although the main dipping of land surface as well as bedding planes points towards NNW. This divergence is caused by the mechanism of rock erosion, which is determined by peculiarities of subterranean stream channels and joints in limestone. The investigations show complex relations between flow direction and direction of joints.The 170°- and 30°-striking joints are significant of the origin of the NNE direction of the valleys.

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Résumé Dans le Turonien au bord sud-est du bassin Crétacé de Münster (Westphalie) toutes les rivières coulent en direction nord-nord-est ou nord-est, quoique la surface morphologique générale et les couches soient penchées en direction nord-nord-ouest. Cette divergence est expliquée par le mécanisme de l'érosion qui dépend principalement des fentes et du caractère des ruisseaux karstiques. Pendant ces études on a pu observer des relations complexes entre la direction des courants et la direction des fentes.Les fentes en direction nord-nord-est (30°) et sud-sud-est (170°) ont considérablement influencé l'origine des vallées.

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- - , -. . . , NNE, , 170° 30°.

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Herrn Professor Dr.Roland Brinkmann zum 70. Geburtstag gewidmet.     

The bonding of ferrous iron to sulfur and oxygen in tetrahedral coordination: A comparative study using SCF Xα scattered wave molecular orbital calculations

Molecular quantum mechanical calculations have been performed on high-spin ferrous iron tetrahedrally coordinated to sulfur and oxygen, respectively. The molecular orbital energies obtained from the calculations are compared with experimental optical and X-ray emission spectra. Good agreement was found between calculated and experimental spectral transition energies for the optical absorption spectra of Fe²⁺ in sphalerite, of Fe²⁺ in FeAl₂O₄, staurolite and (Zn, Fe)O, and for the FeKβ X-ray emission spectra of FeCr₂O₄. This both clarified interpretation of the spectra and established the validity of the calculations. Distinct differences occur in the molecular orbital structures of the sulfide and oxide clusters. In the sulfide, the crystal field type (mainly Fe 3d) molecular orbitals lie within the nonbonding (mainly S 3p) orbitais in energy, whereas in the oxide, they lie well above the 02p nonbonding orbitals. This also results in a wider valence band in the oxide than in the sulfide. The crystal field type (Fe 3d) molecular orbitais have more ligand character in the sulfide than the oxide and the chalcophilic properties of iron are partly attributed to this observation.