Offneria arabicanov. sp. (rudiste, Caprinidae) de l''Aptien inférieur du Jebel Madar (Sultanat d''Oman)

Offneria arabicanov. sp. (rudiste, Caprinidae) est caractérisé par la simplicité de l'architecture de la valve supérieure, bien exprimée par la forme subrectangulaire des canaux où les planchers sont relativement rares, et le faible développement des tabulae. La valve inférieure est beacoup plus complexe, ce qui traduit un taux d'evolution différencié des deux valves. L'espèce a été) trouvée dans l'Aptien inférieur (Formation Shuaiba) du Jebel Madar, dans l'avant pays des nappes des Montagnes d'Oman. Son organisation la rattache au groupe des formes arabo-africaines. A côté de ses caractères évolutifs, elle est intéressante par son potentiel biostratigraphique et paléobiologéographique.

Abstract

Offneria arabicanov. sp. (rudist, Caprinidae) is characterized by the simplicity of the upper valve, well expressed by the subrectangular shape of the canals where horizontal partitions are relatively rare, and the weak development of the tabulae. The lower valve is far more complex, which means distinctive evolutionary rates for the two valves. The species was found in the Lower Aptian (Shuaiba Formation) of the Jebel Madar, in the foreland of the Oman Mountain nappes. By its overall organisation it belongs to the Arabo-African group of species. Besides its evolutionary characters this form is interesting because of its biostratigraphic and palaeobiogeographic potential.     

Résultats préliminaires d'études sur des méthodes de détermination de l'âge individuel par l'histologie chez quelques Téléostéens

The study discusses the potential of various histological methods for enhancing the readability of the lines of arrested growth (LAC, annuli) in different bony elements, particularly fin rays, of some freshwater fish species.      

Eutrophisation et faune benthique de trois lacs de montagne

Zoobenthic communities were used to indicate the trophic state of three mountain lakes of western Switzerland. In these lakes, the macrobenthos was constituted mainly by oligochaetes and chironomid larvae;Tubifex tubifex was the most abundant worm species. In Lakes Lioson and Hongrin, the abundance of zoobenthos did not change or increased slightly with depth andStylodrilus heringianus was present. In Lake Chavonnes, zoobenthos decreased strongly with depth and it consisted mainly ofTubifex tubifex. These data, compared with those from other oligotrophic lakes, indicated that Lake Chavonnes was eutrophic whereas Lakes Lioson and Hongrin were oligotrophic. However, Lake Hongrin—an artificial lake made in 1968—constituted a special case. Its water comes in part from mountain rivers and in part from Lake Geneva. Consequently, some benthic species of Lake Geneva have colonized Lake Hongrin and its water is warmer than in a typical mountain lake.      

Croissance et reproduction de l'omble-chevalier,Salvelinus alpinus (L.), dans le lac de Neuchâtel (Suisse)

The arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) which has disappeared from Lake Neuchatel near 1963, has been reintroduced into this lake since 1979. In this study, growth and reproduction of char have been analyzed 4 years after reintroduction. Age determination based on scales were more reliable then those based on otoliths. Growth rate decreased from the cohort born in 1979 to the cohort born in 1982. Nevertheless growth of char in Lake Neuchatel is fast compared to other char populations. About 33% of the males were sexually mature in the second year of life. At this age, no females, and in the third year of life, only 18% of the females were mature. Most fish of both sex were mature at an age of 4 years. A high correlation was found for data taken from other authors between fecundity and length of char. The data from Lake Neuchatel char (this study) fit very well with this general relation.      

Caractérisation de la végétation macrophytique d'un lac hautement eutrophe: le Greifensee (Suisse)

The qualitative and quantitative distribution of macrophytic vegetation of Greifensee, one of the most eutrophic lakes of Switzerland, was studied with the help of colour aerial photographs and verifications on the field. This distribution is discussed in relation to the trophic level of the lake and compared with that of several other Swiss lakes.      

A peculiar distribution of radial velocities of faint radio-galaxies with 13.0≤m corr≤15.5

A sample of 41 radio-galaxies with 13.0m _corr15.5 has been analyzed to test the angular redshift anisotropy discovered on Sc I galaxies by Rubin, Rubin and Ford. The sample does not present their anisotropy but contains an even more curious distribution of radial velocities which suggests that the Rubin-Ford effect results from an anomalous redshift of light when it travels through clusters of galaxies.     

Observation of isotopes in the water cycle—the Swiss National Network (NISOT)

The Swiss National Network for the Observation of Isotopes in the Water Cycle (NISOT) includes eleven precipitation, seven surface water (river) and three groundwater stations, where tritium, deuterium and oxygen-18 are monthly measured in composite samples. The network provides a good overview of the characteristic isotope signatures in recharge waters in Switzerland and of the relations between isotopes and altitude, orography and the amount of precipitation. Mixing of air water vapour and surface waters can be observed along a NW/SE cross section through the Alps. With increasing length of the data series, the network provides a valuable contribution for national and international scientific and practical applications in surface and subsurface hydrology, climatology and biology. The Swiss Geological Survey at the Federal Office for Water and Geology operates the isotope network within the legal framework of the Federal Law on the Protection of Waters and guarantees quality, access and distribution of the isotope data.     

Early diagenetic processes in coastal marine sediments disturbed by a catastrophic sedimentation event

Following a catastrophic flash flood in July 1996, as much as 50 cm of post-glacial clays were deposited in less than 2 days in the upper reaches of the Saguenay Fjord (Quebec, Canada), disrupting the normal sedimentation and diagenetic regimes. We report detailed geochemical analyses of sediments (porosity, Eh, organic and inorganic carbon, Fe and Mn reactive solid phases, and acid volatile sulfide) and porewaters (salinity, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), Fe(II), Mn(II), nitrate, ammonium, and sulfate) for seven stations located in the Saguenay Fjord. Three of these (SAG-05, SAG-09, and SAG-30) were visited in 1996 and once per year thereafter to document the chemical evolution of the sediment toward a new steady state. The flood deposits contain less organic carbon and more inorganic carbon than the indigenous fjord sediments. The flood deposit modified the distribution patterns of reactive Mn and Fe as a result of the reduction of Mn and Fe oxides delivered with the deposit and those concentrated at the now buried former sediment-water interface. Most of the Mn(II) migrated to the new sediment-water interface, where a Mn-rich layer was formed. In contrast, much of the Fe(II) was precipitated as sulfides and remained trapped at or close to the old interface. A nitrate peak developed in the porewater at the old sediment-water interface, possibly because of the oxidation of ammonia by Mn oxides. The distributions of porewater DOC within the flood deposit correlate with the distributions of dissolved Mn(II) and Fe(II), suggesting that adsorbed DOC was released when metal oxides were reduced.