Contribution of different functional groups to the diet of major predatory fishes at a seagrass meadow in northeastern Japan

We examined the variation in habitat use and diet of three dominant fish species (Myoxocephalus brandti, Pholidapus dybowskii, and Pholis crassispina) in a seagrass meadow in the Akkeshi-ko estuary in northeastern Japan, where broad and dense Zostera marina beds exist, using a semi-quantitative census of the fishes and analyses of their stomach contents. Differences among the three fish species in the temporal variation in abundance of each age class (mainly 1- and 2-year age classes) indicated that the temporal pattern of utilization of the seagrass meadow were different among them. In the semi-quantitative dietary analysis, two prey categories, i.e., taxonomic group (order and suborder) and functional group, were used to explain the variation in prey composition with size-dependent changes. The six prey functional groups were classified based on the ecological traits of the prey, i.e., trophic level, size, and life type (habitat and behavior). Ontogenetic shifts in prey of the three fish species could be fully explained by a combination of the two prey categories, and not by the use of only one category (taxonomic or functional group). The pattern of ontogenetic shifts in prey differed among the fish species and size (age) classes. These results indicate that segregation of habitat (seagrass meadow) and prey group (taxonomic and functional group) is performed among the three species, which may contribute to their coexistence in this estuary.     

Indicator of paleosalinity: Sedimentary sulfur and organic carbon in the Jurassic–Cretaceous Tetori Group,central Japan

A simple geochemical technique using the ratio of total sulfur (TS) to total organic carbon (TOC) was successfully used to reconstruct paleoenvironments in the Jurassic–Cretaceous Tetori Group, central Japan. The TS to TOC ratio is often employed as an effective parameter to separate modern marine or brackish sediments from freshwater deposits. To test the TS/TOC method for paleoenvironmental interpretation of the Tetori Group, we first analyzed TS/TOC for samples for which depositional conditions (i.e. marine, brackish or freshwater) had been recognized paleontologically. The results indicate that the method can effectively separate sedimentary rocks deposited under freshwater from marine and brackish settings. Once we had established the effectiveness of this method, we applied it to three sections of the Tetori Group, central Japan. Stratigraphic fluctuations in TS/TOC values revealed episodic incursions of marine or brackish conditions in the dominantly freshwater depositional sequence in the middle of the Jobu Formation of the Itoshiro Subgroup at the Izumi section, Fukui Prefecture. The same paleoenvironment is also suggested to occur at the top of the Tetori Group in the Tateyama section, Toyama Prefecture. This research provides important information to paleogeographers who currently lack evidence from facies fossils to indicate if the uppermost part of the Tetori Group represents marine or brackish settings. A chemostratigraphy of TS/TOC parameters potentially could provide a correlation among Jurassic–Cretaceous sequences along continental margins over East Asia.     

西昆仑山冰芯记录指示的塔克拉玛干沙漠南缘对流层中上部近百年大气尘埃变化趋势

钻自西昆仑山崇测冰帽海拔6530 m的18.7 m冰芯提供了近百年间的尘埃沉积记录.冰芯记录覆盖的90 a间尘埃表现出持续下降的总趋势,大体可以分为3个阶段,即1930年之前,1930-1960年和1960年之后,尘埃浓度的降低是量级上的.几个突出的尘埃阶段出现在1900年代早期、1910年代、1920年代后期和1940年代早期,它们分别以约2.5×10⁶、2.7×10⁶、2.5×10⁶和1.5×10⁶粒·mL^-1的高浓度为特征,而1970年代则表现出相对较低的浓度(5×10⁵粒·mL^-1).就年份来看,突出的高尘埃浓度出现于1906,1915,1919和1943年.根据微粒的粒径资料分析,局地输入的尘埃分量约占总值的17%,剔除后可以得到中、大尺度范围的大气尘埃沉积通量.根据后60 a资料建立的通量平均值为913μg·cm^-2·a^-1,大气尘埃随时间的每10 a下降速率为-124μg·cm^-2,它可反映塔克拉玛干沙漠南缘对流层中上部的大气尘埃通量半个多世纪以来的变化趋势.     

江豚的分娩及相关行为观察

于１９９３年４月１０日,在日本江之岛水族馆,江豚顺利分娩,对其分娩过程,以及与之相关的呼吸,活动行为进行较详细的观察和研究,结果表明,母豚将小母豚发尾部生以占分娩的绝大部分时间,分娩后期段平均呼吸频率减缓,游动速度放慢,水面活动增多,并趋于单独活动,此外,还记录到母豚的喷水,跳水,收腹,摆尾,转游等分娩时的特殊行为及出生后幼豚的行为。     

Analysis software for upper atmospheric data developed by the IUGONET project and its application to polar science

To comprehensively understand the Arctic and Antarctic upper atmosphere, it is often crucial to analyze various data that are obtained from many regions. Infrastructure that promotes such interdisciplinary studies on the upper atmosphere has been developed by a Japanese inter-university project called the Inter-university Upper atmosphere Global Observation Network （1UGONET）. The objective of this paper is to describe the infrastructure and tools developed by IUGONET. We focus on the data analysis software. It is written in Interactive Data Language （IDL） and is a plug-in for the THEMIS Data Analysis Software suite （TDAS）, which is a set of IDL libraries used to visualize and analyze satellite- and ground-based data. We present plots of upper atmospheric data provided by IUGONET as examples of applications, and verify the usefulness of the software in the study of polar science. We discuss IUGONET＇s new and unique developments, i.e., an executable file of TDAS that can run on the IDL Virtual Machine, IDL routines to retrieve metadata from the IUGONET database, and an archive of 3-D simulation data that uses the Common Data Format so that it can easily be used with TDAS.     

Preliminary report on Lower Jurassic radiolaria of Gondwana origin from the Kawhia coast, New Zealand

Abstract Well-preserved radiolarians from the Newcastle Group in southwest Kawhia, New Zealand, constitute the first record of Lower Jurassic radiolarians from in situ deposits in high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere on the margin of Gondwana. The radiolarians were extracted from carbonate nodules from five horizons in the Rewarewa Formation and the lower part of the Arawhero Formation, in the Murihiku Terrane. The radiolarian-bearing sequence, which lies within the upper part of the type section of the local Aratauran Stage, is roughly datable as Hettangian-Sinemurian from rare ammonite occurrences. The radiolarian assemblages consist, on average, of 80–90% spumellarians and 10–20% nassellarians. Spumellarians include species of the following genera: Archaeotriastrum, Crucella, Emiluvia (?) Homeoparo-riaella, Orbictilifomaa, Pantanellium, Paronaella (?), Pseudocrucella, PseIIdoheliodiscus, Spon-gostaurus and Spongotrochus. Nassellarians are composed of species of Ragotum, Bipedis, Droltus, Jams (?) Perispyridium (?) Raoultius, Riedelius, Saitoum and Thetis. From data of Lower Jurassic radiolarian faunas of Europe, North America and Japan, the New Zealand fauna shows stronger affinity with those of the European Tethys such as Turkey (e.g. De Wever 1982) and the Northern Alps (Kozur & Mostler 1990) than with faunas from other areas of the circum-Pacific. This connection between the European Tethyan and New Zealand faunas is not well explained by presently accepted continental reconstructions (Smith et al. 1994) for the Early Jurassic.     

Control of incised-valley fill stacking patterns by accelerated and decelerated sea-level rise: the Changjiang example during the last deglaciation

The evolution of paleo-Changjiang incised-valley fills in relation to step-like, postglacial sea-level rises is presented, based on sedimentary facies analyses and ¹⁴C age dating on three sediment cores. Timing of rapid transgressions deduced from the succession of incised-valley fills correlate well with Barbados's very rapid, sea-level rise periods. By contrast, estuarine deposits aggraded actively, and the coastline did not retreat markedly during the Younger Dryas (YD) cooling event when the rising rate decelerated considerably relative to stages before and after the YD.     

Current state of integrated earthquake simulation for earthquake hazard and disaster

This paper presents the current state of integrated simulation for earthquake hazard and disaster. This simulation takes advantage of the macro–micro analysis method; this method estimates an earthquake’s strong motion with high spatial and temporal resolution, using the bounding medium theory to obtain optimistic and pessimistic estimates of expected strong motion distribution and the singular perturbation expansion that results in an efficient multi-scale analysis. Integrated earthquake simulation calculates seismic responses for all structures in a target area, inputting simulated strong ground motion to a structure analysis method that is plugged into the system by means of a wrapper; a suitable method, linear or nonlinear, is chosen depending on the type of the structure. The results of all simulations are visualized so that residences and government officials can share a common recognition of earthquake hazard and disaster. Two examples of this integrated earthquake simulations are presented; one is made by plugging nonlinear structure analysis methods into the system, and the other is made for an actual city, the computer model of which is constructed with the help of available geographical information systems.     

Interelement relationships and age-related variation of trace element concentrations in liver of striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from Japanese coastal waters

Concentrations of 19 trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sb, Cs, Ba, Tl, Hg, and Pb) were determined in the liver of the striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) collected around Japan during 1977-1982 to examine the sex difference, age dependence, and interrelationships among trace elements. Tissue distribution of trace elements was also investigated in one adult and one fetus specimens. Generally, concentrations of Se, Sr, Ag, Cd, Cs, Ba, Hg, and Pb were higher in the tissues of adult than those of fetus, whereas the opposite trend was observed for Cr and Tl. There were no significant sex differences in the trace element levels in the liver. Significant positive correlations between age (0-26.5 years) and hepatic concentrations were found for Ag, Se, Hg, V, Fe, Pb, and Sr, suggesting their age-dependent accumulation in the liver. In contrast, hepatic concentrations of Mn and Zn decreased with age. Significant positive relationships were observed between Se, and Hg, Ag, V, Fe, and Sr in the liver.     

Interelement relationships and age-related variation of trace element concentrations in liver of striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from Japanese coastal waters

Concentrations of 19 trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sb, Cs, Ba, Tl, Hg, and Pb) were determined in the liver of the striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) collected around Japan during 1977–1982 to examine the sex difference, age dependence, and interrelationships among trace elements. Tissue distribution of trace elements was also investigated in one adult and one fetus specimens. Generally, concentrations of Se, Sr, Ag, Cd, Cs, Ba, Hg, and Pb were higher in the tissues of adult than those of fetus, whereas the opposite trend was observed for Cr and Tl. There were no significant sex differences in the trace element levels in the liver. Significant positive correlations between age (0–26.5 years) and hepatic concentrations were found for Ag, Se, Hg, V, Fe, Pb, and Sr, suggesting their age-dependent accumulation in the liver. In contrast, hepatic concentrations of Mn and Zn decreased with age. Significant positive relationships were observed between Se, and Hg, Ag, V, Fe, and Sr in the liver.