Archaea,the tree of life,and cellular evolution in eukaryotes

The early history of life harbours many unresolved evolutionary questions, none more important than the genomic origin and cellular evolution of eukaryotes. An issue central to eukaryote origin concerns the position of eukaryotes in the tree of life and the relationship of the host lineage that acquired the mitochondrion some two billion years ago to lineages of modern-day archaea. Recent analyses indicate that the host lineage branches within the Archaea, prompting the search for novel archaeal lineages that can improve our understanding of the cellular evolution of eukaryotes. Here we give a brief review of the studies on Archaea, the tree of life and the cellular evolution of eukaryotes, which is followed by an overview of recent progress fueled by new genomic technologies and recent status of archaeal research in China. Future directions for the study of early evolution are considered.     

VARIABILITY IN THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF IN SITU SUBGLACIAL MELTWATERS

Meltwaters collected from boreholes drilled to the base of the Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland have chemical compositions that can be classified into three main groups. The first group is dilute, whereas the second group is similar to, though generally less concentrated in major ions, than contemporaneous bulk glacial runoff. The third group is more concentrated than any observed bulk runoff, including periods of flow recession. Waters of the first group are believed to represent supraglacial meltwater and ice melted during drilling. Limited solutes may be derived from interactions with debris in the borehole. The spatial pattern of borehole water levels and borehole water column stratification, combined with the chemical composition of the different groups, suggest that the second group represent samples of subglacial waters that exchange with channel water on a diurnal basis, and that the third group represent samples of water draining through a ‘distributed’ subglacial hydraulic system. High NO⁻₃ concentrations in the third group suggest that snowmelt may provide a significant proportion of the waters and that the residence time of the waters at the bed in this particular section of the distributed system is of the order of a few months. The high NO⁻₃ concentrations also suggest that some snowmelt is routed along different subglacial flowpaths to those used by icemelt. The average SO²⁻₄: (HCO⁻₃ + SO²⁻₄) ratio of the third group of meltwaters is 0.3, suggesting that sulphide oxidation and carbonate dissolution (which gives rise to a ratio of 0.5) cannot provide all the HCO⁻₃ to solution. Hence, carbonate hydrolysis may be occurring before sulphide oxidation, or there may be subglacial sources of CO₂, perhaps arising from microbial oxidation of organic C in bedrock, air bubbles in glacier ice or pockets of air trapped in subglacial cavities. The channel marginal zone is identified as an area that may influence the composition of bulk meltwater during periods of recession flow and low diurnal discharge regimes. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于地理信息系统的太阳直接辐射与冰川物质平衡的关系

基于冰川微地形对冰川物质平衡重要影响的认识,在考虑朝向、坡度、地形遮蔽等因素的条件下,以地理信息系统为手段,对乌鲁木齐河源１号冰川冰面太阳可能直接辐射进行了理论计算．在此基础上,建立了计算冰面任意一点物质平衡的Ｂ＝ｆ（Ｔ,Ｒ）（气温－辐射）模型．比较了该模型与Ｂ＝ｆ（Ｔ）（气温）模型、Ｂ＝ｆ（Ｐ,Ｔ）（降水－气温）模型及Ｂ＝ｆ（Ｑ）（能量平衡）模型之间的优缺点,表明该模型具有物理意义明确、计算精度较高、参数易于获得等优点,从而为计算冰川物质平衡提供了新的途径．     

The Transition to Potassic Alkaline Volcanism in Island Arcs: The Ringgit--Beser Complex, East Java, Indonesia

The origin of potassic lavas with within-plate characteristicsin island are settings is unclear. The volcanic complex of Ringgit—Beser,situated in eastern Java, has erupted lavas of both normal islandare calc-alkaline type and atypical potassic lavas, includingsome highly magnesian lavas. The occurrence of these primitivelavas gives an unusual insight into the source characteristicsof the potassic lavas. The lavas from Ringgit—Beser have a wide range of K₂O(1.1–6.4 wt. %) and MgO contents (18.0–1.6 wt.%).The most magnesian lavas have high Ni and Cr contents. The calc-alkalinelavas have incompatible trace element patterns typical of islandare lavas with enrichments in large ion lithophile elements(LILE) and light rare earth elements (LREE) relative to highfield strength elements (HFSE) and heavy REE (HREE). The potassiclavas may be divided into two series on the basis of Ba andNb contents, with the enriched potassic (EK) series having higherBa and Nb contents for a given MgO content than the potassic(K) series. The EK and K series lavas have some incompatibletrace element ratios similar to within-plate lavas (e.g., highCe/Pb, low LILE/HFSE ratios, and low B/Be). However, both theEK series and K series lavas have negative Ti and Zr anomalies,and the EK series lavas have high Ba/La similar to are lavas.There is little distinction in Sr and Nd isotopes between theK and EK series, but the calc-alkaline lavas have lower ₈₇Sr/₈₆Srand higher ₁₄₃Nd/₁₄₄Nd ratios than the potassic lavas. The EKseries lavas have lower ₂₀₆Pb/₂₀₄Pb and higher ₂₀₈Pb/₂₀₄Pb thanthe K series lavas, but similar ₂₀₇Pb/₂₀₄Pb ratios. The K serieslavas define an almost horizontal trend in ₂₀₇Pb–₂₀₆Pbspace. The Pb isotopic ratios indicate that the EK series lavasare derived from a single mantle source, whereas the K seriesoriginate from a mixture of two mantle components. Calc-alkalinelavas have Pb isotope ratios similar to other calc-alkalineand tholeiitic lavas from Java, and plot on a mixing line betweenIndian Ocean mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) and Indian Oceansediment. Incompatible trace element and Pb isotope data for the calc-alkalinelavas indicate that these lavas have a similar source to othercalc-alkaline lavas erupted in Java, namely melts of the IndianOcean MORB mantle fluxed by fluids from the subducted slab.The potassic lavas originate from enriched mantle sources withinthe wedge which have not been affected by recent subductionprocesses. The EK series lavas are derived from a metasomatizedzone which has EMI-type characteristics. The K series lavasare derived from mixing of melts from Christmas Island-type(EMII) mantle and the metasomatized zone. The metasomatizedzone is probably situated at the base of the lithosphere andthe Indian Ocean MORB and Christmas Island-type mantle componentsare situated in the asthenosphere of the wedge. Isotopic datafor Ringgit—Beser lavas confirm that the mantle wedgeof the Sunda arc is extremely heterogeneous (Foden & Varne,1980; Varne, 1985; Wheller et al., 1987). The similarity in geochemistry between Indonesian potassic lavasand those erupted in continental settings indicates that themagma source is essentially the same, namely a metasomatizedphlogopite-rich layer generated by melts of recycled subductedlithosphere. The lack of negative Ti anomalies in the continentalpotassic lavas is ascribed to lower oxidation states in themantle in continental settings.     

Metamorphic Evolution of Iron-rich Mafic Cumulates from the Otztal-Stubai Crystalline Complex, Eastern Alps, Austria

Olivine-rich rocks containing olivine + orthopyroxene + spinel+ Ca-amphibole ± clinopyroxene ± garnet are presentin the central Ötztal–Stubai crystalline basementassociated with eclogites of tholeiitic affinity. These rockscontain centimetre-sized garnet layers and lenses with garnet+ clinopyroxene ± corundum. Protoliths of the olivine-richrocks are thought to be olivine + orthopyroxene + spinel dominatedcumulates generated from an already differentiated Fe-rich () tholeiitic magma that was emplaced into shallowcontinental crust. Protoliths of the garnet-rich rocks are interpretedas layers enriched in plagioclase and spinel intercalated ina cumulate rock sequence that is devoid of, or poor in, plagioclase.U–Pb sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe dating ofzircons from a garnet layer indicates that emplacement of thecumulates took place no later than 517 ± 7 Myr ago. Aftertheir emplacement, the cumulates were subjected to progressivemetamorphism, reaching eclogite-facies conditions around 800°Cand >2 GPa during a Variscan metamorphic event between 350and 360 Ma. Progressive high-P metamorphism induced breakdownof spinel to form garnet in the olivine-rich rocks and of plagioclase+ spinel to form garnet + clinopyroxene ± corundum inthe garnet layers. Retrogressive metamorphism at T 650–680°Cled to the formation of Ca-amphibole, chlorite and talc in theolivine-rich rocks. In the garnet layers, högbomite formedfrom corundum + spinel along with Al-rich spinel, Ca-amphibole,chlorite, aspidolite–preiswerkite, magnetite, ilmeniteand apatite at the interface between olivine-rich rocks andgarnet layers at P < 0·8 GPa. Progressive desiccationof retrogade fluids through crystallization of hydrous phasesled to a local formation of saline brines in the garnet layers.The presence of these brines resulted in a late-stage formationof Fe- and K-rich Ca-amphibole and Sr-rich apatite, both characterizedby extremely high Cl contents of up to 3·5 and 6·5wt % Cl, respectively. KEY WORDS: cumulates; Variscan metamorphism; SHRIMP dating; högbomite; saline brines     

Lake sediments from Store Koldewey, Northeast Greenland, as archive of Late Pleistocene and Holocene climatic and environmental changes

A 2.9 m long sedimentary record was studied from a small lake, here referred to as Duck Lake, located at 76°25'N, 18°45'W on Store Koldewey, an elongated island off the coast of Northeast Greenland. The sediments were investigated for their geophysical and biogeochemical characteristics, and for their fossil chironomid assemblages. Organic matter began to accumulate in the lake at 9.1 cal. kyr BP, which provides a minimum age for the deglaciation of the basin. Although the early to mid-Holocene is known as a thermal maximum in East Greenland, organic matter accumulation in the lake remained low during the early Holocene, likely due to late plant immigration and lack of nutrient availability. Organic matter accumulation increased during the middle and late Holocene, when temperatures in East Greenland gradually decreased. Enhanced soil formation probably led to higher nutrient availability and increased production in the lake. Chironomids are abundant throughout the record after 9.1 cal. kyr BP and seem to react sensitively to changes in temperature and nutrient availability. It is concluded that relative temperature reconstructions based on biogeochemical data have to be regarded critically, particularly in the period shortly after deglaciation when nutrient availability was low. Chironomids may be a suitable tool for climatic reconstructions even in those high arctic environments. However, a better understanding of the ecology of chironomids under these extreme conditions is needed.     

Holocene (Neoglacial) moraine and proglacial lake chronology, Barnes Ice Cap, Canada

Lichen diameters and radiocarbon dates from the western and southern margins of the Barnes Ice Cap yield a growth curve similar to that from southeastern Baffin Island. As a consequence, the moraine chronology of the northern and western Barnes Ice Cap needs revision, as does the chronology of the large proglacial lakes that existed north of the present Barnes Ice Cap. The revised chronology indicates that moraines were formed along the western margin of the Barnes Ice Cap during the following intervals: (1) less than 100 years ago; (2) 400–500 B.P.; (3) ca. 750 B.P.; (4) ca. 1000 B.P.; (5) ca. 1600 B.P.; (6) ca. 2100 B.P.; and (7) 2800 to 3100 B.P. As the western margin of the Barnes Ice Cap retreated, punctuated by stillstands and readvances, the northern margin of the Barnes Ice Cap lay athwart a series of westerly draining valleys, and a complex of proglacial lakes were dammed between the ice margin and the height of land. This sequence is traced by means of well-developed shorelines, lacustrine deltas, and spillways; specific lake levels are dated by lichenometry.
The Barnes Ice Cap moraine sequence is more complex than other Neoglacial records fringing mountain glaciers in Colorado, Alaska and Lappland. However, the chronology for the western Barnes Ice Cap closely resembles independent moraine chronology of mountain glaciers in Cumberland Peninsula, Baffin Island, and thus indicates that the difference between the Baffin Island climatic record and the general Neoglacial/Holocene climatic record (Denton & Karlén, Quaternary Research 7 , 1977) is real. Comparison of specific data from Swedish Lappland and Baffin Island shows substantial agreement. Although Neoglacial records may be globally synchronous, the case for a 2500 year periodicity of glacial fluctuations is not proven: a 300 to 600 year return interval is suggested for the period between 0 and 3000 B.P.     

Modelling tidal current‐induced bed shear stress and palaeocirculation in an epicontinental seaway: the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin,Central Europe

Lower to Middle Turonian deposits within the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (Central Europe) consist of coarse‐grained deltaic sandstones passing distally into fine‐grained offshore sediments. Dune‐scale cross‐beds superimposed on delta‐front clinoforms indicate a vigorous basinal palaeocirculation capable of transporting coarse‐grained sand across the entire depth range of the clinoforms (ca 35 m). Bi‐directional, alongshore‐oriented, trough cross‐set axes, silt drapes and reactivation surfaces indicate tidal activity. However, the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin at this time was over a thousand kilometres from the shelf break and separated from the open ocean by a series of small islands. The presence of tidally‐influenced deposits in a setting where co‐oscillating tides are likely to have been damped down by seabed friction and blocked by emergent land masses is problematic. The Imperial College Ocean Model, a fully hydrodynamic, unstructured mesh finite element model, is used to test the hypothesis that tidal circulation in this isolated region was capable of generating the observed grain‐size distributions, bedform types and palaeocurrent orientations. The model is first validated for the prediction of bed shear stress magnitudes and sediment transport pathways against the present‐day North European shelf seas that surround the British Isles. The model predicts a microtidal to mesotidal regime for the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin across a range of sensitivity tests with elevated tidal ranges in local embayments. Funnelling associated with straits increases tidal current velocities, generating bed shear stresses that were capable of forming the sedimentary structures observed in the field. The model also predicts instantaneous bi‐directional currents with orientations comparable with those measured in the field. Overall, the Imperial College Ocean Model predicts a vigorous tide‐driven palaeocirculation within the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin that would indisputably have influenced sediment dispersal and facies distributions. Palaeocurrent vectors and sediment transport pathways however vary markedly in the different sensitivity tests. Accurate modelling of these parameters, in this instance, requires greater palaeogeographic certainty than can be extracted from the available rock record.