Silicon isotope fractionation in bamboo and its significance to the biogeochemical cycle of silicon

A systematic investigation on silica contents and silicon isotope compositions of bamboos was undertaken. Seven bamboo plants and related soils were collected from seven locations in China. The roots, stem, branch and leaves for each plant were sampled and their silica contents and silicon isotope compositions were determined. The silica contents and silicon isotope compositions of bulk and water-soluble fraction of soils were also measured. The silica contents of studied bamboo organs vary from 0.30% to 9.95%. Within bamboo plant the silica contents show an increasing trend from stem, through branch, to leaves. In bamboo roots the silica is exclusively in the endodermis cells, but in stem, branch and leaves, the silica is accumulated mainly in epidermal cells. The silicon isotope compositions of bamboos exhibit significant variation, from −2.3‰ to 1.8‰, and large and systematic silicon isotope fractionation was observed within each bamboo. The δ³⁰Si values decrease from roots to stem, but then increase from stem, through branch, to leaves. The ranges of δ³⁰Si values within each bamboo vary from 1.0‰ to 3.3‰. Considering the total range of silicon isotope composition in terrestrial samples is only 7‰, the observed silicon isotope variation in single bamboo is significant and remarkable. This kind of silicon isotope variation might be caused by isotope fractionation in a Rayleigh process when SiO₂ precipitated in stem, branches and leaves gradually from plant fluid. In this process the Si isotope fractionation factor between dissolved Si and precipitated Si in bamboo (α_pre-sol) is estimated to be 0.9981. However, other factors should be considered to explain the decrease of δ³⁰Si value from roots to stem, including larger ratio of dissolved H₄SiO₄ to precipitated SiO₂ in roots than in stem. There is a positive correlation between the δ³⁰Si values of water-soluble fractions in soils and those of bulk bamboos, indicating that the dissolved silicon in pore water and phytoliths in soil is the direct sources of silicon taken up by bamboo roots. A biochemical silicon isotope fractionation exists in process of silicon uptake by bamboo roots. Its silicon isotope fractionation factor (α_bam-wa) is estimated to be 0.9988. Considering the distribution patterns of SiO₂ contents and δ³⁰Si values among different bamboo organs, evapotranspiration may be the driving force for an upward flow of a silicon-bearing fluid and silica precipitation. Passive silicon uptake and transportation may be important for bamboo, although the role of active uptake of silicic acid by roots may not be neglected. The samples with relatively high δ³⁰Si values all grew in soils showing high content of organic materials. In contrast, the samples with relatively low δ³⁰Si values all grew in soil showing low content of organic materials. The silicon isotope composition of bamboo may reflect the local soil type and growth conditions. Our study suggests that bamboos may play an important role in global silicon cycle.     

Origin of Fe-Ti Oxide Ores in Mafic Intrusions: Evidence from the Panzhihua Intrusion, SW China

Economic concentrations of Fe–Ti oxides occur as massive,conformable lenses or layers in the lower part of the Panzhihuaintrusion, Emeishan Large Igneous Province, SW China. Mineralchemistry, textures and QUILF equilibria indicate that oxidesin rocks of the intrusion were subjected to extensive subsolidusre-equilibration and exsolution. The primary oxide, reconstructedfrom compositions of titanomagnetite in the ores and associatedintergrowths, is an aluminous titanomagnetite (Usp₄₀) with 40wt % FeO, 34 wt % Fe₂O₃, 16·5 wt % TiO₂, 5·3 wt% Al₂O₃, 3·5 wt % MgO and 0·5 wt % MnO. This compositionis similar to the bulk composition of the oxide ore, as inferredfrom whole-rock data. This similarity strongly suggests thatthe ores formed from accumulation of titanomagnetite crystals,not from immiscible oxide melt as proposed in earlier studies.The occurrence of oxide ores in the lower parts of the Panzhihuaintrusion is best explained by settling and sorting of densetitanomagnetite in the ferrogabbroic parental magma. This magmamust have crystallized Fe–Ti oxides relatively early andabundantly, and is likely to have been enriched in Fe and Tibut poor in SiO₂. These features are consistent with fractionationof mantle-derived melts under relatively high pressures (10kbar), followed by emplacement of the residual magma at 5 kbar.This study provides definitive field and geochemical evidencethat Fe–Ti oxide ores can form by accumulation in ferrogabbro.We suggest that many other massive Fe–Ti oxide depositsmay have formed in a similar fashion and that high concentrationsof phosphorus or carbon, or periodic fluctuation of fO₂ in themagma, are of secondary importance in ore formation. KEY WORDS: ELIP; Fe–Ti oxide ore; layered intrusion; Panzhihua; QUILF     

The state of land subsidence and prediction approaches due to groundwater withdrawal in China

This article gives a general introduction to land subsidence with the prediction approaches due to withdrawal of groundwater in three subsided/subsiding regions in China: the deltaic plain of Yangtse River (YRDP), North China Plain (NCP), and Fenwei Plain (FP). On YRDP, Shanghai is the typical subsided/subsiding city; on NCP Tianjin is the typical subsided/subsiding city, and on FP Taiyuan is the typical subsided/subsiding city. The subsided area with subsidence over 200 mm on YRDP is about 10,000 km² and the maximum subsided value reached 2.9 m at Shanghai; on NCP the subsided area reached 60,000 km² with the maximum subsidence of 3.9 m at Tianjing; on FP the subsided area is relatively smaller than that on the other two plains and is about 1,135 km² with maximum subsidence of 3.7 m at Taiyuan city. In order to protect the civil and industrial facilities, it is necessary to predict the future development of land subsidence based on present state. Many researchers proposed several approaches to predict the land subsidence due to groundwater withdrawal according to different geological conditions and groundwater withdrawal practice. This article classifies these approaches into five categories: (i) statistical methods; (ii) 1D numerical method; (iii) quasi-3D seepage model; (iv) 3D seepage model; (v) fully coupled 3D model. In China, the former four categories are presently employed in the prediction practice and their merits and demerits are discussed. According to the prediction practice, 3D seepage model is the best method presently.     

Loess deposition in Asia： its initiation and development before and during the Quaternary

Dust is important in the Earth environment system. However; the role of dust in climate change remains largely unknown. A better understanding of the temporal and spatial variability of the dust accumulation in Asia forms an important step towards establishing the link between dust deposition and climate change. Here, a summary is given for the timing of the onset and expansion of loess deposition in Asia beginning in the early, Miocene. Recent progress on some aspects of loess chronology and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction is also reviewed.     

The age of the Nantuo Formation and Nantuo glaciation in South China

A U–Pb sensitive high‐resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) age of 654.5 ± 3.8 Ma from an ash bed immediately below the Nantuo Formation in South China provides the lowest age constraint for the Nantuo glaciation, which has been correlated with the global ‘Marinoan’ glaciation. A U–Pb SHRIMP age of 636.3 ± 4.9 Ma from a fallout tuff within the basal layer of the Nantuo Formation, along with the existing age of 635.2 ± 0.6 Ma from its overlying Doushantuo cap carbonate, suggests that the traditionally defined Nantuo Formation may have been deposited in a short time period at the end of the Nantuo glaciation. In combination with available ages globally, the data support a relatively short duration and rapid termination of ‘Marinoan’ glaciations.     

阿尔金南缘构造带西段辉绿岩墙群的地球化学特征及构造环境

对阿尔金南缘构造带西段辉绿岩墙群的岩石学和地球化学的详细研究表明,该区辉绿岩墙群为拉斑系列岩石,其主量元素以中等TiO2(1.19%～1.59%)、高MgO(5.51%～7.88%)、贫K2O(0.04%～0.84%)和P2O5(0.10%～0.20%)、Na2OK2O为特征;高场强元素(HFSE)丰度特征显示其为E-MORB型或过渡型玄武岩质岩石;稀土元素总量相对较高,轻重稀土元素分馏不显著[(La/Yb)N=1.93～3.61,LREE/HREE=3.01～4.10],在球粒陨石标准化配分模式图上呈略富集型.结合玄武岩构造环境判别图解综合分析推测,它们可能形成于一种裂谷向MORB环境过渡的构造环境,即初始小洋盆构造环境.     

黄海鲱鱼的人工孵化及胚胎发育的初步观察

对鲱科鱼类个体发育及早期形态特征的研究,国外早已进行过,尤以苏联和日本的资料最多。     

中国对虾(Penaeus chinensis)四倍体诱导研究

利用光控和行为学原理,控制中国对虾在适当时候产卵,在一定的时刻以温度休克和细胞松弛素的方法诱导受精卵发育成为四倍体。作者发展了对虾染色体制备技术,以中肠和触角腺、精巢为材料,从后期幼体直到8～9cm左右次成虾均获得较好的分裂中相。染色体倍性检测结果表明,最好的四倍体诱导成功率达66.7％。共获得10cm左右的实验对虾几千尾。初步观察表明,四倍体中国对虾具有一定的生长优势。     

平鲷♀与真鲷♂的杂交研究

研究了不同盐度，温度，ｐＨ对平鲷Ｒｈａｂｄｏｓａｒｇｕｓ ｓａｒｂａ♀和真鲷Ｐａｇｒｏｓｏｍｕｓ ｍａｊｏｒ♂清子活力的影响，确立了人工授精与孵化的条件参数。平鲷♀与真鲷♂杂交的受精率达９５％以上，胚胎发育与其亲本的相似。经过超低温保存的真鲷精子的激活率，活力与鲜精的接近，其杂产的受精率也可达９５％以上。实验获得了杂产仔鱼，但杂交的孵化率比对照组低。     

Analysis of 1989/1990 main physical fields for air-sea coupled system in the tropical western Pacific

In this paper, the marine ship observation data sets in the seventh (October 16-December 4. 1989) and eighth (June 1-July 16, 1990) cruises of PRC -US tropical ocean and global atmosphere (TOGA) joint scientific investigation in the tropical western Pacific are used to analyze the elements such as sea surface temperature (SST), surface wind field, fluxes and net heat budget, which are important physical parameters of underlying earth's surface influencing the global mean circulation evolution on seasonal and interannual time scales. These diagnostic analyses are very beneficial to the understanding of the regional climate characteristics and the air-sea interaction mechanism, and the improving of surface flux parameterizations and regional or global climate model.