Determining the trophic guilds of fishes and macroinvertebrates in a seagrass food web

We established trophic guilds of macroinvertebrate and fish taxa using correspondence analysis and a hierarchical clustering strategy for a seagrass food web in winter in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. To create the diet matrix, we characterized the trophic linkages of macroinvertebrate and fish taxa present inHalodule wrightii seagrass habitat areas within the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (Florida) using binary data, combining dietary links obtained from relevant literature for macroinvertebrates with stomach analysis of common fishes collected during January and February of 1994. Heirarchical average-linkage cluster analysis of the 73 taxa of fishes and macroinvertebrates in the diet matrix yielded 14 clusters with diet similarity ≥ 0.60. We then used correspondence analysis with three factors to jointly plot the coordinates of the consumers (identified by cluster membership) and of the 33 food sources. Correspondence analysis served as a visualization tool for assigning each taxon to one of eight trophic guilds: herbivores, detritivores, suspension feeders, omnivores, molluscivores, meiobenthos consumers, macrobenthos consumers and piscivores. These trophic groups, corss-classified with major taxonomic groups, were further used to develop consumer compartments in a network analysis model of carbon flow in this seagrass ecosystem. The method presented here should greatly improve the development of future network models of food webs by providing an objective procedure for aggregating trophic groups.     

Caractérisation des paragenèses et des paléocirculations fluides dans l'indice d'or de Bleı̈da (Anti-Atlas,Maroc)Characterization of the paragenesis and the fluid palaeo-circulations in the gold showings of Bleida (Anti-Atlas,Morocco)

The gold showings at Bleida are hosted in Late Pan-African N50–80 °E quartz–hematite–chlorite 1 tension lenses that are related to the activity of major sinistral sub-east–west thrusts. Ores result from three superimposed stages of fluid migration. Gold occurs in microcracks offsetting the earlier minerals. Fluids evolved from COHN compositions with a saline component to boiling aqueous fluids. Pressure and temperature decreased from 50 MPa and 300 °C to less than 4 MPa and 150 °C. Thus, the gold showings at Bleida were formed in a typical geothermal (epithermal) setting, likely controlled by the Late Pan-African magmatism. To cite this article: A. Barakat et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 35–41     

Modelling of Tsunami Propagation in the Vicinity of the French Coast of the Mediterranean

The problem of tsunami-risk for the French coast of the Mediterraneanis discussed. Historical data of tsunami manifestation on the French coast are described and analysed.Numerical simulation of potential tsunamis in the Ligurian Sea is done and the tsunami wave heightdistribution along the French coast is calculated. For the earthquake magnitude 6.8 (typical value forMediterranean) the tsunami phenomenon has a very local character. It is shown that the tsunami tide-gaugerecords in the vicinity of Cannes–Imperia present irregularoscillations with characteristic periodof 20–30 min and total duration of 10–20h.Tsunami propagating from the Ligurian sea to the west coastof France have significantly lesser amplitudes and they are more low-frequency (period of 40–50min).The effect of far tsunamis generated in the southern Italy and Algerian coast is studied also, thedistribution of the amplitudes along the French coast for far tsunamis is more uniform.     

Tectonic controls on metamorphism, partial melting, and intrusion: timing and duration of regional metamorphism and magmatism in the Ni de Massif, Turkey

Mafic high-pressure granulite, eclogite and pyroxenite xenoliths have been collected from a Mesozoic volcaniclastic diatreme in Xinyang, near south margin of the Sino-Korean Craton (SKC). The high-pressure granulite xenoliths are mainly composed of fine-grained granoblasts of Grt+Cpx+Pl+Hbl±Kfs±Q±Ilm with relict porphyritic mineral assemblage of Grt+Cpx±Pl±Rt. P–T estimation indicates that the granoblastic assemblage crystallized at 765–890 °C and 1.25–1.59 GPa, corresponding to crustal depths of ca. 41–52 km with a geotherm of 75–80 mW/m². Calculated seismic velocities (V_p) of high-pressure granulites range from 7.04 to 7.56 km/s and densities (D) from 3.05 to 3.30 g/cm³. These high-pressure granulite xenoliths have different petrographic and geochemical features from the Archean mafic granulites. Elevated geotherm and petrographic evidence imply that the lithosphere of this craton was thermally disturbed in the Mesozoic prior to eruption of the host diatreme. These samples have sub-alkaline basaltic compositions, equivalent to olivine– and quartz–tholeiite. REE patterns are flat to variably LREE-enriched (La_N/Yb_N=0.98–9.47) without Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu*=0.95–1.11). They possess 48–127 ppm Ni and 2–20 ppm Nb with Nb/U and La/Nb ratios of 13–54 and 0.93–4.75, respectively, suggesting that these high-pressure granulites may be products of mantle-derived magma underplated and contaminated at the base of the lower crust. This study also implies that up to 10 km Mesozoic lowermost crust was delaminated prior to eruption of the Cenozoic basalts on the craton.     

Multiple ways of producing intermediate and silicic rocks within Thingmúli and other Icelandic volcanoes

Major and trace element compositions of rocks and coexisting phenocrysts of the Thingmúli volcano suggest a revision of the existing models for the formation of intermediate and silicic melts in Iceland. The new data define two compositional tholeiitic trends with a significant gap between them. A high-iron trend (HFe) contains 6–14 wt% total FeO in silicic rocks with c. 1 wt% MgO, as well as sodic plagioclase and hedenbergite phenocrysts. A low-iron trend (LFe) contains 3–5 wt% FeO at c. 1 wt% MgO, which is typical of Iceland but higher than MORB compositions. The most evolved phenocrysts of the LFe trend do not reach iron-rich end members. The HFe trend is interpreted as a result of fractional crystallization; numerical modelling using the MELTS algorithm suggests that crystallization took place under redox conditions constrained to one-log unit below the fayalite-magnetite-quartz oxygen buffer (FMQ-1). The LFe trend is explained by a combination of mixing between rhyolite and ferrobasalt, assimilation of hydrated crust and fractional crystallization under higher redox conditions (FMQ). The two trends and the gap are best defined in a plot of Mg# versus SiO₂ that is useful to unravel petrogenetic processes. For example, intermediate and silicic rocks of the Holocene volcanic systems of spreading rifts (e.g. Krafla), propagating rifts (e.g. Hekla) and off-rifts (Öræfajökull) also fall into high- and low-iron fields and outline a gap similar to Thingmúli. The identification of two compositional trends in erupted intermediate and silicic volcanic products shows that processes in the deep roots of single volcanic systems are highly diverse and likely controlled by local variations in the thermal gradients and the extend of hydrothermal alteration. Generalizations about the relationship between the compositions of intermediate and silicic rocks and plate tectonic setting, therefore, should be avoided.     

Tropical precipitation anomalies and d‐excess evolution during El Niño 2014‐16

The last 2014‐16 El Niño event was among the three strongest episodes on record. El Niño considerably changes annual and seasonal precipitation across the tropics. Here, we present a unique stable isotope data set of daily precipitation collected in Costa Rica prior to, during, and after El Niño 2014‐16, in combination with Lagrangian moisture source and precipitation anomaly diagnostics. δ²H composition ranged from ‐129.4 to +18.1 (‰) while δ¹⁸O ranged from ‐17.3 to +1.0 (‰). No significant difference was observed among δ¹⁸O (P=0.186) and δ²H (P=0.664) mean annual compositions. However, mean annual d‐excess showed a significant decreasing trend (from +13.3 to +8.7 ‰) (P<0.001) with values ranging from +26.6 to ‐13.9 ‰ prior to and during the El Niño evolution. The latter decrease in d‐excess can be partly explained by an enhanced moisture flux convergence across the southeastern Caribbean Sea coupled with moisture transport from northern South America by means of an increased Caribbean Low Level Jet regime. During 2014‐15, precipitation deficit across the Pacific domain averaged 46% resulting in a very severe drought; while a 94% precipitation surplus was observed in the Caribbean domain. Understanding these regional moisture transport mechanisms during a strong El Niño event may contribute to a) better understanding of precipitation anomalies in the tropics and b) re‐evaluate past stable isotope interpretations of ENSO events in paleoclimatic archives within the Central America region.     

40Ar-39Ar dating of high pressure metamorphic micas from the Gran Paradiso area (Western Alps): Evidence against the blocking temperature concept

The⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar method has been applied to high pressure (HP) white micas from the Gran Paradiso crystalline massif and from the overthrust Schistes Lustrés of its western slope. Preliminary petrographic and microanalytical investigation of the phengite micas showed that their celadonite-content decreases with time (from Si_3.65 to Si_3.05), and that less foliated samples are the most suitable for the metastable persistence of the high celadonite-content of the early HP stage during subsequent metamorphic evolution.Such samples were investigated together with one where mica is a pure retrogressive product. Two groups of plateau-ages have been found: (a) 60 to 75 Ma on HP phengites and early paragonites of unretrograded HP parageneses, thus dating the early HP metamorphic stage; (b) 38–40 Ma on HP phengites (most often in slightly retrograded HP parageneses) and on the purely retrogressive mica. For the HP phengites in (b), this age is considered to reflect the end of Ar readjustement during the later lowerP and/or higherT metamorphic stage, and not their crystallization.This disparity in plateau-ages for micas sampled within the same area shows that under the sameP-T conditions some systems were open while others remained closed. This can be closely related to the mineralogical behaviour: chemically active systems are isotopically active, whereby the reverse is not necessarily true. Thus, although temperature exceeded by far the usually assumed sealing-temperature of white micas, many systems have remained unaffected during the late Eocene event. Therefore, temperature cannot be the determining parameter for the opening of a system. Chemical reactivity, starting mineralogy and, primarily, pervasive deformation and the related fluid behaviour appear to be the effective controls.This implies that thermally activated diffusion processes (volume diffusion...) cannot be geologically significant. Consequently, the blocking temperature concept which rests on the opposite assumption now appears questionable. The fact that a mica does not necessarily behave as open above its blocking temperature necessitates at least a clear distinction between opening- and sealing-temperatures.     

A Preliminary Study of the Physiography of the Foochow Basin

正 TOPOGRAPHIC SETTING Foochow City lies about 34 miles above the mouth of the Min River at approximately 119 degrees East Longitude and 26 degrees North Latitude.Foochow Basin(Pl. 1)contains about 150 square miles. It is surrounded on     

Eutrephoceras subplicatum (Steinmann, 1895) is a junior synonym of Eutrephoceras dorbignyanum (Forbes in Darwin, 1846) (Cephalopoda, Nautiloidea) from the Maastrichtian Quiriquina Formation of Chile

Nautilus subplicatusSteinmann, 1895 is a latest Cretaceous species of nautiloid which is common in southern South America (Chile, Argentina) and the Antarctic Peninsula and which is best assigned to the genus EutrephocerasHyatt, 1894. Nautilus dorbignyanusForbes in Darwin, 1846 and Nautilus valenciennii Hupé in Gay, 1854 are here considered to be senior synonyms which later authors have apparently overlooked. The type material of these two taxa is reillustrated. On the basis of this and additional material it is demonstrated that only a single nautiloid species occurs in the Quiriquina Formation of late Maastrichtian age. For this we propose to use N. dorbignyanus as the oldest available name.