Depth-stratified phytoplankton dynamics in Cyclone Opal, a subtropical mesoscale eddy

As part of E-Flux III cruise studies in March 2005, we investigated phytoplankton community dynamics in a cyclonic cold-core eddy (Cyclone Opal) in the lee of the Hawaiian Islands. Experimental incubations were conducted under in situ temperature and light conditions on a drift array using a two-treatment dilution technique. Taxon-specific estimates of growth, grazing and production rates were obtained from analyses of incubation results based on phytoplankton pigments, flow cytometry and microscopy. Cyclone Opal was sampled at a biologically and physically mature state, with an 80–100 m doming of isopycnal surfaces in its central region and a deep biomass maximum of large diatoms. Depth-profile experimentation defined three main zones. The upper (mixed) zone (0–40 m), showed little compositional or biomass response to eddy nutrient enrichment, but growth, grazing and production rates were significantly enhanced in this layer relative to the ambient community outside of the eddy. Prochlorococcus spp. dominated the upper mixed layer, accounting for 50–60% of its estimated primary production both inside and outside of Opal. In contrast, the deep zone of 70–90 m showed little evidence of growth rate enhancement and was principally defined by a 100-fold increase of large (>20-μm) diatoms and a shift from Prochlorococcus to diatom dominance (80%) of production. The intermediate layer of 50–60 m marked the transition between the upper and lower extremes but also contained an elevated biomass of physiologically unhealthy diatoms with significantly depressed growth rates and proportionately greater grazing losses relative to diatoms above or below. Microzooplankton grazers consumed 58%, 65% and 55%, respectively, of the production of diatoms, Prochlorococcus and the total phytoplankton community in Cyclone Opal. The substantial grazing impact on diatoms suggests that efficient recycling was the major primary fate of diatom organic production, consistent with the low export fluxes and selective export of biogenic silica, as empty diatom frustules, in Cyclone Opal.     

云南洱海水生植被

洱海是云贵高原上第二大湖泊。其周长117公里,平均深度10.5米,最深 20.5米。湖内共有40种植物,其中18种为沉水植物。植物区系以眼子菜科植物为主(计8种),是洱海多数群落的优势种;云贵高原湖泊植物区系的特征成分海菜花在洱海占有重要地位。洱海植被由12个群落组成,其中1个挺水植物群落,1个浮叶植物群落,10个沉水植物群落。     

田师傅植物群的基本特征

作者把辽宁本溪田师傅盆地及凤城赛马—阳盆地的早中侏罗世植物群简称田师傅植物群。该植物群由34属77种植物组成。本文是在已确定的名单基础上,着重讨论植物群的性质.组合序列的划分,与同期植物群的比较及其所属地理区和气候带等。田师傅植物群属我国北方锥叶蕨—拟刺葵植物群范围,可划分出早、中、晚3期组合,它与北票、门头沟等植物群最为相似,同属西伯利亚区的中国北方省,反映出温热潮湿的温带或温带—亚热带气候。     

福建南平安曹下老龄杉木群落生态特征

通过2 400 m2样地调查,研究福建南平溪后安曹下76年生杉木丰产林群落山坡和山洼部位的植物区系组成、群落外貌、多样性指数等群落生态特征,结果表明:老龄杉木群落物种组成丰富,共有维管束植物71科,119属,168种;蕨类植物种类比例大;种子植物属的分布区类型以泛热带成分占的比例最高(山坡和山洼部分分别为27.59%和34.55%),热带性分布成分占优势(山坡和山洼部分分别为70.11%和74.55%),体现了群落的中亚热带性质;各层次的多样性表现为:灌木层(包括幼苗幼树)>草本层>乔木层;坡位因子对老龄杉木群落生态特征产生一定的影响.     

延长植物群在塔里木的发现兼论中国晚三叠世植物地理分区的西 …

报道延长植物群－晚三叠世北方型植物群在塔里木的发现,结合塔里木中三叠世和吐鲁番晚三叠世以及两地早、中侏罗世均产化北方型植物群的证据,阐明我国南北晚三叠世植物分区的西端界线仍应划在昆仑山而不是天山。     

黔中瀑布水生苔藓植物区系及其生物喀斯特沉积生态类型研究

对贵州中部18个喀斯特瀑布水生苔藓植物进行了研究。瀑布苔藓植物区系种类由14 科23 属38 种组成, 藓类( Mosses) 含8 科17 属31 种, 苔类( Liv erw o rts) 5科5属6种,而角苔类( Ho rnwo r t)仅1科1属1种。区系地理成分含世界分布( 15. 79% ) , 北温带分布( 36. 84% ) ,旧世界温带分布( 5. 26% )、泛热带分布( 2. 63% )、热带亚洲分布( 5. 267% ) , 东亚分布( 26. 32% ) 和中国特有( 7. 90% )等7种成分。根据喀斯特瀑布沉积环境和苔藓植物优势种类组成特征,可划分黔中瀑布苔藓沉积生态类型为溪流瀑布沉积、河流瀑布沉积、石灰华坝沉积和瀑布洞穴沉积4种类型及15种生物喀斯特沉积亚类型。      

辽宁东部晚古生代本溪组煤系地层鳞木的发现及其意义

最近在辽宁本溪牛毛岭剖面上的上石炭统（宾夕法尼亚亚系）本溪组新洞沟段（本溪组中段）的煤系地层中发现了大量鳞木化石。现有资料证明,在牛毛岭剖面本溪组复洲湾段（本溪组上段）灰岩中发现了属于晚石炭世莫斯科期的牙形石,而在牛毛岭剖面邻近地区本溪组湖田段（本溪组下段）中则发现了属于早石炭世（密西西比亚纪）的亚鳞木、大脉羊齿和贝叶。由此认为,新发现的牛毛岭剖面本溪组新洞沟段（本溪组中段）的鳞木化石,应晚于早石炭世,早于晚石炭世莫斯科期,即应属巴什基尔期。鳞木是辽宁东部第一次成煤期滨海沼泽相成煤植物群中的代表性植物。     

Settling fluxes of diatoms to the interior of the Antarctic circumpolar current along 170 °W

An array of four sediment trap moorings recorded the particulate flux across the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) at 170 °W, between November 1996 and January 1998, as part of the US JGOFS-Antarctic Environment and Southern Ocean Process Study (AESOPS) program. The trap locations represent sampling within the Polar Frontal Zone, the Antarctic Polar Front, the Antarctic Zone and the Southern Antarctic Zone. Here we report observations from 1000 m below the sea-surface compared to seafloor and surface water distributions. Sub-sample splits from each trap were obtained and total diatom flux and species composition were determined. The diatom fluxes were quantified using both a dilution and a ‘spike’ method to allow for the rapid repeatability of measurements. Diatom flux was found to be highly seasonal across the ACC particularly at higher latitudes. Marine snow aggregates of intact diatom cells and chains were the major components of the biogenic flux. Siliceous particle size was noted to decrease with increasing latitude, which could be aligned with a shift of the diatom assemblage to small-size species/sea-ice affiliated species. A ‘double-structured’ diatom flux was recorded at the location of the Antarctic Polar Front trap, with a shift in the diatom assemblage from larger to smaller diatoms in the second flux episode. The sediment trap assemblage shows deviations from the surface water assemblage, while surface sediment samples indicate that significant dissolution occurs after 1000 m and at the sediment–water interface. Estimation of diatom biovolumes across the ACC shows that large diatoms have the potential to greatly impact biogenic fluxes to the ocean interior despite their low fluxes. Small species of the genus Fragilariopsis could potentially export as much C_org as Fragilariopsis kerguelensis near the retreating ice edge. However, their low abundance in the surface sediments also suggests that these diatoms are a shallow export species.     

Lopingian mixed floras from Linxi Formation in Soron area， Inner Mongolia

A lot of well-preserved plants from the Linxi Formation are collected in the Soron area,Inner Mongo- lia,consisting of 34 species of 16 genera． They are Late Permian in age． The flora is characterized by a lot of Angaran plants,such as Paracalamites,Comia,Ｒhachiphyllum,Iniopteris,Ｒufloria,etc． Some Cathaysian ele- ments,such as Lobatannularia lingulata,L． multifolia,Fascipteris Cathaysiantus,F． densata,Taeniopteris szei,Cladophlebis liulinensis and C． permica,are also mixed within the present flora． This indicates that the So- ron of Inner Mongolia was located in the sector between the Angaran and Cathysian floristic provinces in Loping- ian． It is beneficial for depicting the location and the evolution of the Solenker--Xar Moron suture zone in the phytogeographic view． The transmigration of tropical and subtropical Cathaysian plants to the north indicates that the Paleoasian Ocean was closed during the late Permian along the suture zone．     

Ecological niche modeling and principal component analysis of Krameria Loefl. (Krameriaceae)

Krameria plants are found in arid regions of the Americas and present a floral system that attracts oil-collecting bees. Niche modeling and multivariate tools were applied to examine ecological and geographical aspects of the 18 species of this genus, using occurrence data obtained from herbaria and literature. Niche modeling showed the potential areas of occurrence for each species and the analysis of climatic variables suggested that North American species occur mostly in deserted or xeric ecoregions with monthly precipitation below 140 mm and large temperature ranges. South American species are mainly found in deserted ecoregions and subtropical savannas where monthly precipitation often exceeds 150 mm and temperature ranges are smaller. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) performed with values of temperature and precipitation showed that the distribution limits of Krameria species are primarily associated with maximum and minimum temperatures. Modeling of Krameria species proved to be a useful tool for analyzing the influence of the ecological niche variables in the geographical distribution of species, providing new information to guide future investigations.