Distribution and temporal variation of mega‐fauna at the Regab pockmark (Northern Congo Fan), based on a comparison of videomosaics and geographic information systems analyses

The Regab pockmark is a large cold seep area located 10 km north of the Congo deep sea channel at about 3160 m water depth. The associated ecosystem hosts abundant fauna, dominated by chemosynthetic species such as the mussel Bathymodiolus aff. boomerang, vestimentiferan tubeworm Escarpia southwardae, and vesicomyid clams Laubiericoncha chuni and Christineconcha regab. The pockmark was visited during the West African Cold Seeps (WACS) cruise with RV Pourquoi Pas? in February 2011, and a 14,000‐m² high‐resolution videomosaic was constructed to map the most populated area and to describe the distribution of the dominant megafauna (mussels, tubeworms and clams). The results are compared with previous published works, which also included a videomosaic in the same area of the pockmark, based on images of the BIOZAIRE cruise in 2001. The 10‐year variation of the faunal distribution is described and reveals that the visible abundance and distribution of the dominant megafaunal populations at Regab have not changed significantly, suggesting that the overall methane and sulfide fluxes that reach the faunal communities have been stable. Nevertheless, small and localized distribution changes in the clam community indicate that it is exposed to more transient fluxes than the other communities. Observations suggest that the main megafaunal aggregations at Regab are distributed around focused zones of high flux of methane‐enriched fluids likely related to distinct smaller pockmark structures that compose the larger Regab pockmark. Although most results are consistent with the existing successional models for seep communities, some observations in the distribution of the Regab mussel population do not entirely fit into these models. This is likely due to the high heterogeneity of this site formed by the coalescence of several pockmarks. We hypothesize that the mussel distribution at Regab could also be controlled by the occurrence of zones of both intense methane fluxes and reduced efficiency of the anaerobic oxidation of methane possibly limiting tubeworm colonization.     

Coastal defence through low crested breakwater structures: jumping out of the frying pan into the fire?

The Adriatic coast of Punta Marina (Ravenna) is protected by 3-km long low crested breakwater structures (LCSs). Through a 3-years long multidisciplinar study, we assessed the impact of such defensive structures on environmental and biological condition. LCSs create pools where conditions are very different from the surrounding nearshore system. Mechanical disturbance by currents and waves varied greatly in intensity and frequency between seaward and landward sides of the structures. Sedimentary budget was positive at the landward side, but it was due to a gain on the seafloor and not on the emerged beach. The budget at seaward was negative. LCSs determine differences in benthic assemblages, alter the seasonal pattern of communities, and modify seasonal fluctuations of animal assemblages. Landward sheltered areas can be seen as “lagoonal island” surrounded by a “sea of marine habitat”. Differences in ecological quality status, obtained through M-AMBI, are due to the sum of these factors.     

Ecologic and taxonomic diversification in the Mesozoic brackish-water bivalve faunas in Japan, with emphasis on infaunalization of heterodonts

Mesozoic brackish-water bivalve faunas in Japan diversified in three steps: at the beginning of the Early Jurassic, Early and Late Cretaceous. The Hettangian Niranohama Fauna in northeastern Honshu represents the establishment of a heterodont-dominated brackish-water fauna that persisted until the early Late Cretaceous. No similar composition is known from the Triassic. The infauna consists mostly of non-siphonate and some short-siphonate heterodonts, while the epifauna is represented by diverse pteriomorphian families. In the Early Cretaceous Tetori Group in central Honshu, the long-siphonate heterodonts Tetoria (Corbiculidae) and the semi-infaunal soft-bottom oyster Crassostrea appeared. The evolutionary diversification of the latter, known as the most important element of modern brackish-water faunas, may thus originate at that time. In the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of the Goshoura and Mifune Groups in west Kyushu, several euryhaline deep-burrowing heterodont families, such as Veneridae and Tellinidae, further diversified in the brackish and marine environments. The Late Cretaceous is characterized by massive shell biolithic beds in which large Crassostrea species are common, a feature common for Cenozoic brackish-water faunas. The long-term changes in the composition of the brackish-water faunas in Japan represents thus an evolutionary record, irrespective of the severe physiological and environmental conditions imposed on the highly conservative nature of the fauna.     

南京汤山驼子洞洞穴堆积及其意义

通过对南京汤山驼子洞洞穴堆积观察描述和样品分析测试,结合前人研究成果和汤山地区地质地貌演化的历史,讨论了驼子洞堆积的时代、堆积过程和方式,并对其蕴含的构造、地貌、气候和生物进化等古环境信息进行了合理的挖掘。初步研究表明驼子洞堆积可能是跨早更新世与中更新世早期的地层,其上部含哺乳动物化石的堆积可能反映了偏暖的气候环境。     

A comparative study of fish community in four main estuaries of China southeastern coastal areas and their adjacent waters

Based on literature and survery data of fish composition collected by bottom trawl investigation from 2006 to 2007 infour main estuaries of China southeastern coastal areas and their adjacent waters,changes of the taxonomic diversity across spatialand temporal scales of fish community were analyzed by taxonomic diversity indices.The results are as follows:a total number of1397 fish species(including some freshwater species),belonging to 2 classes,42 orders,186 families and 593 genera,were collected inthe studied sea areas.The species richness increased with lower latitudes,particularly so with Perciformes.There were 339 fish spe-cies in the Yangtze River Estuary and adjacent waters,belonging to 2 classes,31 orders,101 families and 231 genera.There were 535fish species in the Minjiang River Estuary and adjacent waters,belonging to 2 classes,33 orders,133 families and 323 genera.A totalnumber of 803 fish species were collected in the Jiulongjiang River Estuary and adjacent waters,which belonged to 2 classes,35 orders,155 families and 419 genera.And 1021 fish species which belonged to 2 classes,32 orders,153 families,and 466 genera were collectedin the Pearl River Estuary and adjacent waters.The numbers of orders and families of fish species from the northern to the southern wa-ters first increased and then decreased.The average variation in taxonomic distinctness(Λ+)gradually decreased with lower latitudes inthe four estuaries and adjacent waters.There were no significant differences in the average taxonomic distinctness(△+)among the fourestuaries and adjacent waters,and fish fauna were closely related with each other,and all of them belonged to the same zoogeographicalfauna(Indian-Malaysia fauna).Fish composition in the Minjiang River Estuary and adjacent waters was more similar to that in the Jiu-longjiang River Estuary and adjacent waters among the four estuaries.Compared with the historical data,the average taxonomic dis-tinctness of fish community showed a great decrease in the Minjiang River Estuary and the Jiulongjiang River Estuary and their adjacentwaters.     

Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Algal and Animal Communities in a Posidonia oceanica Meadow

Abstract. Investigations were carried out in a Posidonia oceanica meadow at Ischia (Gulf of Naples) along a depth gradient from 1 to 32 m in November 1979 and May 1981.
In these two months, different discontinuities were found at the sampling stations (1, 5, 10, 20, 30 m) at 10 m for leaf features, between 1 and 5 m for the algal community and the vagile fauna. The leaf features (length, surface, and biomass) along the transects show a delay in leaf production toward the deeper stations, below the thermocline.
The algal community shows in both seasons and in all stations a persistence of an encrusting layer, mostly represented by Corallinaceae and the brown alga Myrionema orbiculare , while at the shallowest station (1 m) the community is characterized by a more developed upright layer.
The vagile fauna of the leaf stratum, mostly represented by Polychaeta, Mollusca , and Crustacea (Peracarida and Decapoda) , shows a consistent zonation in both seasons along the transect. A superficial community at I m, characterized by a low number of species and individuals and specialized for high environmental energy levels, and a deeper community, persistent in time and more strictly related to the Posidonia oceanica meadows, are identified.
The influence of environmental factors and the importance of meadow structure for the zonation of the algal and animal communities are discussed.     

华北地台北缘拴马桩煤系

狼山—色尔腾山和大青山的拴马桩煤系曾被认为是分布于华北地台北缘“内蒙地轴”上的晚古生代纯陆相山间盆地沉积。新的研究证明，上述两地的拴马桩煤系的时代并不完全等同，也不是纯陆相地层，更不是同一盆地的含煤沉积     

Fauna and standing crop of freshwater mussels in Poyang Lake, China

Freshwater mussels are a major component of the zoobenthos and they therefore play an important role in freshwater ecosystems. The community composition and the standing crop of freshwater mussels in Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China and one of two lakes connected to the Changjiang (Yangtze) River, were investigated from February 2008 to May 2009. Mussels were sampled in hydrologically and geographically distinct sampling areas. A total of 42 species and 13 genera were identified, of which 32 species were endemic to China. Two species, Unio douglasiae and Lamprotula caveata, dominated all sampling areas. The number of genera and species, and the number of species within each genus, differed significantly among sampling areas. Freshwater mussels were very abundant, with an overall density of 0.28 ± 0.22 ind./m2 and biomass of 4.08 ± 3.96 g/m2. Significant variation observed among sampling areas and among genera was probably due to the variety of habitats among the areas sampled and to the adaptability of different freshwater mussels to environments. This study suggests that Poyang Lake and other freshwater lakes in the region are important sites of freshwater mussel biodiversity and conservation.     

西藏南部吉隆盆地晚中新世-早更新世介形类群落研究

本文在西藏南部吉隆盆地新生代沉积中获得丰富的介形类化石,根据介形类动物群在地层剖面上的分布规律,建立了8个介形类群落,自下而上为:Leucocytherella trinoda-Ilyocypris群落;Ilyocypris pentanada-Leucocytherella hyalina群落;Candoniella zadaensis-Leucocytherella群落;Eucypris subgyrongensis-Candoniella zadaensis群落;Leucocytherella-Cadoniella zadaensis群落;Leucocythere mirabilis-Leucocytherella hyalina群落;Leucocythere mirabilis-Leucocytherella glabra群落和Leucocythere mirabilis-Leucocytherella trinoda群落。通过对介形类群落进行详细的特征分析,并结合磁性地层年代学数据,将吉隆盆地7.2～1.67Ma的古气候划分为5个期次:①7.2～6.7Ma为暖湿期;②6.7～5.8Ma为凉湿期;③5.8～3.6Ma为暖湿期;④3.6～2.6Ma为凉湿期;⑤2.6～1.67Ma为冷干期。将研究区的7.2Ma以来的气候演化特征与全球气候演变对比认为:吉隆盆地7.2～5.8Ma间的气候以暖湿为主,可能与来自印度的东南季风加强有关;5.8～3.6Ma间吉隆盆地古气候分析显示为相对暖湿期,可能与来自印度洋的东南季风再次加强有关;3.6Ma后,由于是受全球气候变冷、冬季风加强及青藏高原强烈隆升的影响,吉隆盆地气候向更寒冷干旱的环境转变。     

南京湖山地区下二叠统孤峰组放射虫动物群

南京湖山地区下二叠统孤峰组含有极丰富的放射虫化石,主要由阿尔拜虫类albaillellids.球形多囊虫类sphericalpolycystine和十字多囊虫类stauraxonpolvcystine组成。文章对部分化石进行了描述,并建立1新属新种。根据放射虫在地层中的分布,提出两个组合带,即Pseudoalbaillella fusiformis-P. longtanensis带和Ruzhencevispongus uralicus带,并将这两个组合带与国内外时代大致相当的放射虫组合进行了比较,还讨论了这两个组合的时代。