Marine mammals and debris in coastal waters of British Columbia, Canada

Entanglement in and ingestion of synthetic marine debris is increasingly recognized worldwide as an important stressor for marine wildlife, including marine mammals. Studying its impact on wildlife populations is complicated by the inherently cryptic nature of the problem. The coastal waters of British Columbia (BC), Canada provide important habitat for marine mammal species, many of which have unfavorable conservation status in the US and Canada. As a priority-setting exercise, we used data from systematic line-transect surveys and spatial modeling methods to map at-sea distribution of debris and 11 marine mammal species in BC waters, and to identify areas of overlap. We estimated abundance of 36,000 (CIs: 23,000-56,600) pieces of marine debris in the region. Areas of overlap were often far removed from urban centers, suggesting that the extent of marine mammal-debris interactions would be underestimated from opportunistic sightings and stranding records, and that high-overlap areas should be prioritized by stranding response networks.     

滇西北丽江盆地的第四纪地层与古环境

通过野外观测和室内分析，根据新发现的哺乳动物化石材料与抱粉分析资料，对滇西北丽江盆地的第四系进行了较详细的划分，拟定了其地质时代，讨论了其沉积相与形成时期的古环境。     

内蒙古苏尼特左旗第三纪地层研究新进展

本文探讨了内蒙古苏尼特左旗地区第三纪地层划分问题，阐明了区调工作中所取得的新进展。利用新发现的哺乳动物化石证明了始新统伊尔丁曼哈组的存在，并将中新统通古尔组细分为三段。运用不整合面、古地磁、孢粉和化学分析资料对必鲁图东南的新第三系进行了分解，从原定的通古尔组中划分出了宝格达乌拉组。对原定的宝格达乌拉组进行了重新认识，将其更名为塔木钦塔拉组，其时代为中更新世晚期。     

Pattern of sedimentary infilling of fossil mammal traps formed in pseudokarst at Cerro de los Batallones,Madrid Basin,central Spain

Fossil mammal sites of late Miocene age (ca 9 Ma) occur in hourglass‐shaped, non‐interconnected cavities up to 15 m deep, hosted in mudstone (mostly sepiolite), chert and carbonate bedrock in Cerro de los Batallones. This paper provides a model for the sedimentary infilling of the cavities, which functioned as traps for vertebrate faunas and contain one of the richest and best preserved Neogene mammal assemblages of the Iberian Peninsula. Generation of the mammal‐bearing cavities started with the solution of underlying evaporites, which resulted in fissures that were subsequently enlarged by subsurface piping, a process rarely preserved in the ancient sedimentary record. The system of subterranean cavities evolved into a pseudokarst landscape, resulting in doline‐like shafts reaching the ancient land surface. The sedimentary infilling of the cavities comprises both clastic and carbonate lithofacies that were investigated by outcrop observation, standard and scanning electron microscope petrography, mineralogical analysis, and stable isotope geochemistry. Gravel and breccia talus deposits, clast and mud‐supported gravel, pebbly sandstone and mudstone are common detrital infill deposits mostly derived by overflow erosion of bedrock. The deposits containing the mammal bones are marls, and occur both in subsurface cavities and doline‐like depressions. In the underground cavities, marlstone was mainly of clastic origin and accumulated in ponds scattered over the floor of the cavity. In contrast, marlstone deposits in the surface dolines formed mostly as a result of biochemical carbonate deposition in small shallow lakes subjected to fluctuation of the water level. The δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C carbonate values indicate different origins for the two kinds of marls. During the final phases of pipe infill the doline marlstone sealed the mammal sites, usually off‐lapping the adjacent bedrock.     

U‐series dating of the Late Pleistocene mammalian fauna from Wood Quarry (Steetley), Nottinghamshire,UK

We present the U‐series dating of bones from Wood Quarry (‘Steetley Quarry Cave’) using the diffusion–adsorption model to account for uranium uptake. The results give a weighted mean date of 66.8 ± 3.0 kyr, placing this assemblage within or just before Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 4. The fauna is thought to correlate with the Banwell Bone Cave mammal assemblage‐zone of the Early Devensian in Britain. Our results support the idea that this assemblage‐zone immediately precedes the assemblage represented nearby at Pin Hole in Creswell Crags which is contemporary with the Mid‐Devensian and correlates with MIS 3. Our dates, and dates for the Banwell Bone Cave mammal assemblage‐zone from Stump Cross Cavern and evidence from other sites may indicate a longevity for this fauna. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

四子王旗早第三纪哺乳动物群排序及其生存环境

依据丰富详实的地层古生物资料 ,对内蒙古四子王旗早第三纪哺乳动物群进行了排序 ,论述了动物群间的相互关系、生存环境及相关地理位置。     

新疆乌伦古河地区第三纪哺乳动物群初析及地层年代确定

新疆准噶尔盆地北缘乌伦古河地区第三纪含有 7个哺乳动物群 :可可买登动物群 ,哈拉玛盖动物群 ,索索泉组顶部动物群 ,索索泉动物群 ,索索泉组底部 990 0 5动物群 ,铁尔斯哈巴合动物群和乌伦古河动物群。依据动物群分析初步确定 5个岩石地层单元的地质时代分别为 :可可买登组——中中新世晚期 ;哈拉玛盖组——中中新世早期 ,索索泉组——最早中新世至早中新世最晚期或中中新世最早期 ;铁尔斯哈巴合组——晚渐新世 ;乌伦古河组——早始新世至早渐新世。     

新发现的周口店晚更新世洞穴地层及哺乳动物群研究

本文依据新发现的晚更新世洞穴地层剖面，进行了年代学及哺乳动物化石方面的研究。年代学综合测定结果为距今１２～１．９万年，这是周口店地区迄今发现的最为完整的晚更新世洞穴地层剖面，根据堆积物中所含的哺乳动物化石特征，进行了生态、种类方面的研究，建立了一个新的哺乳动物群─—东岭子动物群。     

湖北房县桥上乡蛤蟆洞哺乳动物化石的发现及意义

通过对挖掘的牙化石的初步鉴定，湖北省房县桥上乡蛤蟆洞洞穴堆积层中哺乳动物化石共4个目（啮齿目、食肉目、奇蹄目和偶蹄目）、8个种属（豪猪、虎、熊、中国犀、巨貘、鹿、水牛和羊），为中－晚更新世温暖、湿润、森林－草地化石动物群；该化石动物群的发现和地理位置为神农架地区更新世哺乳动物群分布和演化的深入研究提供了新地点，并为该地区新构造抬升特点的研究提供可参考的证据，同时也为当地旅游经济的进一步发展提供了新的支点。     

甘肃省东乡族自治县龙担黄土底部新发现的哺乳动物群初步报道

龙担哺乳动物群发现于甘肃省东乡族自治县的早更新世黄土底部。此前我国早更新世的哺乳动物化石大多发现于河-湖相地层中,在黄土中极少发现,而且主要在六盘山以东。在龙担哺乳动物群中还发现了灵长类化石,这在我国西北地区尚属首次。龙担哺乳动物群产于黄土底部约30m的地层中,最低的层位距“底板”(积石组砾岩)仅约3m。化石相当丰富,其中有不少新的种类。目前已发现的化石共21种,大体可以分为3类:1)与泥河湾哺乳动物群相同或很接近的;2)与泥河湾哺乳动物群相比,在进化水平上稍低,因而可能代表较早地质时代的;3)在泥河湾哺乳动物群中没有发现过的。龙担哺乳动物群的地质时代可能比泥河湾者稍早,可能约2MaB.P.。其组成倾向于表明,当时该地区周围还有相当面积的森林覆盖。