Campanian Climatic Change: Isotopic Evidence from Far East, North America, North Atlantic and Western Europe

Paleoclimatic settings have been reconstructed for the Campanian using original oxygen-isotopic analyses of well-preserved molluskan and foraminifera shells from Russian Far East, Hokkaido, USA, Belgium and some DSDP holes (95, 98, 102, 390A, and 392A) in North Atlantic. Early Early Campanian climatic optimum has been recognized from data on high bottom shelf water paleotemperatures in middle latitudes of both the western circum-Pacific (to 24.2°C) and the eastern circum-Pacific (to 26.4°C) areas and high bottom shallow water paleotemperatures in high latitudes of the Koryak Upland (22.4–25.5°C), which agrees with the data on the Campanian Barykovskaya flora in high latitudes (Golovneva and Herman, 1998) and Jonker flora and its equivalents in middle latitudes. Judging from the data on comparatively high bottom shallow water paleotemperature values in high latitudes, South Alaska (19.4°C) and the Koryak Upland (22.4–25.5°C), we also expect Latest Campanian temperature maximum, which has not been confirmed, however, for low and middle latitudes by neither of isotopic nor paleobotanic data now. Main climatic tendency during the Campanian (with the exception of Latest Campanian) has been learned from isotopic composition of Campanian aragonitic ammonoid shells from the Hokkaido-South Sakhalin (Krilyon) marine basin. In contrary to Huber’s et al. (2002) assumption, we expect warm greenhouse conditions during the most part of the Campanian.     

New Discovery of Oligocene Gastropod Opercula from the Yehucheng Formation in Northwestern China

Fourteen species of nonmarine gastropod opercula are found to be in high abundance in the Oligocene upper member of the Yehucheng Formation,Lanzhou Basin,northwest China.They are attributed to two families,namely Bithyniidae and Assimineidae,and four genera,namely Pseudemmericia,Bithynia,Mirolaminatus and Assiminea.Among them,three species are new,and they are Bithynia paramonolithic sp.nov.,B.obliquus sp.nov.,and B.disregularis sp.nov.Some of these species were first discovered in Paleogene strata of the vast Northwest China and can be compared with the opercula recovered from the Paleogene deposits in East and South China.It is inferred from the paleontology and sediment associations that the climate was slightly humid and the fauna probably inhabited the fresh or brackish water of a shallow lake in the Lanzhou Basin during the late early Oligocene period.     

Effect of Copper on Activity and Feeding in the Subtidal Prosobranch Babylonia lutosa (Lamarck) (Gastropoda: Buccinidae)

Individuals of the subtidal gastropod Babylonia lutosa were exposed to three sublethal concentrations of copper (0.02, 0.06 and 0.20 ppm) for four weeks. The percentage of normally active individuals (body extended and moving with the foot attached) decreased and the percentage of snails retracted (body extended, foot not attached, unable to move) and in a distressed stage (body retracted within the shell) increased with increase in copper concentration. Exposure to copper also decreased significantly the ability of an individual to move, and to burrow, but the effect was only observed in week 1, individuals were fully recovered in week 2. Feeding, however, was not affected, both in terms of the percentage number of individuals which fed, and the time spent feeding. Results were discussed with respect to the potential of using this animal as a bioassay tool in monitoring the effect of environmental perturbations on the subtidal community in Hong Kong.     

西藏札达盆地腹足类组合及生物地层学

在西藏札达盆地古格组第四岩性段发现大量腹足类化石:Adelinella regularis Yü(规则小隐螺)、Velutinopsis spiralis Yü(旋纹似天鹅绒螺)、Radix zandaensis sp.nov.(札达萝卜螺)、Hip peutis cf.minor(Ping)(微小圆扁卷螺),称为小隐螺-似天鹅绒螺组合。根据这些腹足类化石在西藏西南部的分布特征,认为它们是分布于北喜马拉雅山间断陷盆地的一个腹足类组合,介于西藏犀类化石与杜氏珠蚌-河北珠蚌层之间,时代处于晚上新世-早更新世之间。对比现生种属研究认为,札达盆地腹足类应生活于近岸的浅湖环境。孢粉分析认为化石层形成时为温暖潮湿的森林-草原环境,化石层下部的三趾马生活在温暖而显干旱的灌丛草原环境,可知札达盆地由托林组至古格组,古气候经历了由温暖干旱向温暖潮湿的转变过程。     

中国非海相白垩纪腹足类组合序列和分布

中国白垩纪非海相腹足类可划分为4个组合:1)早白垩世凡兰吟期巴列姆期Probaicalia vitimensis-Ptychostylus-口盖化石Reesidella robusta组合;2)早白垩世阿普特期阿尔必期Bellamya clavilithiformis-Mesocoshliopa cretacea-Zaptychius costatus-Brotiopsis组合,由于环境的不同,这一组合可分为2个亚组合:Brotiopsis亚组合和Bellamya clavilithiformis-Mesocoshliopacretacea-Zaptychius costatus亚组合;3)晚白垩世科尼亚克期中马斯特里赫特晚期Mesolanistes nanxiongensis组合,由于产出的层位不同,这一组合又可分为2个亚组合,Mesolanistes ziziformis亚组合和Mesolanistes-nanxiongensis亚组合;4)晚白垩世马斯特里赫特期最晚期Palaeoancylusna nxiongensi组合。     

Seasonal Variation in Host Utilization of Epiphytic Lacuna Species in Mixed Algal and Surfgrass Stands in Japan

Abstract.  On the subtidal rocky shore of Akkeshi Bay, Hokkaido, Japan, the congeneric phytal gastropods, Lacuna uchidai and L. decorata , inhabit the multispecific vegetation consisting of the surfgrass, Phyllospadix iwatensis and the brown alga, Cystoseira hakodatensis . We studied the phenologies of Phyllospadix and Cystoseira , host utilization patterns and life histories of Lacuna spp. to examine how these gastropods accommodate the seasonal fluctuations of the habitat. The preferences for macrophyte by Lacuna spp. were examined by laboratory experiments. The phenologies of macrophytes, the seasonal and between-substrata variations of Lacuna spp. were examined by monthly sampling from Phyllospadix and Cystoseira beds between May 1999 and May 2000. Lacuna uchidai showed significant preference for Phyllospadix , whereas L. decorata had no preference for a particular substratum. Most L. uchidai were collected from the Phyllospadix bed, however L. decorata appeared in both Phyllospadix and Cystoseira beds. The peak of new recruit of L. uchidai coincided with that of Phyllospadix biomass. The synchronization of life cycle with the phenology of the host may be adaptive for using the limited habitat. Seasonal variation in density of L. decorata coincided with neither patterns for Phyllospadix nor Cystoseira . Seasonal variation in density and size frequency distribution suggested L. decorata migrated among adjacent macrophytes. Although it was a little vague, this hypothesis was probably the best explanation of our results. Our study shows that two co-occurring Lacuna species utilize the macrophytes as habitats by the different life histories and utilization patterns and, may be alternatively accommodated to the seasonal fluctuations of their habitats.     

海产腹足类性畸变现象的形态特征

本文选取我国东南沿海的重要港口海口、北海、湛江、汕头和厦门港等作为海产腹足类性畸变现象的现场调查区，结果发现有11种海产腹足类存在性畸变。文中对分布广泛、易采集、性畸变现象普遍的疣荔枝螺的性畸变特征的解剖观察结果进行了详细的描述，同时对其他几种海产腹足类性畸变特性作了对比。根据研究结果将疣荔枝螺性畸变雌体的阴茎和输精管的畸变程度划分为5个阶段。     

Heavy Metal Concentrations in the Intertidal Gastropod Nerita lineata and Their Relationships to Those in Its Habitats： A Case Study in Dumai Coastal Waters

Concentrations of heavy metals in the intertidal gastropod Nerita lineata collected from 4 sampling stations in the intertidal zone of Dumai coastal waters have been analyzed and correlated with the respective metal concentrations in their habitat. The objective of this study was to evaluate the possible relationships between heavy metal concentrations in the N.lineata with metal concentrations in their habitat, which include seawater, algal mat, suspended particulate matter, and surface sediment. The results showed that heavy metal concentrations in the sediment, N.lineata, suspended particulate matter, algal mat and surface seawater were found to be higher in stations closed to Dumai city center which has more industrial and anthropogenic activities. The mean concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni and Fe in the N.lineata collected from Dumai intertidal area were 4.14 μg/g, 5.90 μg/g, 44.43 μg/g, 3.74 μg/g, 20.73 μg/g, 24.91 μg/g in shell; 4.16 μg/g, 7.31 μg/g, 51.78 μg/g, 17.63 μg/g, 23.52 μg/g, 30.60 μg/g in operculum and 0.71 μg/g, 15.09 μg/g, 9.41 μg/g, 94.42 μg/g, 5.10 μg/g, 398.24 μg/g dry weight in the total soft tissue, respectively. Cd, Pb and Ni concentrations of parts of the N.lineata were in the order: that of operculum>shell>soft tissue whilst Cu, Zn and Fe concentrations of parts of the N.lineata in the order: that of soft tissue>operculum>shell. This suggested that N.lineata could be used as biomonitoring agent for Cu, Zn and Fe (soft tissues) and for Cd, Pb and Ni (operculum). However, the shell had significant correlations (P<0.05) with metal concentrations in the sediment, algal mat, suspended particulate matter and seawater. Bioconcentration factor (BCF) values of the shell also revealed greater capacity for non-essential metals bioaccumulation from all environmental phases. This might suggest that the shell of N.lineata could be better used as biomonitoring agent for heavy metal pollution.     

Gastropods Associated with Fossil Traces from Yacoraite Formation(Maastrichtian-Danian),and its Paleoenvironmental Significance,Jujuy,Northwestern Argentina

Abstract: We present results tending to characterize the new records of invertebrates from the Yacoraite Formation (Maastrichtian-Danian). The fossils reported come from two stratigraphic sections exposed in the surroundings of Maimará and Jueya, province of Jujuy, northwestern Argentina. The selection was based on geological and paleontological evidence. The recovered fossils include gastropods and invertebrate fossil traces, including Planolites, Skolithos and Gastrochanoelites ichnogenus. As result of our review, we discussed the possibility of assigning the analyzed gastropods to the family Zygopleuridae (gene. et. sp. indet.), as an approximation to the taxonomic resolution of this fossil fauna. The trace fossils were assigned to the archetypical Glossifungites ichnofacies. The study of the fossil assemblage allowed us to define a shallow depositional environment, characteristic of a marine context with high-energy conditions.     

Misinterpreting the potential benefits of aggregation for reducing desiccation in the intertidal: a simple analogy

The potential adaptive benefits of aggregation in intertidal invertebrates, in terms of preventing desiccation stress, are logical, but have proved difficult to confirm from field measurements. Through a simple analogy we explain why this may be so, especially for those species that do not solely forage when fully immersed. Measuring water content (or osmotic potentials of body fluids) of individuals that become inactive in aggregations and comparing this with non‐aggregated individuals, which is the most common method of determining adaptive benefits of aggregation to desiccation, (i) causes any relationships between desiccation and aggregation to be, at best, weakly related due to variability in the different times that individuals enter aggregations, and (ii) is not measuring the true benefit of aggregation, which in this case should be measured as a reduction in the rate of water loss. Further, the design of field studies or experiments to determine the benefits of aggregation in terms of desiccation reduction is extremely challenging, due to the unavoidable repeated disturbances to individuals that are necessary to measure water levels at multiple occasions, in order to measure the rate of water loss. We suggest that development of biomimetic sensors, such as modification of the robolimpet sensor, are required to measure in situ rates of water loss with a high temporal resolution. Although such sensors may not be truly physiologically realistic, they are likely to provide the least confounded approach to understanding benefits of aggregation in terms of physical stress reduction.