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     

Yann Marcon  Heiko Sahling  Anne‐Gaëlle Allais  Gerhard Bohrmann  Karine Olu 《Marine Ecology》2014,35(1):77-95

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.  相似文献   

Effects of substratum type on fish assemblages in shallow areas of a tropical estuary     

José Amorim Reis‐Filho  Alexandre Clistenes de Alcântara Santos 《Marine Ecology》2014,35(4):456-470

While there is already a comprehensive understanding of the effects of environmental variables, such as dissolved oxygen, temperature and salinity, on the structure, biomass and metabolism of aquatic biota in estuarine habitats, the effect of sedimentation, a harmful underlying factor, remains unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the differences in fish assemblages along the freshwater to salt water gradient of a large tropical estuary, and to evaluate the effects on them of habitat disturbance associated with shallow water sedimentation in the intertidal areas. Fish and environmental variables were recorded in the upper, middle and lower salinity zones of the estuary at ebb tide in both the dry and wet seasons. Sediment samples associated with different levels of habitat disturbance were analysed using granulometry, and their organic content and dissolved oxygen levels were quantified. Water temperature, salinity, pH and dissolved oxygen levels were also measured. Habitat disturbance was found to be correlated with the density, biomass and richness of fish assemblages. A total of 77 species were recorded, forming two distinct fish assemblages, with the Eleotridae family dominating in the upper zone, and Gerreidae, Gobiidae and Tetraodontidae the most common in the middle and lower estuary. Changes in the structure of fish assemblages, including reductions in density, biomass and richness, were associated with disturbance to natural features, where muddy sediment was replaced by sandy sediment and the quantity of organic matter fell. Atherinella brasiliensis was the species which showed a preference for the disturbed areas in the middle and lower zones, while Dormitator maculatus showed a preference for them in the upper estuary. They may be taken as indicators of habitat disturbance due to shallow sedimentation.  相似文献   

福建建阳县虞墩剖面二叠纪腕足动物群     

张宗言  何卫红  邢光福  柯学  姜扬  余根峰  余明刚  陈志洪 《地质通报》2014,33(5):698-705

通过研究福建省建阳县虞墩剖面所采集的腕足动物化石,共获6属5种,2个未定种,其中Paracrurithyris pygmaea,Tethyochonetes quadrata和Acosarina minuta在虞墩剖面为首次报道。综合化石时代分布和区域对比,将该动物群的时代确定为晚二叠世长兴期,含该动物群的地层为大隆组,而非文笔山组或泉上组。通过对该腕足动物群的古生态分析,并结合该套地层的沉积特征,判断沉积环境为温暖条件下的浅海相。  相似文献   

Correlation and paleoenvironments of middle Paleogene marine beds based on dinoflagellate cysts in southwestern Patagonia,Argentina     

《Journal of South American Earth Sciences》2014

An understanding of paleonvironmental and paleoceanographic evolution of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean during the Palaeogene is prevented by the lack of precise tools to date and correlate the sedimentary units. Palynological samples collected in the upper portion of the Man Aike Formation, which crops out southern Lago Argentino area, in the southwest of the Austral Basin (50°21′45″S–72°14′30″W), contain well preserved marine organic dinoflagellate cysts, which are potentially important biostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental indicators. Herein we describe the composition of the Man Aike Formation's dinoflagellate cyst assemblages and compare them to similar assemblages collected in the same basin in the upper member of the Río Turbio Formation using Compositional Statistical Analysis. The dinoflagellate cyst assemblages from the upper part of the Man Aike Formation are highly correlated to the assemblages from the upper member of the Río Turbio Formation from outcropping sections (51°31′13″S–72°15′11″W) and with the lower part of sediment cores drilled by Yacimientos Carboníferos Fiscales in the Río Turbio Formation area. These dinoflagellate cyst assemblages show a very low correlation with the assemblages from the upper part of the Yacimientos Carboníferos Fiscales's cores. The comparison of our results with the high-resolution Southern Pacific Ocean dinoflagellate cyst zonation for the late Palaeocene to late Eocene allow us to date some of the dinoflagellate events recorded in formations of southwestern Patagonia. The assemblages from the Man Aike Formation and the lower part of the upper member of the Río Turbio Formation relate to the zones SPDZ11 and SPDZ12 and are assigned to the mid-middle Eocene (late Lutetian to early Bartonian). The biostratigraphy proposed herein constrains the age of the Man Aike Formation and equivalent units based on calcareous microfossil data, mollusks affinities and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotopic values to an age ranging between ∼42 and 39 Ma. The assemblages from the upper part of the upper member of the Río Turbio Formation relate to the SPDZ13 Zone, which corresponds to the late Eocene (early Priabonian). The dinoflagellate cyst assemblages indicate that they were under the influence of relatively warm, marine open waters in an inner-shelf environment for the lower part of the sections. In the upper part of the sections, the assemblages suggest shallow marine waters associated with coastal areas and high trophic levels, possibly as a result of freshwater inputs.  相似文献   

Copepods in Hypersaline Waters Worldwide:Diversity,Environmental,Social,and Economic Roles     

Elena ANUFRIIEVA 《《地质学报》英文版》2014,88(Z1):43-45

正1 Introduction Copepods are a group of small crustaceans,which play an important ecological role in aquatic ecosystems.They occupy different ecological niches in aquatic food webs,contributes to biogenic element cycles,and transfer of organic matter from primary producers to higher secondary consumers.Copepods also have the potential to  相似文献   

Remarkable Species Diversity on Adjacent Salt Lakes in South Australia   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Peter HUDSON 《《地质学报》英文版》2014,88(Z1):73-73

正Lakes Acraman,Gairdner,Harris and Everard are a cluster of large episodic salt lakes on Eyre Peninsula,South Australia.These lakes have a characteristic terrestrial invertebrate fauna including various spiders,  相似文献   

电子自旋共振(ESR)化石测年及其在晚新生代动物群年代学研究中的应用     

韩非  尹功明  刘春茹  李建平 《第四纪研究》2015,35(3)

动物群化石组合通常被用来限定地层的相对年代,但很难给出地质事件的精确时间.电子自旋共振(ESR)方法能够对化石样品本身直接测年,测年范围可以覆盖更新世和上新世.ESR化石测年的难点之一在于化石中铀放射性衰变体系的开放性.通过与铀系分析相结合,可以更精确的重建牙齿化石中铀元素的迁移过程,进而获得更可靠的年龄.本文对ESR化石测年方法进行了介绍,并展示了该方法在国内外动物群年代学研究中的一些应用.通过与生物地层学相结合,ESR化石测年方法为晚新生代地质和动物考古学年代学研究提供了一种更直接的绝对测年手段.  相似文献   

Tectonic control of accommodation space and sediment supply within the Mata Amarilla Formation (lower Upper Cretaceous) Patagonia,Argentina          下载免费PDF全文

Augusto N. Varela 《Sedimentology》2015,62(3):867-896

The Mata Amarilla Formation dates from the early Upper Cretaceous and was deposited during a transition in tectonic regime from the extensional Rocas Verdes Basin to the Austral Foreland Basin. Detailed sedimentological logs and architectural parameters were used to define 13 facies associations. The distribution of facies associations and associated variations in fluvial architecture have enabled large‐scale changes in accommodation space/sediment supply ratios (A/S ratio) to be defined for the three component sections of the Mata Amarilla Formation. The lower and upper sections are characterized by a high A/S ratio, whereas the middle section corresponds to a low A/S ratio. In the western part of the study area, small‐scale variations in the A/S ratio were recognized in the middle section. The strong west to east trend in evolution of the fluvial systems coincides with the direction of propagation of the Patagonian fold and thrust belt, which is located to the west of the study area. Intervals of high A/S ratio (i.e. lower and upper sections) are interpreted to have developed during periods of increased loading by the fold and thrust belt caused by tectonic uplift. In contrast, intervals of low A/S ratio (i.e. middle section) were developed during periods of tectonic quiescence. This article suggests that the large‐scale variations in A/S ratios are related to different rates of migration and growth of the Patagonian fold and thrust belt, whereas the small‐scale variation occurred in response to specific periods of thrusting and folding in the Patagonian fold and thrust belt (i.e. local loads). This field example of the effects of different scales of variation in A/S ratios across the Austral Foreland Basin could be used to recognize similar tectonically forced variations in stratigraphic architecture in other foreland basins throughout the world, as well as to understand the response of fluvial systems to such changes.  相似文献   

Long-term variation of macroinvertebrate assemblages in Apalachee Bay,Florida     

Patricia J. Dugan  Robert J. Livingston 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》1982,14(4):391-403

  相似文献   

Intertidal macroalgae and macroinvertebrates: Seasonal and spatial abundance patterns along an estuarine gradient     

Morgan N. Hardwick-Witman  Arthur C. Mathieson 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》1983,16(2):113-129

Quantitative sampling of the dominant intertidal epibiota was conducted seasonally along an estuarine gradient within the Great Bay Estuary System, New Hampshire, U.S.A. The abundance and zonation of the dominant macroorganisms varied with distance into the estuary. Replacement of marine by estuarine species occurred, and overall abundance and species richness decreased along the estuarine gradient. Zonation patterns within the inner estuary were primarily allied with substrata. Maximum abundance of invertebrates occurred in the mid-intertidal zone where a dense fucoid canopy provided habitat heterogeneity. Densities of epibiotic organisms decreased toward low water, especially in the inner estuary where hard substratum was limiting. Settlement blocks, introduced into the low intertidal zone, were dominated by barnacles and fucoid algae; after 16 months, the species composition on the settlement blocks resembled the adjacent community. Semibalanus balanoides settled in the spring, while Fucus vesiculosus var. spiralis exhibited low but constant settlement. Despite the physical rigors of the estuarine environment, only Semibalanus balanoides, Ilyanassa obsoleta and Spartina alterniflora showed significant seasonal changes in density. Thus, there are predictable and persistent epibiotic species assemblages within the intertidal zone of the Great Bay Estuary System.  相似文献