Taxonomy, age and environment status of the Yuanmou hominoids

When, where and from which hominoid the human originated has been one of the key subjects in the study of human natural history. It is therefore very important to learn the chronological, geographical and taxonomic distribution of all hominoids. Yunnan Pr…     

Juvenile hominoid cranium from the terminal Miocene of Yunnan, China

Fossil apes are known from several late Miocene localities in Yunnan Province, southwestern China, principally from Shihuiba (Lufeng) and the Yuanmou Basin, and represent three species of Lufengpithecus. They mostly comprise large samples of isolated teeth, but there are also several partial or complete adult crania from Shihuiba and a single juvenile cranium from Yuanmou. Here we describe a new, relatively complete and largely undistorted juvenile cranium from the terminal Miocene locality of Shuitangba, also in Yunnan. It is only the second ape juvenile cranium recovered from the Miocene of Eurasia and it is provisionally assigned to the species present at Shihuiba, Lufengpithecus lufengensis. Lufengpithecus has most often been linked to the extant orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus, but recent studies of the crania from Shihuiba and Yuanmou have demonstrated that this is unlikely. The new cranium reinforces the view that Lufengpithecus represents a distinct, late surviving lineage of large apes in the late Miocene of East Asia that does not appear to be closely affiliated with any extant ape lineage. It substantially increases knowledge of cranial morphology in Lufengpithecus and demonstrates that species of this genus represent a morphologically diverse radiation of apes, which is consistent with the dynamic tectonic and biotic milieu of southwestern China in the late Miocene.     

Rock magnetic studies on the hominoid-bearing sediments at Zhupeng, Yuanmou Basin, southwestern China and its paleoclimatic significance

It has been proposed that paleoclimatic changes and tectonic events strongly affect hominoid evolution. The Zhupeng section at Yuanmou Basin, southwestern China, with the hominoid-bearing fluvial-lacustrine sediments, is an ideal natural laboratory to test this hypothesis. This study provided an integrated magnetic study, including low-frequency susceptibility, the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility, temperature-dependent susceptibility, hysteresis loops, isothermal remanent magnetization, and anhysteretic remanent magnetization, on samples from the Baozidongqing section at Zhupeng. Results show that the dominant mag- netic carrier is hematite, with minor amount of magnetite. Both the composition and concentration of magnetic miner- als strongly correlate with the lithostratigraphy. At least eight short-term events defined by higher concentrations of magnetite were identified. These short events reflect that the subtropical dry-hot climate is similar to today＇s climate. Basing on the lithostratigraphic and rock magnetic results, we suggest that Yuanmou Basin was in a steady deposition environment from about 11 to 7 Ma, which is characterized by alternating of long-term torrid-humid climate and short-term dry-hot climate. Our study provides invaluable environment information for understanding the climate shift and the relationship between paleoenvironment and hominoid evolution in southwestern China during late Miocene.     

晚新生代元谋盆地演化与河谷发育研究

元谋盆地是在晚新生代青藏高原与云南高原隆起过程中形成的众多断陷盆地之一,流经元度盆地的龙川江和金沙江。其河谷发育与盆地演化具有密切关系,通过对元谋盆地及其邻区的层次地貌与相关沉积的分析研究,认为,始新世晚期￣中新世晚期是夷平面形成时期,中新世晚期￣３．４０ＭａＢＰ前后是第一级剥蚀面形成时期;元谋盆地形成于３．４０ＭａＢＰ前后第一级剥蚀面解体过程中,其后盆地经历了３．４０￣１．７８ＭａＢＰ的古湖形成     

甘肃临夏盆地中新世地层及哺乳动物化石

甘肃临夏地区中新世哺乳动物化石引起学术界的重视。经过考察、发掘,哪现了大量的化石标本。由于发表的文章多为单篇,较分散,笔者收集整理,对材料进行了研究,认为甘肃临夏地区在近直余年来是全国发现中新世材料最多的地区,且有极高的研究价值,填补了我国中新世哺乳动物化石中的部分空白。     

Impoverishment of Soil Nutrients in Gully Erosion Areas in Yuanmou Basin

The impoverishment of soil nutrients of nine gully head areas in Yuanmou Basin is assessed through an integrated evaluation method established on the basis of Fuzzy mathematics and multivariate mathematical theory. Results show that soil erosion of gully erosion area in Yuanmou basin has resulted in severe impoverishment of soil nutrients. All gully head areas are at high leves of impoverishment except for one at middle. By probing into and analyzing the mechanism of impoverishment of soil nutrients, we find that soil erosion has led to impoverishment of soil nutrients in a way of compacting soil, heightening position of obstacle horizon, and reducing the content of organic matter, as well as the direct loss of nutrient elements. Finally, this paper points out that soil and water conservation arming at the prevention of soil erosion is the most effective way against impoverishment of soil nutrients in Yuanmou basin.     

Molecular phylogenetics of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gymnocypris</Emphasis> (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) in Lake Qinghai and adjacent drainages

149 complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome b (Cyt b) genes (1140 bp) of Gymnocypris przewalskii, Gymnocypris eckloni and Gymnocypris scolistomus from the Lake Qinghai, Yellow River and Qaidam Basin were sequenced and analyzed. Consistent dendrogram indicated that the samples collected from the same species do not constitute a separate monophyletic group and all the samples were grouped into three highly divergent lineages (A, B and C). Among them, Lineage A contained all samples of G. przewalskii from the Lake Qinghai and partial samples of the G. eckloni from the Yellow River. Lineage B contained the remaining samples of G. eckloni from the Yellow River. Lineage C was composed of a monophyletic group by G. eckloni from the Qaidam Basin. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that most of genetic variations were detected within these three mtDNA lineages (93.12%), suggesting that there are three different lineages of Gymnocypris in this region. Our Cyt b sequence data showed that G. przewalskii was not a polytypic species, and G. scolistomus was neither an independent species nor a subspecies of G. eckloni. The divergent mtDNA lineages of G. eckloni from the Yellow River suggested that gene flow between the different populations was restricted to a certain extent by several gorges on the upper reach of the Yellow River. Lineage B of G. eckloni might be the genetic effect from the ancestor which was incorporated with the endemic schizothoracine fishes when the headward erosion of the Yellow River reached to its current headwaters of late. The G. eckloni from Basin Qaidam was a monophyletic group (lineage C) and F_st values within G. eckloni from the Yellow River were higher than 0.98, suggesting that the gene flow has been interrupted for a long time and the G. eckloni from Basin Qaidam might have been evolved into different species by ecology segregation. The correlation between the rakers number of Gymnocypris and population genetic variation was not significant. All Gymnocypris populations exhibited a low nucleotide diversity (π = 0.00096–0.00485). Therefore the Gymnocypris populations from Basin Qaidam could have experienced severe bottleneck effect in history. Our result suggested Gymnocypris populations of Basin Qaidam should give a high priority in conservation programs.     

Statistical analyses of metric data of hominoid teeth found in Yuanmou of China

Mesial-distal and buccal-lingual dimensions of 1 266 hominoid teeth found in Yuanmou of Yunnan Province during the period of 1986 and 1988 have been measured. The statistical analyses of the metric data show that the tooth sizes of Yuanmou hominoid can be divided into big and small two types, and most tooth dimensions display obvious bimodalities in both histograms and 2 dimensional plots. The coefficients of variance (CV) reveal that the CVs of Yuanmou hominoid tooth sizes are within or close to the CV ranges ofLufengpithecus and extant great apes. The comparisons of tooth sizes and their proportions indicate that Yuanmou hominoids have close affinities with Lefeng and Kaiyuan hominoids, and have obvious differences with Gorilla, Chimpanzee and Orangutan. The authors believe that the hominoid fossils found in Yuanmou in the past 10 years represent a single species with highly sexual dimorphism in morphology and this species may have a close evolutionary relationship with the hominoids found in Kaiyuan and Lufeng.     

四川天全、芦山、宝兴地区须家河组双壳类动物群

文章报道四川天全沙坪、芦山双石、宝兴灵关等地的上三叠统须家河组中丰富的双壳类动物群,建立了一个以ＹｕｎｎａｎｏｐｈｏｒｕｓＰｅｒｍｏｐｈｏｒｕｓ－Ｗｅｉｙｕａｎｅｌｌａ为特征分子的组合带,分析了双壳类化石组合特征,描述双壳类化石５新种（Ｐａｃｈｙｃａｒｄｉａｓｉｃｈｕａｎｅｎｓｉｓ,Ｙｕｎｎａｎｏｐｈｏｒｕｓｂａｏｘｉｎｇｅｎｓｉｓ,Ｐｅｒｍｏｐｈｏｒｕｓｔｉａｎｑｕａｎｅｎｓｉｓ,Ｗａａｇｅｎｏｐｅｒｎａｔｕｍｉｄａ,Ｍｙｏｐｈｏｒｉｏｐｉｓｌｉｎｇｇｕａｎｅｎｓｉｓ）。它的研究对四川盆地西部和西北部须家河组地度的划分和邻区对比以及古地理概况和煤系地层的认识,提供了新的素材。     

甘肃白龙江流域紫萼藓科植物研究

在广泛调查研究的基础上,对甘肃白龙江流域紫萼藓科标本进行研究鉴定,共整理出甘肃紫萼藓科植物3属26种,其中甘肃省新纪录种8个,分别是兜叶砂藓、硬叶砂藓、狭叶砂藓、霍氏砂藓、短柄砂藓、喜马拉雅砂藓、偏叶砂藓和长齿连轴藓。按照吴征镒先生对中国种子植物分布类型的划分,将该流域的紫萼藓科植物分为8个分布类型。     

元谋断裂带砂脉及其与断裂活动的关系

依据元谋断裂带砂脉发育的层位、成份、形态、围岩变形特征、区域构造背景和古气候环境, 以及断裂带晚第四纪活动特征, 结合释光年代学测试结果, 讨论砂脉的成因机理及其与断裂带的关系。结果表明, 元谋断裂带地表或近地表发育的砂脉较多, 产状近直立, 延伸较长, 沿断裂中?北段构造面平行展布。综合分析砂脉形态、内部结构以及与围岩和断层的空间关系, 揭示砂脉的形成应是断裂带强烈运动或地震活动引起的断层带上、次级断裂面上以及构造面附近局部节理面砂土液化的结果, 或为伸展构造面裂隙充填物, 且可能为同一期地质事件所为, 形成时间约为7 kaBP。这些砂脉构造对断裂活动的时限具有重要指示意义, 是元谋断裂晚第四纪一次强烈活动的伴生产物。     

Subspecies in Przewalski’s gazelle Procapra przewalskii and its conservation implication

Przewalski’s gazelle Procapra przewalskii is an endangered species endemic to China. A question remains about subspecific variation in this species. Skulls of Przewalski’s gazelle collected from its current remnant ranges around the Qinghai Lake in combination with those collected prior to the 20th century were measured and analyzed using Hierarchical Cluster Analysis in order to clarify the question. Unexpectedly, P. p. diversicornis, extirpated from its historic range, has spread to the Qinghai Lake region where it has replaced nominotypical P. p. przewalskii and is now restricted to a few small isolated populations around the lake. We discuss the causes of this unexpected replacement. In this study, we discuss the possibility of a new form, possibly a new subspecies, in the Guide Basin, adjacent to Qinghai Lake; it is unclear whether the new form has long existed and was only discovered in recent years, or whether it evolved in recent times due to the geographical isolation and anthropogenic landscape features. The study sheds light on the processes of microevolution and subspeciation in Procapra przewalskii, and based on the findings, we propose measures for conservation strategies for Przewalski’s gazelle.     

“圆盘青钱柳Cyclocarya scutellata Guo”论评

圆盘青钱柳Cyclocarya scutellata Guo为郭双兴(1979)建立于海南岛长昌盆地长昌组的新种,但根据果柄、果的大小以及所谓的"翅脉"等特征,作者认为郭双兴(1979)建立的"圆盘青钱柳Cyclocarya scutellata Guo"并不成立,这类标本应是莲的果实的不同保存状态,不能归入Cyclocarya.因此,郭双兴(1979)提出的关于青钱柳属可能起源于海南岛始新世的推论也就缺乏化石依据.     

金沙江干热河谷人工林地表昆虫群落

为弄清金沙江干热河谷不同人工林地表昆虫多样性及其在恢复中的指示作用,采用陷阱法调查了元谋县境内7种人工林的地表昆虫群落.① 物种组成:金沙江干热河谷人工林旱季地表昆虫有5目7科24种2 162头,其中膜翅目昆虫最丰富,占所有地表昆虫个体数的98.4%和物种数的75.0%;雨季地表昆虫有12目49科98种2 744头,其中膜翅目个体数最多,鞘翅目种类最多.金沙江干热河谷人工林旱季地表昆虫群落组成和雨季截然不同,雨季地表昆虫群落物种组成比旱季复杂,植被性质相同或接近的样带具有相似的地表昆虫组成.② 多度和多样性:大多数人工林旱季地表昆虫群落多度和多样性低于雨季,旱季印楝林地表昆虫多度最高,显著高于桉树林、膏桐-新银合欢林和印楝-合欢林;雨季印楝林和印楝-大叶相思林地表昆虫多度最高,显著高于桉树林,印楝-大叶相思林物种丰富度S值最高,显著高于膏桐-新银合欢林.③ 地表昆虫多样性与植物多样性间的相关性:人工林旱季地表昆虫群落的多样性与植物群落的多样性密切相关.研究表明:除膏桐-新银合欢林生物多样性较低、恢复状况较差外,其它人工林生物多样性相对较高、恢复状况较好;这些人工林彼此间具有不太相似的地表昆虫物种组成,在当地生物多样性保护中具有积极意义.金沙江干热河谷人工林旱季地表昆虫多样性与植物多样性密切相关,能够指示植物群落的多样性水平.     

Composition of sandstone and heavy minerals implies the provenance of Kuqa Depression in Jurassic, Tarim basin, China

The petrological characteristics and heavy mineral assembly of the Jurassic System in Kuqa Basin are consistent with the tectonic evolution, which is the major factor controlling the filling process of Kuqa Basin. Controlled by the source areas at the both sides of the Basin, the matrixes are dominated by sedimentary rock, high-grade metamorphic rock, acid magmatic rock, and the highest heavy mineral assemblage of zircon-garnet-magnetite in the content. According to heavy mineral indexes, the Jurassic strata can be classified into three rhythmic units of heavy mineral. The lower sequence contains abundant heavy minerals and relatively high content of detritus and its matrixes primarily came form the recycling orogen. The assemblage of “zircon-garnet-magnetite” indicates that the sedimentary area in the early evolution period of the basin is relatively near the provenance. The middle sequence is different from the lower sequence in the heavy mineral assemblage and has the different characteristics from that of source rock. The heavy mineral assemblage is “garnet-zircon” with the highest content of garnet and its main matrices are the high-grade metamorphic rock, acid magmatic rock and hydrothermal vein at the northeastern edge of the basin. The middle and upper sequences are characterized by the clast provenance, which is primarily from the recycling orogen at the northern edge of the basin and secondarily from the southern uplift. As a result of the two provenances, the strata with apparent changes of heavy mineral assemblage and index better coincides with the interfaces of the secondary strata sequences, which reflects the denudation history and the filling process of the orogen at the northern edge of the basin.     

Lower Paleozoic oil relationships within Williston Basin, Canada

The Williston Basin is a significant petroleum province, containing oil production zones that include the Middle Cambrian to Lower Ordovician, Upper Ordovician, Middle Devonian, Upper Devonian and Mississippian and within the Jurassic and Cretaceous. The oils of the Williston Basin exhibit a wide range of geochemical characteristics defined as "oil families", although the geochemical signature of the Cambrian Deadwood Formation and Lower Ordovician Winnipeg reservoired oils does not match any "oil family". Despite their close stratigraphic proximity, it is evident that the oils of the Lower Palaeozoic within the Williston Basin are distinct. This suggests the presence of a new "oil family" within the Williston Basin. Diagnostic geochemical signatures occur in the gasoline range chromatograms, within saturate fraction gas chromatograms and biomarker fingerprints. However, some of the established criteria and cross-plots that are currently used to segregate oils into distinct genetic families within the basin do not always meet with success, particularly when applied to the Lower Palaeozoic oils of the Deadwood and Winnipeg Formation.     

Genetic diversity in the male-specific <Emphasis Type="Italic">SRY</Emphasis> gene of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lepus yarkandensis</Emphasis>

Lepus yarkandensis, an endemic hare species in the Tarim Basin of China, has been suffering from habitat fragmentation due to desert expansion. To evaluate the effect of habitat fragmentation on its genetic diversity, the genetic diversity based on male-specific SRY gene marker is examined. A relatively low level of SRY genetic diversity is found compared to previous studies with mtDNA data, possibly due to the low SRY mutation rate and positive selection. Furthermore, one haplotype exists in eight populations along the Tarim River but not in many other relatively isolated populations, suggesting that habitat fragmentation may affect population divergence. Despite this, our pairwise Fst analysis shows no significant differentiation among populations, and this may be mainly caused by positive selection on the SRY gene in that 88 percent of individuals share the same haplotype. Finally, the phylogenetic analysis shows deep differentiation between L. yarkandensis and other two hare species (L. capensis and L. europaeus).     

Lower Paleozoic oil relationships within Williston Basin, Canada

The Williston Basin is a significant petroleum province, containing oil production zones that include the Middle Cambrian to Lower ()rdovician, Upper Ordovician, Middle Devonian, Upper Devonian and Mississippian and within the Jurassic and Cretaceous. The oils of the Williston Basin exhibit a wide range of geochemical characteristics defined as “oil families“, although the geochemical signature of the Cambrian Deadwood Formation and Lower Ordovician Winnipeg reservoired oils does not match any “oil family“. Despite their close stratigraphic proximity, it is evident that the oils of the/rower Palaeozoic within the Williston Basin are distinct. This suggests the presence of a new “oil family“ within the Williston Basin. Diagnostic geochemical signatures occur in the gasoline range chromatograms, within saturate fraction gas chromatograms and biomarker fingerprints. However, some of the established criteria and cross-plots that are currently used to segregate oils into distinct genetic families within the basin do not always meet with success, particularly when applied to the Lower Palaeozoic oils of the Deadwood and Winnipeg Formation.     

Landscape ecological evaluation on the artificial forest of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leucaena leucocephala</Emphasis>

Based on the theory of ecology, this article conducted a landscape ecological evaluation on Leucaena leucocephala artificial forest in the add-hot valley, Yuanmou Xiaokua hill, using a combination method of qualitative analysis and landscape comprehensive evaluation. The comprehensive evaluation indexes of landscape include forest coverage, biodiversity, stability, soil erosion, environmental quality, availability, scientific research characteristic, economic benefits. Using AHP （analytical hierarchy process）, determine the grade of ecological evaluation factors and the weight of evaluation index and calculate the CEI （comprehensive evaluation index） on ecological evaluation. Evaluation results showed that the area CEI was 0.714 225, a better quality of the ecological level, but biodiversity indicators was the lowest. To sum up, it was difficult to maintain ecological restoration effectiveness and process but also guarantee a good biodiversity in the add-hot valleys. We must reasonably arrange the alien species and the native species, in order to obtain a stable and sustainable eco-system.     

广东北江大型底栖动物群落与水质相关性研究

运用典范对应分析（Canonical Correspondence Analysis, CCA）研究了12项水质指标对北江流域大型底栖动物分布的影响. 结果表明，物种与水质因子的相关性在95%以上，说明大型底栖动物在北江的分布与水质因子有密切的联系. 温度、pH值、电导率、化学需氧量和硅酸盐是影响北江大型底栖动物物种分布的主导因子，氯化物、氨氮和总氮对其分布也有重要影响. 本研究共采集大型底栖动物46种，各类底栖动物对于生态环境的需求不同，在各水质因子的维度上呈现出生态分化现象. 北江以底栖动物为指示可以依次划分为污染物含量低，水质较好的绥江中下游地区；水质受到有机污染的干流；以及水质一般，尚未受到污染影响的北江上游各一级支流.