A new species of Lepidopteris discovered from the Upper Permian of China with its stratigraphic and biologic implications

A new species Lepidopteris baodensis sp.nov.belonging to the family Peltaspermaceae and represented by two ultimate pinnae in the collection under study,was recently discovered at the Baijiagou of Baode,Shanxi,China,from the Upper Permian Sunjiagou Formation.The lower surface of the ultimate rachis,the midrib and secondary veins is covered with triangular,trapezoid,rounded,or ligulate subepidermal swellings,which show different natures from intercalary pinnules.Lepidopteris is one of typical elements of the Late Permian Euramerican flora.Since Schimper erected the genus Lepidopteris in 1869,the entire epidermal structure of subepidermal swellings had been unclear.The new species L.baodensis clearly showing the distinguished epidermal structure of subepidermal swellings,not only enlarges and supplements our knowledge in biology and taxonomy of Lepidopteris as well as the Upper Permian stratigraphy of China,but also provides an opportunity to understand the relationship between Euramerican floras and Cathaysian floras in paleoclimatic,paleoenvironmental and paleogeographic context.     

Discovery of a petrified noeggerathialean strobilus,Discinites sinensis sp. nov. from the Permian of Shizuishan, Ningxia, China

A petrified strobilusDiscinites sinensis sp. nov. is discovered from the Lower Permian of Shizuishan in Ningxia, North China. The epidermal cells of sporophyll are long and narrow, with both ends pointed. Each sporangium is ellipsoid, with the basal part contracted and short, thick sporangiophore-like. The cells of tapetum and sporangial walls are arranged longitudinally. The annulus is not developed. Mega- and microsporangia are similar in shape. They can hardly be distinguished unless they are broken, and the spores are exposed.In situ mega- and microspores are also similar in shape and both of theDeltoidospora type. The new species supports the systematic placement ofDiscinites within Noeggerathiales, and the progymnosperm affinity of the Noeggerathiales.     

河北曲阳晚古生代植物群及古地理研究

在河北省曲阳石炭一二叠纪地层中发现古植物化石29属62种,包括真蕨纲和种子蕨纲、楔叶纲、石松纲、瓢叶纲、苏铁纲、种子化石、科达纲、银杏纲.此古植物群华夏植物群的特点明显,纵向上可划分成5个古植物组合;演化具有阶段性,组合的变化与古地理6个演化阶段相适应.     

Confirmation of ultrahigh-temperature metapelitic granulite in the Altay orogen and its geological significance

Through petrography, mineral compositions and P-T estimate results, an ultrahigh-temperature(UHT) metapelitic granulite has recently been identified from near Kalasu in the east of Altay city, with an assemblage gt-opx-silcd-sp-bt-pl-qtz. The orthopyroxene has a high-Al feature, and its Al2O3 content is as high as 8.7 wt%, indicating a UHT metamorphic condition. Its peak metamorphic condition is estimated as: P = *0.80 GPa, T = *960 °C. Metamorphic textural relations and P-T estimate results show a post-peak near-isobaric cooling anticlockwise P-T path. Zircon U-Pb age results(271 ± 5 Ma) support that the UHT metamorphic event in the region occurred in the Permian. The identification of the UHT metapelitic granulite from near Kalasu confirms the existence of the Permian UHT metamorphism in the Altay orogen, implying that the Permian extensional tectonic setting of a high-heat flow in the southern part of the Altay orogen may be closely associated with the Permian Tarim mantle plume activity.     

Discovery of a petrified noeggerathialean strobilus,Discinites sinensis sp.nov.from the Permian of Shizuishan,Ningxia,China

A petrified strobilus Discinites sinensis sp.nov.is discovered from the Lower Permian of Shizuishan in Ningxia,North China.The epidermal cells of sporophyll are long and narrow,with both ends pointed.Each sporangium is ellipsoid,with the basal part contracted and short,thick sporangiophore-like.The cells of tapetum and sporangial walls are arranged longitudinally.The annulus is not developed.Mega- and microsporangia are similar in shape.They can hardly be distinguished unless they are broken,and the spores are exposed.In situ mega- and microspores are also similar in shape and both of the Deltoidospora type.The new species supports the systematic placement of Discinites within Noeggerathiales,and the progymnosperm affinity of the Noeggerathiales.     

淮北煤田早二叠世植物群落及其组合特征

本文详细研究了淮北煤田早二叠世地层植物化石1300余块,其分属于10大类共69属165种。该区早二叠世植物化石丰富,保存良好,是典型的华夏植物群。根据该期植物群的纵向发育规律和空间分布特点,其可划分为两个植物组合,即早二叠世早期山西组的Cathaysiopteris whitei-Callipteridium koraiense-Cordaites schenkii组合带和早二叠世晚期下石盒子组的Lobatannularia ensifolia-Gigantonoclea spp.-Caulopteris spp.组合带。     

When horsetails became giants

Horsetails arose in the Late Devonian,evolved a greater diversity and forming fast growing bamboo-like thickets in the Carboniferous lowland swamp forest ecosystems.However,the diversity of this group drastically declined during the Permian while the climate became more dynamic and arid.Today only a single surviving genus exists,the herbaceous Equisetum.Here we report an exceptional large horsetail tree from the Early Permian Petrified Forest of Chemnitz.This fossil horsetail tree is assigned to Arthropitys bistriata (Cotta) Goeppert.It is 15 m high and over 25 cm in diameter,with thick wood and at least 3 orders of woody branching system formed a big canopy,and is morphologically very comparable with the living woody higher plants.This suggests that the plasticity mechanism of Permian calamitaleans enabled novel growth strategies when they competed with the rising gymnosperms during the environmental changes.     

Tingia unita sp. nov. （Noeggerathiales） with strobilus from the Lower Permian of Wuda, Inner Mongolia, China

A number of specimens recently collected from the Early Permian Shanxi Formation of Wuda, Inner Mongolia demonstrate that the leafy shoot and strobilus of Tingia unita sp. nov. are both sprouting from a common stem, and consequently improve our understanding of the whole plant mor- phology of this enigmatic taxon of the Cathaysian flora. The strobili are cylinder-like, 1.7-2.5 cm in diameter and over 20 cm in length, with a basal stalk 7―8 mm in width and about 7 cm long. Sporophylls are verticillate, with approximately 8-10 in a whorl. On the adaxial side of each sporophyll a sporangium is attached. The strobilus is heterosporous and the microspores are of the Punctatisporites type. Large leaves vary from linear to oblong with entire lateral margins but are slightly lobed at the apex. Small leaves are generally the same as the large leaves but much narrower. The whole plant is probably a small arborescent tree with leafy shoots and strobili forming a crown, rather than a water plant with larger leaves floating on the surface of the water as previously understood. Features of the new species are in favor of the close affinity between Tingia Halle and Noeg- gerathiales, and accordingly the affinity of Noeg- gerathiales to Progymnospermophyta.     

塔里木盆地北缘陆相二叠系中的植物化石

新疆塔里木盆地北缘二叠纪陆相地层中的植物化石丰富，共现２８属４８种，本文对其中的８属９种作了详细的描述了讨论，当前材料不仅大大丰富了塔北二叠纪植物群的内容，对塔北二叠纪地层的划分与对比具有重要作用，而且为塔北二叠纪植物地理区系和古板块位置的研究提供了新论证。     

Gymnosperms on the eve of the terminal Permian mass extinction in North China and their survival strategies

Main characteristics of the Permian redbed gymnmprms in North China have been summarized: dominant peltasperms and conifers, numerous enigmatics such asGigantonoclea andPsygmophyllum, and abundant precursors of Mesozoic gymnosperm. Furthermore, stresses affecting these plants survival are suggested to be paleoatmospheric CO₂ concentration, water stress, wind and fire activities, und fungal infection. Consequently, a preliminary analysis accounts for the ecological strategies of these gymnosperms to the P-Tr event.     

A bizarre <Emphasis Type="Italic">Palissya</Emphasis> ovulate organ from Upper Triassic strata of the Zixing coal field,Hunan Province,China

Palissya,a little-known reproductive organ with a long history,is recorded from China and Asia for the first time.A new species,Palissya hunanensis(sp.nov.) ,is described from the Upper Triassic Rhaetican strata of the Zixing coal field of Hunan Province.The ovulate cone has a compound shoot system that consists of a main axis and many helically-arranged axillary structures re-ferred to as female dwarf shoots,each of which is subtended by a bract.Despite a superficial similarity,P.hunanensis differs from the typical species P.sphenolepis(Braun) Nathorst in a number of subtle but consistent features:the cone is much smaller and narrower,the bracts are much thinner,there are fewer pairs of cup-like seed scales,and the seed scales are adaxially attached to a thick axis rather than to bracts.These traits are all distinctly different from other species of the genus.Moreover,SEM obser-vation of the new species reveals morphological features of the seed scales and seeds and details of the female dwarf shoot;sig-nificantly increases our knowledge of Palissya;and provides new evidence that it is a conifer.Palissya is related to the Lower Permian Lebowskia,a voltzian conifer bearing ovuliferous structures similar to the bract plus dwarf-shoot organization of Palis-sya.Palissya-type conifers probably grew in specialized marine-continent habitats,unlike most other extant and extinct conifers that grow in drier upland environments.     

Vegetation Landscape, Ecological Characteristics and Soil Fixation for Riverbank in Taiwan, China

This study is aimed to investigate and analyze the vegetation landscape around Rivers of Hou-lung, Fa-tz, Da-li, Ching-shuei and Gau- ping, and to select the suitable plant species that could be applied for the area of riverbank ecological engineering in Taiwan. Studying the vegetation established the key point and procedure of ecological engineering in the riverside and revetment, to compile and edit the dominant plants＇ types, life form, propagating method, root systems＇ characteristics and functions for soil conservation. This research choses three dominant plants for roots strength test. The fitting models of plants pulling resistance（Rp, kg） between plant height （H, cm）, diameter near ground （Dn, mm）, diameter above ground 100 mm （Da, mm）, The research finished the relative abundant, types and cluster analysis of riverbank dominant plants that generalize vegetative distribution and ecological restoration for different river types to apply and manage in Taiwan.     

吉安市南方菟丝子寄主范围及危害调查研究

采用野外踏查和样点调查相结合的方法对吉安市南方菟丝子寄主的种类及危害进行了调查,并对寄主组成及寄生关系的利用进行了分析探讨。结果表明:吉安市南方菟丝子寄主种类涉及23科62种植物,以菊科、豆科寄主植物最多,分别为11种(17.74%)和8种(12.90%),并对菊科、豆科、唇形科及旋花科的大部分寄主植物产生较严重的危害。南方菟丝子可寄生香丝草等14种(22.58%)入侵植物,并对大狼把草等5种植物产生严重危害。南方菟丝子寄主植物种类繁多,属于广寄性种类,其对入侵植物的寄生危害性将为防治入侵植物提供重要思路。     

Modes of occurrence of arsenic in high-arsenic coal by extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy

The concentration ranges of As and Sb in six Late Permian high-arsenic coals collected from Xingren and Xingyi, Guizhou Province are 94.1 μg·g -1-3 2 and 8 1 μg·g -1-120 μg·g -1, respectively. Based on the mineralogical analysis, no arsenic and arsenic-bearing minerals are detected in these samples and arsenic occurs in coal macerals. By extended X-ray absorption fine structure(EXAFS) spectroscopy, we have found that arsenic in these high-arsenic coal samples coordinates with oxygen; the coordination number of As with oxygen for these samples is 4 except one sample(H-9) for which the coordination number of As is 3. Therefore, arsenic in these high-arsenic coals does not occur in sulfide minerals, but occurs in arsenate or arsenite phase, and the preponderance of As is in arsenate of As 5+.     

老挝万象地区中二叠统地层研究

中二叠统是老挝万象地区的重要含煤地层。经实测剖面与矿区考察：老挝万象地区的中二叠统为一套含火山岩夹煤的陆源碎屑沉积,形成于三角洲、潮坪环境,自上而下可划分为南康尚组(P2nk)、南拉组(P2nl )、会辛南组(P2hx)。这3个组的腕足类分属Urushtenia-Monticulfera组合带、Taeniotherus-Costiferina组合带,多数苔藓虫为Hexagonella动物群的主要分子。这3个组的年代地层均属中二叠统。     

大兴安岭南部山地植物区系多样性研究

大兴安岭南部山地坐落在蒙古高原区与辽河平原草原我的分水界上，北边与大兴安岭北部山地针叶林区－脉相连，南边与华北燕山山地夏绿润叶林相接，因此本区区系与周边植物区系发生广泛的相互交流与分化，对大兴安岭南部山地植物区系多样性及其性质进行了统计、分析，并与周边地区植物区系作了比较，该地区拥有野维管植物１０４科，４３１属１０３１种，其植物属可划分为１５个分布区类型和３１个变型，植物种可划分为２８个分布区类型     

Toxic Plant Resources in Panxi Area

Panxi Area is abundant in plant resources, among which toxic plants are of great value in terms of exploitation. This paper is an initiative study （via field as well as literature investigation） of the categories, distributions, and reserves of toxic plant resources in Panxi Area. The study reveals that there are 51 families （210 species） of toxic plants evenly distributed in Panxi Area, of which more than 40 species grow in all counties in the area, and more than 14 species total a reserve more than 1.0×10^5 kg. These toxic plants are of great applications to medicine, gardening, biopesticide industry, environmental engineering, and oil manufacturing. Rhododendron molle, Anisodus acutangulus, Arisaema erubesocens, Stellera chamaejasme, Rhytolacca acinosa, Rheum officinale, and Azadiralta indica etc are the typical toxic plants with great value of exploitation in Panxi Area.     

Evolution of stomatal and trichome density of the Quercus delavayi complex since the late Miocene

A fossil oak species,Quercus tenuipilosa Q.Hu et Z.K.Zhou,is reported from the upper Pliocene Ciying Formation in Kunming,Yunnan Province,southwestern China.The establishment of this species is based on detailed morphologic and cuticular investigations.The fossil leaves are elliptic,with serrate margins on the apical half.The primary venation is pinnate,and the major secondary venation is craspedodromous.The tertiary veins are opposite or alternate-opposite percurrent with two branches.The stomata are anomocytic,occurring only on the abaxial epidermis.The trichome bases are unicellular or multicellular.The new fossil species shows the closest affinity with theextant Q.delavayi and the late Miocene Q.praedelavayi Y.W.Xing et Z.K.Zhou from the Xiaolongtan Formation of the Yunnan Province.All three species share similar leaf morphology,but differ with respect to trichome base and stomatal densities.Q.tenuipilosa.Q.praedelavayi,and Q.delavayi can be considered to constitute the Q.delavayi complex.Since the late Miocene,a gradual reduction in trichome base density has occurred in this complex.This trend is the opposite of that of precipitation,indicating that increased trichome density is not an adaptation to dry environments.The stomatal density(SD)of the Q.delavayi complex was the highest during the late Miocene,declined in the late Pliocene,and then increased during the present epoch.These values show an inverse relationship with atmospheric CO_2 concentrations,suggesting that the SD of the Q.delavayi complex may be a useful proxy for reconstruction of paleo-CO_2 concentrations.     

山东淄博煤田晚石炭世——早二叠世植物群落特征

山东淄博煤田晚石炭世—早二叠世植物化石经鉴定,共计37属104种,其中包括11个新种。分析了本区植物化石的埋藏类型,根据各类植物的生活习性和生境,将晚石炭世—早二叠世植物群划分为五个植物群落,讨论了它们的多度、成分、结构和生活型等特征,并采用信息函数数理统计方法,应用电子计算机对各植物群落的分异度和均衡度进行了计算。