A Silurian sea spider

Pycnogonids (sea spiders) are marine arthropods numbering some 1,160 extant species. They are globally distributed in depths of up to 6,000 metres, and locally abundant; however, their typically delicate form and non-biomineralized cuticle has resulted in an extremely sparse fossil record that is not accepted universally. There are two opposing views of their phylogenetic position: either within Chelicerata as sister group to the euchelicerates, or as a sister taxon to all other euarthropods. The Silurian Herefordshire Konservat-Lagerstatte in England (approximately 425 million years (Myr) bp) yields exceptionally preserved three-dimensional fossils that provide unrivalled insights into the palaeobiology of a variety of invertebrates. The fossils are preserved as calcitic void in-fills in carbonate concretions within a volcaniclastic horizon, and are reconstructed digitally. Here we describe a new pycnogonid from this deposit, which is the oldest adult sea spider by approximately 35 Myr and the most completely known fossil species. The large chelate first appendage is consistent with a chelicerate affinity for the pycnogonids. Cladistic analyses place the new species near the base of the pycnogonid crown group, implying that the latter had arisen by the Silurian period.     

Homology of arthropod anterior appendages revealed by Hox gene expression in a sea spider

Arthropod head segments offer a paradigm for understanding the diversification of form during evolution, as a variety of morphologically diverse appendages have arisen from them. There has been long-running controversy, however, concerning which head appendages are homologous among arthropods, and from which ancestral arrangement they have been derived. This controversy has recently been rekindled by the proposition that the probable ancestral arrangement, with appendages on the first head segment, has not been lost in all extant arthropods as previously thought, but has been retained in the pycnogonids, or sea spiders. This proposal was based on the neuroanatomical analysis of larvae from the sea spider Anoplodactylus sp., and suggested that the most anterior pair of appendages, the chelifores, are innervated from the first part of the brain, the protocerebrum. Our examination of Hox gene expression in another sea spider, Endeis spinosa, refutes this hypothesis. The anterior boundaries of Hox gene expression domains place the chelifore appendages as clearly belonging to the second head segment, innervated from the second part of the brain, the deutocerebrum. The deutocerebrum must have been secondarily displaced towards the protocerebrum in pycnogonid ancestors. As anterior-most appendages are also deutocerebral in the other two arthropod groups, the Euchelicerata and the Mandibulata, we conclude that the protocerebral appendages have been lost in all extant arthropods.     

Mortality of sea lions along the central California coast linked to a toxic diatom bloom

Over 400 California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) died and many others displayed signs of neurological dysfunction along the central California coast during May and June 1998. A bloom of Pseudo-nitzschia australis (diatom) was observed in the Monterey Bay region during the same period. This bloom was associated with production of domoic acid (DA), a neurotoxin that was also detected in planktivorous fish, including the northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax), and in sea lion body fluids. These and other concurrent observations demonstrate the trophic transfer of DA resulting in marine mammal mortality. In contrast to fish, blue mussels (Mytilus edulus) collected during the DA outbreak contained no DA or only trace amounts. Such findings reveal that monitoring of mussel toxicity alone does not necessarily provide adequate warning of DA entering the food web at levels sufficient to harm marine wildlife and perhaps humans.     

Movement behavior of a spider on a horizontal surface

Studying the locomotive behavior of animals has the potential to inspire the design of the mechanism and gait patterns of robots ("bio-inspired robots"). The kinematics characteristics of a spider (Ornithoctonus huwena), including movement of the legs, movement of the center of mass (COM) and joint-rotation angle, were obtained from the observation of locomotion behaviors recorded by a three-dimensional locomotion observation system. Our results showed that one set of the stance phase consists of four legs, which were leg-1 and leg-3 on one side and leg-2 and leg-4 on the other side. Additionally, two sets of the stance phase comprised eight legs alternately supporting and driving the motion of the spider’s body. The spider primarily increased its movement velocity by increasing stride frequency. In comparison to other insects, the spider, O. huwena, has superior movement stability. The velocity and height of COM periodically fluctuated during movement, reaching a maximum during alternation of leg phase, and falling to a minimum in the steady stance phase. The small change in deflection angle of the hind-leg was effective in driving locomotion, whereas each joint-rotation angle of the fore-leg changed irregularly during locomotion. This research will help in the design of bio-inspired robots, including the selection of gait planning and its control.     

Biopolymers: shape memory in spider draglines

The ductility and strength of spider draglines means that they outperform the best synthetic fibres, but surprisingly little is known about the torsional properties of this remarkable filament. Unlike a mountain climber swinging from a rope, a spider suspended from its silk thread hardly ever twists. Here we show that a spider dragline has a torsional shape 'memory' in that it can reversibly and totally recover its initial form without any external stimulus; its observed relaxation dynamics indicate that these biological molecules have successively different torsional constants.     

广西海岸沙生植被的类型及其分布和演潜

广西海岸沙生植被由热带耐盐性的植物组成,主要有厚藤群系的沟叶结缕草、飘拂草—厚藤群落,中华补血草、铺地黍—厚藤群落,鬣刺、单中蔓荆—厚藤群落,绢毛飘拂草、麦穗茅根—厚藤群落;露兜勒群系的露兜勒、仙人掌—沟叶结缕草群落;薄果草群系的薄果草、岗松群落和沙生灌木群系的酒饼勒、变叶裸实、仙人掌—沟叶结缕草群落。这些群落在沙滩上的生态分布是由盐性不同的建群种,依上述群落顺序,大致从潮汐带之上的潮湿至湿润—高盐度沙滩的以厚藤群系分布为主的沙生植被为前带,经湿润至于燥—中盐度沙滩的以露兜勒群系分布为主,兼有厚藤群系的沙生植被为中带,至干燥—完全或基本脱盐沙滩、沙地的蒲果草群系和灌木沙生群系至陆域上的季雨林沙生植被为后带。广西海岸沙生植被主要以湿润度、干燥度和盐度为演替外力。     

朱家尖岛滨海小流域湿地的蟹类

研究了朱家尖岛在海堤和水闸建成前,与海洋直接相连的滨海小流域小型湿地蟹类的种类与分布,为今后作进一步探讨湿地与海洋完全分隔后环境和生物多样性的变化提供基础.通过系统的采集,共采集到蟹类11种,分属3科8属,其中8种属于方蟹科,占总数的72.7%,1种属于沙蟹科,痕掌沙蟹遍布高潮区的沙滩.河道中,字纹弓蟹成为该地域内蟹类群落的优势种,而且蟹类分布与周围环境变化有关.水闸建成后,将会对字纹弓蟹等洄游性蟹类产生更大影响.     

Continuous deep sea salt layer along North Atlantic margins related to early phase of rifting

Deep seismic reflexion surveys have revealed diapiric structures in deep water off Labrador, Newfoundland, Mauritania, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Ireland as well as in the Mediterranean. Many of these diapirs are similar to the Gulf of Mexico salt domes, and it is suggested that there is a continuous deep sea salt layer, off the continental margin, which is related to the early phase of rifting.     

Fibre science: supercontraction stress in wet spider dragline

Unrestrained spider dragline 'super-contracts' when it is wetted, causing its length to shrink by about half and its diameter to almost double. Here we measure the supercontraction stresses generated upon initial exposure of spider dragline to moisture and find that they are transient, as well as being greater than previously estimated. Our findings cast doubt on suggestions that supercontraction may help to maintain tension in wet webs and could limit the potential load-bearing applications of silk and its analogues.     

塔里木石油公路沿线全新世风沙地貌形成演化的初步研究

本探讨了新疆塔里木石油公路沿线全新世风沙地貌类型、发育条件、动力特征和演化历史。研究表明，公路沿线发育多种典型风沙地貌类型。在新月形沙丘的迎风坡，风速和输沙率向上坡增加，背风坡存在涡旋，促使迎风坡风蚀背风坡加积，以至整个沙丘向前的动量得以维持。在线性沙丘表面，沙粒沿着合成输沙方向呈曲折摆动式纵向输移，而在背风坡以显的侧旁气流和沙物质的侧向输移为特征。全新世以来，由于近地面东北风系中偏N风力减弱，偏E风力加强，因此沙漠腹地叠置沙丘落沙坡方位向西偏转。沙漠边缘河流作用与风力作用的相互消长对风沙地貌的形成演化影响巨大，而沙漠腹地风信条件和自然环境表现出相对稳定性。