中国大熊猫发展史新探

从出土的大熊猫化石看 ,大熊猫最早产生于地质时代第三纪的上新世后期 .到第四纪的更新世和全新世 ,大熊猫的数量经历了一个由少到多 ,再到少的发展过程 .其体型发展也经历了由小到大 ,再到小的演变过程 .出土大熊猫化石的地域 ,主要在今长江流域及其以南各省 ,黄河流域虽有出土 ,但数量很少 .从古文献看 ,最早记载大熊猫的书是成书于商代的《尚书·牧誓》 .记载大熊猫最早出现于黄帝时代的书 ,是西汉时司马迁的《史记·五帝本纪》 .大熊猫在文献里有多种名称 .越过先秦 ,直到两汉、魏晋的 6 0 0多年时间里 ,在今长江沿岸的大部分省和黄河流域的陕、晋、豫、冀等少部分省以及东北各省 ,甚至朝鲜北部 ,仍有大熊猫生存 .经过南北朝到民国年间的 16 0 0多年的日益衰减 ,到今天大熊猫仅仅分布在川、陕、甘三省接壤的少数县里 ,其数量仅存几千只 ,已经沦为濒危动物 .究其主观原因是 ,大熊猫自身存在种种弱点 ,而客观原因是第四纪冰川期的影响和人类对其生存环境的开发 ,特别是人类任意捕猎大熊猫 ,才使其数量日益减少     

贵州三叠纪化石群古地理和古生态全球对比分析与世界遗产价值

在世界范围内,"贵州三叠纪化石群"是为数不多的三叠纪化石群产地之一。该生物群是海生爬行动物类、海百合类、脊椎动物类、无脊椎动物类、鱼类、植物类等为一体的生物群,世界罕见。为探究该化石群具有的潜在遗产价值,以对比的思想为指导,从化石群的古地理与古生态环境等几个方面为切入点,采用对比分析的方法,与世界范围内有关三叠纪生物群的世界遗产地或重要的、具有可比性的三叠纪生物群进行对比,探究其潜在的世界遗产价值和全球唯一性。结果表明:该地区在古地理上位于特提斯洋的东段,属于西特提斯古地理构架与东太平洋古地理构架的过渡地区,具有特殊性。同时,记录了三叠纪安尼期—卡尼期的连续完整的地质演化史与生物演化过程,代表着中生代古生物演化的重要阶段,在世界自然遗产提名中具有突出普遍价值。     

探密盐井沟古生物化石遗址

盐井沟古生物化石遗址发现至今已有近百年历史,目前在重庆市、万州区各级政府的支持下,古生物化石得到了有效保护。文章通过对盐井沟古生物化石遗址的历史、成因、时代、特征等研究,揭示几十万年前盐井沟地区动物的生存状态。从地质背景上看,盐井沟地区保存了早更新世晚期至现代较为完整的生物演化序列,有望建立我国南方第四纪生物地层学的标尺。     

软体动物门起源和进化中的模糊问题研究

软体动物进化是生物进化重要组成部分之一,是生物进化论、动物学研究重要内容之一。根据古生物学、现代生物进化论研究成就,就软体动物起源、进化及一些类群兴盛、绝灭原因中的模糊问题进行了研究。     

Precambrian phosphatized embryos and larvae from the Doushantuo Formation and their affinities, Guizhou （SW China）

Weng＇an phosphates of the Precambrian Doushantuo Formation, Guizhou （southwestern China） preserve a large number of exquisite biological structures, which are mostly micro-spherical and represent seaweeds, acritarchs and developing eggs related to various groups of metazoans. Here is a report of a variety of developing eggs and larvae, which are most probably of Cnidarian affinity. The eggs examined in the study are composed of early cleavage embryos and two-layered gastrulae. The early cleavage embryos are radial and total cleavage with equal-size blastomeres. The gastrulae mostly bear a large archenteron, which is filled with yolk-degrading organic matter. Ovoid to fusiform planula-like larvae identified in thin sections under light microscope are mostly mouthless and their gastrovascular cavity is filled with possible yolk-degrading organic matter. They are likely representatives of non-feeding larva. The uncommon planula-like structures are hollow, with each having a mouth-like structure on its narrow end. We interpret them as feeding larva. Study of these embryos with possible Cnidarian affinities shed new insight on the origin of metazoans.     

四川米易二滩地区的二滩组

四川盐边凹路、力马、红果及米易二滩、金龙山等地的二滩组上、下部均为细砂岩、粉砂岩、铁铝质粘土岩夹赤铁矿和铝土矿透镜体,底部常见砾岩,顶部为灰黑色碳质页岩夹劣质煤透镜体,中部为微晶生物灰岩夹粗粒白云质钙质石英砂岩。以富含腕足化石为特色,还可见珊瑚、虫筵、非虫筵有孔虫、介形虫、三叶虫、苔藓虫、腹足类等生物化石。沉积二滩组时期,研究区处于泥坪、混合坪、不稳定碳酸盐台地及潮坪沼泽等环境,代表一次较大的海进海退过程。二滩组与梁山组、树河组在岩性特征、所含生物面貌及时间跨度等方面存在显著差异。新建二滩组相当于研究区原石炭系与原梁山组之和,其时代为早二叠世栖霞期至茅口早期     

New records for hermatypic corals (Anthozoa: Scleractinia) in the Gulf of California,Mexico, with an historical and biogeographical discussion

This paper reports range extensions for seven hermatypic coral species in the Gulf of California. An analysis of the distribution and fossil record of the 12 hermatypic species of the Gulf shows that the coral communities of the Gulf are the oldest ones in the eastern Pacific. Two species have been recorded in the Gulf (or nearby) since the Pliocene and several other species since the Pleistocene. The uninterrupted fossil record falsifies the hypothesis of a total extinction of reef corals in the eastern Pacific during the Pleistocene. The fossil evidence and temperature calculations support the conjecture that the Gulf of California was a refuge zone for corals and other warm-water biotas during the same epoch. Also it is suggested that some species of the genera Porites may have an Atlantic origin, contrary to the accepted idea of an exclusive Indo-Pacific origin of the eastern Pacific coral fauna.     

The first vertebrate fossil from Socotra Island (Yemen) is an early Holocene Egyptian fruit bat

Data on the prehistoric biota of the Socotra Archipelago (Yemen) are scarce. We report on the first extinct vertebrate ever recorded from this western Indian Ocean island group. An exceptionally preserved adult specimen of Egyptian fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus was found in a calcite flowstone in Hoq Cave on the NE coast of Socotra Island. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating on bone fragments estimates the fossil at ca. 7600–7400 cal a BP (radiocarbon age 6669 ± 70 ¹⁴C a BP) corresponding to an early Holocene wet period in southern Arabia and the Horn of Africa. Morphometric analysis of the skull compared to Recent specimens from the neighbouring mainlands finds the fossil morphologically most similar to Egyptian (Nile Valley and Libyan Desert), not to East African or Middle Eastern populations. The species is currently absent from the Horn of Africa (Somalia and Eastern Ethiopia). Although potentially a stray individual, we also discuss the palaeoenvironmental implications under the hypothetical scenario that the fruit bat is a remnant of an extinct resident population. If so, the extinction of an important pollinator and seed disperser may have impacted the Socotran terrestrial ecosystems.     

A preliminary report on the newly found Tianyuan Cave, a Late Pleistocene human fossil site near Zhoukoudian

The Tianyuan Cave is the only human fossil-bearing site containing rich mammalian fossils found in the last decades near Zhoukoudian. Up to now more than 34 specimens of the human body have been recovered, and the mammalian fossils can be put into 29 species. Cervids dominate the fauna, and carnivores are very rare. Based on the primary examination, the human fossils can be attributed to the species Homo sapiens. All the mammalian fossils, except one between tooth of Crocuta belong to the species that still exist today. But some of them are the first records in fossil form north of the Yellow River, such as Arctonyx and Capricornis. Based on the mammalian fauna study, it seems that the Tianyuan Cave can be correlated with the Upper Cave.Sixty-three percent of the species of the mammalian fauna from the Tianyuan Cave are also present in the Upper Cave.The characters of the deposits also share some similarities between the Tianyuan Cave and the Upper Cave; both of them are mainly composed of breccia without cement. The dating using the U-series method on deer tooth samples indicates that the geological age of the new site is around 25 thousand years B.P. This is the first discovery of human sites outside the core area of the Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian,which throws new light onto this world famous site complex.