Gastropod Paleoecology

1985 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 174-189
Author(s):  
Alan J. Kohn
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Environmental Relationships ◽  
Fossil Assemblages

Paleoecology concerns the life processes and patterns of environmental relationships of groups of ancient organisms during their lifetimes. Two assumptions are fundamental to paleoecological theory: observed patterns in populations, associations, communities and ecosystems represented in the fossil record were imposed by contemporaneous physical and biological environmental factors and their interactions, and at least some past environmental conditions can be discerned from fossil assemblages and their rock matrices.

Preservation is predictable: quantifying the effect of taphonomic biases on ecological disparity in birds

Paleobiology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan S. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Sample Size ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Morphological Disparity ◽  
Bird Assemblages ◽  
Lacustrine Deposits ◽  
Fossil Assemblages ◽  
Fossil Data ◽  
Relative Scarcity

AbstractEvolutionary inferences from fossil data often require accurately reconstructing differences in richness and morphological disparity between fossil sites across space and time. Biases such as sampling and rock availability are commonly accounted for in large-scale studies; however, preservation bias is usually dealt with only in smaller, more focused studies. Birds represent a diverse, but taphonomically fragile, group commonly used to infer environmental conditions in recent (Pleistocene and later) fossil assemblages, and their relative scarcity in the fossil record has led to controversy over the timing of their radiation. Here, I use simulations to show how even weak taphonomic biases can distort estimates of richness, and render variance sensitive to sample size. I then apply an ecology-based filtering model to recent bird assemblages to quantify the distortion induced by taphonomy. Certain deposit types, such as caves, show less evidence of taphonomic distortion than others, such as fluvial and lacustrine deposits. Archaeological middens unsurprisingly show some of the strongest evidence for taphonomic bias, and they should be avoided when reconstructing Pleistocene and early Holocene environments. Further, these results support previously suggested methods for detecting fossil assemblages that are relatively faithfully preserved (e.g., presence of difficult-to-preserve taxa), and I use these results to recommend that future large-scale studies include facies diversity along with metrics such as rock volume, or compare only sites with similar taphonomic histories.

scholarly journals Regional environmental controllers influence continental scale soil carbon stocks and future carbon dynamics

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Ruiz Potma Gonçalves ◽  
Umakant Mishra ◽  
Skye Wills ◽  
Sagar Gautam
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Climate Feedback ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Land Cover Types ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Soc Stocks

AbstractUnderstanding the influence of environmental factors on soil organic carbon (SOC) is critical for quantifying and reducing the uncertainty in carbon climate feedback projections under changing environmental conditions. We explored the effect of climatic variables, land cover types, topographic attributes, soil types and bedrock geology on SOC stocks of top 1 m depth across conterminous United States (US) ecoregions. Using 4559 soil profile observations and high-resolution data of environmental factors, we identified dominant environmental controllers of SOC stocks in 21 US ecoregions using geographically weighted regression. We used projected climatic data of SSP126 and SSP585 scenarios from GFDL-ESM 4 Earth System Model of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 to predict SOC stock changes across continental US between 2030 and 2100. Both baseline and predicted changes in SOC stocks were compared with SOC stocks represented in GFDL-ESM4 projections. Among 56 environmental predictors, we found 12 as dominant controllers across all ecoregions. The adjusted geospatial model with the 12 environmental controllers showed an R2 of 0.48 in testing dataset. Higher precipitation and lower temperatures were associated with higher levels of SOC stocks in majority of ecoregions. Changes in land cover types (vegetation properties) was important in drier ecosystem as North American deserts, whereas soil types and topography were more important in American prairies. Wetlands of the Everglades was highly sensitive to projected temperature changes. The SOC stocks did not change under SSP126 until 2100, however SOC stocks decreased up to 21% under SSP585. Our results, based on environmental controllers of SOC stocks, help to predict impacts of changing environmental conditions on SOC stocks more reliably and may reduce uncertainties found in both, geospatial and Earth System Models. In addition, the description of different environmental controllers for US ecoregions can help to describe the scope and importance of global and local models.

Emerging investigator series: interacting effects of environmental factors on Daphnia magna removal of Escherichia coli from wastewater

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 726-738
Author(s):  
Seyyed M. H. Abtahi ◽  
Ojaswi Aryal ◽  
Niveen S. Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Daphnia Magna ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
E Coli

Zooplankton can significantly impact E. coli inactivation in wastewater, but inactivation rates are dependent on environmental conditions.

scholarly journals Two new long-rostrum cranefly species from the Cretaceous Iberian amber (Diptera, Limoniidae, Helius)

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iwona Kania-Kłosok ◽  
Wiesław Krzemiński ◽  
Antonio Arillo
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
First Record ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Body Morphology ◽  
Cretaceous Period ◽  
Basque Cantabrian Basin

AbstractFirst record of the genus Helius—long-rostrum cranefly from Maestrazgo Basin (eastern Spain, Iberian Penisula) is documented. Two new fossil species of the genus Helius are described from Cretaceous Spanish amber and compared with other species of the genus known from fossil record with particular references to these known from Cretaceous period. Helius turolensis sp. nov. is described from San Just amber (Lower Cretaceous, upper Albian) Maestrazgo Basin, eastern Spain, and Helius hispanicus sp. nov. is described from Álava amber (Lower Cretaceous, upper Albian), Basque-Cantabrian Basin, northern Spain. The specific body morphology of representatives of the genus Helius preserved in Spanish amber was discussed in relation to the environmental conditions of the Maestrazgo Basin and Basque-Cantabrian Basin in Cretaceous.

scholarly journals REDUCING THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON THE BENDING DEFORMATION OF CURED CARBON FIBER BY MICROWAVE PROCESSING

2021 ◽  
pp. 56-58
Author(s):  
I. V. Zlobina
Keyword(s):  
Electromagnetic Field ◽  
Composite Materials ◽  
Carbon Fiber ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Flux Density ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Transverse Load ◽  
Bending Deformation ◽  
Energy Flux Density

The article discusses the results of a study of bending deformation and creep under transverse load of cured polymer composite materials (PCM), which were located for 8 months in full-scale environmental conditions in Saratov. It was found that being under the influence of natural climatic factors for the specified time leads to an increase in the bending deformation of samples from 13,5 to 25,4%, depending on the load. Processing in a microwave electromagnetic field with a frequency of 2450 MHz with an energy flux density of (17-18) x10 mW / cm for 2 minutes reduces bending deformation by (9-18)%, and creep - up to 4 times.

In vitro studies on the induction of sporogenous tissue on leaves of cinnamon fern. I. Environmental factors

1972 ◽  
Vol 50 (12) ◽  
pp. 2673-2682 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. Harvey ◽  
James D. Caponetti
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Light Intensity ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Progressive Increase ◽  
Light Phase ◽  
Sporogenous Tissue ◽  
Light Darkness

Intact, set III, cinnamon fern cataphyll and frond primordia, which were shown to have no predisposition to fertility in situ, produced sporangia when excised and cultured under sterile conditions in Knudson's medium supplemented with various levels of sucrose and maintained on 11 different regimens of light, darkness, and temperature for 10 weeks. Increasing levels of sucrose resulted in increased fertility under all environmental conditions, but the highest percentage of fertility was obtained under conditions of continuous dark at 26 °C. As the length of the light phase of the photoperiods decreased, a progressive increase in induction of fertile leaves was observed, suggesting that periods of long light exposure are inhibitory to the initiation of sporangia. Conversely, as the light intensity was increased, an inhibition of sporophyll differentiation occurred. Sporangia excised from dark-induced sporophylls and cultured in the light produced viable spores which germinated yielding haploid gametophytes that ultimately produced sporophytes.

Bioeroding sponge assemblages: the importance of substrate availability and sediment

2018 ◽  
Vol 99 (2) ◽  
pp. 343-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Marlow ◽  
Christine H.L. Schönberg ◽  
Simon K. Davy ◽  
Abdul Haris ◽  
Jamaluddin Jompa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Sponge Species ◽  
Coral Mortality ◽  
Substrate Availability ◽  
Abiotic Conditions ◽  
Assemblage Composition ◽  
Reef Health

Despite global deterioration of coral reef health, not all reef-associated organisms are in decline. Bioeroding sponges are thought to be largely resistant to the factors that stress and kill corals, and are increasing in abundance on many reefs. However, there is a paucity of information on how environmental factors influence spatial variation in the distribution of these sponges, and how they might be affected by different stressors. We aimed to identify the factors that explained differences in bioeroding sponge abundance and assemblage composition, and to determine whether bioeroding sponges benefit from the same environmental conditions that can contribute towards coral mortality. Abundance surveys were conducted in the Wakatobi region of Indonesia on reefs characterized by different biotic and abiotic conditions. Bioeroding sponges occupied an average of 8.9% of available dead substrate and variation in abundance and assemblage composition was primarily attributed to differences in the availability of dead substrate. Our results imply that if dead substrate availability increases as a consequence of coral mortality, bioeroding sponge abundance is also likely to increase. However, bioeroding sponge abundance was lowest on a sedimented reef, despite abundant dead substrate. This suggests that not all forms of coral mortality will benefit all bioeroding sponge species, and sediment-degraded reefs are likely to be dominated by a few resilient bioeroding sponge species. Overall, we demonstrate the importance of understanding the drivers of bioeroding sponge abundance and assemblage composition in order to predict possible impacts of different stressors on reefs communities.

Modern problems of regionalization of territories and human adaptation in regions with extreme natural and climatic conditions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.L. Maksimov
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Extreme Conditions ◽  
Human Adaptation ◽  
Nonspecific Resistance ◽  
Key Words Adaptation ◽  
High Level ◽  
Selection Of

The paper considers modern approaches to the zoning of territories and the selection of people for life in extreme environmental conditions, taking into account modern geopolitical challenges. It is shown that it is possible, based on the allostasis concept, to conduct not only the selection of persons with a high level of nonspecific resistance, but also to quantify the degree of extremity of environmental factors using the standard represpiration test. Key words: adaptation, extreme conditions, selection, hypoxia, cold, rerespiration, allostatic load.

scholarly journals Unusually variable paleocommunity composition in the oldest metazoan fossil assemblages

Paleobiology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (02) ◽  
pp. 235-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth Finnegan ◽  
James G. Gehling ◽  
Mary L. Droser
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Benthic Assemblages ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
Fossil Assemblages ◽  
Early Metazoan ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Faunal Variability ◽  
Ecological Differences

AbstractRecent excavations of Ediacaran assemblages have revealed striking bed-to-bed variation in diversity–abundance structure, offering potential insight into the ecology and taphonomy of these poorly understood early Metazoan ecosystems. Here we compare faunal variability in Ediacaran assemblages to that of younger benthic assemblages, both fossil and modern. We decompose the diversity of local assemblages into within-collection (α) and among-collection (β) components and show that β diversity in Ediacaran assemblages is unusually high relative to younger assemblages. Average between-bed ecological dissimilarities in the Phanerozoic fossil record are comparable to within-habitat dissimilarities typically observed over meter to kilometer scales in modern benthic marine habitats, but dissimilarities in Ediacaran assemblages are comparable to those typically observed over 10–100 km scales in modern habitats. We suggest that the unusually variable diversity–abundance structure of Ediacaran assemblages is due both to their preservation as near snapshots of benthic communities and to original ecological differences, in particular the paucity of motile taxa and the near lack of predation and infaunalization.

Taphonomic approaches to time resolution in fossil assemblages: Introduction

1993 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M. Kidwell ◽  
Anna K. Behrensmeyer
Keyword(s):  
Time Resolution ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Taxonomic Group ◽  
Relative Time ◽  
Short Course ◽  
Paleontological Society ◽  
Historical Geology ◽  
Fossil Assemblages ◽  
Short Courses

Since their inception in 1978, the annual short courses sponsored by the Paleontological Society have aimed to broaden and to enhance the professional education of paleontologists, including students new to the field. The 1993 short course continues in that tradition, but differs from many previous courses in focussing not on a taxonomic group but on a broader aspect of the fossil record, namely the time resolution of fossil assemblages. This seemed an especially good topic for a short course because questions of absolute and relative time – how old? how fast? how synchronously? – pervade paleontology and historical geology in general.

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