Aboveground biomass increments over 26 years (1993–2019) in an old-growth cool-temperate forest in northern Japan

Assessing long-term changes in the biomass of old-growth forests with consideration of climate effects is essential for understanding forest ecosystem functions under a changing climate. Long-term biomass changes are the result of accumulated short-term changes, which can be affected by endogenous processes such as gap filling in small-scale canopy openings. Here, we used 26 years (1993–2019) of repeated tree census data in an old-growth, cool-temperate, mixed deciduous forest that contains three topographic units (riparian, denuded slope, and terrace) in northern Japan to document decadal changes in aboveground biomass (AGB) and their processes in relation to endogenous processes and climatic factors. AGB increased steadily over the 26 years in all topographic units, but different tree species contributed to the increase among the topographic units. AGB gain within each topographic unit exceeded AGB loss via tree mortality in most of the measurement periods despite substantial temporal variation in AGB loss. At the local scale, variations in AGB gain were partially explained by compensating growth of trees around canopy gaps. Climate affected the local-scale AGB gain: the gain was larger in the measurement periods with higher mean air temperature during the current summer but smaller in those with higher mean air temperature during the previous autumn, synchronously in all topographic units. The influences of decadal summer and autumn warming on AGB growth appeared to be counteracting, suggesting that the observed steady AGB increase in KRRF is not fully explained by the warming. Future studies should consider global and regional environmental factors such as elevated CO2 concentrations and nitrogen deposition, and include cool-temperate forests with a broader temperature range to improve our understanding on biomass accumulation in this type of forests under climate change.

Sclerochronological evidence of pronounced seasonality from the late Pliocene of the southern North Sea Basin, and its implications

Oxygen isotope (δ18O) sclerochronology of benthic marine molluscs provides a means of reconstructing the seasonal range in seafloor temperature, subject to use of an appropriate equation relating shell δ18O to temperature and water δ18O, reasonably accurate estimation of water δ18O, and due consideration of growth-rate effects. Taking these factors into account, δ18O data from late Pliocene bivalves of the southern North Sea Basin (Belgium and the Netherlands) indicate a seasonal seafloor range at times larger than now in the area. Microgrowth-increment data from Aequipecten opercularis, together with the species-composition of the bivalve assemblage and aspects of preservation, suggest a setting below the summer thermocline for all but the latest material investigated. This implies a higher summer temperature at the surface than on the seafloor and consequently a greater seasonal range. A conservative (3 °C) estimate of the difference between maximum seafloor and surface temperature under circumstances of summer stratification points to seasonal surface ranges in excess of the present value (12.4 °C nearby). Using model-constrained estimates of water δ18O, summer surface temperature was initially in the cool temperate range (< 20 °C) and then (during the Mid-Piacenzian Warm Period; MPWP) increased into the warm temperate range (> 20 °C) before reverting to cool temperate values (in conjunction with shallowing and a loss of summer stratification). This pattern is in agreement with biotic-assemblage evidence. Winter temperature was firmly in the cool temperate range (< 10 °C) throughout, contrary to previous interpretations. Averaging of summer and winter surface temperatures for the MPWP provides a figure for mean annual sea-surface temperature that is 2–3 °C higher than the present value (10.9 °C nearby) and in close agreement with a figure obtained by averaging alkenone- and TEX86-temperatures for the MPWP from the Netherlands. These proxies, however, respectively underestimate summer temperature and overestimate winter temperature, giving an incomplete picture of seasonality. A higher mean annual temperature than now is consistent with the notion of global warmth in the MPWP, but a low winter temperature in the southern North Sea Basin suggests regional reduction in oceanic heat supply, contrasting with other interpretations of North Atlantic oceanography during the interval. Carbonate clumped isotope (Δ47) and biomineral unit thermometry offer means of checking the δ18O-based temperatures.

Eocene to Oligocene vegetation and climate in the Tasmanian Gateway region controlled by changes in ocean currents and pCO₂

Considered as one of the most significant climate reorganisations of the Cenozoic period, the Eocene-Oligocene Transition (EOT; ca. 34.44–33.65) is characterised by global cooling and the first major glacial advance on Antarctica. While in the southern high-latitudes, the EOT cooling is primarily recorded in the marine realm, the extent and effect on terrestrial climate and vegetation is poorly documented. Here, we present a new, well-dated, continuous, high-resolution palynological (sporomorph) data and quantitative sporomorph-based climate estimates recovered from the East Tasman Plateau (ODP Site 1172) to reconstruct climate and vegetation dynamics from the late Eocene (37.97 Ma) to early Oligocene (33.06 Ma). Our results indicate three major climate transitions and four vegetation communities occupying Tasmania under different precipitation and temperature regimes: (i) a warm-temperate Nothofagus-Podocarpaceae dominated rainforest with paratropical elements from 37.97–37.52 Ma; (ii) cool-temperate Nothofagus dominated rainforest with secondary Podocarpaceae rapidly expanding and taking over regions previously occupied by the warmer taxa between 37.306–35.60 Ma; (iii) fluctuation between warm temperate – paratropical taxa and cool temperate forest from 35.50–34.49 Ma, followed by a cool phase across the EOT (34.30–33.82 Ma); (iv) post-EOT (earliest Oligocene) recovery characterised by a warm-temperate forest association from 33.55–33.06 Ma. Coincident with changes in stratification of water masses and sequestration of carbon from surface water in the Southern Ocean, our sporomorph-based temperature estimates between 37.52 Ma and 35.60 Ma (phase ii) showed 2–3 °C terrestrial cooling. The unusual fluctuation between warm and cold temperate forest between 35.50 to 34.59 Ma is suggested to be linked to the initial deepening of the Tasmanian Gateway allowing eastern Tasmania to come under the influence of warm water associated with the proto-Leeuwin Current (PLC). Further to the above, our terrestrial data show mean annual temperature declining by about 2 °C across the EOT before recovering in the earliest Oligocene. This phenomenon is synchronous with regional and global cooling during the EOT and linked to declining pCO2. However, the earliest Oligocene climate rebound along eastern Tasmania is linked to transient recovery of atmospheric pCO2 and sustained deepening of the Tasmanian Gateway, promoting PLC throughflow. The three main climate transitional events across the studied interval (late Eocene–earliest Oligocene) in the Tasmanian Gateway region suggest that changes in ocean circulation due to accelerated deepening of the Tasmanian Gateway may not have been solely responsible for the changes in terrestrial climate and vegetation dynamics, but a series of regional and global events, including a change in stratification of water masses, sequestration of carbon from surface waters, and changes in pCO2 may have played vital roles.

A new species of Oligosoma (Squamata: Scincidae) from the northern North Island, New Zealand

New Zealand is home to a diverse cool temperate assemblage of skinks, with 60+ identified taxa (genus Oligosoma Girard), of which only 50 have been formally described. Here we describe a new species (Oligosoma kakerakau sp. nov.) from Bream Head Scenic Reserve, near Whangārei Heads, Northland. This species is considered to be conspecific with a single specimen (Oligosoma “Whirinaki”) previously reported (in 2003) from Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park ~370 km further south. Oligosoma kakerakau sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other members of the genus by a combination of a distinctive “teardrop” marking below the eye, a distinctive mid-lateral stripe, and the colouration and pattern on its ventral surface. Our phylogenetic analyses indicate that Oligosoma kakerakau sp. nov. is most closely related to O. zelandicum (Gray), and more distantly to O. striatum (Buller) and O. homalonotum (Boulenger). Sea level changes during the Pliocene, such as the formation of the Manawatū Strait, may have contributed to the divergence between Oligosoma kakerakau sp. nov. and O. zelandicum. We discuss the distribution, ecology and conservation of Oligosoma kakerakau sp. nov., and outline future research and conservation priorities for the species.