Paleoecology of Early Ordovician Reefs in the Yichang Area,Hubei:a Correlation of Organic Reefs Between Early Ordovician and Jurassic

The Early Ordovician System is composed mainly of a series of carbonate platform deposits interbedded with shale and is especially characterized by a large number of organic reefs or buildups that occur widely in the research area.The reefs have different thicknesses ranging from 0.5 m to 11.5 m and lengths varying from 1 m to 130 m.The reef-building organisms include Archaeoscyphia, Recepthaculitids,Batostoma,Cyanobacteria and Pulchrilamina.Through the research of characteristics of the reef-bearing strata of the Early Ordovician in the Yichang area,four sorts of biofacies are recognized,which are(1) shelly biofacies:containing Tritoechia-Pelmatozans community and Tritoechia-Pomatotrema community;(2) reef biofacies:including the Batostoma,Calathium-Archaeoscyphia, Pelmatozoa-Batostoma,Archeoscyphia and Calathium-Cyanobacteria communities; (3) standing-water biofacies:including the Acanthograptus-Dendrogptus and Yichangopora communities;and(4) allochthonous biofacies:containing Nanorthis-Psilocephlina taphocoense community.The analysis of sea-level changes indicates that there are four cycles of sea-level changes during the period when reef-bearing strata were formed in this area,and the development of reefs is obviously controlled by the velocity of sea-level changes and the growth of accommodation space.The authors hold that reefs were mostly formed in the high sea level periods.Because of the development of several subordinate cycles during the sea-level rising,the reefs are characterized by great quantity, wide distribution,thin thickness and small scale,which are similar to that of Juassic reefs in northern Tibet.The research on the evolution of communities shows that succession and replacement are the main forms.The former is favorable to the development of reefs and the latter indicates the disappearance of reefs.

Paleoecology of Late Carboniferous Phylloid Algae in Southern Guizhou,SW China

Phylloid algae arc important rcef-builders in the late Carboniferous. This paper focuses on the paleoecology of phylloid algae in the Late Carboniferous on well-exposed reefs in Ziyun County, Guizhou Province. Phylloid algae growing closely packed arc attached via holdfast or similar structure to substrate. They were growing in environments such as shallow water, photic zone and below the wave base with medium energy currents. They have a variety of morphological forms, such as single cup-shaped, cabbage-shaped and clustering cup-shaped. The thalli arc of certain tenacity and intensity. In the areas dominated by phylloid algae, other marine orgam＇sms arc relatively scarce. Obviously, phylloid algae arc stronger competitors for living space than other co-occurring organisms.

Biostratigraphy and Paleoecology of Maastrichtian Sediments in the Zagros Basin, Iran

To enable the lithostratigraphic and biostratigraphie study of the Gurpi Formation, within the ＇Dezak＇ or Globigerina Marl, a stratigraphic section at Booraki, located to the NNW of Shiraz, SW Iran, through the late Cretaceous was examined. The formation consists of shale and greenish-gray marls interbedded with cream limestone, brown sandstones and siltstones with an exposed thickness of 160 m in the studied section. Samples were taken at regular intervals in all yielding 14 genera and 16 different species of benthic and planktic foraminifera that allowed determination of the age of the beds as Maastrichtian. To examine the paleoecology of the formation, some important ecological factors including water level, salinity, and oxygen regime change during the depositional courses of the formation were analyzed. The density of foraminiferans decreases from the base to top of the Gurpi Formation whereas the ratio of planktic to benthic Foraminifera （i.e., P/B） and proportion of shallow-water fauna increase. These foraminiferal changes indicate an increase and decrease in depth, temperature, salinity and oxygen, respectively, at the base and top of the Formation.

Deep-Sea Benthic Foraminiferal Distribution in South West Indian Ocean: Implications to Paleoecology

Five grab samples from the southwestern part of the Indian ocean were collected by ORV Sagar Kanya during the third expedition to the southern Indian ocean in June 2009. The sediment samples have been analyzed and recorded 36 benthic foraminiferal species belonging to 21 genera and 3 suborders. All the species were taxonomically identified, SEM photographed and illustrated. Deep sea-benthic foraminiferal species at different locations of South of West India Ocean (3150-4125 m water depth) is examined in terms of number of species (n) and diversity (d). The observed depth ranges of benthic foraminifera have been documented to recognize their bathymetric distribution. The valves of these parameters reached their maximum at 3190 m water depth. Productivity continued in the Indo-Pacific Ocean (the biogenic boom) and the Oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) intensified over large parts of Indian Ocean continually. The diversity values show more abrupt trend as depth increases. Species like Epistominella exigua and Pullenia bulloides occur at both 3150 m & 3465 m depths indicating depth persistence. Further, Oridorsalis umbonatus and Melonis sphaeroides occur at both 3150 m & 3465 m depths. Species like Gyroidina sp an indicate of low oxygen environment and Uvigerina hispida-costata indicative of high organic carbon are found to occur at 3150 m & 3740 m respectively. Factor analysis and Pearson correlation matrix was performed on foraminiferal census data of 10 highest ranked species which are present in at least one sample. 3 factors were obtained accounting for 72.81% of the total variance. Thus the study suggests that fluctuations in species diversity at the locations of the present study were related to changes in productivity during the geological past. Further, the faunal data do indicate the early Holocene Indian Ocean was influenced by increased ventilation perhaps by North Atlantic deep water and or circumpolar deep waters.

Taphonomy and Paleoecology of Lycoptera: A Case Study from the Lower Jehol Group in Western Liaoning, Northeastern China

Taphonomy and paleoecology(biological behavior)of the Early Cretaceous fish fossils are poorly described.This study reports for the first time a detailed taphonomical and paleoecological study on Lycoptera in the Mesozoic strata of western Liaoning Province,NE China.The XRD analysis shows that gismondine is the dominant clay minerals that could have contributed to the preservation of Lycoptera fossils and microbial mat fragments in the fossil-bearing horizon.Gismondine may have formed under volcanism-related hydrothermal regime that was transformed from crystal and lithic fragments.Theμ-XRF imaging analysis shows a dominant chemical composition of Al,Si,P,S,Rh,K,Ca,Ti,C,Cr,Mn,Fe,Ni,among which P,Ca,C and S are enriched in the fish skeleton in comparison to the matrix.This suggests a dominant apatite composition for the fish skeleton.Hydrothermal influence did not smear off these organic signals probably because of protection of gismondine.The coexistance of C and S with Ni is assumed to represent recovered primary productivity following volcanic explosions and toxic gas emissions.The head of juvenile fish stays close to the body of adult fish.Pending further discoveries,such phenomenon is interpreted to suggest that adult fish actively protected juvenile fish in the presence of environmental pressures such as anoxia and deterioration of water quality induced by volcanism.Ocean acidification and hypoxia in association with volcanism created a harmful environment causing mass extinction of fish.The adult Lycoptera protected their juveniles by its body at the moment before death.Such biological behavior will be increasingly reported given the wide occurrence of Lycoptera in Mesozoic strata.

Kuedinskie Kluchiki, a Unique Middle Permian Biota Locality as a Key-point for Reconstruction of Late Paleozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems of the Urals, Russia

Field work focused on the Kuedinskie Kluchiki locality, Perm region, Urals, Russia, which contains a rich assemblage of diverse fossil organisms including higher plants(equisetophytes, pteridosperms, ginkgophytes, conifers, vojnovskyans) represented by stems, leaves and reproductive organs;invertebrates(mollusks, arthropods), and tetrapods(temnospondyl amphibians, seymouriamorphs, cotylosaurs, synapsids, diapsids), as well as bony fishes. General characteristics of the taxonomical composition of the Kuedinskie Kluchiki locality are given. A new peltaspermalean pteridosperm taxon, Compsopteris longipinnata sp. nov., and a voltzialean conifer Archaeovoltzia kuedensis sp. nov. are described. General considerations on the paleoecologic and paleogeographic conditions of the Kuedinskie Kluchiki locality origin are given.

Changes in Calcareous Nannofossil Assemblages and Paleoenvironmental Interpretation of the Early Miocene Lice Formation, Kahramanmara? Basin, Turkey, East Mediterranean

This study investigated the calcareous nannofossil assemblages in detail from the early Miocene aged Lice Formation outcropping in the Kahramanmara? basin. The biostratigraphy of calcareous nannofossils was outlined and paleoenvironmental features determined. In 81 samples taken from three measured sections in the region, 17 calcareous nannofossil genus and 48 nannofossil species were identified. These calcareous nannofossil genus and species identified the Lice Formation as being in the CNM4 nannofossil biozone. The abundance and diversity of early Miocene calcareous nannofossil species varied in the measured sections, with the samples generally moderate-poor, apart from a few samples. The relative abundance of individuals of Cyclicargolithus floridanus, Coccolithus pelagicus, Reticulofenestra hagii and Sphenolithus moriformis species, with paleoecological importance identified in the study region, indicate that in early Miocene times, the basin in which the Lice Formation deposited was meso-eutrophic with excess nutrient input, temperate and generally stable shallow marine conditions.

Paleoecology of the Ordovician Reef-Shoal Depositional System in the Yijianfang Outcrop of the Bachu Area,West Tarim Basin

The reef-shoal depositional system of the Ordovician carbonate platform margin is well exposed in the Yijianfang （一间房） outcrop of the Bachn （巴楚） uplift region, which offers an advantageous condition to study their paleoecology. Using a detailed field geologic survey and illustrated profiles of typical depositional systems, three types of genetic facies associations can be recognized in the reef-shoal depositional system： an organic reef, an organic shoal, and an upper slope. The organic reef is composed of three types of genetic facies （a reef base, a reef core, and fore-reef breccias）; the organic shoal is formed from five types of genetic facies （tide channels, fore-reef inner shoals, fore-reef outer shoals, back-reef inner shoals, and back-reef outer shoals）. The studies of the paleontological assemblage in each genetic facies of the depositional system indicate that the fauna preserved in each genetic facies are varied. The calathium, archaeoscyphia, bryozoan, and calcareous alga are well preserved in the organic reefs. The organisms preserved in the organic shoals are generally fragmented, while weil-preserved girvanella and nuia siberica with a content of about 15% in the back-reef outer shoals are the most characteristic and different from others. The sinoceras, trilobites, and gastropods are well preserved in the upper slope deposits. The studies will demonstrate that the reef-shoal complexes developed above the base of the fair-weather wave base and that the original hydrodynamic conditions for the reef core forming is the stronger and become more and more low-energy from the inner part to outer part of the organic shoals.

Faunal associations, paleoecology and paleoenvironment of marine Jurassic rocks in the Mae Sot, Phop Phra, and Umphang areas, western Thailand

We here report a paleoecological analysis and depositional history of the marine Jurassic (Toarcian–early Bajocian) strata cropping out in the western part of Thailand, based on bivalve assemblages with additional data from ammonites, brachiopods, and microfossils. Generally, the benthic bivalve facies in most outcrops is rich in infaunal, semi-infaunal and epifaunal suspension-feeders. Of these, infaunal forms dominate. The diversity of this benthic assemblage was influenced by energy level, substrate, sedimentation rate, and salinity. Low to intermediate energy levels and rather soft fine-grained siliciclastic substrate are proposed as factors governing faunal distribution and explaining the greater abundance and diversity of infaunal than epifaunal suspension-feeders. There were paleoenvironmental changes both in space and time, i.e., from south to north (Umphang to Mae Sot) and from Early Bajocian to Toarcian. In the Toarcian, most outcrops in Umphang are dominated by benthic bivalve facies (infaunal, semi-infaunal, and epifaunal associations). This implies warm, shallow water (inner neritic, 50―100 m) and oxygenated conditions except for the Mae Sot area where a deeper setting (outer neritic to possibly upper continental slope, 50―200 m) with restricted basinal anoxic conditions is favored as indicated by the presence of Bositra. After higher energy conditions in the Toarcian, lower energy conditions with low sediment supplies prevail in the Alenian, and the Mae Sot area was still a restricted basin. As a result of higher sea levels, the oxygen content in the basin is increased, resulting in the presence of the ammonites. By the end of the Alenian-early Bajocian, an ammonite-bivalve association (mixed facies A) and the presence of corals and microfauna (mixed facies B) are dominant but pass upwards to near-shore higher energy conditions in most areas except for restricted basin in Mae Sot. By the middle Bajocian the environment in all areas had changed from marine to nonmarine.

The Villafranchian carnivoran guild of Greece:implications for the fauna,biochronology and paleoecology

Knowledge on the Villafranchian faunas of Greece was limited for a long time,but over the past 3 decades sever­al new fossiliferous sites have been discovered and new material has been unearthed.The carnivores constitute a remarkable part of this material and their study has provided useful information for the taxonomy,chronology and palaeoecology.The Villafranchian carnivoran guild includes numerous taxa belonging to various families.Some of them are interesting as they are differentiated from the other Eurasian families.They cover the entire Villafran­chian but the mass is known from the Middle to the Epi-Villafranchian(EVC).Despite the discontinuous data,they provide useful biochronological results.The coexistence of Pliocrocuta perrieri and Pachycrocuta breviros­tris in the locality of Gerakarou 1 is strong evidence for the Middle Villafranchian(MVC)/Late Villafranchian(LVC)boundary.The composition of the Villafranchian carnivores suggests that the canids predominate,while the felids,hyenids and mustelids are well represented;the ursids are represented by a single taxon,the well-known Ursus etruscus,which seems to be common during the entire Villafranchian.The carnivoran guild structure and the mul­tivariate analysis of the Greek Villafranchian carnivoran assemblages(MVC,LVC and EVC)in comparison with modern assembalges from open and closed environments indicate a relatively open landscape,which is in agree­ment with previous results for the Villafranchian of Greece.During the EVC there is a faunal renewal that is relat­ed to a more open and dry environment,like savannah bushland/grassland.

Sedimentology and foraminiferal paleoecology of the exposed Oligocene-Miocene Ogwashi-Asaba Formation in Issele-Uku area,Anambra Basin,southern Nigeria:A paleoenvironmental reconstruction

Sedimentological and foraminiferal paleoecological studies were carried out for the Oligocene-Miocene Ogwashi-Asaba Formation of the Anambra Basin at the Issele-Uku area in southern Nigeria,to reconstruct paleoenvironments.The pattern of rock successions and textural characteristics suggest the prevalence of fluvio-deltaic setting during the formation of lignites and clastic rocks of Ogwashi-Asaba Formation.Agglutinated benthic foraminiferal species such as Ammotium sp.,Textularia sp.,Gavelinella sp.,Milliamina sp.,Reophax sp.,Bolivina sp.,Eponides sp.,Pseudobolivina sp.and Lenticulina sp.dominate the shale units whereas the planktonic forms are absent.All these species have very low population and diversity in the shales,which could be due to the presence of harsh conditions such as low oxygen level and scarcity of food,leading to poor survival.The assessments of benthic foraminifera's habitat suggest middle-to-inner neritic marine environment for the shales.Granulometric results suggest fluvial environment for the sandstone and deltaic for the lignite.The Ogwashi-Asaba Formation in Issele-Uku area of Anambra Basin,southern Nigeria,therefore,have records of shallow marine,and fluvio-deltaic paleoenvironments.

A novel seed cone of Pinus from the Miocene of coastal Southeast China indicates kinship with Southeast Asian pines

Pinus is an economically and ecologically important genus whose members are dominant components globally in low-latitude mountainous and mid-latitude temperate forests.Pinus species richness is currently concentrated in subtropical mid-low latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere,differing from the latitudinal diversity gradient mostly recognized in woody angiosperms.How the present pattern was developing in Earth's past is still poorly studied,particularly in eastern Asia.Here,a new fossil species,Pinus shengxianica sp.nov.is described based on a fossil seed cone from the Late Miocene Shengxian Formation in Zhejiang,southeast China.A co-occurring cone is recognized as a known fossil species,Pinus speciosa Li.Extensive comparison of extant and fossil members of Pinus suggests P.shengxianica shares a striking cone similarity to Pinus merkusii and Pinus latteri(subsection Pinus)from tropical Southeast Asia in having annular bulges around the umbo on the apophysis.The morphological resemblance indicates these two extant low-latitude pines probably possess a close affinity with the present newly-discovered P.shengxianica and originated from East Asian mid-low latitude ancestors during this generic re-diversification in the Miocene.This scenario is consistent with the evolutionary trajectory reflected by the pine fossil history and molecular data,marking the Miocene as a key period for the origin and evolution of most extant pines globally.The co-occurrences of diverse conifers and broadleaved angiosperms preferring diverse niches demonstrate Late Miocene eastern Zhejiang was one of the hot spots for coniferophyte diversity and hosted a needled-broadleaved mixed forest with complex vegetation structure and an altitudinal zonation.

Two New Species of Eretmophyllum(Ginkgoales)from the Jurassic of Eastern Siberia

Two new species of Eretmophyllum Thomas are described from the lower(Toarcian)and upper(Aalenian)Prisayan Formation of the Irkutsk Basin,Eastern Siberia,Russia based on distinct morphological and cuticular features of the leaves that distinguish them from other species of the genus.Eretmophyllum polypapillosum sp.nov.is characterized by the presence of 2-3 papillae on the lower and upper epidermis of ordinary cells.Taphonomically,the leaf burials of E.polypapillosum sp.nov.indicate that it preferred mesophilic forests developed on river terraces and/or low watersheds.Eretmophyllum yershowskiensis sp.nov.is represented exclusively by leaf cuticles extracted by coal maceration,and it probably inhabited the low banks of peat bogs.The presence of the genus Eretmophyllum in the Early Jurassic of France and Eastern Siberia shows that it was already widespread in the territory of Eurasia,distributed from Western Europe to Eastern Siberia.This indicates the possible existence of Eretmophyllum species elsewhere in the Early Jurassic such as Central Asia and Northwest China.

Evidence of the oldest extant vascular plant(horsetails)from the Indian Cenozoic

Equisetum(Equisetaceae)has long been a focus of attention for botanists and palaeontologists because,given its extensive and well-documented fossil record,it is considered the oldest extant vascular plant and a key element in understanding vascular plant evolution.However,to date,no authentic fossil evidence of Equisetum has been found from the Indian Cenozoic.Here,we describe a new fossil species,namely,E.siwalikum sp.nov.,recovered from the middle Siwalik(Late Miocene)sediments of Himachal Pradesh,western Himalaya.We identified fossil specimens based on morphological and epidermal characters.In addition,X-Ray diffraction(XRD)analysis was used to determine the mineral composition of compressed stems of Equisetum.The close affinity of our recovered Siwalik fossils to Equisetum is supported by the presence of both macromorphological and epidermal characters.Because Equisetum generally grows in wet conditions around water reservoirs,our findings indicate that the fossil locality was humid and surrounded by swamp and lowland regions during deposition.Ample fossil evidence indicates that this sphenopsid once existed in the western Himalaya during the Siwalik period.However,at present Equisetum is confined to a particular area of our fossil locality,probably a consequence of severe environmental changes coupled with competition from opportunistic angiosperms.Our discovery of Equisetum fossils in appreciable numbers from the Siwalik sediments of the Himachal Himalayas is unique and constitutes the first reliable recognition of Equisetum from the Indian Cenozoic.

An Early Carboniferous Flora of the Huadu Locality from South China:Its Taxonomic Composition,Paleophytogeographical Position and Paleoecological Interpretation

The Huadu flora of Guangdong Province, South China contains the lepidodendrid Lepidodendron shanyangense Wu et He, its putative rhizophore Stigmaria cf. ficoides （Brongniart） Sternberg; sphenophyte s.l. Archaeocalamites scrobiculatus （Brongniart） Stur; bowmanitid Sphenophyllum tenerrimum （Ettingshausen） Stur; pteridophyll Sphenopteris sp. of uncertain taxonomic position; undetermined ferns gen. et sp. nov.; lyginopterid pteridosperm Rhodeopteridium hsianghsiangense （Sze） Zhang, Zhao et Wu, a trigonocarpoid pteridosperm represented by fronds and isolated pinnules of Paripteris gigantea （Sternberg） Gothan, male fructifications of Potoniea sp., and seeds of Trigonocarpus sp. Ecologically, the Early Carboniferous （Visean） Huadu vegetation was divided into two neighboring communities： （1） a near-shore hydrophilous ＂community A＂ with predominating Archaeocalamites and Rhodeopteridium; and （2） a wet forest ＂community B＂ with predominating shrubby trigonocarpalean pteridosperm Paripteris gigantea （Sternberg） Gothan and tall tree-like lepidodendrid Lepidodendron shanyangense Wu et He. The Huadu vegetation was physiognomically similar to present-day low-latitude mangrove forest.

Plant-Arthropod Associations from the Lower Miocene of the Most Basin in Northern Bohemia(Czech Republic):A Preliminary Report

Terrestrial plants and insects currently account for the majority of the Earth＇s biodiversity, and approximately haft of insect species are herbivores. Thus, insects and plants share ancient associations that date back more than 400 Myr. However, investigations of their past interactions are at the preliminary stages in Western Europe. Herein, we present the first results of our study of various feeding damage based on a dataset of nearly 3500 examined plant specimens from the Lower Miocene of the Lagerstaette Bflina Mine in the Most Basin, Czech Republic. This site provides a unique view of the Neogene freshwater ecosystems. It has long been studied by scientists working in different branches of sedimentology, paleobotany, and paleozoology. The fossils are preserved in three characteristic horizons overlaying the coal seam （Clayey Superseam Horizon, Delta Sandy Horizon, and Lake Clayey Horizon）, reflecting paleoenvironmental changes in a short time period of development. The trace fossils are classified as functional feeding groups or ＂guilds＂, without searching for a direct cause or a recent analog host relation. Approximately 23% of specimens of dicotyledonous plant leaves were found to be damaged and associated with some leaf ＂morphotypes＂. Deciduous plant-host taxa, and those with a chartaceous texture typical of riparian habitats, were frequently damaged, such as Populus, recorded with two species Populus zaddachii and Populus populina （57.9% and 31% herbivory levels, respectively）, followed by Acer, Alnus, and Carya, averaging almost 30% of damaged leaves/leaflets. There has been evidence of 60 damage types （DT） representing all functional feeding groups recorded at the Bflina Mine, including 12 types of leaf mines and 16 gall- type DT. In total, Lower Miocene of the Lagerstaette Bilina Mine exhibits a high level of external foliage feeding types （23.7%）, and a low level of more specialized DT, such as galls （4.3%） and leaf mines （〈1%）. A broader comparison based on DT of the main sedimentary environments shows significance supporting different biomes by frequency of damage levels and DT diversities.

Comparative Morphology and Identification of Disassociated Crocodiliform Osteoderms from the Upper Cretacious Maevarano Formation,Madagascar

Since 1993,Many hundreds of isolated crocodileform osteoderms have been recovered from the Maevarano Formation of Northwestern Madagascar by joint expeditions of Stony Brook University

Bioerosion on Late Pleistocene Marine Mollusks:A Paleoclimatological and Paleoecological Comparison of MIS 7 and MIS 5e with Modern Beaches(Río Negro,Argentina)

The Late Pleistocene littoral ridges of southern South America,especially those of the north of Argentinean Patagonia,contain remains of mollusk shells with bioerosion traces.Eleven sites from marine isotope stages(2 from MIS 7,4 from MIS 5 e)and five sites from modern beaches from northern Río Negro Province,with 40 taxa(17 bivalves and 23 gastropods)were analyzed,in the area between west of Baliza San Matías and Las Grutas(41°S).Three ichnogenera were identified in deposits of MIS 7:Entobia,Gastrochaenolites(Domichnia)and Oichnus(Praedichnia)with one ichnospecies(G.torpedo).Six ichnogenera were identified in deposits of MIS 5 e:Entobia,Meandropolydora,Pinaceocladichnus,Iramena,Caulostrepsis and Oichnus with one ichnospecies(O.simplex).Seven ichnogenera were identified from modern beaches:Entobia,Meandropolydora,Iramena,Caulostrepsis,Pinaceocladichnus,Gastrochaenolites(Domichnia)and Oichnus(Praedicnia),with two ichnospecies(O.simplex and O.paraboloides).On this basis,it is inferred that Pleistocene benthic communities were constituted from cheilostome bryzoans and polychaete annelids,together with drilling bivalves,predatory gastropods and overall warm-water species of mollusks.Of these,Chama iudicai was found on Plicatula gibbosa from MIS 7 and MIS 5 e.The record of warm temperature species suggests a higher sea surface temperature(SST)than the present one and/or the influence of the warm southward Brazilian Current affecting the waters of Golfo San Matías.On the modern beaches surveyed,there is an increase in polychaete annelids,cheilostome bryzoans,temperate-cold species and drilling bivalves,as well as sandy substrate species,which together with an increase of Gastrochaenolites and Caulostrepsis,suggest a colder climate due to the greater influence of the Malvinas Current during the Holocene.

Past changes in the abundance of diatoms as inferred from a sediment core from Hebe Haven, Saikung, Hong Kong

The purpose of this study was to infer changes in water quality from diatom stratigraphy of a sediment core taken from Hebe Haven, New Territories, Hong Kong, China. Diatoms and diatom fragments were counted in the top (0—5 cm) and bottom (20—25 cm) portions of the core. The core was age dated using 210 Pb and these results were used to calculate a mean sedimentation rate(0 69 cm/a). A significant difference in the total number of diatoms and their relative abundance between the top 0—5 cm and the bottom 20—25 cm was found ( p <0 05). Significantly higher diatom species diversity and a more even diatom species composition occurred at 20—25 cm some 40—60 years ago. This difference was interpreted as a reflection of the water quality changes which have occurred over the last 40—60 years in Hebe Haven. Benthic diatoms once flushed in the clear waters of Hebe Haven as reported by individuals who swam and boated there immediately after WW II. Increased turbidity in recent years has apparently increased the relative abundance of planktonic diatoms at the expense of benthic diatoms which today are unable to receive sufficient light to grow on the bottom of the Hebe Haven Harbor (mean depth about 6 m). The observed increase in planktonic diatom abundance in the top 5 cm of the sediment core was attributed to increased nutrient loading to Hebe Haven over the last three decades.

Toxic marine diatoms of Hong Kong:A paleoecological study

To determine whether toxic diatoms in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour have become more common during the last four decades,a gravity core was taken from the anaerobic sediments of Kowloon Bay in the harbour. Analysis of these sediments from a depth of 0-1cm,4-5cm and 9-10cm indicated that 6.4%,2.4% and 1.5% of the diatoms observed at each of these three respective depths belonged to the genus Pseudonitzschia. The abundance of Pseudonitzschia frustules in the surface sediments of Victoria Harbour was significantly higher(p<0.05)than it was in the harbour's deeper and older(ca.1965)sediments. The increase in potentially toxic diatom species over the last 30 years was attributed to a variety of factors including the addition of large amounts of nutrients to Hong Kong's coastal waters as a re- sult of man's activities.