萨拉乌苏动物组合对Heinrich事件的反映

萨拉乌苏动物组合包括下部的萨拉乌苏动物群和上部城川动物群,前者含有水牛和古菱齿象等化石,属于晚更新世中期,环境较为温凉湿润;后者以野驴和披毛犀为主,属于晚更新世晚期,代表较干冷的气候环境。综合两者的动物组合、测年结果及其生态特点,显示前者应该是末次冰期中期的温凉湿润环境,而后者则应为末次冰盛期的前夜,应该是另一次Heinrich事件H2的动物组合。     

Last Glacial mammals in South America: a new scenario from the Tarija Basin (Bolivia)

The chronology, sedimentary history, and paleoecology of the Tarija Basin (Bolivia), one of the richest Pleistocene mammalian sites in South America, are revised here based on a multidisciplinary study, including stratigraphy, sedimentology, geomorphology, paleontology, isotope geochemistry, and ¹⁴C geochronology. Previous studies have indicated a Middle Pleistocene age for this classic locality. We have been able to obtain a series of ¹⁴C dates encompassing all the fossil-bearing sequences previously studied in the Tarija Basin. The dated layers range in age from about 44,000 to 21,000 radiocarbon years before present (BP), indicating that the Tarija fauna is much younger than previously thought. Glacial advances correlated to marine isotopic stages (MIS) 4 and 2 (ca. 62 and 20 ka BP, respectively) are also documented at the base and at the very top of the Tarija–Padcaya succession, respectively, indicating that the Bolivian Altiplano was not dry but sustained an ice cap during the Last Glacial Maximum. The results of this multidisciplinary study enable us to redefine the chronological limits of the Tarija sequence and of its faunal assemblage and to shift this paleontological, paleoclimatological, and paleoecological framework to the time interval from MIS 4 to MIS 2.     

“马坝人”与“石峡文化”──纪念“马坝人”头骨化石发现40周年

本文以科普形式介绍在广东曲江马坝镇发现的“马坝人”古人类头骨化石和附近新石器时代“石峡文化”情况。并探讨二者承前启后关系。     

武汉阳逻砾石层ESR地层年代学研究

武汉"阳逻砾石层"是长江中下游新生代的一个重要的岩石地层单位,其形成年代一直是地质和地理学者关注的重要问题。为了更深入地探讨这一问题,在它的两个典型的剖面中采集了8个样品进行ESR地质年代测试,测试结果表明,阳逻砾石层形成于新近纪早更新世中晚期。将本次ESR测年数据与前人的热释光的测年数据、江汉平原西缘和北缘相同岩石地层层位和相同地貌位置的砾石层的测年数据、长江中下游网纹砾石层的测年数据比较发现,它们具有较好的一致性。     

中国黄土释光测年与应用:过去、现在与未来

中国黄土释光测年走过了近40年的历程,这对于推动释光测年技术的进步和黄土古气候古环境研究的深入有重要意义。本文针对中国黄土(以黄土高原为主),简要回顾了以多片法混合矿物热释光(TL)和红外释光(IRSL)测年技术为主的早期(20世纪70年代末期至21世纪第一个十年初期)探索阶段的发展,重点阐述了以成熟的单片再生剂量(SAR)法石英光释光(OSL)技术和延长测年年限的多种方法并存为特征的目前(21世纪以来)研究进展。同时,系统论述了释光测年技术在晚更新世以来中国黄土古气候古环境研究中的意义,如在年代标尺建立、粉尘堆积速率变化重建、地层对比与划分、轨道和亚轨道尺度气候演变与气候事件揭示等方面的应用。另外,也对将来中国黄土释光测年技术的发展方向和其在古气候古环境研究领域的应用前景进行了简单展望。     

Extinction rate of discovered and undiscovered plants in Singapore

Extinction is a key issue in the assessment of global biodiversity. However, many extinction rate measures do not account for species that went extinct before they could be discovered. The highly developed island city–state of Singapore has one of the best-documented tropical floras in the world. This allowed us to estimate the total rate of floristic extinctions in Singapore since 1822 after accounting for sampling effort and crypto extinctions by collating herbaria records. Our database comprised 34,224 specimens from 2076 native species, of which 464 species (22%) were considered nationally extinct. We assumed that undiscovered species had the same annual per-species extinction rates as discovered species and that no undiscovered species remained extant. With classical and Bayesian algorithms, we estimated that 304 (95% confidence interval, 213–414) and 412 (95% credible interval, 313–534) additional species went extinct before they could be discovered, respectively; corresponding total extinction rate estimates were 32% and 35% (range 30–38%). We detected violations of our 2 assumptions that could cause our extinction estimates, particularly the absolute numbers, to be biased downward. Thus, our estimates should be treated as lower bounds. Our results illustrate the possible magnitudes of plant extirpations that can be expected in the tropics as development continues.     

Lessons from Białowieża Forest on the history of protection and the world's first reintroduction of a large carnivore

Understanding how the relationships between large carnivores and humans have evolved and have been managed through centuries can provide relevant insights for wildlife conservation. The management history of many large carnivores has followed a similar pattern, from game reserved for nobility, to persecuted pests, to conservation targets. We reconstructed the history of brown bear (Ursus arctos) management in Bia?owie?a Forest (Poland and Belarus) based on a detailed survey of historical literature and Russian archives. From the end of the Middle Ages to the end of 18th century, the brown bear was considered “animalia superiora” (i.e., game exclusively reserved for nobility and protected by law). Bears, also a source of public entertainment, were not regarded as a threat. Effective measures to prevent damages to traditional forest beekeeping were already in practice. In the beginning of 19th century, new game‐management approaches allowed most forest officials to hunt bears, which became the primary target of hunters due to their valuable pelt. This, together with an effective anticarnivore policy enhanced by bounties, led to bear extirpation in 1879. Different approaches to scientific game management appeared (planned extermination of predators and hunting levels that would maintain stable populations), as did the first initiatives to protect bears from cruel treatment in captivity. Bear reintroduction in Bia?owie?a Forest began in 1937 and represented the world's first reintroduction of a large carnivore motivated by conservation goals. The outbreak of World War II spoiled what might have been a successful project; reproduction in the wild was documented for 8 years and bear presence for 13. Soft release of cubs born in captivity inside the forest but freely roaming with minimal human contact proved successful. Release of captive human‐habituated bears, feeding of these bears, and a lack of involvement of local communities were weaknesses of the project. Large carnivores are key components of ecosystem‐function restoration, and site‐specific histories provide important lessons in how to preserve them for the future.     

西藏日土县班公错地区晚更新世晚期植物群与古气候探讨

本文通过孢粉分析及¹⁴C年龄测定,恢复西藏班公错地区晚更新世晚期的植物群。约在距今40,000—42,000年（a）期间,班公错盆地曾以半荒漠-草原-荒漠交替出现;山地上有少量乔木植物。古气候比现今湿润、气温偏高,以距今3.6—2.8 × 10⁴年（a）期间的温湿最明显。     

更新世黄土高原强烈侵蚀期发生的环境条件

在更新世,黄土高原经历了若干堆积-侵蚀旋回。其中黄土堆积主要发生在冷干期,而强烈土壤侵蚀发生的环境条件至今尚无统一认识,其确定对了解黄土高原地貌的演化过程和更新世侵蚀期的求得均具有重要意义。通过对比黄土高原侵蚀模数分布图与新构造运动分区图,得出侵蚀模数高值区与构造抬升强烈区并不吻合,推断黄土高原侵蚀期发生的主要原因不是构造抬升。在野外考察中,寻找了多个侵蚀面,并与邻近较为完整的黄土-古土壤剖面进行比照,发现侵蚀面主要存在于黄土层上部,其上覆的古土壤层一般保存完整,说明土壤侵蚀主要发生在黄土层,即气候由冷干向暖湿的过渡时期。这一结论为求取黄土高原第四纪侵蚀期提供了理论依据。