Late Silurian trace fossils from the Melbourne Formation, Studley Park, Victoria, southeastern Australia

An ichnoassemblage of 10 ichnospecies is described for the first time from the Late Silurian Melbourne Formation at Studley Park, Victoria, southeastern Australia. The ichnofauna is preserved in a typical deep-water turbidite succession of alternating thin- to thick-bedded sandstone and thin- to medium-bedded mudrocks. Trace fossils observed within the study site have been assigned to three main ichnofacies. Ichnofacies 1 is best developed on the linguoid-rippled upper surface of thin sandstone beds and includes Laevicyclus, Aulichnites, Nereites, Helminthoidichnites, small Chondrites and possible Zoophycos. Ichnofacies 2 is very similar to Ichnofacies 1 in ichnospecies composition but instead contains large forms of Chondrites together with other thin burrow types usually poorly preserved and in very low abundance compared with Ichnofacies 1. Ichnofacies 3 is preserved mainly as casts on the underside of medium- to thick-bedded turbiditic sandstones, and has a very low diversity, with Planolites being the most common trace. A detailed analysis of the ichnofabrics and tiering structures of these ichnofacies suggest that Ichnofacies 1 and 3 represent "simple tiering’, in contrast to Ichnofacies 2, which is more characteristic of 'complex tiering’. Despite the differences in ichnospecies composition and ichnofabrics between the three recognized ichnofacies, the collective ichnoassemblage from the study site can be assigned confidently to the Nereites ichnofacies and is, therefore, interpreted to have formed in a distal submarine fan environment of lower bathyal to abyssal depth. Further, it is possible to recognize two main subenvironments within this deep-sea setting to account for the differences between the ichnofacies. Ichnofacies 1 and 2 are interpreted to represent a typical Nereites ichnofacies located on a level basin floor subenvironment of relatively low energy conditions at the distal end of a submarine fan deposit. In comparison, Ichnofacies 3 is dominated by Planolites with rare other facies-crossing trace fossil forms, and lacks Nereites. It is, therefore, best interpreted as representing a relatively high-energy environment, possibly a distributary channel near the distal end of the submarine fan system.

From Flysch to Molasse - sedimentary and tectonic evolution of late Caledonian - early Hercynian Foreland Basin in North Qilian Mountains

The Late Caledonian to Early Hercynian North Qilian orogenic belt in northwestern China is an elongate tectonic unit situated between the North China plate in the north and the Qaidam plate in the south. North Qilian started in the latest Proterozoic to Cambrian as a rift basin on the southern margin of North China, and evolved later to an archipelagic ocean and active continental margin during the Ordovician and a foreland basin from Silurian to the Early and Middle Devonian. The Early Silurian flysch and submarine alluvial fan, the Middle to Late Silurian shallow marine to tidal flat deposits and the Early and Middle Devonian terrestrial molasse are developed along the corridor Nanshan. The shallowing-upward succession from subabyssal flysch, shallow marine, tidal flat to terrestrial molasse and its gradually narrowed regional distribution demonstrate that the foreland basin experienced the transition from flysch stage to molasse stage during the Silurian and Devonian time.

Preservation and assemblage characteristics of some ornate Lower Devonian Ostracoda from the Humevale Siltstone and Woori Yallock Formation, southeastern Australia

.The Humevale Siltstone (late Silurian to Early Devonian, Gorstian to Pragian) and Woori Yallock Formation (Early Devonian, Emsian) of central Victoria, Australia, contain rich invertebrate fossil faunas including Ostracoda. Eight ostracod taxa are recognized and illustrated herein: Velibeyrichia wooriyallockensis (Chapman), Velibeyrichia (s.l.) australiae (Chapman), Velibeyrichia sp. 1, Velibeyrichia sp. 2, Beyrichia? ligatura (Chapman), Ulrichia sp., Euglyphella sp. and Strepulites sp. The ostracods are preserved in siltstones and mudstones as natural moulds. Ostracod assemblages are mainly shallow marine and likely include moderate- to low-energy biocoenoses, pseudo-biocoenoses (gravity flow accumulations) and thanatocoenoses.

Scientists and the cultural politics of academic disciplines in late 19th-century Germany: Emil Du Bois-Reymond and the controversy over the role of the cultural sciences

This article is concerned with interactions between the natural and the human sciences. It examines a specific late 19th-century episode in their relationship and argues that the schism between the two branches of knowledge was due to cognitive factors, but consolidated through the social dynamics of institutionalized disciplines. It contends that the assignment of a social function to the human sciences to compensate for the self-destructive tendencies inherent in the technological society was expressed even by those, at the end of the 19th century, who were fervent advocates of a science- and technology-driven modernization.

A Lopingian (Late Permian) brachiopod fauna from the Qubuerga formation at Shengmi in the Mount Qomolangma region of Southern Xizang (Tibet), China

A small fauna of 11 species belonging to 10 genera of Permian Brachiopoda from the lower part of the Qubuerga Formation outcropping near Shengmi village in the Qomolangma region of southern Xizang (Tibet) is figured and new taxa are described. New taxa are Quinquenella semiglobosa and Costatumulus shengmiensis. The fauna is most likely of Wuchiapingian (Djhulfian) age as indicated by the majority of the brachiopod species.

Late carboniferous to early permian brachiopod faunas from the Bachu and Kalpin areas, Tarim Basin, NW China

Late Carboniferous and Early Permian brachiopod faunas are described from the Xiaohaizi section of the Bachu area and the Shishichang section of the Kalpin area, the Tarim Basin, NW China. Biostratigraphic studies of brachiopods and associated microfossils indicate that the Xiaohaizi Formation is Moscovian (Late Carboniferous) and the Shishichang Formation is Kasimovian-Gzhelian (Late Carboniferous), whereas the Nanza and Kankarin Formations are Asselian to early Artinskian (Early Permian). Two new species proposed from the Nanza Formation are Kutorginella tarimensis and Phricodothyris? bachuensis.

A Guadalupian-Lopingian (Middle to Late Permian) brachiopod fauna from the Juripu formation in the Yarlung-Zangbo suture zone, Southern Tibet, China

A brachiopod fauna of 16 species belonging to 11 genera and three genera and species indeterminate from the middle and upper parts of the Juripu Formation in the Yarlung-Zangbo (Indus-Tsangbo) Suture zone (=Yarlung-Zangbo River zone), southern Tibet, is described and figured for the first time. A new species, Taeniothaerus zhongbaensis, is described. The fauna is comparable with that in the Kalabagh Member of the Wargal Formation of the Salt Range, Pakistan, and is considered to be most likely Capitanian (late Guadalupian/Middle Permian) to Wuchiapingian (early Lopingian/early Late Permian) in age, as indicated by the majority of the brachiopod species and by being constrained by an underlying fusulinacean fauna (Parafusulina Zone) and an overlying ammonite fauna (Cyclolobus fauna).

Glaucodon Ballaratensis (Marsupialia, Dasyridae), a late Pliocene 'Devil' from Batesford, Victoria

The right mandible of a dasyurid from Pliocene sediments at Batesford, near Geelong, Victoria is described as a new specimen of Glaucodon ballaratensis Stirton, 1957. The new specimen is morphologically close to the holotype of Glaucodon ballaratensis. Several dental characteristics of the new specimen unknown from the holotype of Glaucodon ballaratensis are close to those of Sarcophilus moornaensis Crabb, 1982. Glaucodon ballaratensis also shares features with Dasyurus maculatus Kerr, 1792 and Sarcophilus laniarius harrisii Boitard, 1842, and hence the Batesford specimen offers additional information on the origins of these dasyurids.

Capitanian (late Guadalupian, permian) global brachiopod palaeobigeography and latitudinal diversity pattern

A global database containing 3365 occurrences, 821 species and 251 genera of the Capitanian (Late Guadalupian, Permian) brachiopod faunas from 24 stations has been analyzed by cluster analysis using the Jaccard and Otsuka coefficients and the probabilistic index of similarity, nonmetric multidimensional scaling and minimum spanning tree. Two supergroups, three groups and six subgroups are revealed and interpreted as representing, respectively, two biotic realms (the Palaeoequatorial and Gondwanan Realms), two regions and six provinces. An additional realm (the Boreal Realm), based on the fauna from Spitsbergen, also appears recognizable although it also shows considerable similarities with southwestern North America and the northern margin of Gondwana as revealed by the statistical analysis. The Palaeoequatorial Realm can be further subdivided into the North America Region and the Asian Tethyan Region. The six biotic provinces are the Cathaysian Province in the Palaeotethys and Mesotethys, the Greenland-Svalbard Province in the Arctic region, the Austrazean Province in eastern Australia and New Zealand, the Grandian Province in western North America and the two transitional zones (the Himalayan Province in the southern temperate zone and the Sino–Mongolian–Japanese Province in the northern temperate zone). Polynomial regression analysis and rarefaction analysis indicate that the generic diversities of brachiopod faunas during the Capitanian peaked in the Palaeoequatorial Cathaysian Province and the two transitional zones (Himalayan Province and Sino–Mongolian–Japanese Province), but fell dramatically in the polar regions. The generic diversity of the Palaeoequatorial Grandian Province is apparently lower than in the two transitional zones of temperate palaeolatitudes, suggesting that the generic diversity of Capitanian brachiopod faunas does not exhibit a strict negative correlation with palaeolatitudes. This in turn would suggest that biogeographical determinants (such as geographical barriers, inhabitable area and ocean currents) other than latitude-related temperature control may also have played an important role in the dispersal of some brachiopods and the characterization of some local provinces and high diversities. The Capitanian global brachiopod palaeobiogeography is generally comparable with those in the Wuchiapingian and Changhsingian, but with some notable differences. These include: (1) that the Grandian Province of the Capitanian in western North America vanished after the end-Guadalupian regression, (2) that the western Tethyan Province of the Lopingian could not be distinguished in the Capitanian, and (3) that the Austrazean Province was larger in area than either in the Wuchiapingian or in the Changhsingian.

New lopingian (late permian) rugosochonetid species from Sichuan, South China

Two rugosochonetid species, Neochonetes (Huangichonetes) geniculatus sp. nov. and Neochonetes (Zhongyingia) linshuiensis sp. nov., are described from the Lopingian (Late Permian) of the Chuanmu section, Sichuan, South China. Ecological changes from the diverse upper Changhsingian brachiopod palaeocommunity to the depauperate post-extinction brachiopod community are briefly discussed.

Lower permian oncolites from South China: implications for equatorial sea-level responses to late palaeozoic Gondwanan glaciation

The oncoid-bearing Chuanshan Formation is a regionally extensive carbonate deposit of predominantly Asselian to early Sakmarian (Early Permian) age in South China, occupying an area of some 500,000 km2. Throughout South China, the oncoid-bearing horizons are generally stable and broadly comparable in lithology, fossil content and the morphology of the oncoid grains. Four types of microfacies are recognized from the oncolite succession and overall they suggest a moderate- to high-energy, wave-agitated shallow marine carbonate platform environment. An analysis of the stratigraphic distribution of oncoid grain size, density, thickness and the bedding structures of the oncolite beds and the number of coating laminae indicate the presence of metre-scale cyclothems, suggestive of possible high-frequency cycles of sea-level fluctuation. Compared to carbonate successions above and below that lack oncolites, and in conjunction with evidence from sequence stratigraphic and isotopic geochemical analyses of coeval carbonate deposits in South China and elsewhere, the origin of the Chuanshan oncolites is linked to a drastic drop in global sea-level at the Pennsylvanian–Permian boundary, that can be correlated closely in timing with the zenith of the Late Palaeozoic Gondwanan glaciation. It is further suggested that the eustatic changes apparent from the deposition of the Chuanshan oncolites and similar coeval deposits in lower palaeolatitudes were coupled with, and influenced by, the contemporaneous high-latitude Gondwanan glaciation, the largest and longest known such event in Phanerozoic Earth history.

Sports training, science and class among British amateur athletes in the mid to late nineteenth century

Organised amateur sports emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century. This paper, an exercise in historical sociology, analyses how a new system of sports training was devised by the amateurs to meet their particular needs. The data comes from contemporary British training manuals and the analysis is informed by the theories of Bourdieu and Foucault. That amateurs came from the higher social classes was highly
significant: it meant that they could not adopt existing training practices because these were associated with plebeian professional athletes. For amateurs to have followed the preparation of the professionals would have placed their bodies under the control of a social inferior and promoted a somatic shape more in keeping with the lower than with
the higher social orders. Mirroring the social distance between them, amateurs came to stridently reject professional training practices. Instead, they devised new training techniques which were justified through recourse to contemporary bio-medical knowledge. It is argued that amateur training originated for social reasons, with the proponents’ class positions and social capital facilitating the evocation of scientific knowledge as a legitimating ideology.

Evidence for Megalake Chad, north-central Africa, during the late quaternary from satellite data

The existence of a very large Lake Chad during the late Quaternary, Megalake Chad, has long been questioned. A Megalake Chad would present strong evidence for climatic fluctuations of great magnitude during the Holocene in tropical Africa. In this paper we used satellite data from Landsat and Modis sensors to collect and analyse new information on landforms in a 2 000 000 km2 region of the Lake Chad Basin. We detected 2300 km of remains marking the ancient shoreline of Megalake Chad. The satellite data also indicated many Saharan rivers and relict deltas leading to the long paleoshoreline. Large dunefield flattenings were observed and interpreted as the result of wave-cut erosion by the paleolake. Similarities were noticed between the landforms observed along the paleoshoreline of Megalake Chad and that of the former Aral Sea. This finding has significant consequences for reconstructing paleohydrology and paleoenvironments through the Lake Chad basin, and continental climate change.

Ontogeny of diving behaviour in the Australian sea lion: trials of adolescence in a late bloomer

1.Foraging behaviours of the Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) reflect an animal working hard to exploit benthic habitats. Lactating females demonstrate almost continuous diving, maximize bottom time, exhibit elevated field metabolism and frequently exceed their calculated aerobic dive limit. Given that larger animals have disproportionately greater diving capabilities, we wanted to examine how pups and juveniles forage successfully.
2.Time/depth recorders were deployed on pups, juveniles and adult females at Seal Bay Conservation Park, Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Ten different mother/pup pairs were equipped at three stages of development (6, 15 and 23 months) to record the diving behaviours of 51 (nine instruments failed) animals.
3. Dive depth and duration increased with age. However, development was slow. At 6 months, pups demonstrated minimal diving activity and the mean depth for 23-month-old juveniles was only 44 ± 4 m, or 62% of adult mean depth.
4. Although pups and juveniles did not reach adult depths or durations, dive records for young sea lions indicate benthic diving with mean bottom times (2·0 ± 0·2 min) similar to those of females (2·1 ± 0·2 min). This was accomplished by spending higher proportions of each dive and total time at sea on or near the bottom than adults. Immature sea lions also spent a higher percentage of time at sea diving.
5. Juveniles may have to work harder because they are weaned before reaching full diving capability. For benthic foragers, reduced diving ability limits available foraging habitat. Furthermore, as juveniles appear to operate close to their physiological maximum, they would have a difficult time increasing foraging effort in response to reductions in prey. Although benthic prey are less influenced by seasonal fluctuations and oceanographic perturbations than epipelagic prey, demersal fishery trawls may impact juvenile survival by disrupting habitat and removing larger size classes of prey. These issues may be an important factor as to why the Australian sea lion population is currently at risk.