环境CO2浓度和群落密度对红桦(Betula albosinensis Burk.)幼苗碳氮吸收和分配的影响

当前大气CO2浓度升高是全球变化的主要趋势之一，CO2浓度升高还会引起全球变暖等其它环境问题，因而CO2浓度浓度升高对植物影响的研究已经成为全球变化领域的焦点。红桦是川西亚高山地区暗针叶林演替初期的先锋树种和演替后期的建群种，在群落演替过程中它对环境因子的响应决定红桦群落的演替进程。本文通过控制CO2浓度的气候室试验，研究了CO2浓度倍增环境下，不同密度水平红桦碳氮固定、分配可能发生的改变，并探讨了升高大气CO2浓度对群体内部竞争的影响。以期通过本研究明确川西亚高山地区代表性物种红桦对未来气候变化的响应，为今后采取措施应对气候变化、妥善进行森林管理提供理论依据和科学指导。主要研究结果如下： 1.升高CO2浓度对红桦幼苗生长的影响以及树皮、树干响应的不同 (1) CO2浓度升高显著促进红桦幼苗的生物量、株高、基茎的生长，同时也改变生物量在体内的分配格局，主要是增加根和主茎、减少叶在总生物量中的比重。(2)树皮和树干对升高CO2浓度的影响有差异，它们对CO2浓度升高的反应程度不同，但反应方向一致。 2.密度的副效应 (1) 增加种植密度对单株生物量、株高和基径的生长具有副效应，也降低升高CO2浓度对红桦生长的正效应。(2) 增加种植密度，显著增加红桦幼苗的群体生物量，从而使红桦群体固定更多的大气CO2气体。可见密度在决定红桦生物量及固碳能力方面具有重要意义。探索适合未来大气CO2浓度升高条件下植物生长的密度，对未来的森林经济生产、生态恢复具有重要意义。 3. 升高CO2浓度对红桦幼苗苗冠结构及冠层内部竞争的影响 (1) 冠幅、冠高、苗冠表面积和苗冠体积等树冠特征均受CO2浓度升高的影响而增加，但是受密度增加的影响而降低。(2) 单位苗冠投影面积叶片数(LDcpa)和单位苗冠体积叶片数(LDcv)均低于相应的现行CO2浓度处理，这主要是由于冠幅和冠高的快速生长所造成的。(3) LDcpa和LDcv的降低表明，红桦在升高CO2浓度的条件下，会作出积极的响应，从而缓解由于群体和个体生长的增加所引起的竞争压力的增加。 4. 升高CO2浓度对红桦幼苗养分元素吸收与分配的影响 (1) CO2浓度升高，植株各器官N、P含量降低，但单株N、P总吸收量均增加。红桦幼苗体内N、P浓度的下降是由于生物量迅速增加引起的稀释效应造成的。(2) CO2浓度升高，N、P向主茎和根的分配增加，向叶片的分配减少，主要是由于前者在总生物量中的比重增加，而后者减少了。(3) CO2浓度升高，氮磷利用效率(NUE和PUE)提高，氮磷累积速率(NAcR和PAcR)显著增加。而NUE和PUE的提高可以有效缓解CO2浓度升高后，亚高山和高山地区森林土壤中养分元素不足对森林生产力的限制。 5. 升高CO2浓度对红桦幼苗群体碳平衡的影响 (1) 升高CO2浓度对植物的光合作用、呼吸速率和生长均具有促进作用。(2) 土壤有机碳含量在实验前期迅速增加，后期积累速率下降。(3) 升高CO2浓度以后，土壤呼吸显著增强；土壤呼吸还具有明显的季节变化。(4) 红桦群体日固碳量受到升高CO2浓度的促进作用。结果(1)-(4)说明所研究群落的碳动态对现行的气候波动是敏感的；所研究群落在作为大气CO2气体的源-汇关系方面至少存在季节间的源汇飘移。(5)种植密度的升高显著增加了群体固碳量。 6. 升高CO2浓度对红桦幼苗生长后期叶片衰老的影响 升高CO2浓度有利于减缓红桦幼苗叶片生长季节末期的衰老。生长季节末期，随着CO2浓度的升高光合速率和可溶性蛋白含量均呈上升趋势，同时MDA（丙二醛）含量下降，保护酶SOD（超氧化物岐化酶）、CAT（过氧化氢酶）活性升高。由此说明，升高CO2浓度有利于减缓生长季节后期叶片的衰老，使叶片维持较高的光合速率，也从生理学的角度支持了本文及前人有关CO2浓度升高促进植物光合和生长的假说及结果。 The increased CO2 concentration is one of the most important problems among global changes. The increase of CO2 will also cause other environmental problems, such as global warming, etc. So the effects of elevated CO2 on plant have drawn sights of many scientists in the research field of global change. Red birch (Betula albosinensis) usually emerges as the pioneer species in initial stage and as constructive species in later stages of forest community succession of the dark coniferous forests in Western Sichuan, China. It’s response to elevated CO2 may determine the succession process of the community where it lives in. By controlling CO2 at the ambient and twice as the ambient level (ambient + 350 umol mol-1) using enclosed-top chambers (ETC), possible effects of elevated CO2 on carbon fixation and allocation under two plantation densities are investigated. The effects of elevated CO2 on competition within canopy of red birch seedlings are also observed in the present paper. We hope to make sure of the effects of elevated CO2 on the representative species, red birch. And so that, our results could provide a strong theoretical evidence and scientific direction for forest management and afforestation under a future, CO2 elevated world. The results are as fowllows: 1. The effects of elevated CO2 on growth and the different responses of wood and bark of red birch seedlings (1) Elevated CO2 increases the growth of seedling biomass, seedling height and basal diameter of red birch. It also changed the biomass allocation in red birch seedlings. The ratio of root and main stem to all biomass is increased and the ratio of leaf is decreased. (2) Tree bark and wood show different response degree but similar response direction to elevated CO2. 2. Negative effects of planting density (1) The increase of planting density showes negative effects on the individual growth of seedling biomass, seedling height and basal diameter of red birch. It also eliminates the positive effects of elevated CO2 on growth of red birch seedlings. (2) Community biomass is increased by the elevated planting density, which means that the high density red birch community could fix more CO2 than the low density one. These results show that planting density plays an important role in determining biomass and carbon fixation ability of red birch community. Thus, exploring proper planting density becomes economically important for the future, CO2 elevated word. 3. The effects of elevated CO2 on crown architecture and competition within canopy of red birch seedlings (1) Crown width, crown depth, crown surface area and crown volume are all increased under the influence of elevated CO2. (2) Leaf number per unit area of projected crown area (LDcpa) and per unit volume of crown volume (LDcv) are lower under elevated CO2. This is resulted from the stimulated growth of tree crown features. (3) The decrease of LDcpa and LDcv indicate that plants will respond forwardly to reduce the possible increase of competition resulted from stimulated growth of individual plant and collectives in conditions of elevated CO2. 4. The effects of elevated CO2 on nutrition accumulation and allocation of red birch seedlings (1) Contents of N and P decrease due to the prompt increase of biomass of plant organs caused by elevated CO2. However, their accumulations increase under elevated CO2. (2) Elevated CO2 increases the allocation of N, P to main stem but reduced its allocation to leaf for that dry weight of the former increased but the dry weight of the later decreased. (3) Using efficiencies of N, P (NUE and PUE) and their accumulation rates (NAcR and PAcR) are found to increase under elevated CO2. Soil nutrition contents are always the limiting factors for plant growth at subalpine and alpine region. The increased NUE and PUE are helpful to eliminate the nutrition limitation in this area in the future world, when CO2 concentration doubles the ambient. 5. The effects of elevated CO2 on carbon balance of red birch communities (1) Net photosynthetic rates (Pn), dark respiration rates (Rd) and growth are all stimulated by elevated CO2. (2) Content soil organic carbon increases sharply at the primary stage of experiments and then the increasing rates decrease to a low level at later stages. (3) Soil respiration rates increase significantly with the elevation of CO2 concentration. (4) The daily carbon fixations of whole community are heightened by elevated CO2. The results (1)-(4) suggest that, the community being studied are sensitive to current climate change; the studied community, as a sink of atmospheric CO2, is pool-sink alternative between seasons. (5) The carbon fixations are increased along the increase of planting densities. 6. The effects of elevated CO2 on physiological features of leaf senescences of red birch seedlings at the later stage of growing season Elevated CO2 helps to postpone the leaf senescences of red birch at the end of the growth season. CO2 enrichment increases the photosynthetic rates, contents of soluble proteins and photosynthetic pigments. And meanwhile contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) decreases and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) are both increased. These results suggest that the senescences of red birch leaves are delayed by elevated CO2, which keep the photosynthetic rates at relatively high levels. Our results lend supports to hypothesis and results on stimulated photosynthetic rates and growth from both other researchers and the present paper.

贡嘎山植物小枝功能性状在不同生活型和不同海拔间的比较研究

植物功能生态学研究不仅提供了植物生理生态学与生态系统生态学的连接，还为植物种群生活史对策研究提供了材料。Westoby 等 (2002) 提出了利用植物功能性状变量的主导维度来确定和量化植物生活史的生态适应策略。在他们所提出四个主导维度中，叶大小－小枝大小是研究相对较少的一维；其内部各组分的关系、对环境的响应，以及与其它重要维度的关系，目前的理解非常有限。 本研究以贡嘎山不同海拔不同功能群物种为研究对象，采用种间比较和系统发生独立性比较等研究方法，系统研究了植物的功能特征及其相关性在不同生境及不同功能群间的差异，旨在分析不同功能群物种的叶大小－小枝大小的成本和收益。其研究结果将有助于我们理解植物生活史对策的进化，进而理解物种共存和维持物种多样性的机制。主要研究结果如下： 1. 叶大小－小枝大小关系 小枝茎横截面积与单叶面积和总叶面积均呈异速生长关系，即总叶面积和单叶面积的增加比茎横截面积的增加速度快。但是，总叶面积和叶片干重的增加却基本上与小枝茎干重的增加等速。系统发生独立性比较研究的结果与此相一致。表明，在某一给定的茎投入时，至少大叶大枝物种不比小叶小枝物种在支撑叶面积和叶片干重方面具有优势。同时，在某一给定的小枝茎投入时，常绿阔叶物种比落叶阔叶物种支撑更少的叶面积。在茎干重与总叶面积的关系中，落叶复叶物种比落叶单叶物种具有更高的y轴截距，表明复叶物种比单叶物种在展叶面积方面更有效。复叶物种与单叶物种相比，通常具有较大的叶大小和小枝大小。 2. 叶大小－叶数量关系 叶大小与数量间在不同的叶片习性、不同的叶片形态以及不同的生境类型的物种间均存在稳定的负的等速生长关系，且这种关系在系统发生独立性比较时依然成立。然而，在某一给定的出叶强度 (单位小枝的叶数量) 时，常绿阔叶物种比落叶物种具有更小的叶面积。而在给定体积基础上的出叶强度时，落叶复叶物种的叶面积显著大于落叶单叶物种，且复叶物种比单叶物种具有更大的叶大小和更小的出叶强度。但是，叶大小与数量间的关系在不同的海拔间并没有显著的差异。 3. 小枝大小－总叶面积关系 在不同的生活型或不同的生境下，小枝上总叶面积与茎干重和小枝干重均呈正的异速生长关系，且斜率显著小于1.0，表明小枝上总叶面积的增加都不能赶上小枝及茎大小的增加。这种“收益递减”表明随着小枝干重的增加，光截取的收益递减。此外，叶面积比 (总叶面积与小枝干重的比值) 与单叶干重呈显著负相关关系，系统发生独立性比较的结果与此相一致。根据以上结果，可以推测，大叶的物种在质量较好的生境中出现，而群落内部小枝茎的寿命较长的物种可以拥有较大的叶片。 4. 叶片色素浓度－LMA关系 随着海拔的升高，阔叶木本植物和草本植物的叶片色素浓度减少，叶绿素a/b和类胡萝卜素/叶绿素比值以及比叶重 (LMA) 增加。然而，在草本植物中的色素浓度、色素比值和LMA的变化比阔叶木本植物的更明显。同时，LMA与叶片色素浓度呈负相关关系，但是在落叶物种中的LMA对色素浓度的影响比常绿阔叶物种更强烈。总之，草本植物的叶片特征对海拔梯度的变化似乎比木本植物更敏感，LMA对叶片色素的保护作用在落叶物种中比在常绿阔叶物种显得更重要。这些结果表明不同生活型物种可能采取不同的保护机制来降低叶绿体器官的损伤和增加他们的碳获取能力。 Studies on plant functional ecology not only bridge plant eco-physiology and ecosystem functioning, but also enrich plant population biology. As pointed out by Westoby et al (2002), plant life history strategies can be identified and quantified by four leading dimensions of variations in plant functional traits, i.e., seed size/output, leaf mass per area and leaf life span, plant height, and leaf size-twig size. Compared to the other dimensions, the cost/benefit of the leaf size-twig size spectrum has scarcely been analyzed in relation to environmental gradients and life form types, and the adaptive significance of this spectrum is not fully understood. In the present study, the relationships between functional traits of plant twigs are determined for the species with different life forms along an altitudinal gradient of Gongga Mountain with both cross-species analysis and evolutionary divergence analysis. The primary objective of this study is to examine the cost/benefit of leaf size-twig size in plants. The study results are supposed to provide insights into the understanding of the mechanism of species coexistences. The results are shown in the following. 1. The relationship between leaf size and twig size Twig cross-sectional area allometrically scaled with both individual leaf area and total leaf area supported by the twigs. However, the increase in total lamina mass/area was generally proportional to the increase in stem mass. These correlations between trait variations were significant in both interspecies analysis and phylogenetically independent comparison (PIC) analysis, which indicated that thick-twigged/large-leaved species, at least, do not have an advantage in supporting leaf/lamina area and lamina mass for the same twig stem investment than thin-twigged/ small-leaved species. Meanwhile, the evergreen broad-leaved species supported a smaller leaf area for the same twig stem investment in terms of both cross-sectional area and stem mass than the deciduous species. The deciduous compound-leaved species have a higher y-intercept in the scaling relationship of twig stem mass versus total leaf area than the deciduous simple-leaved species, indicating that compound-leaved species were more efficient in displaying leaf area. The compound-leaved species were larger in both leaf size and twig size than their counterpart in the present study. 2. The relationship between leaf size and leaf number Significantly negative and isometric scaling relationships between leaf size and leafing intensity (leaf number per twig mass or volume) were found to be consistently conserved across species independent of leaf habit, leaf form and habitat type. The negative correlations between leaf size and leafing intensity were also observed across correlated evolutionary divergences. However, leaf area was smaller in the evergreen broad-leaved species at a given leafing intensity than in the deciduous species. The deciduous compound-leaved deciduous species were higher in leaf area than deciduous simple-laved species at a given volume-based leafing intensity. Moreover, the compound-leaved deciduous species were larger in leaf size but smaller in leafing intensity than their simple counterparts. No significant difference was found in the scaling relationships between altitudes. 3. The relationship between twig size and total leaf area Leaf area was found to scale positively and allometrically with both stem and twig mass (stem mass plus leaf mass) with slopes significantly smaller than 1.0, independent of life form and habitat type, indicating that the increase in total leaf area fails to keep pace with increasing twig size and stem size. This ‘diminishing returns’ suggests that the benefit of light intercept decreased with increasing twig mass. Moreover, the leaf area ratio (the ratio of total leaf area to stem or twig mass) correlated negatively with individual leaf mass. The results of PIC were consistent with the correlations. According to the results, it is speculated that large-leaved species may be favored when habitat is good and when stem longevity are long within community. 4. The relationship between leaf pigment concentrations and leaf mass per area With increasing altitude, the concentrations of pigments decreased, but the ratios of chlorophyll a/b and carotenoid/chlorophyll, and LMA increased, in both the broad-leaved woody species and herbaceous species groups. However, the changes in the pigment concentrations, ratios and LMA were more profound in the herbaceous species than in the woody species. In addition, pigment concentrations were negatively correlated with LMA in each life form type and in the pooled dataset. However, the LMA effect on leaf pigment concentrations was more profound in the deciduous species than in the evergreen braode-leaved species. In general, herbaceous species seemed more sensitive to the increasing altitude compared to woody species, and LMA seemed to be a more important mechanism for protecting leaf pigments in deciduous species than in evergreen broad-leaved species. These results suggested that the species with different life forms may employ different protective mechanisms to decrease the chloroplast apparatus damage and increase their carbon gain.

The analysis of large-scale turbulence characteristics in the Indonesian seas derived from a regional model based on the Princeton Ocean Model

Turbulence characteristics in the Indonesian seas on the horizontal scale of order of 100 km were calculated with a regional model of the Indonesian seas circulation in the area based on the Princeton Ocean Model (POM). As is well known, the POM incorporates the Mellor–Yamada turbulence closure scheme. The calculated characteristics are: twice the turbulence kinetic energy per unit mass, <i>q</i>²; the turbulence master scale, &ell;; mixing coefficients of momentum, <i>K</i>_M; and temperature and salinity, <i>K</i>_H; etc. The analyzed turbulence has been generated essentially by the shear of large-scale ocean currents and by the large-scale wind turbulence. We focused on the analysis of turbulence around important topographic features, such as the Lifamatola Sill, the North Sangihe Ridge, the Dewakang Sill, and the North and South Halmahera Sea Sills. In general, the structure of turbulence characteristics in these regions turned out to be similar. For this reason, we have carried out a detailed analysis of the Lifamatola Sill region because dynamically this region is very important and some estimates of mixing coefficients in this area are available. <br><br> Briefly, the main results are as follows. The distribution of <i>q</i>² is quite adequately reproduced by the model. To the north of the Lifamatola Sill (in the Maluku Sea) and to the south of the Sill (in the Seram Sea), large values of <i>q</i>² occur in the deep layer extending several hundred meters above the bottom. The observed increase of <i>q</i>² near the very bottom is probably due to the increase of velocity shear and the corresponding shear production of <i>q</i>² very close to the bottom. The turbulence master scale, &ell;, was found to be constant in the main depth of the ocean, while &ell; rapidly decreases close to the bottom, as one would expect. However, in deep profiles away from the sill, the effect of topography results in the &ell; structure being unreasonably complicated as one moves towards the bottom. Values of 15 to 20 × 10^&minus;4 m² s^-1 were obtained for <i>K</i>_M and <i>K</i>_H in deep water in the vicinity of the Lifamatola Sill. These estimates agree well with basin-scale averaged values of 13.3 × 10^&minus;4 m² s^-1 found diagnostically for <i>K</i>_H in the deep Banda and Seram Seas (Gordon et al., 2003) and a value of 9.0 × 10^&minus;4 m² s^-1 found diagnostically for <i>K</i>_H for the deep Banda Sea system (van Aken et al., 1988). The somewhat higher simulated values can be explained by the presence of steep topography around the sill.

Stalagmite water content as a proxy for drip water supply in tropical and subtropical areas

In this pilot study water was extracted from samples of two Holocene stalagmites from Socotra Island, Yemen, and one Eemian stalagmite from southern continental Yemen. The amount of water extracted per unit mass of stalagmite rock, termed "water yield" hereafter, serves as a measure of its total water content. Based on direct correlation plots of water yields and δ18Ocalcite and on regime shift analyses, we demonstrate that for the studied stalagmites the water yield records vary systematically with the corresponding oxygen isotopic compositions of the calcite (δ18Ocalcite). Within each stalagmite lower δ18Ocalcite values are accompanied by lower water yields and vice versa. The δ18Ocalcite records of the studied stalagmites have previously been interpreted to predominantly reflect the amount of rainfall in the area; thus, water yields can be linked to drip water supply. Higher, and therefore more continuous drip water supply caused by higher rainfall rates, supports homogeneous deposition of calcite with low porosity and therefore a small fraction of water-filled inclusions, resulting in low water yields of the respective samples. A reduction of drip water supply fosters irregular growth of calcite with higher porosity, leading to an increase of the fraction of water-filled inclusions and thus higher water yields. The results are consistent with the literature on stalagmite growth and supported by optical inspection of thin sections of our samples. We propose that for a stalagmite from a dry tropical or subtropical area, its water yield record represents a novel paleo-climate proxy recording changes in drip water supply, which can in turn be interpreted in terms of associated rainfall rates.

Kerr-Newman solution as a Dirac particle

For m(2) < a(2) + q(2), with m, a, and q respectively the source mass, angular momentum per unit mass, and electric charge, the Kerr-Newman (KN) solution of Einstein's equation reduces to a naked singularity of circular shape, enclosing a disk across which the metric components fail to be smooth. By considering the Hawking and Ellis extended interpretation of the KN spacetime, it is shown that, similarly to the electron-positron system, this solution presents four inequivalent classical states. Making use of Wheeler's idea of charge without charge, the topological structure of the extended KN spatial section is found to be highly non-trivial, leading thus to the existence of gravitational states with half-integral angular momentum. This property is corroborated by the fact that, under a rotation of the space coordinates, those inequivalent states transform into themselves only after a 4π rotation. As a consequence, it becomes possible to naturally represent them in a Lorentz spinor basis. The state vector representing the whole KN solution is then constructed, and its evolution is shown to be governed by the Dirac equation. The KN solution can thus be consistently interpreted as a model for the electron-positron system, in which the concepts of mass, charge and spin become connected with the spacetime geometry. Some phenomenological consequences of the model are explored.

Applicability of the equations of Freundlich and Langmuir to the adsorption of the azo dye procion scarlet on paramorphic colonies of Neurospora crassa.

Experiments on the adsorption of Procion Scarlet MX-G by normal hyphae and by paramorphic colonies of Neurospora crassa were performed at pH 2.5, 4.5 and 6.5 at 30 degrees C. The measured adsorption isotherms were evaluated by the Freundlich and Langmuir equations. The removal of dye was most effective at pH 2.5 and more dye was adsorbed per unit mass of cells in the paramorphic cultures than in the normal hyphae. The statistical tests showed Langmuir's equation to give a better fit to the adsorption data.

Emissão de gases do efeito estufa e estoque de carbono no sistema solo-planta em área com aplicação superficial de calcário e gesso em experimento de longa duração

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Emissão de gases de efeito estufa e estoque de carbono no sistema solo-planta em função do sistema de produção e da aplicação superficial de corretivo da acidez

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Stalagmite water content as a proxy for drip water supply in tropical and subtropical areas

In this pilot study water was extracted from samples of two Holocene stalagmites from Socotra Island, Yemen, and one Eemian stalagmite from southern continental Yemen. The amount of water extracted per unit mass of stalagmite rock, termed "water yield" hereafter, serves as a measure of its total water content. Based on direct correlation plots of water yields and δ18Ocalcite and on regime shift analyses, we demonstrate that for the studied stalagmites the water yield records vary systematically with the corresponding oxygen isotopic compositions of the calcite (δ18Ocalcite). Within each stalagmite lower δ18Ocalcite values are accompanied by lower water yields and vice versa. The δ18Ocalcite records of the studied stalagmites have previously been interpreted to predominantly reflect the amount of rainfall in the area; thus, water yields can be linked to drip water supply. Higher, and therefore more continuous drip water supply caused by higher rainfall rates, supports homogeneous deposition of calcite with low porosity and therefore a small fraction of water-filled inclusions, resulting in low water yields of the respective samples. A reduction of drip water supply fosters irregular growth of calcite with higher porosity, leading to an increase of the fraction of water-filled inclusions and thus higher water yields. The results are consistent with the literature on stalagmite growth and supported by optical inspection of thin sections of our samples. We propose that for a stalagmite from a dry tropical or subtropical area, its water yield record represents a novel paleo-climate proxy recording changes in drip water supply, which can in turn be interpreted in terms of associated rainfall rates.

(Table 1) Maceral composition and organic carbon chemistry of ODP Leg 104 samples

The Cenozoic sediments sampled in ODP Leg 104 on the Vøring Plateau show a distinct variability of the total organic carbon content (TOC) and the accumulation rates of TOC. Based on the geochemical and organic-petrographic characterization of the sedimentary organic matter (OM), the allochthonous and autochthonous proportion of the OM could be quantified. The results clearly demonstrate that high TOC percentages and TOC accumulation rates in Cenozoic sediment sections display a generally high input of allochthonous organic matter. Oxidized and partly well-rounded organic particles built up the main portion of OM within the Miocene, TOC-rich sediments. The most probable source of this oxidized OM are reworked sediments from the Scandinavian shelf. Changes in the input of these organic particles are to some degree correlative with sea-level changes. The Cenozoic accumulation of autochthonous OM is low and does not reveal a clear variation during the Miocene and early Pliocene. In spite of a high accumulation rate of biogenic opal during the Early Miocene, the accumulation rate of autochthonous TOC is low. The autochthonous particle assemblage is dominated by relatively inert OM, like dinoflagellate cysts. This points to an intensive biological and/or early diagenetic degradation of the marine OM under well oxidized bottom water conditions during the last 23 Myr. Nevertheless, a continuation of marine OM degradation during later stages of diagenesis cannot be excluded. A prominent dominance of allochthonous OM over autochthonous is documented with the beginning of the Pliocene. At 2.45 Ma the episodic occurrence of ice-rafted, thermally mature OM reflects the onset of the glacial erosion of Mesozoic, coal and black shale bearing sediments on the Scandinavian and Barents Sea shelves. The first occurrence of these, in view of the actual burial depth, thermally overmature OM particles is, therefore, a marker for the beginning of the strong Scandinavian glaciation and the advance of the glacial front toward the shelves.

Plankton abundance and feeding characteristics of Thysanoessa raschii from Godthabsfjord, Greenland

Despite being a key zooplankton group, knowledge on krill biology from the Arctic is inadequate. The present study examine the functional biology and evaluate the trophic role of krill in the Godthabsfjord (64°N, 51°W) SW Greenland, through a combination of fieldwork and laboratory experiments. Krill biomass was highest in the middle fjord and inner fjord, whereas no krill was found offshore. The dominating species Thysanoessa raschii revealed a type III functional response when fed with the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii. At food saturation, T. raschii exhibited a daily ration of 1% body C/d. Furthermore, T. raschii was capable of exploiting plankton cells from 5 to 400 µm, covering several trophic levels of the pelagic food web. The calculated grazing impact by T. raschii on the fjord plankton community was negligible. However, the schooling and migratory behaviour of krill will concentrate and elevate the grazing in specific areas of the euphotic zone.