浙江嵊州早上新世植物群重建和古气候定量研究

上新世时期是地球环境发展变化过程中由温暖的中新世向冰期-间冰期交替出现的更新世的过渡时期，研究上新世的气候有助于研究现代全球气候变化趋势。我国上新世植物群研究不多，尤其缺乏早上新世植物群的研究。在研究化石植物群的过程中，叶角质层的信息通常被忽视。迄今，我国古气候的定量研究主要集中在山东山旺和云南地区，研究的主要是中新世和晚上新世的古气候，早上新世气候的定量研究国内外都未见报道。 本论文以采自浙江中部嵊州地区硅藻土中的植物叶和果实为材料，通过光学显微镜、荧光显微镜和扫描电镜观察，对提取的化石叶角质层和叶结构进行研究，对比研究现代相关类群植物的叶片，确定了化石植物类群计15科24属（或亚科）34种。同时参照现代植物分布，恢复了早上新世嵊州地区古植被情况，进一步运用共存分析（Co-existence Approch）定量重建了当时的古气候，得到古年均温、古年较差和古年降水量等7个参数。 研究表明，叶结构和叶角质层可以应用于化石植物类群的鉴定。光学显微镜和荧光显微镜下可以获得的信息有：气孔、表皮细胞形状及大小、表皮细胞垂周壁、分泌结构、表皮毛或毛基等。扫描电镜观察的是叶表皮细胞表面的情况，如细胞外壁是否被蜡质以及蜡质的交结情况，气孔外壁是否增厚呈环等。 经化石植物类群鉴定，早上新世（约4Ma）嵊州地区植被属亚热带常绿阔叶林。推测：该地区当时存在一个较大的湖泊，湖泊边缘水中生长有菱角，湖泊周边可能有海拔超过1400m的山地。 常绿阔叶林主要成分是壳斗科植物，其中青冈属植物可能是建群植物。自低海拔到高海拔地区都有分布的是：栎属、栗属、桤木属植物，青杨梅。低海拔地区（<600m）分布的植物有：海南锥，樟。中低海拔地区（300-1000m）分布着：柯属、黄杨属植物，水青冈，海南油丹，江南油杉，福建柏。中高海拔地区（>700m）分布有：高山栎、黄肉楠属植物，米心水青冈，榉树，建始槭，天台鹅耳枥和昌化鹅耳枥。除了上述类群，林中还散布着鼠李属、杜鹃花属和冬青属的植物，豆科崖豆藤属植物则缠绕一些较大乔木生长。另外，在一些土壤、有机质易堆积的洼地生长有竹林，山地贫瘠的地方生长着柏属植物。 嵊州早上新世化石植物群反映的植被同浙江地区现代植被相似。第三纪浙江地区从针叶林或阔叶树为主的针-阔叶混交林过渡到常绿-落叶阔叶林，再发展为常绿阔叶林。 依据23个植物类群分析获得7个古气候参数：年均温17.7-21.4°C，最热月均温22.2-27°C，最冷月均温8.4-13.4°C，年较差12.1-15.3°C，年降水量1136-1869.9mm，最大月降水量211.8-283.3mm，最小月降水量20.3-36.8mm。 对比现代嵊州地区气候参数，早上新世嵊州地区年降水量略高于现代，年均温比现代高1.3-5°C，年较差为12.1-15.3°C。早上新世期嵊州地区四季气温比现代平稳。

Sensorless reconstruction of freehand 3D ultrasound data.

Freehand 3D ultrasound can be acquired without a position sensor by finding the separations of pairs of frames using information in the images themselves. Previous work has not considered how to reconstruct entirely freehand data, which can exhibit irregularly spaced frames, non-monotonic out-of-plane probe motion and significant inplane motion. This paper presents reconstruction methods that overcome these limitations and are able to robustly reconstruct freehand data. The methods are assessed on freehand data sets and compared to reconstructions obtained using a position sensor.

Fish recolonization in temperate Australian rockpools: a quantitative experimental approach

Understanding recolonization processes of intertidal fish assemblages is integral for predicting the consequences of significant natural or anthropogenic impacts on the intertidal zone. Recolonization of experimentally defaunated intertidal rockpools by fishes at Bass Point, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, was assessed quantitatively by using one long-term and two short-term studies. Rockpools of similar size and position at four sites within the intertidal zone were repeatedly defaunated of their fish fauna after one week, one month, and three months during two shortterm studies in spring and autumn (5 months each), and every six months for the long-term study (12 months). Fish assemblages were highly resilient to experimental perturbations—recolonizing to initial fish assemblage structure within 1−3 months. This recolonization was primarily due to subadults (30−40 mm TL) and adults (>40 mm TL) moving in from adjacent rockpools and presumably to abundant species competing for access to vacant habitat. The main recolonizers were those species found in highest numbers in initial samples, such as Bathygobius cocosensis, Enneapterygius rufopileus, and Girella elevata. Defaunation did not affect the size composition of fishes, except during autumn and winter when juveniles (<30 mm TL) recruited to rockpools. It appears that Bass Point rockpool fish assemblages are largely controlled by postrecruitment density-dependent mechanisms that indicate that recolonization may be driven by deterministic mechanisms.

Quantitative determination of the timing of otolith ring formation from marginal increments in four marine teleost species from northwestern Australia

The sectioned otoliths of four fish species from a tropical demersal trawl fishery in Western Australia revealed a series of alternating trans-lucent and opaque zones in reflected light. The translucent zones, referred to as growth rings, were counted to determine fish ages. The width of the opaque zone on the periphery of the otolith section as a proportion of the width of the previous opaque zone (index of completion) was used to determine the periodicity of growth-ring formation. This article describes a method for modeling changes in the index of ring completion over time, from which a parameter for the most probable time of growth-ring formation (with confidence intervals) can be determined. The parameter estimate for the timing of new growth-ring formation for Lethrinus sp. 3 was from mid July to mid September, for Lutjanus vitta from early July to the end of August, for Nemipterus furcosus from mid July to late September, and for Lutjanus sebae from mid July to mid November. The confidence intervals for the timing of formation of growth rings was variable between species, being smallest for L. vitta, and variable between fish of the same species with different numbers of growth rings. The stock assessments of these commercially important species relies on aging information for all the age classes used in the assessment. This study demonstrated that growth rings on sectioned otoliths were laid down annually, irrespective of the number of growth rings, and also demonstrated that the timing of ring formation for these tropical species can be determined quantitatively (with confidence intervals.