Peat-DBase v.1: a compiled database of global peat depth measurements

The Paleozoic basins, covering an area of about 800,000 km2 (309,000 mi2) in the Amazon region, are elongate symmetrical intracratonic synclines filled with as much as 4,000 m (13,000 ft) of sediments, separated by basement uplifts or major arches and located in continental interior areas (as are the United States Illinois, Michigan, and Williston basins). These Amazon basins resulted from an initial crustal thinning followed by rifting with associated ultrabasic intrusions and, finally, cooling and subsidence. Gravity anomalies, coinciding with the axes of the synclines, support this genetic hypothesis. These synclines were filled during the Silurian-Devonian with one cycle of continental alluvial sediments grading upward to deltaic marine clastics and minor periglacial deposits. A regional unconformity separates the Devonian from the Permo-Carboniferous cycle when, following fluviodeltaic sedimentation, highly restricted marine conditions developed a sequence of evaporite deposits. Tectonics affected differentially these basins during the Triassic-Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, associated with widespread basic volcanism. A northeast-southwest thrust-fault system, branching southwest, characterizes a compressional orogenic province in the Upper Amazon basin. This compressional province, located in the Jurua River area, constitutes a major structural trend. Adjacent to those faults and extending for over 500 km (310 mi), large natural gas accumulations occur in several domal features. Sandstones of the Permian Monte Alegre Formation, sealed by evaporite strata, are the main reservoir rock. Geologic estimates of natural gas resources are presently rated at 120 billion m3 (4.237 tcf) and exploration follows the productive trend toward the west-southwest. The Middle Amazon basin, separated from the Upper Amazon by the Purus arch, was affected by lineament-block tectonics, also with associated volcanism and some local mild shearing. Minor domal features of Devonian periglacial Oriximina Formation sandstones comprise small subcommercial oil accumulations. In contrast with the Upper and Middle Amazon basins, the Lower Amazon basin has been the site of rifting since the Permo-Triassic. The rifting was associated with a nearby hot spot that uplifted the eastern part of the basin, forming the Gurupa arch. As a consequence of this uplift, a set of collapse grabens developed in the Lower Amazon basin. Potential reservoir rocks in Middle and Lower Amazon basins are Permian Monte Alegre and Devonian Oriximina sandstones. Major source rocks in al three basins are Devonian Barreirinha black shales. Organic geochemistry data indicate that both Upper and Lower Amazon basins are predominantly gas-prone, whereas the Middle Amazon basin shows potential for oil generation. Forecasts for the major exploratory trends in the Upper Amazon indicate a good possibility of extending the already discovered natural gas province. In the Lower Amazon basin, further exploration will consist in drilling well-defined structural features identified for the first time by seismic methods, with a possibility of discovering another gas province. Prospects in the Middle Amazon basin are for both oil and gas, but the main problem is identification of adequate structures, as well as stratigraphic traps. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1205------------

QUANTIFYING PEATLAND CARBON DYNAMICS USING MECHANISTICALLY-BASED BIOGEOCHEMISTRY MODELS

We calculated extraction and production rates of bushmeat species in two main tropical, moist-forest regions, the Amazon and Congo basins. Extraction was estimated from the average number of animals consumed per person per year from anthropological studies that reported animal kills brought into settlements in the regions. We calculated extraction rates ( kg / km 2 /year) for 57 and 31 mammalian taxa in the Congo and Amazon, respectively. We then examined the sustainability of these extraction rates by basin and by taxa, using extraction-to-production ( E:P) mass-balance equations. Production (tonnes/year) was calculated as the product of rmax (the intrinsic rate of natural increase), mammal biomass, and total area of forest in each region. Species exploitation rates at specific body masses were significantly greater in the Congo than in the Amazon. The E :P ratio for the Congo was 2.4, 30 times the Amazon's ratio of 0.081. Thus, Congo Basin mammals must annually produce approximately 93% of their body mass to balance current extraction rates, whereas Amazonian mammals must produce only 4% of their body mass. We calculated sustainability levels derived from Robinson and Redford's harvest model for each taxa. On a basin-wide level, 60% and none of the mammal taxa in the Congo and Amazon basins, respectively, were exploited unsustainably. To evaluate the effect of error on the estimates of E :P, we conducted a sensitivity analysis, which suggests that the mass-balance was most sensitive to error in standing stock but that our results are robust. We estimated that over 5 million tons of wild mammal meat feed millions in Neotropical (0.15 million) and Afrotropical (4.9 million) forests annually. Our Congo basin estimates are four times higher than those calculated for the region by other workers, and we conclude that the current situation of bushmeat extraction in African rain forests is more precarious than previously thought.

The inland water bodies are critical components of ecosystems and hydrologic cycles. Thus, the water extent data are crucially important for hydrological and ecological studies. Due to its high temporal resolution, the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) has the potential for real-time inland water monitoring. In this letter, a high-resolution machine learning (ML) method for detecting inland water content using the CYGNSS data is implemented via the random undersampling boosted (RUSBoost) algorithm. The CYGNSS data of the year 2018 over the Congo and Amazon basins are gridded into <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.01^{\circ }\, \times \, 0.01^{\circ }$ </tex-math></inline-formula> cells. The RUSBoost-based classifier is trained and tested with the CYGNSS data over the Congo basin. The data of the Amazon basin that is unknown to the classifier are then used for further evaluation. By only using the observables extracted from the CYGNSS data, the proposed technique is able to detect 95.4% and 93.3% of the water bodies over the Congo and Amazon basins, respectively. The performance of the RUSBoost-based classifier is also compared with an image processing-based inland water detection method. For the Congo and Amazon basins, the RUSBoost-based classifier has a 3.9% and 14.2% higher water detection accuracy, respectively.

The auchenipterid catfish genus Tatia is revised. Twelve species are recognized including three described as new. Tatia is diagnosed by the hyomandibula elongated anterodorsally, the anal-fin base of adult males reduced in length, and the caudal peduncle laterally compressed and deep with a middorsal keel. Tatia aulopygia occurs in the Madeira river drainage and is distinguished by the reduced cranial fontanel in adults and male modified anal fin with middle rays reduced in length. Tatia boemia, known from the upper Uruguay river drainage, is distinguished by its unique color pattern with dark chromatophores on the sides of body. Tatia brunnea from river basins in Suriname and French Guiana and the Negro river drainage, Amazon basin, is recognized by its wide head and mouth and by the male modified anal fin with sharply pointed tip. Tatia dunni, from the upper Amazon basin, is recognized by its narrow head, long postcleithral process in some specimens, and body coloration with irregular blotches or stripes. Tatia galaxias, endemic to the Orinoco river basin, is distinguished by its large eye and short snout. Tatia gyrina, distributed in the upper and central Amazon basin and in northern Suriname, has a uniquely reduced mesethmoid, slightly protruding lower jaw, second nuchal plate with slightly concave lateral borders, third nuchal plate reduced, small prevomer, low number of ribs, low number of vertebrae and sexual dimorphism regarding intumescent male genital papilla. Tatia intermedia, recorded from central and lower Amazon basin, Tocantins river, and coastal drainages in Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and eastern Pará State, Brazil, is distinguished by the short postcleithral process, small eye and long snout. Tatia neivai, from the upper Paraná river , Paraguay river and upper Paraíba do Sul river basin, is distinguished by its unique vertebral count and caudal-fin coloration consisting of transverse dark bars. Tatia strigata, from central Amazon basin and Negro river, is distinguished by its horizontally striped color pattern and the modified male anal fin with middle rays reduced in length. Tatia caxiuanensis, a new species described from the Curuá river, lower Amazon basin, is recognized by its wide cranial fontanel and distinctive anal fin in mature males. Tatia meesi, a new species described from the Essequibo river basin, Guyana, is distinguished from congeners by the cranial fontanel with two separate openings and thin nasal bone. Tatia nigra, a new species described from the central Amazon basin, is distinguished by its short postcleithral process, low number of vertebrae, and dark color pattern. All twelve species of Tatia are described or redescribed and a key to species is provided.

Detecting vulnerability of humid tropical forests to multiple stressors

Peatlands are a globally important carbon sink, storing up to 455 Pg C as soil organic carbon. One of the drivers of this immense storage relates to the extremely low rate of peat decomposition, which is ultimately regulated by the bacterial community of these peat soils. Previous studies note that vegetation type (e.g., bog vs. fen), depth of peat, water level and pH may determine bacterial composition in peatlands. However, in terms of global patterns, the key controlling variables remain elusive due to a lack of data synthesis and direct experimental evidence. To identify bacterial community composition in global peatlands and key controlling variables, we conducted a field survey of 7 peatland sites in Korea, a meta-analysis of published data from over 95 peatland sites, and pH-manipulation experiments in the UK, by employing NGS analysis targeting 16sRNA.Although immense variabilities in bacterial composition among sites were observed, pH appears to be a dominant controlling variable shaping bacterial community structure. For example, high pH is associated with higher relative abundance of Proteobacteria, while low pH appears to be related to the abundance of Acidobacteria. Variations of bacterial composition at different depths or vegetation types in a single site are smaller than those among different locations, suggesting that environmental changes in local conditions such as water level fluctuation and carbon availability may be less critical than the mean temperature or overall pH of a given site. Our study further suggests that the long-term changes in pH may have much greater implications than previously assumed, with peat decomposition likely to accelerate during the current recovery from acidification being experienced by peatlands across the world.&amp;#160;

SUMMARY Protein from forest wildlife is crucial to rural food security and livelihoods across the tropics. The harvest of animals such as tapir, duikers, deer, pigs, peccaries, primates and larger rodents, birds and reptiles provides benefits to local people worth millions of US$ annually and represents around 6 million tonnes of animals extracted yearly. Vulnerability to hunting varies, with some species sustaining populations in heavily hunted secondary habitats, while others require intact forests with minimal harvesting to maintain healthy populations. Some species or groups have been characterized as ecosystem engineers and ecological keystone species. They affect plant distribution and structure ecosystems, through seed dispersal and predation, grazing, browsing, rooting and other mechanisms. Global attention has been drawn to their loss through debates regarding bushmeat, the “empty forest” syndrome and their ecological importance. However, information on the harvest remains fragmentary, along with understanding of ecological, socioeconomic and cultural dimensions. Here we assess the consequences, both for ecosystems and local livelihoods, of the loss of these species in the Amazon and Congo basins.

Inverse‐estimated net carbon exchange time series spanning two decades for six North American regions are analyzed to examine long‐term trends and relationships to temperature and precipitation variations. Results reveal intensification of carbon uptake in eastern boreal North America (0.1 PgC/decade) and the Midwest United States (0.08 PgC/decade). Seasonal cross‐correlation analysis shows a significant relationship between net carbon exchange and temperature/precipitation anomalies during the western United States growing season with warmer, dryer conditions leading reduced carbon uptake. This relationship is consistent with “global change‐type drought” dynamics which drive increased vegetation mortality, increases in dry woody material, and increased wildfire occurrence. This finding supports the contention that future climate change may increase carbon loss in this region. Similarly, higher temperatures and reduced precipitation are accompanied by decreased net carbon uptake in the Midwestern United States toward the end of the growing season. Additionally, intensified net carbon uptake during the eastern boreal North America growing season is led by increased precipitation anomalies in the previous year, suggesting the influence of “climate memory” carried by regional snowmelt water. The two regions of boreal North America exhibit opposing seasonal carbon‐temperature relationships with the eastern half experiencing a net carbon loss with near coincident increases in temperature and the western half showing increased net carbon uptake. The carbon response in the boreal west region lags the temperature anomalies by roughly 6 months. This opposing carbon‐temperature relationship in boreal North America may be a combination of different dominant vegetation types, the amount and timing of snowfall, and temperature anomaly differences across boreal North America.

Sensitivity of land carbon sinks to the three major oscillations in the Northern Hemisphere

Parotocinclus yaka is described as a new species of hypoptopomatine cascudinho from tributaries of the Rio Tiquié, tributary to the Rio Uaupés, upper Rio Negro drainage, Amazon basin, Amazonas State, Brazil. The new species is distinguished from its congeners in northeastern and southeastern Brazil by having the cheek canal plate elongated posteriorly on the ventral surface of the head and in contact with the cleithrum. Parotocinclus yaka is diagnosed from the Parotocinclus species of the Amazon, Orinoco and Guianas watersheds by having a conspicuous dark spots smaller than the pupil diameter distributed dorsally and laterally on the head; it is also differentiated from P. polyochrus (Casiquiare, Venezuela), P. longirostris (Rio Amazonas, Brazil), and P. eppleyi (Río Orinoco) by the absence of a Y-shaped light mark dorsally on the head. In addition, the absence of premaxillary and dentary accessory teeth and the presence of a Y-shaped spot on the snout distinguish the new species from P. collinsae (Essequibo River, Guyana), P. halbothi (Rio Trombetas, Brazil and Marowijne River, Suriname) and P. variola (Río Amazonas, Colombia). Parotocinclus yaka also differs from P. amazonensis (lower Amazon basin), P. aripuanensis (lower Amazon basin), P. britskii (Guyana, Suriname, eastern Venezuela, and Amapá State, Brazil), and P. dani (Rio Tapajós basin), by having more numerous oral teeth. The new species described herein is part of the group of small cascudinhos usually associated with marginal or submerged vegetation and submerged logs, of moderate current and clear transparency, found in conserved habitats in streams of the Amazon, Orinoco and Guianas rivers.

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Peatland ecosystems provide critical ecosystem-services such as water and carbon storage and harbor unique biodiversity. Once ignited, peat fires may burn uncontrollably for weeks or months resulting in rapid ecosystem degradation and excessive CO&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;- Emissions. Despite the impact of peat fires on ecosystem services and climate, peatland fire regimes remain poorly characterized for many parts of the world. Here we investigate the global occurrence of peatland fires over the last two decades.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;We estimate the global extent of peatland fires from 2009 to 2018 and identify drivers of variability and trends using a global peatland map (Global Peatland Database /Greifswald Mire Centre 2019), active fire detections from the Moderate Resolution imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and several fire regime and climate anomaly-datasets. The data were used to delineate 14 &amp;amp;#8216;Peatland Fire Regions&amp;amp;#8217; (PFR).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Our results indicate that between 2009 and 2018 globally 553,950 km&amp;amp;#178; of peatland have been affected by fire (7.88 % of the global peatland area), whereas patterns and trends are widely differing. The extent of fire-affected area in the PFRs of Boreal North America and Boreal Eurasia both exceeded 80,000 km&amp;amp;#178;, which for both areas accounts for ~3.5 % of the peatland area. In the same time, over 120,000 km&amp;amp;#178; were affected in both Central Asia and Equatorial Asia, i.e. ~23 % of their respective peatland area.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Northern peatlands are rather subject to natural fires and fire incidence is mostly driven by climate anomalies like droughts. Large peaks in fire occurrence in Boreal North America and Boreal Eurasia were correlated with higher temperatures and less rain. The strong linkage of inter-annual fire variability to temperature anomalies suggests that in these regions fire frequency and intensity may increase in future.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In tropical regions, particularly those of Africa and Asia, peatland fires tended to occur on degraded peatlands and fires occurred often multiple times on the same site during our study period. While inter-annual variability in fire occurrence was strongly determined by climate, the long term trends in these regions are dominated by human land management. In Africa the fire affected peatland area was rather constant over the years and fires had the highest return frequency, which reflects the widespread culture of burning in land reclamation and agriculture.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Southern/Equatorial Asia and to some extent South America showed peaks correlated with ENSO associated drought events, leading to the largest fire-affected peatland area in just one year in the Equatorial Asia region of 50,900 km&amp;amp;#178; (in 2015).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;

Capacity Building in the Congo Basin: Rich Resources Requiring Sustainable Development

Conservation Biology for the Biodiversity Crisis.

Reviewed by: The Annotated Malay Archipelago by Alfred Russel Wallace Timothy P. Barnard The Annotated Malay Archipelago Alfred Russel Wallace, edited by John Van Wyhe Singapore: NUS Press, 2014. xvii, 801 pp. Maps, illustrations, bibliography, index. ISBN 978-9971-69-820-1 First published in 1869, The Malay Archipelago is a classic work on Southeast Asian society, nature and imperialism. It is a memoir filled with the observations and thoughts of Victorian naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace and describes his travels in Southeast Asia between 1854 and 1862. Within its pages are a number of interlocking texts—scientific treatise, travelogue and history filled with ethnographic observations and tales of flora and fauna—all of which make it appealing to not only scholars of a range of disciplines in Southeast Asia but also scientists throughout the world. At its most basic The Malay Archipelago is a travelogue. Wallace arrived in the Melaka Strait in 1854 and proceeded to explore the islands of Southeast Asia, ranging from Sumatra to New Guinea, with a considerable amount of time spent in eastern Indonesia. In a crisp, clear writing style, Wallace described peoples, landscapes and nature with particularly exquisite chapters on birds of paradise and Singapore being personal favourites of mine. While these tales are fascinating, the reason the book remains an important piece of literature with a global impact is what occurred to Wallace intellectually while in Southeast Asia. During his journey, he took note of geographical distribution of animals throughout the archipelago. Wallace slowly came to a realization that led to the development of one of the most revolutionary ideas in history: a basic understanding of evolution through natural selection. Readers of this journal, however, already know most of this information. After all, anyone with a passing interest in Wallace, Malaysia, nineteenth-century Southeast Asia, or natural history already owns the book. This leads to more pertinent questions with regard to any new ‘annotated’ edition. These questions include: has the editor added anything new to our understanding of the work, or Wallace?; and, should this version replace the one on your shelf?. The answers to these questions are ‘quite a bit’ and ‘yes’. This edition of The Malay Archipelago is a product of the larger work of its editor, John van Wyhe, who has spent the past decade developing and operating the Wallace Online website (www.wallace-online.org). Any visitor to the website can peruse the entirety of the writings of the Victorian naturalist, from letters to notebooks to illustrations, something van Wyhe accomplished [End Page 183] earlier with the writings of Charles Darwin. With such a background, van Wyhe brings his wealth of knowledge about Wallace, and nineteenth-century natural history, to this edition. The result is not only the classic text, but also additional information that deepens our appreciation of the work. Van Wyhe begins the hefty tome—it was originally a two-volume work—with a 43-page introduction, which outlines Wallace’s background and lays out the details surrounding his travels in Southeast Asia, as well as the publication and reception of The Malay Archipelago. He even provides a detailed itinerary of Wallace’s travels. This introduction and accompanying footnotes in the text are more than simply additional notes, however. Van Wyhe provides the context that an informed reader needs to better appreciate the work, thus enhancing our understanding of the journey and its ultimate impact on science, imperialism and society. After this introduction, the remaining 700 pages of the book contain Wallace’s original text. Van Wyhe provides numerous footnotes that further supplement the text, particularly for a twenty-first-century audience. These notes include contextualization for nineteenth-century quotes, backgrounds of individuals mentioned in anecdotes and even the historic context of events described. These footnotes also provide the modern names of species of animals and plants mentioned in the text as well as their updated scientific names, many of which have been changed since Wallace observed them. The book ends with a bibliography to this edition, which allows the modern reader to explore other considerations of Wallace and his impact on science and society. This new edition of The Malay Archipelago should replace the dusty volume on...