Ancient Lake Research Articles

OSL Dating of the Sukor Earthquake-induced Rockslide in Gorny Altai: Paleoseismological and Paleogeographic Implications

Abstract —Lacustrine sediments, related subaerial aeolian sands, as well as fluvioglacial sands enclosed in ablation moraines in the Chuya River valley between the Chuya and Kurai basins in Gorny Altai, have been dated by optically stimulated (OSL) and infrared stimulated (IRSL) luminescence. The OSL and IRSL ages indicate that the formation of the lake, which spread into the Chuya Basin, was caused by the Sukor rockslide that dammed the Chuya Valley. The rockslide was triggered by a large earthquake (shaking intensity at least IX-X) generated by an active fault in the Kurai Fault Zone about 16 ka, which is the oldest known date for its activity. Thus, large landslides or rockslides can remain geomorphically expressed for at least 16 ka in the climate and landscape conditions as in the Chuya and Kurai basins. The lake existed till ~10 ka BP and then was gradually drained. The Kuyuktanar glacier reached its greatest extent in the early marine isotope stage (MIS) 2, and its ablation moraines formed about 25 ka. Judging by the age and good preservation of moraines left by the glacier, the hilly terrain in the area of the Sukor rockslide, and the presence of lacustrine sands in the vicinity of the lake dam, no catastrophic flooding events in the Chuya and Katun valleys have occurred since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ~20 kyr BP). The water table of the glacier-dammed lake that occupied the Kurai Basin around the LGM could not have exceeded 1750 m above sea level (a.s.l.). Higher lake terraces traceable till elevations of 2100–2200 m a.s.l. should be attributed to more ancient lake stages. Archaeological sites in the area of the junction between the Chuya and Kurai basins were formed in the post-lake period, the oldest dating back to the latest Late Paleolithic time.

Spatial priorities for freshwater biodiversity conservation in light of catchment protection and connectivity in Europe.

Freshwater ecosystems host disproportionately high numbers of species relative to their surface area yet are poorly protected globally. We used data on the distribution of 1631 species of aquatic plant, mollusc, odonate and fish in 18,816 river and lake catchments in Europe to establish spatial conservation priorities based on the occurrence of threatened, range-restricted and endemic species using the Marxan systematic conservation planning tool. We found that priorities were highest for rivers and ancient lakes in S Europe, large rivers and lakes in E and N Europe, smaller lakes in NW Europe and karst/limestone areas in the Balkans, S France and central Europe. The a priori inclusion of well-protected catchments resulted in geographically more balanced priorities and better coverage of threatened (critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable) species. The a priori exclusion of well-protected catchments showed that priority areas that need further conservation interventions are in S and E Europe. We developed three ways to evaluate the correspondence between conservation priority and current protection by assessing whether a cathment has more (or less) priority given its protection level relative to all other catchments. Each method found that priority relative to protection was high in S and E Europe and generally low in NW Europe. The inclusion of hydrological connectivity had little influence on these patterns but decreased the coverage of threatened species, indicating a trade-off between connectivity and conservation of threatened species. Our results suggest that catchments in S and E Europe need urgent conservation attention (protected areas, restoration, management, species protection) in the face of imminent threats such as river regulation, dam construction, hydropower development and climate change. Our study presents continental-scale conservation priorities for freshwater ecosystems in ecologically meaningful planning units and will thus be important in freshwater biodiversity conservation policy and practice, and water management in Europe.

Deeply divergent freshwater fish species within a single river system in central Sulawesi

Sulawesi is a biodiversity hotspot for ricefishes (Adrianichthyidae), with many species endemic to the central part of this island in single ancient lakes or lake systems. Frequent vicariance by lake fragmentation since the Pliocene may be largely responsible for diversification in this family. In this study, we demonstrate that not only lacustrine species but also riverine species in this area are also deeply divergent even within a single river system. A mitochondrial phylogeny revealed that a ricefish population newly discovered from Cerekang River is sister to Oryzias dopingdopingensis Mandagi, Mokodongan, Tanaka, & Yamahira, another riverine species endemic to Doping-doping River. However, the Cerekang Oryzias was genetically isolated from O. dopingdopingensis, despite that Cerekang River and Doping-doping River share a connection across estuarine waters. This separation was supported by phylogenomic trees and population genetic structure analyses based on genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms. Coalescent-based demographic inference demonstrated that the ancestral population of these two riverine ricefishes had experienced a substantial population decrease and subsequently diverged into two sub-populations. Because the Cerekang Oryzias was also morphologically distinguished from O. dopingdopingensis, we described it as a new species, O. landangiensis. We infer that O. landangiensis and O. dopingdopingensis are of lake-origin and are relic species which were left in these rivers after the lake disappeared, and that they have lost their dispersal ability when inhabiting the ancient lake. The lost dispersal ability possibly contributed to the formation of the biodiversity hotspot for this fish group on this island.

Novel Combined Approach of GIS and Electrical Tomography to Identify Marsh/Lake at Kastrouli Late Mycenaean Settlement (Desfina, Greece)

The Kastrouli Late Bronze settlement in Phocis province, central Greece, has been proved to have been an important center in the periphery of the Mycenaean palaces. It was reused at least partially and was cultivated until the 20th century. The presence of a flat area off the Kastrouli hill and the seasonal flooding nowadays led to the present investigation, questioning the formation of an ancient lake or marsh/swamp. A methodological approach was applied combining the digital elevation model (DEM) and GIS of the wider and confined area, examining slopes between 0 and 5 degrees (0 and 8.75%), with electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) traverses of around 300 and 500 m, reaching a depth of 100 m. The ERT data were rapidly collected on profiles and provided a cross-sectional (2D) plot. It was found that, in the area, there is a basin with a length of 100 m and a depth of around 40–50 m. The sedimentation process over the millennia has filled the basin, with the upper 5–6 m surface layers of the area having a low resistivity. The presence of two natural sinkholes with apparent engineered hydraulic works is noted to conform to drainage and produce a habitable environment, protecting the cultivated land and avoiding a swamp associated with health issues.

Benthic-Pelagic state changes in the primary trophic level of an ancient tropical lake

Many large, ancient lakes support primarily planktonic-driven food webs. In contrast, the lowest trophic levels of the Malili Lakes of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia are dominated by benthic diatom communities composed mainly of endemic species. Centric diatoms are not observed in the current diatom assemblage and pennate pelagic species are rare. Using two deep drill-cores from Lake Towuti, we investigated whether the lake has always been dominated by benthic primary production. Despite the ultra-oligotrophic conditions observed in the lake today, we observed state changes characterized by productive planktonic communities and less productive, benthic-dominated diatom assemblages. Two periods of planktonic production, each lasting approximately 50 kyr, were dominated by a complex mixture of Aulacoseira spp., with valve densities >1.0 × 10 9 valves/g with a maximum biovolume of 3.5 × 10 12 μm 3 /g. A similar planktonic assemblage was observed at much lower abundances (<10 7 valves/g) in the deeper sediments (>1 Ma), during the earliest stages of lake formation. Two periods of increased benthic primary production of approximately ~11 kyr in duration, originating from the littoral zone of the lake, were also observed, one between the two planktonic phases and one above the last planktonic maxima. The benthic periods were dominated by Cymbopleura spp., with valve densities of approximately 2.0 × 10 8 valves/g and a maximum biovolume of 1.2 × 10 11 μm 3 /g. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis of sediment chemistry revealed that the benthic and pelagic states clustered with distinct chemical environments. The benthic phases were associated with well-mixed conditions in the lake whereas the planktonic phases were related to rapidly reoccurring water column mixing followed by intense stratification that generate nutrient recycling events. We conclude that lake mixing and nutrient cycling regimes regulated, in part, the switch between benthic and pelagic states in Lake Towuti. • Major switches between benthic and pelagic states in lake's diatom fossil record • Long-term planktonic diatom dominance in current benthic Lake Towuti • Planktonic communities established and persisted naturally for ~50 ky each • Both planktonic diatom communities had similar composition and abundance • Switches in state potentially linked to shifts in lake mixing regime

Remote and in-Situ Characterization of Mars Analogs: Coupling Scales to Improve the Search for Microbial Signatures on Mars

Past environments on Mars contained abundant water, suggesting certain regions may have been conducive to life as we know it and implying the potential for microbial inhabitants. Gale and Jezero craters, home of the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers, hosted ancient lakes that experienced periods of active hydrologic cycling and prolonged drying intervals. Exploration of these basins (and future operations on Mars) will benefit from detailed characterizations of analogous environments on Earth, where life detection strategies at various spatial scales (i.e., rover to orbiter) can be tested and validated. Investigations of terrestrial analogs are critical for understanding (1) how microorganisms generate chemical biosignatures in environments characterized by multiple extreme conditions; (2) the impact of environmental conditions and mineralogy on biosignature preservation; and (3) what technologies and techniques are needed to detect biosignatures remotely or in situ. Here, we survey five terrestrial sites analogous to climate conditions proposed for Late Noachian to Early Hesperian Mars, when craters are thought to have hosted active lakes. We review the geologic setting, environmental conditions, microbial habitability, extant microbial communities, and preserved biomarkers at each analog and discuss their relevance to the search for signs of life in Martian craters with in situ and remote instrumentation. The analogs range from active to desiccated lake systems, temperate to hyper-arid climates, and have acidic to neutral-pH and hypo- to hyper-saline waters. Each analog hosts microorganisms adapted to multiple extremes (polyextremophiles), including aspects of water availability (i.e., surface waters versus shallow subsurface water versus groundwater) and physiochemistry (e.g., water activity, salinity, temperature, alkalinity, pH, and redox potential) that can form macrobiological features such as microbial mats. Comparing the expected achievable spatial resolution of several key Mars instruments to the spatial extent of macrobiological features at each analog reveals that most features are unlikely to be resolved from orbit and require rover-scale instruments for detection. We recommend that future studies at these analogs use multi-scale remote sensing surveys to determine thresholds for detecting macrobiological features and map how patterns in mineralogy or physical characteristics of environments correlate to modern-day microbial communities or preserved biomarkers. It will also be critical to determine how the characteristics of macrobiological features, such as areal extent, percent cover, thickness, pigments, etc., impact detectability thresholds. These findings can provide vital information on potential topographic or spectroscopic signatures of life, and at what scales they are detectable. This research is critical to guide sample collection locations within craters like Jezero, and for selecting landing sites for future missions in evaporative Martian basins and other rocky bodies.

The Evolution of an Ancient Coastal Lake (Lerna, Peloponnese, Greece)

Degradation of coastal environments is an issue that many areas in Europe are facing. In the present work, an ancient coastal lake wetland is investigated, the so-called Lake Lerna in NE Peloponnese, Greece. The area hosted early agricultural populations of modern Greece that started modifying their environment as early as the early–middle Neolithic. Two drill cores in the area of the ancient lake were analysed to establish the sedimentological succession and the depositional environments using sub-fossil assemblages (molluscs and ostracods). Three lithological and faunal units were recovered, the latter being confirmed by the statistical ordination method (non-metric multidimensional scaling). The usage of sub-fossil mollusc species for the first time in the region enriched the dataset and contributed significantly to the delimitation of the faunas. These consist of environments characterised by various levels of humidity (from stagnant waters to freshwater lake) and salinity, with ephemeral intrusions of salt water to the lake, documented by mollusc and ostracod populations. We conclude that the lake and its included fauna and flora were mostly affected by climatic fluctuations rather than human intervention in the area.

Fish diversity of a spring field in Hopong Town, Taunggyi District, Shan State, Myanmar (the Salween River Basin), with genetic comparisons to some "species endemic to Inle Lake".

Hopong, a small town in the Salween (Thanlwin) River Basin, Myanmar, is located 35 km northeast of Inle Lake, a famous ancient lake with numerous endemic fish species. We surveyed the fish fauna of a spring pond in Hopong in 2016, 2019 and 2020 and identified 25 species. Of these, seven, including Inlecyprisauropurpureus and Sawbwaresplendens, had been considered endemic to Inle Lake and at least three species were genetically unique. Eight were suspected or definite introduced species, including Oreochromisniloticus and Gambusiaaffinis. We were unable to identify a nemacheilid species of the genus Petruichthys, which would need a taxonomic examination. The Hopong area is being developed rapidly and, hence, it is crucial to conserve its native fish species and the freshwater ecosystems.

Ecology of old lakes in the Nadym river basin

The authors studied the ecological state of the ancient lakes Yantarnoe 1 and Yantarnoe 2 in the Nadym river basin. Both lakes are subject to intense anthropogenic impact, which arose during the period of oil and gas development of the Nadym lowland and the formation of the city of Nadym. Water areas of water bodies are differentiated by the content of pollutants. The water in the lakes mainly belongs to the classes “dirty” and “polluted”, less often “clean” and “moderately polluted”. In the lakes, there is a high number of invertebrates with a low species diversity. Measures have been developed to improve the ecological state of water bodies.

DNA barcoding of Chironomidae from the Lake Skadar region: Reference library and a comparative analysis of the European fauna

AbstractAimsThe main aim of this study was to fill a gap in barcoding data of the European Chironomidae of the Balkan region, developing and testing the efficiency of a reference DNA barcode library for ancient Lake Skadar basin species (Montenegro/Albania), a region of Europe never before subjected to barcoding studies on Chironomidae. Another aim was to test the efficiency of DNA barcoding for the identification of European Chironomidae, including the estimation of optimal identification thresholds, using &gt;12,000 barcodes.LocationLake Skadar basin and adjacent area (Montenegro/Albania).MethodsThrough this study, 770 individuals of Chironomidae from the Lake Skadar region were barcoded, both at adult and pre‐imaginal stages. Adults were morphologically identified, while larvae were assigned to species by molecular identification, using different methods, of which the efficiency was tested, for a total of 97 different barcoded species.ResultsThe identification efficiency of the reference dataset developed for the Lake Skadar region was 98.6%, a value in line with that obtained when the identification efficiency for European Chironomidae was evaluated (95.8%), which confirms the accuracy of DNA barcoding for the identification of these insects. Moreover, we found that the optimal threshold for the molecular identification of the family is 1.6% nucleotide distance, though more specific thresholds are suggested for the identification of species belonging to Chironomidae subfamilies, since they are related to lower identification errors than to the use of a general threshold. The analysis of inconsistency between molecular and morphological identification shed light on taxonomic issues within European Chironomidae. Previously postulated species synonyms were confirmed, and also further cases requiring deeper investigation were detected.Main conclusionsOur de novo DNA barcode library was shown to have a high identification efficiency. Taxon‐specific thresholds increase the efficacy of molecular identification. Hypothesized species synonyms could be validated through molecular techniques.

Molecular phylogeny and speciation patterns in host-specific monogeneans (Cichlidogyrus, Dactylogyridae) parasitizing cichlid fishes (Cichliformes, Cichlidae) in Lake Tanganyika

Cichlidogyrus (including Scutogyrus) is the most speciose dactylogyridean monogenean genus known from African and Levantine cichlid fishes (Cichlidae). While its taxonomy is well established, little is known about the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of this ectoparasite, especially from hosts belonging to one of the most impressive vertebrate radiations, the cichlid fishes from the East African Great Lakes and surrounding hydrological systems. Phylogenetic inference based on DNA sequences of the nuclear 18S, internal transcribed spacer 1 and 28S rDNA genes revealed that Cichlidogyrus parasitizing mainly West African cichlid tribes is paraphyletic with respect to species parasitizing hosts belonging to the East African cichlid radiation, which constitute a well-supported monophylum. Members of Cichlidogyrus from tylochromine and oreochromine hosts that colonised Lake Tanganyika only recently, cluster with their non-Lake Tanganyika relatives, indicating that they colonised Lake Tanganyika with their current host species, and did not jump over from any of the many cichlid species already present in the lake. The diversification of Cichlidogyrus in Lake Tanganyika seems to be driven by failure to diverge in old lineages of cichlids, cospeciation in more recently evolved ones, and host switching followed by parasite duplication at the level of the various host tribes. Evaluation of host specificity and structural evolution of haptoral and reproductive organs in Lake Tanganyika Cichlidogyrus revealed that strict specialist species together with larval hook size represent the ancestral state of haptor configuration, suggesting that members of Cichlidogyrus in this system evolved from a very simple form to a more complex one similarly to their West African congeners. Generalist species among Cichlidogyrus with a sclerotized vagina parasitizing ancient Lake Tanganyika lineages seem to have developed a different hook configuration, most probably to ensure successful colonisation of new, phylogenetically unrelated hosts.

Diatom community responses to environmental change in Lake Ohrid (Balkan Peninsula) during the mid-Pleistocene Transition

The Quaternary is characterized by a series of glacial-interglacial cycles and a shift in the Earth's climate state known as the mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT, ca. 1200 ka to 720 ka). The progressive increase in glacial cycle length from approximately 41 ka to on average 100 ka affected marine and terrestrial life, but how it affected freshwater communities is far less known. Here, diatom and paleoenvironmental data between 1050 ka and 815 ka from a sediment succession of ancient Lake Ohrid are used to understand how the freshwater communities responded to environmental changes during key-periods of glacial intensification associated with the MPT. Based on stratigraphically constrained incremental sum of squares cluster (CONISS), a distinct diatom community turnover in Lake Ohrid was identified during the study period. The first community existed between 1050 and 955 ka MIS (Marine Isotope Stages) 30–25 and was mostly influenced by environmental parameters related to nutrient supply, mixing processes and primary productivity in the lake. The second community existed between 955 and 815 ka (MIS 25–21) and was largely driven by ontogenetic processes related to the ongoing deepening of the lake, changes in bottom water redox conditions and changes in mixing processes in the lake. The increased severity and duration of cold, glacial stages during the MPT shows only a weak impact on the diatom community in Lake Ohrid. Shifts in species phenotypes, abundance and composition are found in both communities, likely as adaptation in response to the changing environmental conditions. This study shows that the diatom communities were only weakly affected by the progressive intensification of the glacial intensity during the MPT, emphasizing the role of local environmental changes in regulating freshwater communities.

A gomphothere (Mammalia, Proboscidea) from the Quaternary of the Kashmir Valley, India

AbstractThe Kashmir Valley in northern India preserves a fossiliferous Plio‐Pleistocene sedimentary record extending in time almost 5 myr. These fluvio‐lacustrine sediments are commonly called the Karewas, and represent an ancient lake system with drainages derived from the Greater Himalayas and Pir Panjal Ranges. Although fossils have been known from this region for more than 150 years, the record is not as rich or taxonomically well resolved as the dense fossil record of the southern Siwalik Group. Here, we report the first specimen of a Quaternary gomphothere, cf. Sinomastodonsp. from the Kashmir Valley, along with new occurrences ofEquus cf. sivalensis. This is the youngest gomphothere known from the Indian Subcontinent, representing a group of proboscideans hitherto thought to have gone locally extinct at the end of the Pliocene.Sinomastodonis commonly found in eastern and southeast Asia, and its presence in the Kashmir Valley suggests robust dispersal routes from southeast Asia to the high Himalayas. The presence of this browsing proboscidean in the Pleistocene suggests a unique refugial forested intermontane ecosystem, similar to those found in southern China, different from the savannah ecosystems found in the Siwalik Group south of the mountains.

Mechanisms for the anisotropic enrichment of organic matter in saline lake basin: A case study of the Early Eocene Dongpu Depression, eastern China

Organic-rich terrestrial shales, the most promising shale oil production layer, are widely distributed in major basins in China, and they are usually interbedded salt rocks. Understanding the role of salt rocks in the organic matter (OM) enrichment in shale sediments has important enlightenment for shale oil exploration. The shale of the third member of the Eocene Shahejie Formation (Es3 shales) in the Dongpu depression of the Bohai Bay Basin is dominated by clay minerals, with a non-negligible proportion of gypsum, anhydrite, and halite. They contain abundant OM with a mean total organic carbon content of 1.26 wt %. The development of salt rocks revealed the arid and transiently humid climate during the Es3 period and an evaporating environment with a shallow lake level at the Dongpu Ancient Lake Basin. OM enrichment was synthetically affected by the palaeoenvironment during the Es3 period. The paleolake with a paleosalinity as high as 23.43‰ was nutritious and promoted the prosperity of salt loving organisms causing high paleoproductivity. The Es3 shales were deposited under anoxic and dysoxic conditions in a deep lake, which provided good conditions for OM preservation. In addition, salt rocks itself are good caprocks to prevent the loss of shale oil. Under the dual guarantee of high productivity and good preservation conditions, OM is much enriched in the Es3 shales. OM enrichment was synthetically affected by the palaeoenvironment during the Es3 period. The horizontal difference of paleoclimate controlled the discrepancy of salinastones distribution, OM enrichment, paleosalinity, andpaleoproductivity in different saline surroundings of Dongpu Depression. The composite patterns of palaeoenvironmental variation affected the vertical anisotropic enrichment of OM. Seven stages were divided for the Es3 period to reflect the effects of vertical anisotropy on OM enrichment. Stages I, V, and, VII deposited thick salt under an arid climate and provided a good seal-capping and preservation condition for the OM enriched in stages II, III, IV, and VI. The shale reservoirs deposited in stages III and IV were favorable for shale oil exploration.

60 years of scientific deep drilling in Colombia: the north Andean guide to the Quaternary

Abstract. We sketch the initial history of collecting deep cores in terrestrial and marine sedimentary basins and ice cores to study environmental and climate change. Subsequently, we focus on the development of long records from the Northern Andes. The 586 m long pollen record from ancient Lake Bogotá reflects the last 2.25 × 106 years with ∼ 1.2 kyr resolution, whereas the sediment core reflects almost the complete Quaternary. The 58 m long composite core from Lake Fúquene covers the last 284 ka with ∼ 60 years resolution. We address the various challenges and limitations of working with deep continental cores. For the tropics, the presence of these deep cores has made the Northern Andes a key area in developing and testing hypotheses in the fields of ecology, paleobiogeography, and climate change. We summarize the results in the figures, and for details on the paleoenvironmental reconstructions, we refer to the corresponding literature. We provide an overview of the literature on long continental records from all continents (see the Supplement). Based on our 50 years of experience in continental core drilling, developing a research capacity to analyze the large amounts of samples, and keeping a team together to publish the results, we listed suggestions in support of deep continental records aimed at studying environmental and climate change over long intervals of time.

An endemic species flock of Cypridopsinae (Crustacea, Ostracoda) from the ancient Lake Malawi (Africa), with the description of a new genus and three new species.

We describe Malawidopsis gen. nov., a new genus of Cypridopsinae Kaufmann, 1900 from the African ancient Lake Malawi. The genus comprises at least 17 new species, which makes it a significant ostracod radiation in this lake, parallel to a similar (but independent) cypridopsine radiation in Lake Tanganyika. Three of these new species are here described: Malawidopsis stellae gen. et. sp. nov., the type species of the new genus; M. ruwaydae gen. et. sp. nov. and M. antoniae gen. et. sp. nov.. The other new species are briefly illustrated and described, but are left in open nomenclature (sp. A, B, C, etc.). Cypridopsis cunningtoni Sars, 1910 and Potamocypris fuelleborni Daday, 1910 are transferred to Malawidopsis gen. nov. and are identical to Malawidopsis spec. F and Malawidopsis spec. N, respectively. The new tribe Plesiocyprisopsini trib. nov. is erected, and comprises the cypridopsine genera previously in the Cypridopsini s.l. with the right valve overlapping the left valve, at least anteriorly. Potential drivers of speciation within this endemic clade in Lake Malawi are briefly discussed. Bathymetry might have been important, with most species being restricted to shallower depths and only four species also occurring at depths of 75 m or more, but very few specimens were retrieved from greater depths. Most species occurred on coarse sand, but this sediment category coincides with shallower stations. Overall, most species appear to have a wide geographical distribution in the lake, so no geographical parapatric speciation is apparent. The occurrence of all species in sexual populations and the significant differences in the male sexual organs and the valves suggest that sexual selection might have been the most important driver in the speciation process of this species flock, but this should be further explored. Following deep coring results in Lake Malawi, the present clade could be (at least) c one million years old.

Finding Mesolithic Sites: A Multichannel Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) Investigation at the Ancient Lake Duvensee

The shift to the early Holocene in northern Europe is strongly associated with major environmental and climatic changes that influenced hunter-gatherers’ activities and occupation during the Mesolithic period. The ancient lake Duvensee (10,000–6500 cal. BCE) has been studied for almost a century, providing archaeological sites consisting of bark mats and hazelnut-roasting hearths situated on small sand banks deposited by the glacier. No method is yet available to locate these features before excavation. Therefore, a key method for understanding the living conditions of hunter-gatherer groups is to reconstruct the paleoenvironment with a focus on the identification of areas that could possibly host Mesolithic camps and well-preserved archaeological artefacts. We performed a 16-channel MALÅ Imaging Radar Array (MIRA) system survey aimed at understanding the landscape surrounding the find spot Duvensee WP10, located in a hitherto uninvestigated part of the bog. Using an integrated approach of high-resolution ground radar mapping and targeted excavations enabled us to derive a 3D spatio-temporal landscape reconstruction of the investigated sector, including paleo-bathymetry, stratigraphy, and shorelines around the Mesolithic camps. Additionally, we detected previously unknown islands as potential areas for yet unknown dwelling sites. We found that the growth rates of the islands were in the order of approximately 0.3 m2/yr to 0.7 m2/yr between the late Preboreal and the Subboreal stages. The ground-penetrating radar surveying performed excellently in all aspects of near-surface landscape reconstruction as well as in identifying potential dwellings; however, the direct identification of small-scale artefacts, such as fireplaces, was not successful because of their similarity to natural structures.

Environment of the Early Pleistocene Banshan Paleolithic Site in the Nihewan Basin, North China

The Banshan archaeological site is one of the most important Early Pleistocene Paleolithic sites in the Nihewan Basin in North China. Based on analyses of pollen, grain size and charcoal of 56 samples from a sedimentary profile, we reconstructed the environment of the Banshan site before and after the interval of hominin activity (1.340–1.290 Ma). The results show that before the appearance of hominin activity (1.340–1.324 Ma), the climate of the region was initially cold and wet and then cold and dry. The regional vegetation was mainly Pinus and Picea forest in the earlier stage, and steppe dominated by arid-tolerant plants such as Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae in the later stage. During the period of hominin activity (1.324–1.318 Ma), the climate was warm and wet, the vegetation was mainly Pinus forest, and the site was a lakeside environment which would have provided resources such as food and water for hominins. During 1.318–1.310 Ma, the climate was warm and wet, the lake continued to expand and the lake level rose, which may have forced the hominins to migrate outside the area. During 1.310–1.290 Ma, the climate changed from warm and humid to cold and arid, accompanied by the change of the regional vegetation from forest to forest-grassland. Hominin activity at the Banshan site occurred during the interval of climate change from cold and dry to warm and wet, and it ended with the rise of the ancient lake level at Nihewan and the deterioration of the climate.

Lithofacies paleogeography restoration and its significance of Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous in southern margin of Junggar Basin, NW China

In view of the difficulties in the study of lithofacies paleogeography and the low reliability of the distribution range of sedimentary sand bodies in the prototype basin caused by less deep drilling, complex seismic imaging and low degree of exploration in the southern margin of Junggar Basin, NW China. A new method based on the source to sink idea was used to restore lithofacies paleogeography and predict glutenite distribution. In the restoration, apatite fission track age was used to define range and uplift time of macro-provenance; the range of provenance area and the migration process of lake shoreline were restored based on the quantitative relationship between gravel diameter and transportation distance, tectonic shortening and other geological parameters; drilling cores and field outcrop sedimentary structures were analyzed, and a series of maps of lithofacies paleogeographic evolution and distribution range of glutenite bodies were compiled. It is concluded that from Early Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, in the southern margin of Junggar Basin, the provenance area gradually expanded from south to north, the lake basin expanded, shrunk and expanded, and the paleoclimate changed from humid to drought to humid. The western section always had proximal fan delta deposits from the southern ancient Tianshan provenance developed, and in the middle and eastern sections, the provenance areas evolved from far source to near source, mainly river-delta, braided delta, fan delta and other sediments developed. The boundary between provenance areas of the western and middle sections is speculated to be Hongche fault zone. In an angle open to the northwest with the current basin edge line, the restored ancient lake shoreline controlled the heterogeneity of reservoirs in the delta plain belt and delta front belt on its both sides. The ancient lake shoreline, current stratigraphic denudation line and current basin margin line limit the types and scope of favorable reservoirs. This understanding provides an important geological basis for oil and gas exploration in the deep lower source-reservoir assemblage at the southern margin of Junggar Basin.

Morphology, mating system and taxonomy of Volvox africanus (Volvocaceae, Chlorophyceae) from Thailand

BackgroundThe oogamous green algal genus Volvox exhibits extensive diversity in mating systems, including heterothallism and homothallism with unisexual (male and/or female) and/or bisexual spheroids. Although four mating systems have been recognized worldwide in strains identified as “Volvox africanus”, most of these strains are extinct. However, we previously rediscovered two types of the four mating systems (heterothallic, and homothallic with male and bisexual spheroids within a clone) from an ancient Japanese lake, Lake Biwa.ResultsHere, we obtained strains exhibiting the third mating system (homothallic with unisexual male and female spheroids within a clone) from a freshwater area of Kalasin Province, Thailand. When sexual reproduction was induced in the present Thai strains, both male and female unisexual spheroids developed to form smooth-walled zygotes within a clonal culture. Phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer region-2 of nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences from all four mating systems, including the extinct strains, resolved the third mating system is basal or paraphyletic within the homothallic clade.ConclusionsThe present morphological and molecular data of the Thai strains indicate that they belong to the homothallic species V. africanus. The phylogenetic results suggested that third mating system (homothallic with separate male and female sexual spheroids) may represent an initial evolutionary stage of transition from heterothallism to homothallism within Volvox africanus. Further field collections in geologically stable intracontinental regions may be fruitful for studying diversity and taxonomy of the freshwater green algal genus Volvox.