Extreme Northeast Research Articles

Diversity of Palaearctic chipmunks (Tamias, Sciuridae)

The diversity of Palaearctic chipmunks was analysed using a set of morphological (705 skulls from entire range) and genetic features (144 specimens, cytochrome b gene). Based on the results, we propose three taxa within Eutamias sibiricus. These are E. s. sibiricus, inhabiting Russia, the extreme northeast of the Korea Peninsula, Mongolia, Hokkaido Island, and northeast China; E. s. barberi, inhabiting the Korea Peninsula except for the extreme northeast region, and E. s. senescens, inhabiting central China.

Anopheles of Bolivia: new records with an updated and annotated checklist

Anopheles squamifemur has been identified from CDC light trap collections carried out at Arca de Israel, a small community located in the extreme north-east of Bolivia (Pando Department) on the banks of the river Madera, on the border with Brazil. Anopheles costai and An. forattinii have been identified in place of An. mediopunctatus which has been removed from the Bolivian list of Anopheles species. The first identification of An. trinkae in Bolivia by Dr. J.C. Lien in 1984 is cleared. The presence of An. deaneorum in Bolivia has been confirmed by our mosquito captures carried out in Guayaramerín (Pando Department, north-east of Bolivia), a border city separated from the type locality of An. deaneorum, the Brasilian city of Guajara-Mirin, by the large Mamoré River. These new findings increase to 43 the total number of known Anopheles species for Bolivia for which an updated and partially annotated checklist is given. To cite this article: F. Lardeux et al., C. R. Biologies 332 (2009).

Terminologie des Töpferhandwerks aus dem Übermurgebiet/Prekmurje

Abstract: The Terminology of Pottery in Prekmurje, Slovenia This article presents the terminology employed in the pottery of Prekmurje. The terms presented are related to the most important pottery activities: getting (digging) clay, shaping objects on a potter's wheel, firing them in the kiln, preparing the glaze, drying the products and selling them. These are all professionnal dialectal terms dating back centuries ago, the proof of which is provided by archeological finds and local geographical names. The development of pottery in Prekmurje – the flat agricultural region which lies along the Mura River in the extreme northeast of Slovenia, bordering on Austria and Hungary – was possible because of the rich quantities of suitable clay and the high demand for earthenware. In addition to weaving, pottery was among the most important trades in Prekmurje and in some villages the majority of the population was involved in it. Owing to the changed social circumstances, the technical revolution (new cooking technology), the changed way of life and work in the countryside, pottery in Prekmurje has almost died out today. With the gradual disappearance of this old trade we are also witnessing the disappearance of the related terminology. It is the purpose of this inventory of pottery terminology to prevent its falling into oblivion and at the same time provide a comparison of the terms used in different Slovene dialectal areas. In this way we can define the location of individual lexemes used as well as their semantic fields. The terms collected, which are primarily of Slovene origin, although some have also been borrowed in different time periods from Hungarian and from/through German as contact languages, are mostly known only by the oldest generation of speakers.

On the distribution of riffle minnow Alburnoides bipunctatus (Cyprinidae) in the Volga Basin

On the basis of analysis of our own and published data on the distribution of the riffle minnow Alburnoides bipunctatus rossicus in rivers of the Volga Basin, the eastern boundary of the range of this subspecies included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation is specified. It is shown that A. bipunctatus is widely distributed in the entire basin of the Middle Volga and Kama, except the extreme northeast (mountain tributaries of the Upper Kama upstream the Chusovaya River), and rarely occurs in the Upper Volga Basin. The Tereshka River (Ulyanov oblast) and Chapaevka (Saratov oblast) should be considered the southern boundary of the distribution of the subspecies in the Volga Basin. Since the mid-1990s, a drastic and uniform increase in the number of findings and the abundance of A. bipunctatus is recorded. This species has become a common fish in many rivers and, in some cases, a dominant species in river ichthyocenoses. Possible causes of these changes are discussed, and a conclusion is made concerning the need of the revision of the status of the subspecies A. bipunctatus rossicus.

The Church of St. Stephan on Scepan polje near Soko-grad

The Church of St. Stephan on Scepan polje near Soko-grad

Mesoproterozoic granulites of the Shillong–Meghalaya Plateau: Evidence of westward continuation of the Prydz Bay Pan-African suture into Northeastern India

Thermo-chronologic considerations in the Australo-Antarctic domains suggest that the Prydz Bay Pan-African suture of East Antarctica continues westward into India. However, the location of the suture within Eastern India has so far been uncertain because of a lack of adequate thermo-chronological information. In this study, electron microprobe (EPMA) monazite dates and mineral paragenesis of granulite facies metapelites are reported from two areas of the Shillong–Meghalaya gneissic complex (SMGC), a crustal block located in the extreme northeast of the Indian shield close to the Australo-Antarctic block in Neoproterozoic-Cambrian paleomagnetic reconstructions of the Rodinia supercontinent. In the Garo-Goalpara Hills region, a well constrained Mesoproterozoic age of 1596 ± 15 Ma ( n = 103) is correlated with a counterclockwise pressure–temperature path with near peak conditions of 7–8 kbar and 850 °C. Rare matrix monazite rims record younger ages (1032–1273 Ma). At Sonapahar region, 50 km ESE of Garo-Goalpara Hills, homogenous monazite grains in granulite facies metapelites yield EPMA dates tightly clustered at 500 ± 14 Ma ( n = 36) irrespective of their textural setting in a well-annealed mineral matrix. In a few zoned monazite grains, the cores yield older ages of 1078 ± 31 Ma ( n = 10) and 1472 ± 38 Ma ( n = 13). The 500 Ma date corresponds with the ca. 880–480 Ma Rb–Sr dates of porphyritic granites that predominantly intruded the east-central part of the SMGC. We propose that the progressively eastward dominance of Cambro-Ordovician ages in the SMGC indicates a Pan-African final amalgamation of the Indian plate with the Australo-Antarctic plate and a northward extension of the Prydz Bay suture through the SMGC, with the western boundary of the suture possibly located between the Garo-Goalpara Hills and Sonapahar areas.

Trichomycetes living in the guts of aquatic insects of Misiones and Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Fourteen species of Trichomycetes living in the guts of aquatic insects are reported from two provinces of Argentina, Misiones and Tierra del Fuego. Twelve of the species belong to the Harpellales and two are Amoebidiales. Five harpellid species are reported from Misiones in the extreme northeast of the country (Genistellospora homothallica, Harpella tica, Smittium culisetae, Smittium sp., Stachylina sp.) and seven are from Tierra del Fuego, the southern tip of South America (H. meridianalis, Glotzia sp., S. culicis, S. cellaspora, S. imitatum, Stachylina minima, Penella simulii). Insect hosts all were immature stages of Culicidae, Simuliidae, Chironomidae, Ceratopogonidae (Insecta: Diptera), and Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera. The lower diversity of Trichomycetes found at Misiones, which has a subtropical climate and rainforest vegetation, was due possibly to the warmer temperatures of the water (15-24 C), compared to the colder streams of Tierra del Fuego (9-15 C), with forests and steppes as typical vegetation.

Trichomycetes living in the guts of aquatic insects of Misiones and Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Fourteen species of Trichomycetes living in the guts of aquatic insects are reported from two provinces of Argentina, Misiones and Tierra del Fuego. Twelve of the species belong to the Harpellales and two are Amoebidiales. Five harpellid species are reported from Misiones in the extreme northeast of the country (Genistellospora homothallica, Harpella tica, Smittium culisetae, Smittium sp., Stachylina sp.) and seven are from Tierra del Fuego, the southern tip of South America (H. meridianalis, Glotzia sp., S. culicis, S. cellaspora, S. imitatum, Stachylina minima, Penella simulii). Insect hosts all were immature stages of Culicidae, Simuliidae, Chironomidae, Ceratopogonidae (Insecta: Diptera), and Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera. The lower diversity of Trichomycetes found at Misiones, which has a subtropical climate and rainforest vegetation, was due possibly to the warmer temperatures of the water (15–24 C), compared to the colder streams of Tierra del Fuego (9–15 C), with forests and steppes as typical vegetation.

Moored Fish Cage Dynamics in Waves and Currents

Recent work in the area of open ocean aquaculture system dynamics has focused separately upon either the response of fish cages in waves or the steady drag response due to ocean currents. In reality, however, forcing on these open ocean structures is a nonlinear, multidirectional combination of both wave and current profiles. At the University of New Hampshire-operated Open Ocean Aquaculture site, data were collected from a wave measurement buoy and a downward-looking Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler to characterize the surface elevation and water velocity profiles during an extreme northeast storm event. In addition to waves and currents, fish cage motion response in heave, surge, and pitch was inferred from accelerometer measurements during the same storm. The environmental data sets obtained during the peak of the storm were processed, analyzed, and used as input to a dynamic finite-element model. Simulations were performed using three load case scenarios: 1) in both waves and currents; 2) in waves only; and 3) in currents only. Model motion response results in both the time and frequency domain were compared with data obtained in situ . In addition to the motion response tests, the wave and current forcing influencing the mooring line tension response was also investigated. Analysis shows that in this case, the currents do not severely influence the oscillatory motion response, but do cause the cage to tilt, layback, and sink. The wave and current interaction effect did, however, influence the anchor line loads with a portion being attributed to nonlinear effects.

Variations of Surface Air Temperature Over the Land Areas in and Around the Bay of Bengal

The inter-annual variation and linear trends of the surface air temperature in the regions in and around the Bay of Bengal have been studied using the time series data of monthly and annual mean temperature for 20–40 years period within 1951–1990. The study area extends from Pusma Camp of Nepal in the north and Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia in the south and between 80--100 ° E. The annual variation of temperature has also been studied using the mean monthly temperature for the variable time frames 1961–1975, 1976–1990 and 1961–1990. The trend of temperature has been analyzed using linear regression technique with the data from 1961–1990, which showed that the warming trend is dominant over the study areas except for a few stations. It has been found that Nepal shows predominant warming trends. Bangladesh and the adjacent areas of India and the northern part of Bay of Bengal adjacent to the Bangladesh coast have shown strong warming trends of the annual temperature with maximum at Dhaka (0.037 °C/year). The near equatorial zone, i.e., southern India, Sri Lanka and part of Thailand and Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) shows warming trends in the annual mean temperature with strong warming at Pamban and Anuradhapura (around 0.04 °C/year). The cooling trends have been observed at a few stations including Port Blair, Yangoon and Cuttack. Further analysis shows the presence of prominent ENSO scale of variations with time period 4–7 years and 2–3 years for almost all the stations. The decadal mode with T >7 years is present in some data series. The results of the variations of temperature with respect to the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) show that SOI has some negative correlation with temperature for most of the stations except those in the extreme northeast. It has been found that positive anomaly of temperature has been observed for El Nino events and negative anomaly for the La Nina events.

Active faulting at the Eurasian, North American and Pacific plates junction

The active faults known and inferred in the area where the major Pacific, North American and Eurasian plates come together group into two belts. One of them comprises the faults striking roughly parallel to the Pacific ocean margin. The extreme members of the belt are the longitudinal faults of islands arcs, in its oceanic flank, and the faults along the continental margins of marginal seas, in its continental flank. The available data show that all these faults move with some strike-slip component, which is always right-lateral. We suggest that characteristic right-lateral, either partially or dominantly, kinematics of the fault movements has its source in oblique convergence of the Pacific plate with continental Eurasian and North American plates. The second belt of active faults transverses the extreme northeast Asia as a continental extension of the active mid-Arctic spreading ridge. The two active fault belts do not cross but come close to each other at the northern margin of the Sea of Okhotsk marking thus the point where the Pacific, North American and Eurasian plates meet.

Focal Mechanisms for Eastern Canadian Earthquakes, 1994-2000

First motions from sixty earthquakes, mostly of magnitude 4.0 or greater, occurring in eastern Canada from 1994 through the end of 2000 were analyzed in an effort to determine their focal mechanisms. Focal mechanism solutions were obtained for thirty-seven. The seismograph station distribution in Canada is not uniform, and the percentage of events for which focal mechanisms could be determined is directly related to station density and azimuthal coverage. Well constrained solutions could almost always be determined for earthquakes occurring in the populated regions of southeastern Canada, where the network density is relatively high. We had moderate success in regions, such as the central Arctic and Labrador Sea, where station density is low but azimuthal coverage is adequate to good. Few focal mechanisms could be determined for the extreme northeast and southeast offshore regions, where both density and azimuthal coverage are poor. In this paper we summarize the focal mechanism...

THE DISTRIBUTION OF GREEN FROGS (Rana esculenta COMPLEX) IN NIZHNY NOVGOROD PROVINCE, CENTRAL EUROPEAN RUSSIA

The occurrence of three green frog taxa [ Rana lessonae (L), R. ridibunda (R), and R. esculenta (E)] in Nizhny Novgorod Province was evidenced by DNA flow cytometry analysis. Our data are the first reliable record of the hybrid R. esculenta for the province (the Middle Volga River basin). All hybrids were diploid. Rana lessonae is spread throughout the province, except its extreme north-east. The distribution of Rana ridibunda is wider and covers the northernmost area. Rana esculenta is quite sparse. In the province, all three species, probably, reach the northern limits of their ranges. Six population systems were revealed; both with a single species (R, L, and, probably, E) and with mixed species populations (LE, REL and RL). The geographic trends in occurrences of hybrids and various kinds of population systems in eastern Europe are discussed.

Self-Discovery in Montaigne's "Of Solitarinesse" and King Lear

There is not much lesse vexation in the government of a private family, than in the managing of an entire state.... [T]hough be lesse important, they are as importunate. Moreover, though we have freed our selves from the court, and from the market, we are not free from the principall torments of our life. --Michel de Montaigne Shortly before the composition of King Lear, Shakespeare's England saw the appearance of John Florio's 1603 translation of Michel de Montaigne's Essais, including a chapter, Of Solitarinesse, in which the French author explores the implications of a simple axiom: Contagion is very dangerous in a throng (1) In addition to the very real danger of spreading disease (such as the outbreak of plague that closed the London theaters that same year), there was a kind of moral contagion that could be contracted by consorting with the wrong sort of people, especially in close quarters: Merchants that travell by sea, have reason to take heed that those which goe in the same ship, be not dissolute, blasphemers, and wicked (189). Likewise, those who traveled on land risked encountering highwaymen, vagrants, and a host of other dangers on the roads and at crowded inns along the way. Montaigne learned these lessons the hard way. Famous for doing much of his thinking on horseback, his personal encounters with unsavory elements of his backward region of southern France included one episode in which he was captured and threatened with death by a group of armed thugs. (2) As a remedy against such dangers, he recommends retirement from active life, particularly to wealthy householders of a certain age who can afford the luxury of retreating into the relative safety of their homes and privacy of their studies. At long last freed of importunate domesticall occupations and time-consuming public obligations, such men can take stock of their lives and, above all, contemplate the self. Whereas Montaigne's essay outlines physical and psychological benefits of solitude, King Lear depicts various nefarious effects of public life and companionship on the individual self. In fact, as I shall argue, the behavior of Lear seems patently to contravene every recommendation found in Montaigne's essay. It is as if Shakespeare used Of Solitarinesse as source material but inverted its core contents so as to produce a kind of negative exemplum in dramatic form. On the whole, King Lear seems more a kind of dramatic essay on pleasure, on crowdedness, on cementing future bonds with others--even though the play opens with Lear's decision to divide his kingdom, divest his authority, and retire from the world. Initially, his intentions seem to coincide exactly with Montaigne's recommendations: `tis our fast intent To shake cares and business from our age, Conferring them on younger strengths, while we Unburthen'd crawl toward death. (1.1.37-40) (3) However, his subsequent demand that his daughters vie for his affection occasions Cordelia's refusal to play along, and her retort to Goneril and Regan, Why have my sisters husbands, if they say / They love you all? (1.1.98-99). She slices through the thin veneer concealing her father's essential fragility, vulnerability, and dependence. Above all, Lear's vitriolic reaction to Cordelia's reply underscores his unwillingness to light, so to speak, on the final voyage toward death. Since she refuses to let him set [his] rest / On her kind nursery (1.1.122-23), instead he will travel monthly--encumbered with an enormous train and whatever else appertains to all th' addition to a king (1.1.135)--from Goneril's castle in Albany in the extreme northeast to Regan's castle in Cornwall in the southwest. (4) This quasi-royal progress would of course present a significant imposition on either host as well as on the great houses along the way (such as the duke of Gloucester's). Lear's proposal would be impractical for a young king, never mind one supposedly crawling unburdened toward death. …

Abnormal Cranial Variation in the Sable (Martes zibellinaL.) and the State of Environment

An abnormal cranial variation in the sable (Martes zibellinaL.) from the extreme Russian Northeast was studied. In the populations formed as a result of reacclimation, the proportion of animals with morphological cranial anomalies proved to be significantly higher than in the parental populations (from which the animals for reintroduction were taken). Probable factors responsible for this effect are discussed.

Re-Os study of Fe-Ti-V oxide and Fe-Cu-Ni sulfide deposits, Suwałki Anorthosite Massif, northeast Poland

The Suwalki anorthosite massif, located in extreme northeast Poland beneath more than a kilometer of Phanerozoic cover, hosts major Fe-Ti-V deposits. These deposits, discovered in 1962, are contained in Fe and Ti oxide minerals that coexist with subordinate quantities of Fe, Cu, Ni, and Co sulfides in massif-style anorthosites, norites, and gabbronorites. Accessibility and other considerations preclude development of this natural resource in the present economic climate. Detailed work by Polish geologists during the last 35 years provides a sound geologic framework for this Re-Os study of the age and origin of oxide and sulfide deposits associated with a major, but lesser known anorthosite massif. Rhenium and osmium abundances and Os isotopic compositions were measured for nine sulfides and four titanomagnetites from the Suwalki anorthosite massif. The titanomagnetites are over an order of magnitude lower in Re (0.4–1.5 ppb) and Os (0.036–0.144 ppb) concentrations than co-precipitated pyrrhotite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite that yield consistent concentrations for Re (30–55 ppb) and Os (1–6 ppb). Parallel lines connecting co-existing titanomagnetite and sulfides have slopes of ∼1 on Re versus common Os concentration plots, indicating that both Re and Os behave similarly during crystallization in their high preference for any sulfide phase over magnetite. Samples from three deposits within the anorthosite massif were analyzed. An age of 1559 ± 37 Ma (n=10) with an initial 187Os/188Os of 1.16 ± 0.06 for the Jezioro Okrągle and Krzemianka deposits is essentially identical to an age of 1556 ± 94 Ma (n=3) for the Udryn deposit. Udryn, however, yielded a marginally lower initial 187Os/188Os of 0.87 ± 0.20. The high initial 187Os/188Os combined with the Proterozoic Re-Os age indicates that the source for Suwalki oxides-sulfides is older crust, and hypothetically, could involve Archean rocks. An average crustal value of 50 for 187Re/188Os yields a 2777 Ma age for Suwalki source rocks. Widespread Phanerozoic cover severely limits knowledge of basement rocks in Poland, however, and no Archean rocks are known in the immediate region. More likely, 187Re/188Os ratios may be higher than average continental crust, reflecting mafic crust in the source, and may move the source age for Suwalki anorthosite and mineral deposits toward younger values that easily include ∼2.0 Ga Proterozoic rocks. This more favorable case also accommodates Paleoproterozoic Nd model ages. Regardless of Archean or Proterozoic source age, the high initial 187Os/188Os ratios derived from the Re-Os isochron indicate that the source for the oxide-sulfide mineral deposits is more likely the crust and not the mantle. Given that these deposits are clearly magmatic, the Re-Os results add a new dimension to the long-standing “origin of anorthosite” problem, implying a crustal source for the anorthosite as well. The 1559 Ma Suwalki age is compatible with a well-exposed east-west band of 1530-1660 Ma rapakivi granite-anorthosite magmatism to the immediate north, transecting western Russia, southern Finland, Estonia and Latvia, and central Sweden. In particular, the age and isotopic character of Suwalki are not unlike those of the well-studied Salmi rapakivi granite-anorthosite batholith in western Russia (Karelia).

Pollen-stratigraphical evidence of Holocene hydrological change in northern Fennoscandia supported by independent isotopic data

Pollen records from 21 sites were used to reconstruct Holocene hydrological changes in northern Fennoscandia. The inferred dominance of maritime-type Betula-forests from c. 9600 BP onwards indicate an oceanic climate in the region during the early Holocene, with high amounts of precipitation and low seasonal contrasts. This interpretation is supported by oxygen isotope records obtained on lacustrine carbonates from Abisko, northern Sweden. Enrichment of O-18 during the early Holocene suggests enhanced zonal circulation and a pronounced influence of Atlantic air-masses in northern Sweden. The pattern of Pinus expansion in the area was time-transgressive, ranging from 9200-8000 BP in the extreme north-east to 7900-5500 BP in the western and south-western parts of the region. The replacement of Betula-forests by Pinus-forests indicates a climatic change towards drier summers and increased seasonality. At Abisko, a close correlation between regional Pinus expansion and depletion of (1)8O in lacustrine carbonates suggests that the expansion of Pinus was triggered by a gradual attenuation of the influence of westerlies. Thus, in large-scale palaeohydrological terms, the early expansion of Pinus in the north-easternmost parts of Fennoscandia as compared to the successively later expansion in the west and south-west may reflect a gradually decreasing influence of Atlantic air-masses in northern Fennoscandia during the early and mid Holocene. (Less)

Malaria protection measures used by in-flight travelers to South African game parks.

Malaria prevention in travelers depends upon dissemination of accurate information about malaria risk, prevention of mosquito bites, appropriate chemoprophylaxis use and knowledge of the symptoms of malaria. A study was undertaken of travelers to the Kruger National Park and private game parks in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa to investigate travelers knowledge, of malaria, chemoprophylaxis use, and experience of adverse events. In-flight self administered questionnaires were distributed and completed by travelers on flights returning to Johannesburg International Airport, from the malaria areas. The study was conducted during the highest malaria risk period during 1996. The Mpumalanga game parks are those most visited in South Africa and are found in the extreme northeast of the country, which adjoins Mozambique in the east and Zimbabwe in the north. This area is classified by the South African health authorities as being a high risk Malaria area.10 Chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria has been described in this area.2,3 The Department of Health in South Africa recommends the use of mefloquine alone or the combination of chloroquine and proguanil, (doxycycline is prescribed for travelers in which the former antimalarials cannot be utilized), for visitors to this area during the high risk period for malaria, which extends from October to May.4 For the remainder of the year mosquito avoidance measures are recommended. Little is known about travelers' compliance with these recommendations and their knowledge of malaria. A study to explore these factors was undertaken as a joint initiative between the SAIMR travel clinic, Mpumalanga Department of Health, and the South African National Parks.

Carex mckittrickensis (Cyperaceae), a New Species from Western Texas

Carex mckittrickensis (Cyperaceae), a New Species from Western Texas

THE WILD LINGONBERRY (VACCINIUM VITIS-IDAEA L. VAR. MINUS LODD) INDUSTRY IN NORTH AMERICA

The lingonberry, known in Canada as the partridgeberry, foxbeny, redberry and cranberry grows throughout the country. The lingonberry also grows extensively in Alaska, where it is known as the lowbush cranberry and is utilized locally. This fruit can also be found in the extreme north east region of the United States especially in Maine and New Hampshire where it is harvested primarily for home use. Vander Kloet's The Genus Vaccinium in North America (Research Branch, Agriculture Canada. 1988) describes in detail the range of this plant in North America.