Oceanic Islands Research Articles

Strontium isotope dating influenced by Rubidium contamination from terrestrial material: A case study from the Cenozoic dolomite in the Xisha Islands, South China Sea

AbstractStrontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) are commonly used to assess the age of Cenozoic dolostones found on many isolated oceanic islands. The possible influence of Rubidium (Rb) content on the 87Sr/86Sr ratios, however, has generally been ignored. This critical issue is assessed by examining the 87Sr/86Sr ratios and elements (Rb, Sr, Al, Ti and K) of seventy‐one samples that came from a ca 339 m thick cored interval of Cenozoic dolomite on the Xisha Islands, South China Sea. For the dolomite from the upper Pliocene Yinggehai Formation (180.5 to 308.5 m; average 23% dolomite) there is a positive correlation between the 87Sr/86Sr ratios and Rb concentrations, whereas for the dolomite from the lower late Miocene Huangliu Formation (308.5 to 519 m; average >98% dolomite) such a correlation is not evident. Combined with high‐temperature experiments, correlation between Al, Ti, K, Rb and 87Sr/86Sr indicates that Rb containing old 87Rb from terrestrial materials modified the 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the Yinggehai dolomite, but not those from the Huangliu dolomite. This is mainly attributed to the different sources of terrestrial dust carried by different East Asian monsoon systems between the late Miocene and Pliocene, and probably also influenced by the dolomitization process to some extent. To test for 87Rb contamination, extrapolation of results from the Yinggehai dolomite and Huangliu dolomite indicate that concentrations of Rb < 1 ppm, Al < 1000 ppm, Ti < 15 ppm and K < 250 ppm in the dolomite indicates that terrestrial inputs are minimal and that the measured 87Sr/86Sr ratios can be used for determining the dolomitization age. Potentially, these concentration thresholds may serve as a screening criterion for assessing the reliability of Sr isotope chronostratigraphy of other island dolostones throughout the world.

High CO2 in the mantle source of ocean island basanites

Some of the most CO2-rich magmas on Earth are erupted by intraplate ocean island volcanoes. Here, we characterise olivine-hosted melt inclusions from recent (<10 ky) basanitic tephra erupted by Fogo, the only active volcano of the Cape Verde Archipelago in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. We determine H2O, S, Cl, F in glassy melt inclusions and recalculate the total (glass + shrinkage bubbles) CO2 budget by three independent methodologies. We find that the Fogo parental basanite, entrapped as melt inclusion in forsterite-rich (Fo80-85) olivines, contains up to ∼2.1 wt% CO2, 3–47 % of which is partitioned in the shrinkage bubbles. This CO2 content is among the highest ever measured in melt inclusions in OIBs. In combination with ∼2 wt% H2O content, our data constrain an entrapment pressure range for the most CO2-rich melt inclusion of 648–1430 MPa, with a most conservative estimate at 773–1020 MPa. Our results therefore suggest the parental Fogo melt is stored in the lithospheric mantle at minimum depths of ∼27 to ∼36 km, and then injected into a vertically stacked magma ponding system. Overall, our results corroborate previous indications for a CO2-rich nature of alkaline ocean island volcanism. We propose that the Fogo basanitic melt forms by low degrees of melting (F = 0.06–0.07) of a carbon-enriched mantle source, containing up to 355–414 ppm C. If global OIB melts are dominantly as carbon-rich as our Fogo results suggest, then OIB volcanism may cumulatively outgas as high as ∼16–21 Tg of carbon yearly, hence substantially contributing to the global deep carbon cycle.

From the dark side of paradise: a new natural replication of cave planthopper evolution from Hawaiian lava tubes (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae)

Abstract The Hawaiian Islands are known to harbour a rich and diverse fauna of troglobionts (obligate subterranean species). To date, 74 obligate cavernicolous arthropod species have been documented from across the main Hawaiian islands, the majority of which were from Hawaiʻi Island, and mostly from lava tubes of Kilauea volcano, the youngest volcano on the island. A recent bioinventory of the Kipuka Kanohina lava tube system on the south-western side of Mauna Loa volcano revealed the existence of previously unknown cave-adapted species. Among them is the first cave-adapted species of the planthopper genus Iolania, Iolania frankanstonei Hoch &amp; Porter sp. nov. Morphological and molecular data suggest that the species is closely related to the epigean (i.e. surface-dwelling) species Iolania perkinsi, which occurs in surface environments on Hawaiʻi Island. Thus, parapatric speciation is assumed, further corroborating the assumption that adaptive shifts are the major evolutionary patterns underlying the evolution of troglobionts on young oceanic islands.

Evidence of a small, island-associated population of common bottlenose dolphins in the Mariana Islands

Small, island-associated populations of cetaceans have evolved around numerous oceanic islands, likely due to habitat discontinuities between nearshore and offshore waters. However, little is known about the ecology and structure of cetacean populations around the Mariana Islands, a remote archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean. We present sighting, photo-identification, and genetic data collected during twelve years of surveys around these islands that reveal the existence of a small, island-associated population of bottlenose dolphins. Nearly half of the photo-identified individuals were encountered in more than one year. Both haplotypic and nuclear genetic diversity among sampled individuals was low (haplotypic diversity = 0.701, nuclear heterozygosity = 0.658), suggesting low abundance. We used mark-recapture analysis of photo-identification data to estimate yearly abundance in the southern portion of the population’s range from 2011 to 2018. Each abundance estimate was less than 54 individuals, with each upper 95% confidence interval below 100. Additional survey effort is necessary to generate a full population abundance estimate. We found extensive introgression of Fraser’s dolphin DNA into both the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes of the population, suggesting at least two hybridization events more than two generations in the past. The Mariana Islands are used extensively by the U.S. military for land and sea training operations. Thus, this unique bottlenose dolphin population likely faces high exposure to multiple threats.

Mycorrhizal communities of Vanilla planifolia in an introduction area (La Réunion) under varying cultivation practices

Societal Impact StatementVanilla is one of the most valuable spices in the world. In Madagascar and La Réunion, the world's leading producers, vanilla is of great economic and cultural importance. Like all orchids, vanilla plants associate with mycorrhizal fungi in their roots forming mutualistic associations that allow them to grow and thrive. Understanding the diversity of mycorrhizal fungi adapted to vanilla cultivation, particularly in the Indian Ocean islands where they have never previously been studied, is becoming a necessity for maintaining vanilla crops in these regions in the face of climate change and the emergence of new pathogens.Summary The vanilla orchid (Vanilla spp.) is one of the most valuable cultivated plants worldwide. As with all orchids, vanillas form mycorrhizal associations with fungi in their roots, but their fungal partners have not been investigated outside their native geographic range in Central America. We investigated the whole fungal and mycorrhizal associations in cultivated vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) by sequencing the fungal ITS‐2 marker in the terrestrial and aerial roots using a metabarcoding approach. We selected plants cultivated in three conditions (i.e., cultivation under shade house, in openfield, or in the understory) in one locality of La Réunion island (Indian Ocean) and tested for a possible effect of cultivation practices on fungal communities. Cultivated vanillas in La Réunion mainly associate with Tulasnellaceae (75 OTUs) and Ceratobasidiaceae (8 OTUs). Among the seven most abundant Tulasnellaceae, six are similar to fungi detected in the roots of cultivated vanillas in Central America or in the roots of native orchids in La Réunion. Cultivation practices impacted both total fungal and mycorrhizal community compositions with no clear effect on fungal richness. Notably, Tulasnellaceae and Ceratobasidiaceae were scarce in aerial roots, except in the traditional cultivation in the forest understory. These results shed light on the geographical origins of mycorrhizal fungi of cultivated vanillas in La Réunion and show that they form a pool of both locally and globally distributed fungal partners. These mycorrhizal communities vary according to cultivation practices, and their potential roles in plant nutrition and resistance against pathogens await further attention.

Petrogenesis and Geodynamic Implications of Cretaceous Nb-Enriched Mafic Dykes in the East Kunlun Orogen, Northern Tibet Plateau: Constraints from Geochronology, Geochemistry and Sr-Nd Isotopes

There is a magmatic lull period in the East Kunlun orogen (EKO) during the Jurassic to the Cretaceous. However, due to the lack of records of magmatic activity restricts our understanding of the late Mesozoic magmatic-tectonic evolution of the EKO. Herein, an integrated study of geochronology, whole-rock geochemistry and Sr-Nd isotopes were conducted for the Cretaceous mafic dykes in the EKO, Northern Tibet Plateau, to reveal their petrogenesis and geodynamic implications. LA-ICP-MS Zircon U-Pb dating reveals that the studied mafic dykes comprising diabase and diabase porphyry emplaced at ca. 80.9 ± 0.8 Ma. The Cretaceous mafic dykes have low contents of SiO2 (46.36 wt.%~47.40 wt.%) but high contents of MgO (6.79 wt.%~7.38 wt.%), TiO2 (1.91 wt.%~2.13 wt.%), Nb (12.4~18.3 ppm) and Nb/U ratio (31~39), resembling Nb-enriched mafic dykes. They exhibit chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) and primitive mantle-normalized trace element patterns, remarkably similar but not identical to the oceanic island basalts (OIB). The moderate REE fractionation ((La/Yb)N = 3.55~5.37), weak negative Eu anomalies (δEu = 0.87~0.97) and relative enrichment of Rb, Ba, K, as well as high contents of Cr and Ni and slightly depleted Sr-Nd isotopes (εNd(t) = −0.18~1.33), suggest that the studied dykes originate from a partial melting of spinel lherzolite and a little of garnet which was previously modified by subducted sediments. Combined with other evidence, we propose that the studied Cretaceous Nb-enriched mafic dykes in the Northern Tibet Plateau were formed in the intraplate setting, which may be a partial melting of the enriched mantle in the lower lithosphere caused by the activity of the East Kunlun strike-slip fault.

Hyperdominance and habitat composition drive reef fish foraging at Atlantic oceanic islands

Spatial and temporal patterns of benthic community structure play a crucial role in shaping reef habitats and have a direct impact on fish foraging dynamics, alongside density-dependent effects on the whole community. At isolated oceanic islands, the relatively low fish species richness often leads to the hyperdominance of a few species and a general reduced trophic redundancy. However, the influence of benthic habitat features and hyperdominant species on foraging selection at oceanic islands has been largely overlooked. We used remote underwater videos (RUVs) to investigate whether reef fishes consistently forage on specific habitats across 5 different oceanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean, especially focusing on the importance of the role of hyperdominant species. We analysed 295 RUVs, within 2 m2 areas (3-15 m deep), totalling 49 h of video. Photoquadrats were utilised to gauge benthic group coverage in the same habitats. Our results revealed 5 prevalent habitats and 6 fish trophic groups interacting with reef benthos. The intensity of feeding pressure varied across islands, depending on the diversity of habitats. Herbivores and omnivores exhibited the highest feeding pressure, with omnivores foraging on crustose coralline algae and macroalgae habitats, while herbivores primarily fed on habitats dominated by the epilithic algal matrix. Hyperdominant species forage in multiple habitats, indicating a comparatively high degree of dietary plasticity. Our findings also demonstrated that fish feeding pressure is influenced by both habitat features and fish biomass. Therefore, our study can provide valuable insights for prioritising the management of key species in isolated oceanic reefs.

Compositional variations in shield-stage volcanism in Fogo, Cape Verde islands

The intraplate oceanic island of Fogo (Cape Verde islands) is in the shield-stage of its evolution. It experienced a major lateral collapse ca. 70 ka ago, after which a sequence of lavas about 2 km thick infilled the collapse scar, with eruptions continuing to the present day. Nearly 100 lavas from before and after the collapse have been sampled and analysed for bulk rock compositions. These lavas have been divided into five Formations (2 pre-collapse and 3 post-collapse), using stratigraphic principles. There is little difference in the major and trace element compositions of pre- and post-collapse lavas, and the main process that gives rise to their diversity is fractional crystallization of observed mineral phases. Pre-collapse lavas show a narrower range of bulk compositions than the post-collapse lavas, but this may be because the sampling strategy avoided these more altered and poorly exposed lavas. A group of high-P2O5 lavas, erupted both before and after the collapse, may have been extensively contaminated by local seamount-stage intrusive carbonatites. A subset of 30 samples was analysed for Sr, Nd and Pb isotope ratios. They show a plume component which has interacted with two contaminants: (1) an increase in 87Sr/86Sr and decrease in 143Nd/144Nd with decreasing MgO, which indicates varying amounts of assimilation of an enriched lithospheric component coupled to fractionation (AFC), and (2) contamination of the more fractionated magmas, without further fractionation, involving the suspected carbonatite contaminant which originates from a more isotopically depleted source. Overall trends of increasing 87Sr/86Sr, and slight decreases in 143Nd/144Nd and all radiogenic Pb isotope ratios, with decreasing age of eruption, indicate a general increase in the assimilated lithospheric component throughout shield-stage activity. However, there is no clear evidence of any change in isotope compositions across the period of the collapse. All Formations show similar wide and overlapping ranges of isotope compositions, regardless of the timescales represented by each Formation. This implies that much short-term variation in the magma sources was superimposed on the overall trend of increasing lithospheric assimilation.

OIB-type mafic–ultramafic rocks in South Guangxi, South China: A record of interaction between Paleo-Tethys subduction and Emeishan large Igneous Province

Late Permian ultramafic–mafic igneous rocks in the Pingxiang area, Guangxi, South China include wehrlite, gabbro, diabase, and amygdaloidal basalt. Geochemical characteristics document interaction between the Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP) and the mantle wedge related to subduction of the Paleo–Tethys. Gabbro and basalt show chondrite–normalized rare earth elements (REEs) and primitive mantle–normalized trace element patterns that parallel ocean island basalts (OIB) and mafic intrusions from the ELIP. Melts in equilibrium with clinopyroxenes, in both wehrlite and gabbro, have REEs and trace element compositions similar to OIB and high–Ti mafic rock of the ELIP. The clinopyroxenes also show a rift–related compositional trend and cover those from the ELIP rocks. These compositional features, along with their moderate initial 87Sr/86Sr and εNd(t) values (−0.8 to +3), are consistent with derivation from an enriched mantle plume source. This is the first time that ultramafic–mafic rocks are reported beyond the established extent of the ELIP and could represent an offshoot from the main mantle plume or indicate that the ELIP plume was considerably bigger than current proposals but has been significantly denuded by subsequent erosion. In addition, the Pingxiang rock units display slightly enriched εNd(t) values and slight negative Nb, Ta, and Zr relative to OIB rocks, indicating an enriched component in the mantle source. Formation of the ELIP spatially and temporally overlapped with subduction of the Paleo–Tethys ocean and interaction between the plume and mantle wedge accounts for the compositional diversity of the ELIP. Such interaction is probably common along the southwestern–southern margin of the Yangtze Block.

The evolutionary history of three Baracoffea species from western Madagascar revealed by chloroplast and nuclear genomes.

The wild species of the Coffea genus present a very wide morphological, genetic, and biochemical diversity. Wild species are recognized more resistant to diseases, pests, and environmental variations than the two species currently cultivated worldwide: C. arabica (Arabica) and C. canephora (Robusta). Consequently, wild species are now considered as a crucial resource for adapting cultivated coffee trees to climate change. Within the Coffea genus, 79 wild species are native to the Indian Ocean islands of Comoros, Mayotte, Mauritius, Réunion and Madagascar, out of a total of 141 taxa worldwide. Among them, a group of 9 species called "Baracoffea" are particularly atypical in their morphology and adaptation to the sandy soils of the dry deciduous forests of western Madagascar. Here, we have attempted to shed light on the evolutionary history of three Baracoffea species: C. ambongensis, C. boinensis and C. bissetiae by analyzing their chloroplast and nuclear genomes. We assembled the complete chloroplast genomes de novo and extracted 28,800 SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) markers from the nuclear genomes. These data were used for phylogenetic analysis of Baracoffea with Coffea species from Madagascar and Africa. Our new data support the monophyletic origin of Baracoffea within the Coffea of Madagascar, but also reveal a divergence with a sister clade of four species: C. augagneurii, C. ratsimamangae, C. pervilleana and C. Mcphersonii (also called C. vohemarensis), belonging to the Subterminal botanical series and living in dry or humid forests of northern Madagascar. Based on a bioclimatic analysis, our work suggests that Baracoffea may have diverged from a group of Malagasy Coffea from northern Madagascar and adapted to the specific dry climate and low rainfall of western Madagascar. The genomic data generated in the course of this work will contribute to the understanding of the adaptation mechanisms of these particularly singular species.

Morphological Diversity and Evolution of Jaw Morphologies in Zeiform Fishes (Teleostei, Paracanthopterygii).

Zeiformes (dories, tinselfishes, and oreos) are primarily benthopelagic acanthomorph fishes, distributed between 50 and 1000 m depth on continental slopes and on flanks of oceanic islands and seamounts. Among the interesting morphological adaptations of zeiform fishes are their unique and highly protrusible jaws involving premaxillae with long ascending processes and a four-bar linkage, including mobile palatines that pivot on their posterior articulation. This adaptation for increased jaw protrusion has enabled zeiform fishes to capture elusive prey more efficiently and is arguably a major factor in their morphological diversity and evolutionary success. This study examines the evolution of zeiform jaw morphologies using 3D landmark-based multivariate morphometrics as well as phylomorphospace analysis. Results show that the descendants of the zeiform ancestor branched rapidly early in their history, retaining conservative jaw morphologies during this early branching, but subsequently strongly diverged in many of the resulting lineages. Results from this study are compared with earlier research based on overall body form, demonstrating that morphological variation within Zeiformes arose along at least two distinct trajectories: body form and jaw morphology. Variation among genera in body form is not associated with variation among the same genera in jaw morphology, and vice versa. Hypotheses to explain the apparent decoupling of body shape and jaw morphology are addressed along with avenues for further study to better understand the morphological evolution of these iconic fishes.

Assessment of nursery areas for the scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) across the Eastern Tropical Pacific using a stable isotopes approach

The scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) is one of the most iconic marine species across the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), yet little is still known about its reproductive biology and the origin of their nursery areas, despite a continuous global decline in their populations. Understanding the origin of shark nurseries is a complex task; however, it is known that the obtention of resources in the first stages of life of placental sharks occurs through maternal reminiscence, thus it is possible to infer the origin of the energy that neonates accumulate during their gestation. In this study we assessed the ecological connectivity and nursery ground use by undertaking a stable isotope analysis of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) in skin samples of neonates S. lewini across much of their distribution in the ETP, including the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR). Our isotopic mixing models revealed that the S. lewini neonates found in the GMR, have isotopic information similar to adult females inhabit in the Galapagos archipelago, suggesting that they are direct descendants of the females that inhabit the GMR. While neonates found off the continental coasts of Ecuador and Panama have isotopic signatures like those of adult females inhabiting several locations across the ETP. This work provides insight into the origin of nursery areas used by adult S. lewini that aggregate in large numbers across oceanic islands of the ETP, highlighting the value of isotopic models to generate useful information for the conservation of sharks.

Geochemical and Mineralogical Approaches in Unraveling Paleoweathering, Provenance, and Tectonic Setting of the Clastic Sedimentary Succession (Western Central Paratethys)

Pronounced tectonic and paleogeographic changes were detected in the Alpine–Pannonian region during the Miocene at the interface between the Alps, the Dinarides, and the Pannonian Basin. To understand the major tectonic, paleogeographic, and paleoclimatic changes during this period, geochemical and mineralogical investigations were carried out on the fine-grained clastic sedimentary rocks in the Tunjice Hills. The paleoweathering indicates a cold and/or arid to a warm and humid period. The paleoclimate and the regional climatic conditions correspond well with the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum. The mineral composition shows an abundance of quartz and calcite. Quartz is associated with detrital origin from volcanic and metamorphic rocks of the Eastern and Southern Alps and with authigenic processes in sediments. Calcite is related to authigenic origin formed in shallow marine environments and to detrital provenance from the Southern Alps. Not all discriminant functions based on major oxides provided adequate results in determining the tectonic setting. The source rocks were subjected to oceanic island arc and collision. Moreover, sedimentation was influenced by both active and passive margin settings. The former is related to the Alpine collision, which continued from the Cenozoic onward, and the latter is connected to the processes associated with the formation of the Pannonian Basin System, which began in the late Early Miocene.

Compositionally variable basement and tectonic affinity of the Bainaimiao arc belt: Implications for crustal growth of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt

As an important part of the southeastern boundary of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), the Bainaimiao arc belt, particularly its tectonic affinity and Precambrian basement composition, is an important element to provide new insights about the crustal growth of the CAOB. However, these remain poorly understood. This paper presents new geochronological, whole-rock geochemical and zircon Hf isotope data on early Paleozoic intrusive rocks from the Bainaimiao arc belt in the southeastern CAOB. The Ordovician gabbroic diorites in the Zhengxiangbaiqi area of the western Bainaimiao arc belt have low SiO2 contents (51.73–54.82 wt%), high TiO2 (0.99–1.07 wt%) and TFe2O3 contents (9.68–9.89 wt%), depletions in Nb, Ta and Ti, and positive εHf(t) values (6.8–11.3). These rocks generated from partial melting of a mantle wedge that has been metasomatized by subducted-derived fluids. The Silurian monzogranites in the Zhengxiangbaiqi area have high contents of SiO2 (72.61–75.12 wt%) and K2O (2.75–4.12 wt%), positive εHf(t) values (0.7–9.3) and abundant Precambrian inherited zircons. These monzogranites originated from partial melting of the thickened juvenile crustal components with significant ancient crustal contamination. The Silurian granites and granodiorites in the Faku area of the eastern Bainaimiao arc belt are characterized by high Na2O contents (4.00–4.52 wt%), high Sr/Y ratios, low MgO (1.15–1.74 wt%) and K2O contents (0.52–1.42 wt%), low K2O/Na2O ratios, and positive εHf(t) values ranging from 0.6 to 8.1. These rocks were derived from partial melting of a subducted slab interacted with mantle peridotite. New zircon U-Pb-Hf isotope data from these early Paleozoic intrusive rocks combined with previous results indicate that the Precambrian basement of the Bainaimiao arc belt is laterally heterogeneous, with Neoarchean-Paleoproterozoic basement beneath the western Bainaimiao arc belt and Paleo-Mesoproterozoic basement beneath the central Jilin area in the eastern Bainaimiao arc belt. The Bainaimiao arc belt has a tectonic affinity different from the North China Craton (NCC) and represents a composite arc system consisting of an ensialic island arc with a basement composition similar to that of the Precambrian microcontinents in the CAOB in the Bayan Obo-Damaoqi-Bainaimiao-Zhengxiangbaiqi and central Jilin areas and an oceanic island arc in the Ongniud-Faku and southern Jilin areas. The involvement of composite arc systems in the amalgamation of the accretionary orogenic belt could be an important mechanism for crustal growth in the CAOB.

New records of Procellariiformes in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago: who is looking out for them?

Little is known on seabirds of the order Procellariiformes which visit the Brazilian oceanic islands. Herein, we present new records of five birds found stranded in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago: Fregetta tropica melanoleuca Salvadori, 1908, Ardenna grisea (Gmelin, 1789), Puffinus lherminieri Lesson, 1839, and Hydrobates leucorhous (Vieillot, 1818). Citizen&amp;#8209;science platforms include only one documentation for each of these species, but there is potential for greater detection. Pelagic birds have rarely been reported in recent decades, and continued monitoring is needed for better understanding of their distribution patterns.

The Ties That Bind: Protection and Projection in France’s Indian Ocean Islands of Mayotte and Réunion

ABSTRACT The article addresses a two-fold question: first, why does the French state invest so much time and resources in its Indian Ocean islands, Mayotte and Réunion? And why do these ultra-marine regions remain wedded to the French Republic? The high degree of insular buy-in both regions involves a two-level game, connecting state and island actors. Such turning to mainland France represents a form of African agency, however dependent on the mainland these islands appear to be. The causal mechanisms of the integration of the French Indian Ocean territories combine historical legacy (choosing France), institutional evolution (departmentalisation), common economic and military security challenges, the cost calculus of mainland France’s readiness to govern ultramarine territories and a widely shared set of beliefs in the value of remaining French. The islands are acting like rational actors, whose insular and isolated status pushes in the direction of seeking protection in an unstable environment.

Late Paleozoic magmatism from northern Sibumasu terrane: Constraints on separation of Cimmeria from Gondwana

The Cimmerian is one of several continental terranes that separated from northern Gondwana during the Carboniferous-Permian period. Magmatic evidence for the rifting of the fragments from Gondwana is preserved in the Baoshan area of eastern Cimmeria. These magmatic rocks outcrop over an area of more than 10,000 km2 and are mainly composed of basalts and dolerites, with limited occurrences of picrites. Our new results show that the basalts are tholeiitic and exhibit enriched trends in light rare earth elements (LREE), negative anomalies in Nb-Ta-Ti, and enriched isotopic signatures in Sr-Nd-Pb. They underwent fractional crystallization of clinopyroxene and olivine, with insignificant crustal contamination. Suppositional primary melt compositions and REE modeling results suggest that they were mainly formed by 2–5 % degrees of melting of spinel lherzolites with minor garnet (<1%) in a shallow enriched EMII lithospheric mantle, with minor components from the depleted mantle. Lack of plume-related ocean island basalts, a narrow south-north distribution, and a relatively low melting temperature may contradict the plume model. The Woniusi basalts could have originated in a back-arc environment, but further research is required to gather a more complete spectrum of volcanic rocks associated with the arc. In contrast, we propose that they were formed on the lower-plate passive Gondwana margin after the northward subduction of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean since the Late Devonian. This subduction may result in a longer-lasting extension of the passive Gondwana margin. The Woniusi basalts are roughly coeval with the subduction of the mid-ocean ridge during the Latest Carboniferous. After the active ridge has subducted, the slab pull is strong enough to separate a terrane, because the ridge spreading no longer absorbs the strain caused by subduction. If this is the case, subduction of the Paleo-Tethys ocean-ridge would enhance slab-pull forces and finally trigger Woniusi magmatism.

Monitoring threats to Australian threatened birds: climate change was the biggest threat in 2020 with minimal progress on its management

ABSTRACT Most biodiversity monitoring globally tends to concentrate on trends in species’ populations and ranges rather than on threats and their management. Here we review the estimated impact of threats and the extent to which their management is understood and implemented for all threats to all Australian threatened bird taxa. The assessment reports the situation in 2020 and how this differs from 2010. The most marked finding was that the impact of climate change has increased greatly over the last decade, and now surpasses invasive species as the threat imposing the heaviest threat load. Climate change has driven recent massive population declines from increased temperatures in tropical montane rainforests and from fire. For both direct climate change impacts and fire management, progress in understanding how to relieve the threats has been slow and patchy. Consequently, little effective management has occurred. By comparison, our analysis showed that the single successful campaign to eradicate introduced mammals from Macquarie Island relieved the total threat load on Australian threatened birds by 5%, and more than halved the load on the birds from oceanic islands. Protection or rehabilitation of habitat, particularly on islands, has also delivered measurable benefit as have, in the longer term, controls on longline fishing. Our approach can be used with other taxonomic groups to understand progress in research and management and to allow quantification of potential benefits from proposed actions, such as the national threatened species plan.

Fish and coral assemblages of a highly isolated oceanic island: The first eDNA survey of the Ogasawara Islands

AbstractThe Ogasawara Islands are a highly isolated oceanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean that possess unique faunal and floral biodiversity with a high level of endemism. As historically more focus has been put on the terrestrial realm in examining diversification and evolutionary processes on oceanic islands, publicly accessible and spatially resolved data of marine reef ecosystems remain scarce. To address this issue, we conducted the first environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding surveys of the actinopterygian (ray‐finned) and elasmobranch fishes and of Scleractinia coral assemblages in the waters of the Ogasawara Islands. We detected a total of 124 unique taxa of fish and 38 unique taxa of scleractinian corals. Overall, our eDNA results confirmed that the Ogasawara Islands host a rich variety of coral and fish fauna and underline the strength of eDNA surveys in rapidly obtaining targeted multi‐taxa data using seawater samples, requiring comparatively little effort and a lack of requirement for in situ taxonomic expertise. We anticipate that continued biomonitoring using eDNA with high sampling effort will add to and complement the body of knowledge regarding species distributions, invasive species, and biodiversity hotspots within oceanic archipelagos.

Historic deforestation and non‐native plant invasions determine vegetation trajectories across an oceanic archipelago

AbstractQuestionsOceanic islands are global hotspots of endemism and evolutionary radiations but many have been severely degraded by human activities and biological invasions. We evaluated the pace and direction of the natural recovery of ecosystems over 77 years across a subtropical oceanic archipelago including islands of various size, elevation, histories of human settlement and deforestation, and invasions by non‐native plants and mammals. This information is essential to guide the ecological restoration of the archipelago.LocationForest vegetation on nine of the Ogasawara Islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.MethodsWe first digitized historical vegetation data of the Ogasawara Islands collected during field surveys in 1935. Then, after checking their species compositions, we integrated past and present plant community types. Finally, we identified the landscape‐scale changes in forest vegetation by comparing vegetation maps from 1935, 1979 and 2012.ResultsOver 77 years, the vegetation trajectories of each island varied depending on the introduction of invasive alien species and the remaining proportion of native forest, the latter of which had a strong influence on the recoverability of native forest.ConclusionsOur results highlight the importance of the history of invasive species introductions and the remaining proportion of native forest—both of which reflect the intensity of anthropogenic disturbance—in determining the degree of human intervention needed for restoration on oceanic islands.