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Aims: Coastal salt marshes are productive ecosystems that are highly efficient carbon sinks, but there is uncertainty regarding the interactions among climate warming, plant species, and tidal restriction on C cycling. Methods: Open-top chambers (OTCs) were deployed at two coastal wetlands in Yancheng, China, where native Phragmites australis (Phragmites) and invasive Spartina alterniflora (Spartina) were dominant, respectively. Two study locations were set up in each area based on difference in tidal action. The OTCs achieved an increase of average daytime air temperature of ~ 1.11–1.55 °C. Net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE), ecosystem respiration (Reco), CH4 fluxes, aboveground biomass and other abiotic factors were monitored over three years. Results: Warming reduced the magnitude of the radiative balance of native Phragmites, which was determined to still be a consistent C sink. In contrast, warming or tidal flooding presumably transform the Spartina into a weak C source, because either warming-induced high salinity reduced the magnitude of NEE by 19% or flooding increased CH4 emissions by 789%. Remarkably, native Phragmites affected by tidal restrictions appeared to be a consistent C source with the radiative balance of 7.11–9.64 kg CO2-eq m–2 yr–1 because of a reduction in the magnitude of NEE and increase of CH4 fluxes. Conclusions: Tidal restrictions that disconnect the tidal hydrologic connection between the ocean and land may transform coastal wetlands from C sinks to C sources. This transformation may potentially be an even greater threat to coastal carbon sequestration than climate warming or invasive plant species in isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Holocene hydroclimate evolution and underlying mechanisms modulating the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) remains controversial, especially in south eastern China. Here we present a multiproxy peat record of monsoon evolution from southeastern China covering the last 14 ka. Our new records show a relatively weaker EASM but wetter hydroclimate during the early (10 to 8 ka) and late Holocene (after 5.4 ka), while a stronger EASM and overall drier climate during the mid-Holocene (8 to 5.4 ka). In line with nearby speleothem records, our results reveal a dominant control of the northern-latitude ice-sheet meltwater forcing on millennial-scale East Asian hydroclimate variability during the last deglaciation and early Holocene. This dominant influence, however, likely waned once the global sea level had stabilized during the mid-to-late Holocene, giving way to other drivers of the monsoon and hydroclimate, including a combination of summer insolation and teleconnection patterns associated with vegetation-dust feedbacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) in lacustrine sediments are widely used to reconstruct terrestrial paleoenvironments. However, lipids of diverse origin in lakes make it difficult to decipher environmental information, appealing for the necessity to evaluate the impact of terrigenous input on the distribution of GDGTs through long-term monitoring. In this study, we conducted two-year monitoring of GDGTs along the river, estuary, near shore, to the center of Lake Liangzi in central China. By comparing the spatiotemporal changes of GDGT distribution in suspended particulate matter (SPM) and surface sediments, we found that the archaeal isoprenoid GDGTs (isoGDGTs) were mainly produced in situ in the river-lake systems, and not affected by the soil input. In contrast, the bacterial branched GDGTs (brGDGTs) were affected, to some extent, by soil input, depending on the distance to the lakeshore. The soil input of brGDGTs was enhanced during an episode of abnormal rainfall (flood). Moreover, the large variation of isoGDGTs indicates the in situ production under the anoxic condition in lake water. The paired increase in the GDGT-0/Cren ratio and GDGT concentration might be diagnostic of flooding events in ancient times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct evidence of intense chemical weathering induced by volcanism is rare in sedimentary successions. Here, we undertake a multiproxy analysis (including organic carbon isotopes, mercury (Hg) concentrations and isotopes, chemical index of alteration (CIA), and clay minerals) of two well-dated Triassic–Jurassic (T–J) boundary sections representing high- and low/middle-paleolatitude sites. Both sections show increasing CIA in association with Hg peaks near the T–J boundary. We interpret these results as reflecting volcanism-induced intensification of continental chemical weathering, which is also supported by negative mass-independent fractionation (MIF) of odd Hg isotopes. The interval of enhanced chemical weathering persisted for ~2 million years, which is consistent with carbon-cycle model results of the time needed to drawdown excess atmospheric CO2 following a carbon release event. Lastly, these data also demonstrate that high-latitude continental settings are more sensitive than low/middle-latitude sites to shifts in weathering intensity during climatic warming events. The work shows that volcanic-related elevated continental chemical weathering could have played a significant role in global environmental perturbations during the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The policy and practice of ecological restoration and conservation in China obtained some remarkable results. For example, Sphagnum moss growing on abandoned farmland, which was peatland before agricultural use, has rapidly expanded the wetland area in SW China. Microorganisms such as testate amoebae are sensitive to environmental change and thus have been widely used as ecological indicators in various habitats. We analyzed differently aged Sphagnum growing plots on a Sphagnum growing farmland and natural Sphagnum plots in SW China to examine how Sphagnum-dwelling testate amoeba communities and corresponding protozoic silicon (Si) pools respond to ecological restoration practice. We found that abundance, taxon richness, and diversity of testate amoebae were higher in Sphagnum growing farmland plots compared to natural Sphagnum plots. Protozoic Si pools showed an increase with Sphagnum growing time representing increased Si accumulation by idiosomic testate amoeba shells. However, protozoic Si pools were negatively correlated with taxon richness and diversity of testate amoebae. Our results showed that (i) natural Sphagnum plots were not characterized by the expected higher biodiversity of testate amoebae compared to Sphagnum growing plots and (ii) consequently protozoic Si pool quantity in natural Sphagnum plots was less driven by biodiversity of testate amoebae than expected. We concluded our results to underline the value of (i) environmental restoration policy in general and (ii) testate amoeba communities and corresponding protozoic Si pools for Si cycling in restoration areas of peatlands in particular. Based on our results, we recommend a sustainable cultivation of Sphagnum moss and an additional establishment of protected areas, where no Sphagnum harvesting occurs. These protected Sphagnum areas might represent hot spots of undisturbed testate amoeba communities and corresponding protozoic Si pools and thus of microbial Si cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discipline of "Bio-Organic Geochemistry" is a cross research field between biogeochemistry and traditional organic geochemistry, which focuses on geochemical processes related to the biosynthesis of organic molecules (particularly lipids) by (micro) organisms, organic matter production by primary producers, degradation of organic matter by microbial processes recorded by retainable lipid biomarkers, and organic proxies for studies of paleo-climate, paleo-environments, paleoecology and Earth evolution. This field aims to go beyond the traditional petroleum-oriented Organic Geochemistry by integrating with biogeochemical concepts concerned mostly with biomolecules from cellular material such as DNA and lipids. A formal Chinese organization in Bio-Organic Geochemistry was established in 2012 when the first conference was held in Guangzhou. This organization has witnessed rapid growth over the past six years with focused research addressing organic proxies in paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental applications, with particular rapid development in glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers-derived proxies. Most progresses in China so far are made following or paralleling the international trend in biogeochemical studies. Things have begun to change with China's ambitious initiatives in several bio-geo programs such as the Ocean Deep Drilling Program of China, the Microbial Hydrosphere Program, the Deep Carbon Observatory, and the Microbiome Program. Looking forward in the 21st Century, the growing Chinese research community in Bio-Organic Geochemistry faces grand opportunities and challenges as Chinese scientists propel themselves toward global research frontiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming, the most severe faunal mass extinction and the shift of biogeochemical cycles were observed in the ocean across the Permian-Triassic boundary about 252 million years ago, providing an analog to understanding the modern oceans. Along with the progressive global warming, the biogeochemical cycle was documented to show a shift from the decoupled processes of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur prior to the mass extinction to the coupled biogeochemical processes during faunal mass extinction. The coupled biogeochemical cycle was further observed to shift from the coupled C-N processes during the first episode of the faunal mass extinction to the coupled C-N-S processes during the second episode, diagnostic of the progressive development of more deteriorated marine environmental conditions and the more severe biotic crisis across the Permian-Triassic boundary. The biogeochemical cycles could thus be an indication to the progressive collapse of marine ecosystems triggered by the global warming in Earth history. In modern oceans, the coupled C-N cycle triggered by the global warming was observed in some regions. If these local C-N processes develop and expand to the global oceans, the coupled C-N-S processes might be brought into existence and the marine ecosystems are inevitable to suffer from complete collapse as observed at 252 million years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geomicrobiology is a sub-discipline of geobiology and emphasizes the interaction between microorganisms and their environment on Earth. There is a need to explicitly emphasize the biogeochemical processes performed by microorganisms associated with Earth’s tectonic activities, especially under the framework of the modern theory of plate tectonics. Tectonomicrobiology aims to create a better synergy between microbial and active tectonic processes. This explicit synergy should also foster better communications between solid Earth scientists and life scientists in terms of holistic Earth system dynamics at both tectonic and micro-scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently proposed global and local calibrations for the mean annual air temperature (MAT) reconstruction on the basis of 5- and 6-methyl brGDGTs have rarely been applied to the Chinese LPS yet, leaving the applicability of these calibrations unclear. Here, we used the improved chromatography method to analyze 198 loess-paleosol samples from the Weinan section in the southern CLP for the past 350 kyr. The 6-methyl brGDGTs comprise a major proportion of total brGDGTs, pointing to alkaline conditions for most soil samples from the Weinan LPS. The decoupled profile variation of MBT′ and MBT′ suggests their response to different enviromental factors, possibly soil pH (or soil moisture) and temperature, respectively. This discrimination further corraborates that temperature and monsoonal precipitation were not in phase during the last four deglaciations on the CLP. Temperature estimates for the six calibrations tested show similar trends but remarkably differ in amplitudes. The soil moisture appears to affect the global MBT′/CBT calibration, the global MAT calibration (a calibration based on the multiple linear regression) and the Chinese local SSM (Stepwise Selection Method) calibration, resulting in a significant underestimation of late Holocene temperature. In contrast, the dry climate has no effect on the global MBT′ calibration. Of the six calibrations, only the Chinese local SSM calibration and global MAT calibration produce temperature variation amplitude over the past 350 ka that is consistent with other independent proxy data. The recently proposed local calibrations based on 5- and 6-methyl brGDGTs for North China yield the amplitude of temperature changes that is much larger than the results determined by other approaches. All the six calibrations have their own weakness in the MAT reconstruction, due partly to the inconsistency between the brGDGT distribution in the Weinan LPS and the modern soils used to establish these calibrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbes not only show sensitive responses to environmental changes but also play important roles in geochemical and geophysical systems. It is well known that microbes have caused major changes in surface environments and biogeochemical cycles through Earth history. Microbial processes can also induce the synthesis of certain minerals under Earth-surface conditions that previously were believed to form only under high temperatures and pressures in the deep Earth. For example, microbes can promote the conversion of smectite to illite, synthesis of authigenic plagioclase, precipitation of dolomite, and biotransformation of geolipids. These effects of microbes are due to their large surface/volume ratios, enzyme production, and abundant functional groups. Microbial catalyzation of chemical reactions proceeds through reaction-specific enzymes, a decrease in Gibbs's free energy, and/or break through the dynamics reaction thresholds via their metabolisms and physiology. Microbes can lower the surface free energy of mineral nuclei via biophysical adsorption due to their large surface/volume ratios and abundant functional groups. The mineral precipitation and transformation processes induced by microbes are functionally equivalent to geological processes operating at high temperatures and pressures in the deep Earth, suggesting that microbial processes can serve as analogs to deep abiotic processes that are difficult to observe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) in lake sediments are useful biomarkers for the continental paleoclimatic reconstruction. However, the environmental controls on the distribution of these compounds, in particular the 6-methyl isomers of bacterial branched GDGTs (bGDGTs), in the lakes with contrasting pH, are still unknown, hindering their application for paleo-reconstructions. Here, we investigated the environmental impacts on the distribution of GDGTs in 17 alkaline lakes and 1 acid lake in China. It was found that the dissolved oxygen content in water column may have an impact on the distribution of archaeal isoprenoid GDGTs (iGDGTs) by causing the change in archaeal communities. The ratio of GDGT-0/crenarchaeol increases with decreasing oxygen content, indicating that the relative abundance of anaerobic methanogenic archaea or Miscellaneous Crenarchaeotic Group (MCG) vs. aerobic Thaumarchaeota is controlled by the oxygen content dissolved in water of these lakes. Thaumarchaeota are likely to contribute only a small proportion of iGDGTs in the relatively oxygen-depleted lakes, and thus TEX is not suitable for the reconstruction of the surface temperature of these lakes. The abundance ratio of iGDGTs to bGDGTs ( R) appears to show no relationship with water pH in all the lakes, but exhibits a significant positive correlation with the water depth of the acid Lake Qinghai in Tengchong. As expected, the methylation degree of bGDGTs (MBT′) was found to correlate with both mean annual air temperature (MAT) and water pH, and the cyclization degree of bGDGTs (CBT) correlates only with water pH in these lakes. However, the MBT′, an index to measure the methylation degree of 5-methyl bGDGTs, exhibits no relationship with MAT, whereas MBT′, the methylation degree of 6-methyl bGDGTs, was found to correlate significantly with MAT. This is opposite to the situation observed in the global soils, pointing to a different adaptation of bGDGT-producing bacteria to environmental variables or different microbial sources of bGDGTs in these lakes. The relative abundance of 6- vs. 5-methyl bGDGTs is controlled by pH in these lakes, similar to that observed in worldwide soils. Hence, the isomer ratio (IR) of 6-methyl bGDGTs or CBT′ can be used as a proxy for water pH, although they might be influenced by other environmental factors including temperature in the lakes with a narrow range of pH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Testate amoebae are micro-organisms characterized by an agglutinated or autogenous shell enclosing the cytoplasm. Testate amoebae have been widely proposed as valuable bioindicators in a range of ecosystems (such as soils, peatlands and lakes). The use of testate amoebae as bioindicators of water quality in aquatic ecosystems is much less developed than for other microorganisms and previous research is geographically restricted. We investigated a large range of environmental variables and their relations to testate amoeba communities from 37 shallow lakes in the middle and lower Yangtze River Plain of China. Multiple factor analysis, redundancy analysis (RDA) and a forward-selection approach were used to explore the overall community structure and the links between the environmental variables and testate amoeba composition. Results showed that testate amoebae are widely distributed in most of the lakes despite often high levels of pollution. Our data highlight some links between water quality variables and testate amoeba communities. In particular, our results suggest that heavy metals have a role in shaping testate amoeba assemblage structure, although correlations are comparatively weak, perhaps due to lagged responses. Our results support previous suggestions that testate amoebae may be useful bioindicators in aquatic ecosystems but emphasize the need for an improved mechanistic understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation (ca. 635-551 Ma) deposited immediately after the last Neoproterozoic glaciations and recorded the most prominent negative excursions of carbonate carbon isotopic composition (δC). These excursions have been interpreted as a result of widespread remineralization of a large dissolved organic carbon (DOC) reservoir in the Ediacaran deep oceans. However, there is no direct evidence so far found in rocks for the proposed DOC reservoir, which devalues such an interpretation. Here, we conducted a detailed study on the glow-curves characteristics and signal origins of spurious thermoluminescence (TL) of the Doushantuo Formation at Jiulongwan in Yangtze Gorges area, South China, through sequential tests under CO, N and air. Spurious TL intensities for test samples before and after removing soluble organic matter via accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) are nearly identical. Further, significant positive correlation between the spurious TL intensity and total inorganic carbon (TIC) content ( R=0.7) indicate that the Doushantuo spurious TL with the characteristic peak at 393.5 °C from the sequential test is chemiluminescence (CL) which is derived from the oxidation of a type of non-volatile organic matter strongly associated with carbonate mineral lattice (termed as 'X-OM'). A most likely explanation is that the X-OM is a type of dissolved organic matter which co-precipitated with carbonate minerals into sediments in the Ediacaran Doushantuo Ocean. Furthermore, a significant exponential negative correlation ( R=0.55) is observed between the CL data and the isotopic difference between carbonate and coexisting bulk organic matter (i.e., ΔC, a proxy for remineralization degree of DOC reservoir in proposed DOC hypothesis), suggesting that the X-OM was derived from the oxidation of the DOC reservoir in the Ediacaran Ocean. We thus propose that the X-OM and its CL detected in our study may have recorded the evolution of the possible DOC reservoir in the Ediacaran Doushantuo Ocean. If this is correct, the stratigraphic variations of the CL intensity in the Doushantuo Formation at Jiulongwan support the pulsed oxidation of the DOC reservoir in the Ediacaran Ocean. Our findings indicate that the CL derived from the oxidation of non-volatile organic matter which is strongly associated with carbonate mineral lattices in rocks may provide a feasible approach for probing the evolution of DOC reservoir in the ancient oceans, thus likely provide direct geological evidence for the development of oceanic DOC reservoir in geological times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molybdenum (Mo) proxies, including bulk concentration and isotopic composition, have been increasingly used to reconstruct ancient ocean redox states. This study systematically reviews Mo cycles and their accompanying isotopic fractionations in modern ocean as well as their application in paleo-ocean redox reconstruction. Our review indicates that Mo enrichment in sediments mainly records the adsorption of Fe-Mn oxides/hydroxides and chemical bonding of HS. Thus, Mo enrichment in anoxic sediments generally reflects the presence of HS in the water column or pore waters. In addition to the effect of euxinia, sedimentary Mo enrichment is related to the size of the oceanic Mo reservoir. Given these primary mechanisms for oceanic Mo cycling, Mo abundance data and Mo/TOC ratios acquired from euxinic sediments in geological times show that fluctuations of the oceanic Mo reservoir are well correlated with oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans and suggest that oxygenation occurred in phases. Mo proxies suggest that Mo isotopes in strongly euxinic sediments reflect the contemporaneous Mo isotopic composition of seawater, but other processes such as iron-manganese (Fe-Mn) adsorption and weak euxinia can result in different fractionations. Diagenesis may complicate Mo enrichment and its isotopic fractionation in sediments. With appropriate constraints on the Mo isotopic composition of seawater and various outputs, a Mo isotope mass-balance model can quantitatively reconstruct global redox conditions over geological history. In summary, Mo proxies can be effectively used to reconstruct oceanic redox conditions on various timescales due to their sensitivity to both local and global marine redox conditions. However, given the complexity of geochemical processes, particularly the effects of diagenesis, further work is required to apply Mo proxies to ancient oceans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early oceans (>520 Ma) were characterized by widespread water-column anoxia, stratification, and limited oxidant availability, which are comparable to the chemical characteristics of modern marine sedimentary pore-waters in productive continental margins. Based on this similarity and our current understanding of the formation mechanism of early Earth ocean chemistry, we propose an idealized chemical zonation model for early oceans that includes the following redox zones (from shallow nearshore to deep offshore regions): oxic, nitrogenous (NO-NO-enriched), manganous-ferruginous (Mn or Fe-enriched), sulfidic (HS-enriched), methanic (CH-enriched), and ferruginous (Fe-enriched). These zones were dynamically maintained by a combination of processes including surface-water oxygenation by atmospheric free oxygen, nitrate reduction beneath the chemocline, nearshore manganese-iron reduction, sulfate reduction, methanogenesis, and hydrothermal Fe inputs from the deep ocean. Our modified 'euxinic wedge' model expands on previous versions of this model, providing a more complete theoretical framework for the chemical zonation of early Earth oceans that helps to explain observations of unusual Mo-S-C isotope patterns. This model may provide a useful foundation for future studies of ocean chemistry evolution and elemental biogeochemical cycles in early Earth history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1- O-monoalkyl glycerol ethers (MAGEs) were initially viewed as the biomarkers for sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) mediating anaerobic oxidation of methane in the marine environments. However, limited information is known about their distribution in terrestrial and other aquatic settings including soils, fresh water lakes, and cave sediments, which may obscure our understanding of their biological sources. Here we found that MAGEs were ubiquitous but differed obviously in distributional pattern among those environments. The surface soils are dominated generally by iC-MAGE, followed by nC-MAGE whereas the lake sediments show the opposite, resulting in significantly higher iC/ nC ratios in soils than in lake sediments. The cave deposits are characterized by considerably higher proportions of branched MAGEs than the former two environments. The logarithm of iC/ aC ratio shows a significant negative correlation with soil pH, likely reflecting an adaptation of microbial cell membrane to change in the ambient proton concentration. The MAGE profiles in cultured bacteria cannot fully explain the MAGE distribution in all the samples analyzed. Therefore, MAGEs in soil, lake sediments, and cave deposits likely have additional biological source(s) other than SRB and cultured MAGE-producing bacteria. The difference in MAGE pattern among environments is likely to be attributed to change in microbial communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MBT/CBT (Methylation Index of Branched Tetraethers/Cyclisation ratio of Branched Tetraether) proxy, a terrestrial paleothermometer based on bacterial branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (bGDGTs), was employed to indicate altimetry; however, the mechanistic control on this proxy is still ambiguous. Here, we investigated the bGDGTs' distribution and associated environmental factors along an altitude transect of Mt. Shennongjia in China in order to determine the applicability of bGDGT-based proxies to altimetry reconstruction. The MBT index exhibits only a weak correlation with estimated mean annual air temperature (MATe, estimated according to the meteorological record and lapse rate) or altitude. Likewise, MBT shows weak or no relationship with temperature or altitude at four other mountains (Mts. Meghalaya, Jianfengling, Gongga, and Rungwe). It is notable that mean annual air temperature (MAT) or altitude estimated by the MBT/CBT proxy largely relies on CBT, rather than on MBT, which was generally acknowledged. The poor relationship between MBTand MATe for Mt. Shennongjia can be ascribed to the insensitive response of bGDGT-I to temperature. Our data from this mountain imply that care should be taken if the MBT/CBT proxy is employed as an indication of paleoaltimetry. We propose that the fractional abundance of bGDGTs may be a better paleoaltimeter than the MBT/CBT proxy, because specific bGDGT subsets that might show the most sensitive response to temperature can be preferentially selected using a statistical method and used to establish local calibration. This local calibration was applied to Mt. Shennongjia and apparently improves the accuracy of temperature and altimetry reconstruction. The differential response of bGDGTs to temperature among mountains suggests that local calibrations are needed to better constrain the altimetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geobiology is a new discipline on the crossing interface between earth science and life science, and aims to understand the interaction and co-evolution between organisms and environments. On the basis of the latest international achievements, the new data presented in the Beijing geobiology forum sponsored by Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2013, and the papers in this special issue, here we present an overview of the progress and perspectives on three important frontiers, including geobiology of the critical periods in Earth history, geomicrobes and their responses and feedbacks to global environmental changes, and geobiology in extreme environments. Knowledge is greatly improved about the close relationship of some significant biotic events such as origin, radiation, extinction, and recovery of organisms with the deep Earth processes and the resultant environmental processes among oceans, land, and atmosphere in the critical periods, although the specific dynamics of the co-evolution between ancient life and paleoenvironments is still largely unknown. A variety of geomicrobial functional groups were found to respond sensitively to paleoenvironmental changes, which enable the establishment of proxies for paleoenvironmental reconstruction, and to play active roles on the Earth environmental changes via elemental biogeochemical cycles and mineral bio-transformations, but to be deciphered are the mechanisms of these functional groups that change paleoenvironmental conditions. Microbes of potential geobiology significance were found and isolated from some extreme environments with their biological properties partly understood, but little is known about their geobiological functions to change Earth environments. The biotic processes to alter or modify the environments are thus proposed to be the very issue geobiology aims to decipher in the future. Geobiology will greatly extend the temporal and spatial scope of biotic research on Earth and beyond. It has great potential of application in the domains of resource exploration and global change. To achieve these aims needs coordinative multidisciplinary studies concerning geomicrobiology and related themes, database and modeling of biogeochemical cycles, typical geological environments, and coupling of biological, physical, and chemical processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biosphere interacts and co-evolves with natural environments. Much is known about the biosphere's response to ancient environmental perturbations, but less about the biosphere's influences on environmental change through earth history. Here, we discuss the roles of microbes in environmental changes during the critical Permian-Triassic (P-Tr) transition and present a perspective on future geomicrobiological investigations. Lipid biomarkers, stable isotopic compositions of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur, and mineralogical investigations have shown that a series of microbial functional groups might have flourished during the P-Tr transition, including those capable of sulfate reduction, anaerobic HS oxidation, methanogenesis, aerobic CH oxidation, denitrification, and nitrogen fixation. These microbes may have served to both enhance and degrade the habitability of the Earth-surface environment during this crisis. The integrated microbial roles have enabled the Earth's exosphere to be a self-regulating system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temperature gradient along the altitude transect of Mt. Jianfengling provides a good opportunity to establish and evaluate the microbial lipid-based environmental proxies. The soils collected from 14 different altitudes of Mt. Jianfengling contain abundant microbial fatty acids and fatty alcohols, including iso/ anteiso fatty acids ( i/ aC- i/ aC), 10-Me-C fatty acid, iso/ anteiso fatty alcohols ( i/ aC- iC), 10-Me-C fatty alcohol and unsaturated fatty alcohols, which can indicate a strong microbial activity in the Jianfengling soils. The branched and unsaturated fatty alcohols can be only detected when saponification is performed, implying that these lipids are present as the constituents of bacterial wax esters in the soils. The ratio of aC/ iC fatty acids is positively correlated with altitude, suggesting that the decrease in temperature can induce the increase in the relative abundance of anteiso C fatty acid. In contrast, the ratio of aC/ iC fatty alcohols and of aC/ nC fatty alcohols both decrease with increased altitude or decreased temperature. Similarly, the ratio of nC/ nC fatty alcohols also decreases with decreased temperature, which is opposite to the previous observation that unsaturation of fatty acids in microorganism increases in response to decreased temperature. Besides, the average chain length (ACL) of long chain fatty alcohols (C-C) from leaf waxes and carbon preference index (CPI) of all n-fatty alcohols are also significantly correlated with altitude or mean annual temperature, demonstrating their potential for paleoclimate reconstruction. The correlation of microbial fatty acids and alcohols as well as ACL and CPI of plant wax-derived fatty alcohols with altitude may provide novel ways to reconstruct paleotemperature and paleoaltimetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the Ediacaran metazoan radiation, the 'Cambrian Explosion' set up the major framework of todays' animal phyla as well as modern marine ecosystem. Here, we present a preliminary investigation on the temporal and spatial (from shallow to deep waters) variations of the early Cambrian ocean chemistry in South China through analyzing a Fe-S-C systematic dataset integrated from literature. Our investigation indicates that the early Cambrian deep ocean in South China was still anoxic and Fe-enriched (i.e., ferruginous) although its surface was oxic, and in between a metastable euxinic (anoxic and sulfidic) water zone may have dynamically developed in anoxic shelf waters with an increasing weathering sulfate supply. Furthermore, accompanying marine transgression and regression cycles in the early Cambrian, such a 'sandwich' structure in ocean redox chemistry demonstrates five evolutional stages, which can be well correlated to the spatiotemporal patterns of fossil records in South China. The good correlation between metazoan fossil occurrences and water chemistry in South China suggests that early animals possibly possessed ability to inhabit anoxic but generally not euxinic environments as free HS was fatal to most eukaryotes. This view can well explain why those small shell fauna and sponges disappeared from shelf to slope areas where sulfidic Ni-Mo-rich shales were widely deposited. Thus, we conclude that the spatiotemporal variations of ocean chemistry and its biological effects probably played a key role in the phased animal radiations and 'extinctions' in the early Cambrian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isoprenoid and branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) lipids were studied in flooded and non-flooded paddy soil in Wuhan, central China, to examine the response of the GDGTs distribution to the soil flooding. Samples were collected before and after the soil flooding in four specific months. Both core (CL) and intact polar (IPL) GDGTs were quantified. Increase in the abundance of archaeol and caldarchaeol may be indicative of the occurrence of methanogens in the flooded soil. A negative correlation was observed between the ratio of IPL branched GDGT-IIa to GDGT-Ia and the soil pH. The rise of the soil pH in the acid soil is known to be controlled by the redox conditions resulting from flooding. Thus, the branched GDGTs distribution may be controlled by the water content in the paddy soil. In addition, we suggest that the anoxic conditions resulting from flooding may also control the abundance of branched GDGTs relative to crenarchaeol, which in turn results in the increase of branched and isoprenoidal tetraethers (BIT) values, the index for the terrestrial input to the marine sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leaf waxes of 23 woody bamboo species of three subgenera, Dendrocalamus, Bambusa and Dendrocalamopsis, from the Xishuangbanna tropical rain forest in Southwest China were analyzed by gas chromatography and coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The waxes of the Dendrocalamus species are dominated by C and C n-alkanes and their average chain length (ACL) has an average of 28.3. In marked contrast to the Dendrocalamus species, the wax composition of the Bambusa species is characterized by a broad distribution of major n-alkanes from C to C, greater ACL values (>29) and an enhanced relative abundance (>30%) of n-alkanes with a carbon number greater than 30. Unlike the Dendrocalamus species and the Bambusa species, the Dendrocalamopsis species do not have a distinct n-alkane distribution; in some species the n-alkane distribution is comparable to that in the Bambusa species and in others to that in the Dendrocalamus species. The lipid data suggest that it might be reasonable to classify the controversial Dendrocalamopsis group as an independent genus separate from the Bambusa genus. On the basis of their smaller diversity of the dominant n-alkanes and their lower ACL values, the Dendrocalamus species might be more evolutionarily advanced than the Bambusa species, with the Dendrocalamopsis species being at an intermediate stage. The evolution and classification of the woody bamboos inferred from leaf wax n-alkanes are consistent with morphological investigations reported previously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipids in stalagmites have been shown the potential for the paleoclimate reconstruction. However, the low lipid content leads to the difficulty in gaining high resolution lipid record in stalagmites because large mass of samples are required. Previous studies have validated that the acid digestion can improve the yield of lipids, especially fatty acids (FAs) and 3-hydroxy fatty acids (3-OH-FAs). In order to obtain more content of FAs and 3-OH-FAs with limited stalagmite sample weight, we investigate here how the acid digestion conditions (HCl concentration, heating temperature and time duration) could affect the yields of FAs and 3-OH-FAs. Under different concentration of HCl, from 2.0 to 6.0 mol/L, the FAs keep the same step in content variation with 3-OHFAs, and the highest yields of both two appeared under the 3 mol/L HCl. The content of 3-OH-FAs increases positively with the heating temperature from 80°C to 150°C, while FAs showed the highest content at 130°C. Both of FAs and 3-OH-FAs firstly increased to a high content and then decreased as the heating time duration varies from 1.0 to 4.0 h, with the highest yields of both two being at 3.0 h. Consequently, we suggest the optimized acid digestion condition is under 3 mol/L HCl, heating at 130°C for 3 h and 5 g of each stalagmite sample are sufficient for the lipid analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study which examined the archaeal and bacterial glycerol dialky glycerol tetraether (GDGT) distributions in the surface soils across various altitudes in Mount Jianfengling in Hainan Province, South China. Samples of surface soils were collected from a tropical rainforest in Mount Jianfengling. Results of the study showed a higher correlation between the atmosphere and altitude than the soils. It also found that the bacterial branched GDGTs dominated all samples.

The article focuses on a study which examined the mass extinction event in the Paleo-Tethys Ocean or the Kamura event. Samples of fresh carbonate were collected from the Shangsi and Laibin Sections in China. Results of the study showed variations in the carbon isotope composition in the Laibin Section. The study also found that the high positive plateau of carbon isotope during the Capitanian period did not occur in the Tethyan Ocean.

The article focuses on a study which examined the biodiversity and hydro-ecological selection of testate amoebae from Dajiuhu peatland in Shennongjia, Central China. Samples were collected from microsites within the peatland. Results of the study showed high variations in the morphology of testate amoebae in 136 Sphagnum samples. The study observed that variations in shell morphology can be attributed to different moisture conditions in their habitat.

The distributions of microbial tetraether lipids, i.e. glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), were investigated in a variety of Chinese soils featured by a wide range of pH values in different climate zones. The bacterial branched GDGTs and archaeal isoprenoid GDGTs were found to be widely distributed in Chinese soils and their relative abundance was controlled primarily by soil pH. The bacterial bGDGTs usually dominate over archaeal iGDGTs in abundance when the soil pH is below 8.0. However, archaeal iGDGTs become dominant and the abundance of halophilic archaea characterized by GDGT V without cyclopentyl ring increases dramatically in the alkaline soil with pH greater than 8.0. The relative abundance of archaeal iGDGTs to bacterial bGDGTs was defined here as RAI index. The RAI index decreases with elevated soil pH and a linear correlation is found between them, indicating that the relative abundance of archaeal iGDGTs to bacterial bGDGTs increases with increased pH. The RAI index thus could be a novel proxy of the pH values of paleosol. The terrestrial input index, BIT (Branched and Isoprenoid Tetraethers Index), decreases with increased soil pH, suggesting that soil pH should be taken into consideration when the terrestrial contribution to marine sediments is estimated by BIT index. Moreover, the TEX86 index cannot be used to reconstruct sea surface temperature in the sediments featured by a large terrestrial input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbes are well-known for their great diversity and abundance in modern natural environments. They also are believed to provide critical links among higher organisms and their associated environments. However, the low diversity of morphological features and structures of ancient microbes preserved in sediments and rocks make them difficult to identify and classify. This difficulty greatly hinders the investigation of geomicrobes throughout Earth history. Thus, most previous paleontological studies have focused on faunal and floral fossils. Here, geomicrobial functional groups (GFGs), or a collection of microbes featured in specific ecological, physiological or biogeochemical functions, are suggested to provide a way to overcome the difficulties of ancient microbe investigations. GFGs are known for their great diversity in ecological, physiological and biogeochemical functions. In addition, GFGs may be preserved as the biogeochemical, mineralogical and sedimentological records in sediments and rocks. We reviewed the functions, origins and identification diagnostics of some important GFGs involved in the elemental cycles of carbon, sulfur, nitrogen and iron. GFGs were further discussed with respect to their significant impacts on paleoclimate, sulfur chemistry of ancient seawater, nutritional status of geological environments, and the deposition of Precambrian banded iron formations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating the pre-Jurassic marine source rocks in China has been difficult because these rocks are generally too high- or over-maturated for most traditional methods to work. As to the remaining parameter TOC (%), its lower limit for recognizing the carbonate source rocks in China has been in dispute. Nineteen Phanerozoic sections in the Middle-Upper Yangtze Platform and the Guizhou-Hunan-Guangxi Basin have been studied in search for a different approach to complementing the traditional evaluation method for these source rocks. We have applied a geobiological approach to tracing the organic carbon (OC) output and accumulation from the living stage (primary productivity) to the post-mortem deposited remains, and finally to the preserved burial organics. Four biological and geological parameters are employed to represent the OC of the three stages. A series of proxies of these parameters are discussed and integrated to establish a geobiological evaluation system independent of TOC and other traditional methods. Here we use the Guangyuan section in Sichuan as an example for the geobiological evaluation. Our results indicate that in the argillaceous rocks, the geobiological parameters show the qualified source rocks in accordance with high TOC values; but in the carbonates, the good source rocks delineated by the geobiological parameters have a wide range of TOC, from 0.03% to 1.59%, mostly <0.3%. We suggest that it is still premature to set TOC=0.3% or 0.5% as the lower limit for the pre-Jurassic carbonate source rocks in South China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combustion-derived and land-plant-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been investigated by using the GC-MS analysis in an ancient soil profile from Jinluojia (金罗家) archaeological site at Macheng (麻城), Hubei (湖北) Province, Central China. Retene, cadalene and simonellite were proposed to be derived from contemporary land plants. The pyrolytic PAHs identified include fluoranthene, pyrene, benzofluoranthenes, benzo[e]pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene. The distribution of these pyrolytic PAHs varies with depth, displaying a pattern different from the land-plant-derived compounds. On the basis of the parameter diagnostic of sources and the distribution patterns, these pyrolytic PAHs were demonstrated to be of combustion origin, rather than petrogenic origins, combustion of petroleum products and coal, or a post-depositional process such as pedogenesis or leaching. These combustion-induced PAHs were believed to result from both natural processes and anthropogenic activities. Two episodes of the elevated content of pyrolytic PAHs and charcoal fragments were identified in Ming-Qing (明清) Dynasty and late Xizhou (西周) to early Dongzhou (东周) Dynasty, inferring the occurrence of two enhanced paleofires. The two enhanced paleofire episodes were found in association with the two cold and dry paleoclimate and two episodes of enhanced abundance of charcoal fragments, inferring a dominance of the natural processes triggering the enhanced paleofire. The two periods of paleofire were also characterized by the frequent and enhanced anthropogenic activities such as war fights, likely suggesting the occurrence of anthropogenic contributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High resolution records of long chain n-alkanol biomarkers were obtained from a peat-lacustrine core from the Dingnan profile in southern China. The n-alkanol distributions are characterized by the predominance of even-over-odd carbon number and maximize at C24 or C26. On the basis of the reported n-alkanol records in the literature and the n-alkane record in our samples, we concluded that the n-alkanol ratio of C26/C30 varying from 1.25 to 6.48, together with the n-alkanol ratio C22/C24 less than unity, is indicative of the presence of a dominant forest paleovegetation. A 2000-year cycling in the variation of the n-alkanol ratio C26/C30 is identifiable in our profile, and probably results from the change in the abundance of the grass relative to trees induced by a cyclic paleoclimate. The n-alkanol ratio C24/C26 appears to be more sensitive to change in precipitation than in temperature, and may be a potential indicator of precipitation/humidity, with increased values being associated with relatively dry conditions. The paleovegetation and the paleoclimate reconstructed on the basis of the n-alkanol records for the recent 18000 cal a BP in general accord with the pollen data and other lipid evidence recorded in the Dingnan region in southern China. In particular, both the n-alkanol records and the pollen data infer the different paleoclimate conditions for the two peat sequences, with a cool and wet climate dominating in the lower peat deposition formed during the latest Pleistocene and a change to a drier and cooler climate occurring in the upper peat sequence in mid-Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of biomarkers were analyzed in the 4000 a B.P. loess sediments in Balong, Dulan County at the north of the eastern Kunlun Mountain in Northwest China using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Olean-2,13 (18)-ene, olean-2,12-ene, urs-2,12-ene and 5α14α17 α20R-stigmasterane identified in an ancient culture bed were observed in association with charcoal grains, believed to be the products of paleofire due to the anthropogenic activity in Qijia culture. These triterpenes were proposed to be derived from dehydration of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid present in angiosperms, and 5α14α17α20R-stigmasterane was derived from stenols; they both were formed during incomplete combustion. The n-alkane distributions show a shift in the dominant carbon from C27 or C29 to C31, indicative of the abrupt change in paleovegetation from woody to herbaceous plants driven by the changing paleoclimate at 4000 a B.P. after the Holocene Optimum. Coincidently, the Qijia agriculture culture began to collapse during the 200-year cooling and dryness, and was replaced by nomadism in the mountainous area. The paleofire identified is such a record as to document the change of ancient culture induced by paleoclimate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses, an amazing amount of hopanoids was detected in the peat deposits in the Dajiuhu National Wetland Park in central China. The hopanoids identified included hopanes (C27-C31 αβ, C27-C32 ββ, C29 βα), hopenes (hop-22(29)-ene, 22,29,30-trinorhop-17(21)-ene, hop-17(21)-ene, hop-13(18)-ene, etc.), hopanoic acids (C31-C34 ββ, C32-C33 βα, C32 αβ), hopanols (C32 ββ and αβ) and hopanone (22,29,30-trinorhop-21-one). C31 αβ-22R hopane was found to be the dominant hopanoid, more abundant than individual nalkanes derived from higher plants. These hopanoids, exclusive of some hopenes, are proposed to be primarily from bacteria. The dominant C31 αβ-22R hopane in young sediments, without any thermal maturation, might be formed through microbial epimerization under acidic conditions in the peatland as suggested before, or directly from aerobic bacteria. This finding highlights the importance of microbes in the formation of peatland as well as in the reconstruction of paleoenvironments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leaves of six plant species and the corresponding leaf residues collected in water from the two-year simulation experiments were analyzed in nalkane distributions by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mas spectrometry (GC/MS). The leaf nalkanes keep unchanged in the dominant homologues when soaked in tap water for two years. The most significant change was observed in carbon preference index (CPI), with enhanced values being found in leaf residues collected from water. This is contradictory with the previous reports showing the lower CPI values during sinking and burial processes in natural aquatic environments. The elevated CPI values from leaf residues might be related to the low amount of microorganisms in the water used in the simulation experiment, and the enhanced solubility of even-carbon-numbered n-alkanes via van der Waals attraction. In contrast with herbaceous plants, the woody plants appear to show relatively great variations in both the CPI and the average chain length (ACL) values of n-alkanes after submerged in water for two years. Our data clearly show the differentiated decomposition between woody and herbaceous leaves, with the woody leaves suffered from much stronger decomposition. This observation suggests that in comparison with the grassland, the forest vegetation might result in relatively low authentic signals to be preserved in the n-alkane distributions in aquatic sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the results of a comparative study of n-alkane biomarkers and pollens in lacustrine and peat deposits at Dingnan, Jiangxi Province in southern China, and discuss the likely causes for the discrepancy in the interpretations of the n-alkane biomarker and pollen records in terms of climate and vegetation change. The results show that past changes in climate and vegetation revealed by the n-alkane record are not always consistent with the pollen assemblage record in the whole section. Biomarkers do not permit direct identification of the plant family and/or genus and mainly record compositions of local plant remains, while pollens mainly reflect the regional vegetation change. Bio-markers and pollen records complement each other, providing a better picture of local and regional environments. Furthermore, biomarkers are more sensitive than pollen to climatic and vegetational change. Several climatic events are clearly identified by the n-alkane biomarker proxies, such as C31/(C27+C29+C 31) ratio and can be correlated to the North Atlantic Heinrich event, B/A, YD and two dry-cool events during the early Holocene such as the periods of 9850 to 9585 cal a B.P. and 8590 to 7920 cal a B.P. These events are consistent with those found in the surrounding regions, suggesting that the regional climate was coupled with global-scale abrupt climatic events. Our results suggest that biomarker and pollen data can record the more detailed climate and vegetation information, thus improving the resolution and precision of vegetation and climate reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comparison of the fatty acids between aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (AAPB) and their phylogenetic relatives has been a fascinating but yet enigmatic topic, enhancing our understanding of physiological variations between these evolutionarily related microorganisms. Two strains of marine bacteria, both phylogenetically falling into Erythrobacter sp., were isolated from the South China Sea, and demonstrated, respectively, to be an aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (AAPB) (JL475) which is capable of anoxygenic photosynthesis via BChl a, and an obligate heterotroph (JL316) with a lack of BChl a, on the basis of phylogenetic analysis and pure culture cultivation. Phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) and glycolipid fatty acids (GLFA) of the two strains were extracted and analyzed by gas chromatographymass spectrometry. The PLFA in JL475 AAPB are characterized by C18:1 C18:2ω7,13 and C18:1, with the C18:2ω7,13 being a specific compound for AAPB and in particular for Erythrobacter longus and some of its phylogenetically closely related relatives. The JL316 strain is characterized in PLFA by the presence of C18:1, C16:1 and C16:0, and in particular C17:1. GLFA do not show any discrimination between the two strains. Four α,ω-dicarboxylic acids, including 1,8-octanedioic acid, 1,9-nonanedioic acid, 1,10-decanedioic acid and 1,11-undecanedioic acid, are present only in JL316 GLFA, presumably derived from metabolic products. C14-C16 2-hydroxy fatty acids were found in the two strains, probably assuming a similar function of their LPS in outer membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mo isotopes along with Nd isotopes and other geochemical characteristics of the Phanerozoic clastic sediments from the northern margin of the Yangtze block were analyzed by MC-ICP-MS and some other techniques, spanning the period from Cambrian to Jurassic. The δ98Mo values and ϵNd(t) in these sedimets were observed to exhibit a large range of variation (-0.65‰-+1.87‰, -1.46--10.90, respectively). Specifically, the sample from Late Permian Maokou Formation has relatively positive values in both δ98Mo and ϵNd(t) (+0.97‰, -1.46, respectively). These elevated values are proposed to relate to the input of a large quantity of H2S and HS into the contemporaneous seawater by the volcanic eruption of the Emeishan mantle plume. Introduction of these sulfide gases would cause MoO42- to be transferred into MoS42- favoring the preferential deposition of the heavy Mo isotope as MoS42- and thus leaving a positive Mo isotope value. The sample from Late Permian Changxing Formation has a significantly elevated δ98Mo value of +1 .87‰, in association with the relatively negative ϵNd(t) (-10.90) and remain the relatively higher content of both TOC and total sulfur (TS) (1.52%, 2.02%, respectively). This infers the presence of the enhanced primary productivity and high organic burial during the Changxing period. The production of a huge quantity of HS- and H2S by the sulfate-reducing reaction led to the existence of the elevated seawater δ98Mo values during the Changxing period. The preliminary Phanerozoic data reported here allow us to propose that the Mo isotope signature preserved in reductive sediments is related to the regional tectonic settings and the associated environmental conditions, and thus the measurement of δ98Mo promotes our understanding on the evolution of the paleoenvironmental event in the Earth history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we first discuss the definition of and the difference between geobiology and biogeology following a brief introduction of recent geobiology research in China. Geobiology is defined as an interdisciplinary study of life sciences and earth sciences, and biogeology as an interdisciplinary study of biology and geology. Scope of the term geobiology covers that of the term biogeology. Branch interdisciplines of both are listed. We then propose the term geobiofacies, defined as the facies of a geologic body embodying the whole process of interaction between organisms and environments. Differences among geobiofacies, biofacies, and organic facies are discussed. Main parameters defining a geobiofacies include habitat type, biotic composition and productivity, paleo-oxygenation regimes, and early diagenesis phases. Each of them is discussed in detail, and a semi-quantitative assessment of the biogeofacies of source rocks is proposed based on these parameters. A two-fold terminology for geobiofacies is recommended, namely, the biological and environmental aspects of biota and the redox conditions during life-burial-diagenesis process [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of GC and GC-MS analyses, the seasonal variation of leaf lipids is observed in five plant species in Qingjiang in Hubei Province. The CPI values (carbon preference index) of n-alkanes decrease gradually from May to November, though the carbon number distributions and the predominant carbon number in an individual species keep unchanged. The declined CPI values might be caused by the leaf fading, which is further supported by a comparison of the defoliated leaves with the fresh leaves. This observation infers the CPI values of n-alkanes in Quaternary sediments can be used as a tool to index the humification, and thus the climatic and the environmental conditions. The plants analyzed here show a remarkable difference in n-alkanes abundance, suggesting their differential contribution to the n-alkanes identified in sediments. The abundance and the compound species of the n-alkenes detected in the plant leaves change greatly with the seasons due to the influence of temperature, with the least compounds being identified in August. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A geo-archaeological examination was carried out in and around the Paharpur area, Badalgacchi upazila of Naogaon District in the north-western part of Bangladesh. Clay mineralogy and global paleo-temperature curves were used to determine the paleoclimatic and depositional environmental conditions of the Holocene archaeological soils (Barind clay residuum) of the Paharpur archaeological spot. Clay mineralogical data show that the dominant clay mineral is illite with subordinate amounts of kaolinite and chlorite. The high illite and low kaolinite content implies a marine or estuarine deposit. The clay mineral ratio log diagram, constructed by plotting the 7–10°Å integrated intensity ratios versus depth, supports this assumption. The presence of illite, together with quartz and feldspar, suggests high detrital input under generally cool to temperate and dry climates. Chlorite is another common by-product of weathering reactions with low hydrolysis, which is typical for cool to temperate and dry climates. The results suggest the existence of a marine–estuarine influence under a generally cool to temperate and dry climates around Paharpur and the surrounding region throughout the Pala dynasty around mid-century 700 a.d. to early 1100 a.d. Furthermore, this observation is consistent with the global paleo-temperature curves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mass extinction at the Permian–Triassic Boundary (PTB) is said to have been abrupt and probably caused by an extraterrestrial impact. However, evidence from the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the base of the Induan at Meishan, China, shows that the biotic crisis began prior to the level, in beds 25 and 26 at which the postulated impact event occurred. Evidence of such an earlier biotic crisis occurs in other sections in South China, and in central and western Tethyan regions. This event is characterized by the extinction of a range of faunas, including corals, deep-water radiolarians, most fusulinids and pseudotirolitid ammonoids, and many Permian brachiopods. In all sections, this extinction level is usually a few decimeters to meters below that of the main mass extinction in the event beds (25 and 26) at Meishan, and their correlatives elsewhere. This earlier extinction event happened before the postulated bolide impact at the level of beds 25 and 26, and constrains interpretation of the mechanisms that brought about this greatest mass extinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trace fossil Zoophycos was enriched in the lower part of the Guadalupian Maokou Formation of Permian in Laibin, Guangxi of South China, and characterized by observable lamellae within its spreiten. Associated with these lamellae are the prolific coccus- and spirillum-shaped microbe fossils. These microbes morphologically identified are 0.4–3.0 μm in diameter or length. Molecular fossils, including normal alkanes (dominated by C18, without an odd-over-even predominance), acyclic isoprenoids (such as pristane (Pr) and phytane (Ph)), extended tricyclic terpanes, pentacyclic triterpanes, steranes, alkylcyclohexanes, dibenzothiophenes, benzonaphthothiophenes, benzobisbenzothiophenes, were instrumentally identified in the wackestone characterized by the occurrence of abundant Zoophycos (composite ichnofabric indices are 4) and crowded microbial fossils. The value of the Pr/Ph ratio is less than 1, indicative of a dysoxic condition. The identification of abundant sulfur compounds (the thiophene series) related to the contribution of reductive sulfur favors the occurrence of sulphate-reducing bacteria. The association of abundant microbial colonies with microbial molecular fossils within the spreiten suggests that trace fossils Zoophycos would be a multifunctional garden carefully constructed by the Zoophycos-producer, where different microbial colonies were orderly and carefully planted and cultured in different minor lamellae within spreiten. Hence, it is proposed that the Zoophycos-producer symbiosed with microbial colonies on the mutual basis of food supply and the redox conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental conditions and the biotic crisis during the Permo-Triassic (Tr/P) transition received increasing attention in the past decades. Presented herein are the molecular fossil records of cyanobacteria and green sulfur bacteria, the base of the marine ecosystem, to highlight the episodic nature of both the environment and the biotic crisis during this critical period. At least two episodes of cyanobacterial expansion are documented by 2-methylhopanes ranging from C28 to C32 in carbon number, indicative of the instable marine ecosystem and the fluctuant aquatic nutrients. Meanwhile, the index of 2-alkyl-1,3,4-trimethylbenzenes (biomarkers of green sulfur bacteria) and the ratio of pristane to phytane (Pr/Ph) witness the fluctuation of sedimentary environmental redox conditions. The above molecular evidence suggests the occurrence of highly fluctuating environmental conditions during the Tr/P transition, which is consistent with, and probably the cause of, the multi-phased biotic crisis and the prolonged faunal recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have found that wetlands prevailed in western Chinese Loess Plateau and pine pollen could reach up to 80% in Qin'an area of the plateau during middle Holocene. It was then deduced that forest vegetation covered Qin'an area in a warm and wet climate during middle Holocene. The proxies of molecule biomarkers from two Holocene sections, a swamp-alluvial loess section and a typical loess-paleosol section are used to reconstruct regional vegetation history. It is found that the heavy-molecular-weight (HMW) homobogues of the n-alkanes in all samples exhibit a pronounced odd-over-even predominance, maximizing at C31 and the abundance of the nC27-alkanes is the lowest in nC27, nC29, nC31, i.e. C272931, a typical grass n-alkanes model. The results are the same as those of model surface soil samples under grass cover but different from both forest cover and modern pine leaves, which yield preferentially nC29-alkanes peak. It could be inferred that the area was dominated by grass cover but not forest cover during whole Holocene epoch. The study shows that combining both molecule biomarkers and pollen analysis can avoid the disadvantage of pollen analysis in reconstruction of regional vegetation cover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a review of research achievements on the Permian-Triassic transition in South China. It comprises of five parts: (1) advances on the biostratigraphy and eventostratigraphy of the Meishan Section, the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB); (2) advances on the PTB research of deep water facies, especially the Dongpan Section in Guangxi; (3) advances on the PTB research of terrestrial facies, especially the Chahe Section in Guizhou; (4) correlation of the global change and biotic extinction between the PTB and modern times and its revelation to the status and future of the earth and mankind; and (5) the pattern and causality of the Permian-Triassic extinction. In the last part, it is concluded that the Permian-Triassic transitional interval constitutes a prolonged crisis period ranging from end-Guadalupian extinction to the end of Early Triassic, totaling 14 Ma. The environmental crisis and mass extinction peaked at the PTB, which displayed multiphase extinction rather than just one phase. Commencement of an extinctions prelude prior to the postulated bolide impact implies that the causes of PTB extinction largely lie in the intrinsic developments of the earth, especially those related with the integration of Pangea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fatty acids extracted from a subtropical stalagmite at Qingjiang in Southern China’s Hubei Province were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. These n-alkanoic acids range from C14 to C26 in carbon number, maximizing at C16, with a second dominance at C22. In contrast to the stalagmite analysed, the overlying soils are characterized by the dominance of heavy-molecular-weight homologues (>C20). The n-fatty acids in the stalagmite were proposed to be contributed by both the soil ecosystems and the microbes harboring in the percolating water and the cave. The ratios of unsaturated to saturated n-fatty acids (C16:1/C16:0, C18:1/C18:0) appear to show trends comparable with the oxygen isotope records of the stalagmite carbonate, with enhanced values associated with the cold episode such as Heinrich event 1. This paleoclimate-dependent record of the n-fatty acids might reflect microbial changes in physiology and activity in response to the temperature. This record shows somewhat difference from the previous paleoclimate signal extracted from n-alkanols and n-alkan-2-ones of the same stalagmite. The acid record fails to document the well-known Younger Dryas event which was effectively shown by the latter two biomarkers derived from soil ecosystems. This discrepancy might result from the changing biogeochemical impact on different lipid fractions as well as the varied organism populations in different ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial expansion following faunal mass extinctions in Earth history can be studied by petrographic examination of microbialites (microbial crusts) or well-preserved organic-walled microbes. However, where preservation is poor, quantification of microbial communities can be problematic. We have circumvented this problem by adopting a lipid biomarker-based approach to evaluate microbial community changes across the Permo/Triassic (P/Tr) boundary at Meishan in South China. We present here a biomarker stratigraphic record showing episodic microbial changes coupled with a high-resolution record of invertebrate mass extinction. Variation in the microbial community structure is characterized by the 2-methylhopane (2-MHP) index (a ratio of the abundance of cyanobacterial biomarkers to more general bacterial biomarkers). Two episodes of faunal mass extinction were each preceded by minima in the 2-MHP index, followed by strong maxima, likely reflecting microbial responses to the catastrophic events that caused the extinction and initiated ecosystem changes. Hence, both cyanobacterial biomarker and invertebrate fossil records provide evidence for two episodes of biotic crisis across the P/Tr boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trace molecular fossils identified in the Pleistocene vermicular red earth by using the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis include n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids, n-alkanols and n-alkan-2-ones. The variations of the n-alkane parameters appear to bear significant climate information, in striking contrast to the oxygen-bearing molecules ( n-alkanoic acids and n-alkanols) believed to be more easily reworked by post-depositional processes. Of importance in paleoclimate reconstruction are the ratios of C27/C31 n-alkane indicative of the replacement of woody plants by grassy vegetation, and C15–21/C22–33 n-alkane representative of the relative abundance between microorganisms and higher plants. The profile trends of the two n-alkane ratios are comparable to the marine oxygen isotope record among stages 4–20. These molecular fossil records implicate that the Pleistocene vermicular red earth widespread in South China was formed in coupling to the global climatic change and could be an important climate carrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]