ARACHNOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR GLACIAL REFUGIA IN THE BAVARIAN ALPS
MUSTER C.: Arachnological evidence for glacial refugia in the Bavarian Alps. In GAJDOS P., PEKAR S. (eds): Proceedings of the 18th European Colloquium of Arachnology, Stara Lesna, 1999. Ekologia (Bratislava), Vol. 19, Supplement 3/2000, p. 181-192. According to geomorphological conclusions some regions of the Bavarian Alps remained free of ice during the Pleistocene glaciations. The current concepts of phytogeography acknowledge plant survival during cryocratic periods in Bavarian massifs de refuge as well as on the nunatak system. Hitherto in zoogeography, little proof has been offered in support of these assumptions. According to recent investigations the distribution areas of the arachnids Cryphoeca lichenum nigerrima (Hahniidae) and Megabunus lesserti (Phalangiidae) suggest continuous inhabitation of Bavarian refugia since interglacial times. Especially in the Ammergau refugium the persistance of animal life during the last glaciation could be confirmed.
Plant molecular phylogeography in China and adjacent regions: Tracing the genetic imprints of Quaternary climate and environmental change in the world's most diverse temperate flora.
The Sino-Japanese Floristic Region (SJFR) of East Asia harbors the most diverse of the world's temperate flora, and was the most important glacial refuge for its Tertiary representatives ('relics') throughout Quaternary ice-age cycles. A steadily increasing number of phylogeographic studies in the SJFR of mainland China and adjacent areas, including the Qinghai-Tibetan-Plateau (QTP) and Sino-Himalayan region, have documented the population histories of temperate plant species in these regions. Here we review this current literature that challenges the oft-stated view of the SJFR as a glacial sanctuary for temperate plants, instead revealing profound effects of Quaternary changes in climate, topography, and/or sea level on the current genetic structure of such organisms. There are three recurrent phylogeographic scenarios identified by different case studies that broadly agree with longstanding biogeographic or palaeo-ecological hypotheses: (i) postglacial re-colonization of the QTP from (south-)eastern glacial refugia; (ii) population isolation and endemic species formation in Southwest China due to tectonic shifts and river course dynamics; and (iii) long-term isolation and species survival in multiple localized refugia of (warm-)temperate deciduous forest habitats in subtropical (Central/East/South) China. However, in four additional instances, phylogeographic findings seem to conflict with a priori predictions raised by palaeo-data, suggesting instead: (iv) glacial in situ survival of some hardy alpine herbs and forest trees on the QTP platform itself; (v) long-term refugial isolation of (warm-)temperate evergreen taxa in subtropical China; (vi) 'cryptic' glacial survival of (cool-)temperate deciduous forest trees in North China; and (vii) unexpectedly deep (Late Tertiary/early-to-mid Pleistocene) allopatric-vicariant differentiation of disjunct lineages in the East China-Japan-Korea region due to past sea transgressions. We discuss these and other consequences of the main phylogeographic findings in light of palaeo-environmental evidence, emphasize notable gaps in our knowledge, and outline future research prospects for disentangling the evolution and biogeographic history of the region's extremely diverse temperate flora.
Computer simulations and theory of oceanographic fluorescence lidar signals: effect of sea surface structure.
A 3-D computer simulation model has been developed using geometrical optics suitable for analyzing the effect of sea surface structure on oceanographic fluorescence lidar signals. Depth-resolved and depth-integrated signals reveal a considerable dependence on the surface structure. The results obtained by simulation are confirmed by a theoretical approach based on the transformation of solid angles by curved boundaries. Using statistical assumptions about the distribution of curvatures of the ocean surface, a general expression for this influence is found.