Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Bruno Baur, Hans-Peter Rusterholz, Brigitte Braschler
Summary: We conducted a 7-year fragmentation experiment in nutrient-poor grasslands in Switzerland to examine the effects of fragmentation on species richness, composition, abundance, genetic diversity, functional diversity, species traits, and interactions. Our findings showed that the responses to fragmentation varied among taxonomical groups and species, with some groups experiencing lower species richness and individual density in fragments while others showed the opposite trend. Fragmentation had the most pronounced effects on species interactions, with some effects occurring after a delay. For example, fragmentation influenced the foraging patterns of bumblebees, which in turn affected pollination and resulted in decreased genetic diversity in a focal plant species. Our study highlights the implications of these findings for grassland conservation.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
J. Richard, J. -P. Sizun
Summary: The study focuses on the Bonnevaux section in the Jura inner platform of France during the Middle Oxfordian period. It reveals that a sequence composed of microporous limestones can exhibit a wide range of original microfacies associated with different depositional environments. The reservoir qualities and transport properties of these microporous limestones show spatial evolution at the platform scale, with an increase in total porosity and permeability, and a decrease in trapped porosity. The increase in permeability is correlated with changes in the pore access radii and the control of meteoric pore-fluid flows by microporosity during burial diagenesis.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Mazin Bashri, Michael A. Kaminski, Osman Abdullatif, John Humphrey, Mohammed Makkawi, Rudy Swennen, Omer Ali, Ammar Adam, Moaz Salih, Jarrah Babiker
Summary: The study investigates the depositional changes in the Late Jurassic Oxfordian deposits of the Arabian Plate through detailed sedimentologic analysis. It reveals the transition from carbonate-poor to carbonate-dominated sedimentation and discusses the factors controlling the distribution of different depositional styles. The research provides important insights into the understanding of the Late Jurassic depositional environment.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Guillaume Bertrand, Alex Poncot, Benjamin Pohl, Alexandre Lhosmot, Marc Steinmann, Anne Johannet, Sebastien Pinel, Huseyin Caldirak, Guillaume Artigue, Philippe Binet, Catherine Bertrand, Louis Collin, Genevieve Magnon, Daniel Gilbert, Fatima Laggoun-Deffarge, Marie-Laure Toussaint
Summary: Peatlands are vital ecosystems for storing carbon and water, with carbon speciation greatly influenced by water table depth. Long-term monitoring and statistical modeling can help evaluate hydrological variability, with projections showing potential changes in water table depth in the future, especially in summer.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Ardavan Khalili, Hossein Vaziri-Moghaddam, Mehran Arian, Ali Seyrafian
Summary: This study evaluated the Asmari carbonate successions using a multidisciplinary approach, including biostratigraphy, cyclostratigraphy, and facies analysis. Key findings include the identification of eight microfacies representing different environments and the evolution of three carbonate platforms through different stages.
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
A. Husinec, J. F. Read
Summary: Through the study of a Middle Jurassic carbonate platform in Croatia, we found that the rock record shows cyclical variations driven by obliquity, supporting the existence of moderate glaciation during the Middle Jurassic.
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Beda A. Hofmann, Naki Akcar, Sonke Szidat, Pierre G. Valla, Marcus Christl, Christoph Vockenhuber, Twannberg Search Team
Summary: A strewn field of the Twannberg type IIG iron meteorite, similar to 10 km(2) in size, has been discovered in the Swiss Jura Mountains, 30 km northwest of Bern. Citizen scientists have been mapping the strewn field since 2006, finding over 2000 meteorite fragments with a total mass of 152.7 kg by the end of 2022. The Twannberg meteorite is a local time marker with a terrestrial age of approximately 176 ka and a minimum pre-atmospheric mass of around 250 t. The distribution of meteorites and glacially transported Alpine clasts in the area provide valuable information about ice levels and transport directions during MIS 6 and their interaction with post-LGM environmental conditions. The study suggests a high ice level during MIS 6 and possible effects of human activities since the Neolithic. The Twannberg strewn field has the potential to reveal more valuable information.
SWISS JOURNAL OF GEOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kevin Charmillot, Christian Hedinger, Manuel Babbi, Stefan Widmer, Juergen Dengler
Summary: Meso-xeric grasslands in Central Europe have faced threats from intensification or abandonment of agricultural use, eutrophication, climate change, and landscape fragmentation. Research findings on changes in these habitats have been inconsistent in different regions. A study in the Swiss Jura Mountains showed significant changes in species composition, ecological indicator values, and functional traits between 1980 and 2020, indicating a shift towards more nutrient-rich pastures and meadows. The findings suggest the importance of regionally adapted conservation strategies to prevent biodiversity loss in meso-xeric grasslands.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jihad Hamd, Adrian Cerepi, Rudy Swennen, Corinne Loisy, Serge Galaup, Lea Pigot
Summary: This paper studies the sedimentary and diagenetic factors controlling the heterogeneity and petrophysical properties of carbonate reservoir systems. The research findings show that diagenetic processes such as dolomitization play a crucial role in the development of porosity and permeability in reservoir rocks.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Siding Jin, Sibing Liu, Zheng Li, Anqing Chen, Chao Ma
Summary: It has been demonstrated that the sedimentary deposits of Eocene succession in Bohai Bay Basin in China responded to astronomically forced climate changes. Several sections have been evaluated for cyclostratigraphy and many astronomical time scales (ATSs) have been constructed in Paleogene Bohai Bay Basin. However, the calibrations of age model and the constructed ATSs failed to reach an agreement and many of them relied on totally different orbital interpretations within the same section/borehole.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Oscar Gratacos, Telm Bover-Arnal, Roger Clavera-Gispert, Ana Carmona, David Garcia-Selles
Summary: The evolution of an Aptian carbonate system was studied using a 3D process-based sedimentary-stratigraphic forward model, revealing that fluctuations in relative sea level exerted the main control on resulting stratigraphic and facies architectures, while the influence of terrigenous clastic sediment input was less pronounced. The study highlights the sensitivity of facies assemblages to different controlling parameters, emphasizing the importance of understanding these factors for accurate geological modeling and prediction.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
B. P. Smith, C. Kerans, W. W. Fischer
Summary: The deposition of marine carbonate rocks is influenced by climate and seawater chemistry. Platform drowning occurs when carbonate sedimentation slows or when siliciclastics replace carbonates. Deep-ocean anoxia reduces both dissolution and overproduction, leading to slower accumulation rates in shallow-water environments.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Juan Li, Xiumian Hu, Eduardo Garzanti, Marcelle BouDagher-Fadel
Summary: This study presents new biostratigraphic, sedimentological, and carbon-isotopic data to constrain the precise stratigraphic position of the Paleocene/Eocene boundary and investigate environmental changes across the PETM. It is found that the temporary demise of the carbonate ramp during the PETM is attributed to increased siliciclastic supply driven by changes in regional hydrology.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geology
Gabriella Del Viscio, Gianluca Frijia, Renato Posenato, Pulkit Singh, Daniel J. Lehrmann, Jonathan L. Payne, Khalid Al-Ramadan, Ulrich Struck, Klaus P. Jochum, Michele Morsilli
Summary: The study investigates the relationship between the proliferation of Chondrodonta and environmental perturbations from OAE1a, suggesting that Chondrodonta can be used as a proxy for ecological stress related to OAE1a.
Review
Agronomy
Anandkumar Naorem, Somasundaram Jayaraman, Ram C. Dalal, Ashok Patra, Cherukumalli Srinivasa Rao, Rattan Lal
Summary: The study of Soil organic carbon (SOC) pool has been extensively studied in the carbon (C) cycling of terrestrial ecosystems. However, in dryland regions, soil inorganic carbon (SIC) has received increasing attention due to various factors. The storage of SIC in dryland soils is a complex process that is influenced by multiple factors, and deeper layers of drylands have opened up several study aspects on SIC storage.
