DOCSLIB.ORG

Thor Lake Project DAR Appendix a Stantec Environmental Baseline

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Thor Lake Project DAR Appendix a Stantec Environmental Baseline AVALON RARE METALS INC. DEVELOPER’S ASSESSMENT REPORT THOR LAKE PROJECT, NWT APPENDICES VOLUME- 1 THOR LAKE PROJECT, NWT DEVELOPER’S ASSESSMENT REPORT APPENDICES - VOLUME 1 SUBMITTED TO: MACKENZIE VALLEY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REVIEW BOARD MAY 2011 MAY 2011 MVEIRB FILE: EA1011-001 MVEIRB FILE: EA1011-001 Avalon Rare Metals Inc. DEVELOPER’S ASSESSMENT REPORT THOR LAKE PROJECT NORTHWEST TERRITORIES APPENDICES VOLUME 1 Submitted To: MACKENZIE VALLEY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REVIEW BOARD May 2011 LIST OF APPENDICES Volume 1 Appendix A Stantec Environmental Baseline Reports – A1 Volume 2 Appendix A Stantec Environmental Baseline Reports – A2 – A6 Appendix B EBA Baseline and Other Reports Volume 3 Appendix C Knight Piésold Geotechnical, Hydrology, Hydrogeology Reports Volume 4 Appendix D NWT Community Statistics Appendix E Archaeology Study Appendix F SGS Geochemistry/Mineralogy Report Appendix G SENES Radiological Reports Appendix H Avalon’s Traditional Knowledge Study Communication/Consultation Logs Appendix I MVERIB Terms of Reference Appendix J RWDI Air Quality Report Appendix K GSGislason Economic Impact Report Appendix L Avalon Hazardous Materials Spill Contingency Plan APPENDIX A STANTEC ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE REPORTS Appendix A.1 Thor Lake Rare Earth Metals Baseline Project Environmental Baseline Report: Volume 3 – Aquatics and Fisheries 2010 Appendix A.2 Thor Lake Rare Earth Metals Baseline Project Environmental Baseline Report: Volume 1 – Climate and Hydrology 2010 Appendix A.3 Thor Lake Rare Earth Metals Baseline Project Environmental Baseline Report: Volume 2 – Hydrogeology 2010 Appendix A.4 Thor Lake Rare Earth Metals Baseline Project Environmental Baseline Report: Volume 4 – Terrain, Soils, and Permafrost 2010 Appendix A.5 Thor Lake Rare Earth Metals Baseline Project Environmental Baseline Report: Volume 5 – Vegetation 2010 Appendix A.6 Thor Lake Rare Earth Metals Baseline Project Environmental Baseline Report: Volume 6 – Wildlife Resources 2010 Appendix A.1 Thor Lake Rare Earth Metals Baseline Project Environmental Baseline Report: Volume 3 – Aquatics and Fisheries 2010 THOR LAKE RARE EARTH METALS BASELINE PROJECT Environmental Baseline Report: Volume 3 – Aquatics and Fisheries FINAL INTERIM REPORT Prepared for: Avalon Rare Metals Inc. 130 Adelaide Street Suite 1901 Toronto, ON M5H 3P5 Prepared by: Stantec 4370 Dominion Street, Suite 500 Burnaby, BC V5G 4L7 Tel: (604) 436-3014 Fax: (604) 436-3752 and Stantec P.O. Box 1680, 5021 - 49 Street Yellowknife, NT X1A 2N4 Tel: (867) 920-2216 Fax: (867) 920-2278 Project No.: 123510050 and 123510051 January 15, 2010 Thor Lake Rare Earth Metals Baseline Project Environmental Baseline Report: Volume 3 – Aquatics and Fisheries Final Interim Report Authorship AUTHORSHIP Carey Sibbald, B.Sc., CEPIT .................................................................................................... Aquatics Karen Munro, B.Sc., M.Sc., R.P.Bio. ................................................................ Aquatics Senior Review Sandra Nicol, M.Sc., BIT ........................................................................................................... Fisheries Josh Taylor, M.Sc., R.P.Bio. ............................................................................ Fisheries Senior Review January 15, 2010 i Proposal No. 123510050 and 123510051 Thor Lake Rare Earth Metals Baseline Project Environmental Baseline Report: Volume 3 – Aquatics and Fisheries Final Interim Report Executive Summary EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Avalon Rare Metals Inc. (Avalon) is currently undertaking a prefeasibility study for the development of the Nechalacho Deposit, located on mineral leases it holds at its Thor Lake site in the Northwest Territories. The deposit is located approximately 100 km southeast of Yellowknife and 4 km north of the Hearne Channel of Great Slave Lake. Stantec (formerly Jacques Whitford AXYS Ltd.) initiated environmental baseline studies at the Thor Lake project site in fall 2008. This interim Technical Data Report presents results of the baseline aquatics and fisheries study as of fall 2009. The study investigated water quality, aquatic ecology and fisheries values in nine watercourses and fifteen lakes that will be directly or indirectly affected by Project development. Ten other lakes were also studied: six in the local area to better establish local aquatic conditions and four for use as reference sites. One site in Great Slave Lake was established in an area being proposed for a wharf. Of the nine watercourses studied, three are passable to fish during high flows, two are not passable except during exceptional circumstances (i.e. very high flows), one had visible surface flows but is not passable to fish and three had no visible channels. The quality of the available habitat for fish in these nine watercourses was generally low due to very low water levels. Fish presence was observed in two streams only: a nine-spine stickleback in the outlet of Long Lake and three northern pike in the outlet of Murky Lake. The known fish species in the area primarily use lake habitats; however, northern pike, slimy sculpin and nine-spine stickleback are known to use watercourse habitat as well. These three species spawn in still or slow-moving water and it is unlikely that any of them would fully complete their life cycle in the watercourse habitats of the study area. Littoral and riparian areas of each study lake were examined for predominant aquatic and terrestrial vegetation and fish habitat features (e.g. large woody debris). Substrate in the littoral areas varied from bedrock to organic muck and several species of submerged and emergent aquatic plants were present. Large woody debris and large boulders were often absent. The riparian area of most lakes was dominated by black spruce; other species observed included paper birch, tamarack, dwarf birch and Labrador tea. Wetlands and bedrock bluffs were present or predominant at several lakes. Water and sediment data were collected at 23 study lakes. Water was neutral to basic (mean pH from 7.07 to 8.62), with a large range of conductivity and hardness and low nutrient levels. Large ranges in many general parameters and metals were noted, as levels tended to be elevated during winter in shallow lakes (less than 3 m deep). In shallow lakes during winter, total iron levels were 3 to 61 times higher than the CCME guideline. Sediment characteristics varied across the study area, though generally had relatively high phosphorus, organic carbon and nitrogen content. Arsenic concentrations in sediment exceeded the CCME guideline in many lakes (60% of sample stations), followed by silver (32%), nickel (28%) and copper (16%) exceedances. Data on levels of radionuclides and rare earth elements in lake sediment are not available at this time. Aquatic community data were collected at most sample stations; at the time of this report, phytoplankton and zooplankton data were available for June 2009 but not September 2009, while benthic invertebrate data from September 2009 were not available. Based on chlorophyll a values, ii January 15, 2010 Project No. 123510050 and 123510051 Thor Lake Rare Earth Metals Baseline Project Environmental Baseline Report: Volume 3 – Aquatics and Fisheries Final Interim Report Executive Summary nineteen lakes are considered oligotrophic, four are mesotrophic, and one lake may be eutrophic. Phytoplankton taxon richness (number of taxa per site) varied from 38 to 81 species; richness was greatest at Thor Lake and lowest at Great Slave Lake. Both phytoplankton and zooplankton species diversity was greatest at Porkchop Lake and lowest at Great Slave Lake. Zooplankton taxon richness varied from 13 to 21 species; richness was greatest at A, North Tardiff, South Tardiff and Thor lakes, and lowest at Elbow North and Great Slave lakes. Fisheries studies were conducted in 19 lakes. Of these, 11 are considered fish-bearing. The most common species found were three large bodied species (northern pike, lake whitefish and lake cisco) and two small bodied species (slimy sculpin and ninespine stickleback); all five species were present in Thor, Long, Elbow, A and Redemption lakes. Lake trout was captured only in Carrot and Great Slave (the deepest lakes), while lake chub was captured only in Kinnikinnick Lake. The lakes that are considered non-fish bearing are isolated from other waterbodies and, therefore, do not directly contribute food or nutrients to fish bearing waters; these non-fish bearing lakes are not considered fish habitat under the Fisheries Act. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) was calculated for the large bodied fish species captured in six-panel gang gill nets for 2008 and 2009. CPUE for northern pike and lake whitefish was similar between years, varying by 0.2 fish/hour or less. A decrease in CPUE for lake whitefish was noted for Fred Lake; however, this change is difficult to interpret as this lake suspected to be a sink habitat (fish can enter the lake but do not survive the winter). A change in CPUE for lake whitefish (decrease) and lake cisco (increase) was also noted in A Lake between 2008 and 2009; this change is consistent with known fish habitat use and a change in gear type from sinking to floating gill net. Between 2008 and 2009, there was greater variation in lake cisco CPUE compared to northern pike and lake whitefish; lake cisco appear to form schools, so the catch rate for this species is expected to be more variable than for non-schooling species such as northern pike and lake whitefish. Fish health was assessed. Fish
Load more

Recommended publications
  • [PDF] Dinosaur Eggshell from the Red Sandstone Group of Tanzania
    Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 24(2):494±497, June 2004 q 2004 by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology NOTE DINOSAUR EGGSHELL FROM THE RED SANDSTONE GROUP OF TANZANIA MICHAEL D. GOTTFRIED1, PATRICK M. O'CONNOR2, FRANKIE D. JACKSON3, ERIC M. ROBERTS4, and REMEGIUS CHAMI5, 1Mich- igan State University Museum, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, [email protected]; 2College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 45701; 3Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, 59717; 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112, 5Antiquities Unit, P.O. Box 2280, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Investigations over the last several decades at Gondwanan Mesozoic Although the age of the Red Sandstone Group is poorly understood (see localities have signi®cantly expanded our knowledge of the diversity Damblon et al., 1998), a Cretaceous age is suggested at this site based and distribution of Southern Hemisphere dinosaurs. These records are on (1) the overall composition of the fauna, which includes titanosaurid? primarily based on skeletal remains, but included among them are in- sauropods and both avian and nonavian theropods, as well as osteo- stances of preserved eggshell, notably from Argentina (e.g., Calvo et glossomorph ®shes, and (2) the possibility that these deposits may be al., 1997; Chiappe et al., 1998) and India (e.g., Khosla and Sahni, 1995). approximately coeval with the Cretaceous dinosaur beds of Malawi (Ja- In general, however, dinosaur eggshell is relatively poorly known from cobs et al., 1990), which lie ca. 200 km southeast of the Mbeya region. Gondwana, and from Africa in particular.
    [Show full text]
  • Cairanoolithus: a Large Egg for a Small Dinosaur with Wide Hips
    20/11/2020 <em>Cairanoolithus</em>: a Large Egg for a Small Dinosaur With Wide Hips - UABDivulga Barcelona Research & Innovation 02/2015 Cairanoolithus: a Large Egg for a Small Dinosaur With Wide Hips The study of the microstructure of the eggshell of Cairanoolithus conducted by Albert G. Sellés and Angel Galobart, both researchers at the Catalan Institute of Palaeontology Miquel Crusafont (ICP), reveals that this egg type does not belong to sauropod dinosaurs but to ankylosaurs, and probably to Struthiosaurus, a genus of armored dinosaurs. The finding would represent the first description of thyreophora eggs (a group that includes ankylosauria and stegosauria) in the world. It is an arduous task for paleontologists to assign the fossil eggs they found in excavations to a certain dinosaur species or group of dinosaurs, especially because the lack of bones of the parents in the nests and the low probability to find embryonic remains that would help in the taxonomic assignation of the eggs. Thus, we often do not known who laid a certain fossil egg. These limitations have led scientist to design a specific system for naming and classifying fossil eggs, using concepts such as "oogenera" and "ooespecies" for its phylogenetic classification. Cairanoolithus is an oogenus discovered and described in the early 90’s. It takes its name from the first place where it was found, a site near La Cairanne, a small town from southeastern France. From then on, Cairanoolithus has been found in 25 different sites. These eggs are between 72.2 and 71.4 million years old, they are large (over 15 cm in diameter) and have a rounded shape.
    [Show full text]
  • Paleontological Discoveries in the Chorrillo Formation (Upper Campanian-Lower Maastrichtian, Upper Cretaceous), Santa Cruz Province, Patagonia, Argentina
    Rev. Mus. Argentino Cienc. Nat., n.s. 21(2): 217-293, 2019 ISSN 1514-5158 (impresa) ISSN 1853-0400 (en línea) Paleontological discoveries in the Chorrillo Formation (upper Campanian-lower Maastrichtian, Upper Cretaceous), Santa Cruz Province, Patagonia, Argentina Fernando. E. NOVAS1,2, Federico. L. AGNOLIN1,2,3, Sebastián ROZADILLA1,2, Alexis M. ARANCIAGA-ROLANDO1,2, Federico BRISSON-EGLI1,2, Matias J. MOTTA1,2, Mauricio CERRONI1,2, Martín D. EZCURRA2,5, Agustín G. MARTINELLI2,5, Julia S. D´ANGELO1,2, Gerardo ALVAREZ-HERRERA1, Adriel R. GENTIL1,2, Sergio BOGAN3, Nicolás R. CHIMENTO1,2, Jordi A. GARCÍA-MARSÀ1,2, Gastón LO COCO1,2, Sergio E. MIQUEL2,4, Fátima F. BRITO4, Ezequiel I. VERA2,6, 7, Valeria S. PEREZ LOINAZE2,6 , Mariela S. FERNÁNDEZ8 & Leonardo SALGADO2,9 1 Laboratorio de Anatomía Comparada y Evolución de los Vertebrados. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470, Buenos Aires C1405DJR, Argentina - fernovas@yahoo. com.ar. 2 Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina. 3 Fundación de Historia Natural “Felix de Azara”, Universidad Maimonides, Hidalgo 775, C1405BDB Buenos Aires, Argentina. 4 Laboratorio de Malacología terrestre. División Invertebrados Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470, Buenos Aires C1405DJR, Argentina. 5 Sección Paleontología de Vertebrados. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470, Buenos Aires C1405DJR, Argentina. 6 División Paleobotánica. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470, Buenos Aires C1405DJR, Argentina. 7 Área de Paleontología. Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Universitaria (C1428EGA) Buenos Aires, Argentina. 8 Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (CONICET-INIBIOMA), Quintral 1250, 8400 San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
    [Show full text]
  • Make a DIY Dinosaur Egg (PDF)
    Science at Home Are you looking for something to do to keep your brain active and engaged? We’re here to help with Science at Home! You can do these fun science activities using commonly found items. You can also visit us at the Museum’s Science at Home page for additional resources. Make a DIY Dinosaur Egg Materials Needed: Start Here to Learn More! Balloons Wooden mixing spoon Dinosaur eggs are rarely fossilized, so whenever Newspaper or other thin paper A plate or place-mat we find one, it’s a big deal. 1 cup water Optional 1 cup all-purpose flour Acrylic paint and brushes to decorate your egg Paleontologists have found eggs from all dif- Mixing bowl ferent types of dinosaurs, like the duck-billed Maiasaura, the theropod Oviraptor, and even the massive titanosaur sauropods. These dif- ferent types of dinosaurs laid different types of Instructions: eggs and we can use things like shape, size and texture to identify which laid which. Each of these types of egg are referred to as an ootaxon, which is just a fancy way of saying “a group of similarly unique eggs.” Today, with the help of a grown-up, you’re going to learn how to make your own dinosaur eggs using a balloon, some flour, water and old newspaper. Step 1: Inflate your balloon and Step 2: Cut up your newspa- Step 3: Put a cup of flour into a tie it off. Dinosaur eggs came per into strips. You’re going to bowl, and mix in a cup of water.
    [Show full text]
  • The First Dinosaur Egg Remains a Mystery
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.10.406678; this version posted December 11, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. 1 The first dinosaur egg remains a mystery 2 3 Lucas J. Legendre1*, David Rubilar-Rogers2, Alexander O. Vargas3, and Julia A. 4 Clarke1* 5 6 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78756, 7 USA. 8 2Área Paleontología, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Casilla 787, Santiago, Chile. 9 3Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 7800003, 10 Chile. 11 1 bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.10.406678; this version posted December 11, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. 12 Abstract 13 A recent study by Norell et al. (2020) described new egg specimens for two dinosaur species, 14 identified as the first soft-shelled dinosaur eggs. The authors used phylogenetic comparative 15 methods to reconstruct eggshell type in a sample of reptiles, and identified the eggs of 16 dinosaurs and archosaurs as ancestrally soft-shelled, with three independent acquisitions of a 17 hard eggshell among dinosaurs. This result contradicts previous hypotheses of hard-shelled 18 eggs as ancestral to archosaurs and dinosaurs.
    [Show full text]
  • Dinosaurs Put All Colored Birds' Eggs in One Basket, Evolutionarily Speaking 31 October 2018
    Dinosaurs put all colored birds' eggs in one basket, evolutionarily speaking 31 October 2018 red and blue, to create all of the various egg colors, spots, and speckles. Wiemann and her colleagues analyzed 18 fossil dinosaur eggshell samples from around the world, using non-destructive laser microspectroscopy to test for the presence of the two eggshell pigments. They found them in eggshells belonging to Eumaniraptoran dinosaurs, which include small, carnivorous dinosaurs such as Velociraptor. Fossil theropod dinosaur egg (front), with corvid eggs in a nest. Fossil Deinonychus and oviraptor eggs were probably similar in coloration to corvid eggs. Credit: Jasmina Wiemann/Yale University A new study says the colors found in modern birds' eggs did not evolve independently, as previously thought, but evolved instead from dinosaurs. Illustration of a hatching Deinonychus chick from a blue According to researchers at Yale, the American egg with brown spots. The diversity researchers Museum of Natural History, and the University of recovered for dinosaur egg colors mirrors that found for Bonn, birds inherited their egg color from non- modern bird eggs. Credit: Jasmina Wiemann/Yale avian dinosaur ancestors that laid eggs in fully or University partially open nests. The researchers' findings appear Oct. 31 in the online edition of the journal Nature. "We infer that egg color co-evolved with open "This completely changes our understanding of nesting habits in dinosaurs," Wiemann said. "Once how egg colors evolved," said the study's lead dinosaurs started to build open nests, exposure of author, Yale paleontologist Jasmina Wiemann. the eggs to visually hunting predators and even "For two centuries, ornithologists assumed that nesting parasites favored the evolution of egg color appeared in modern birds' eggs multiple camouflaging egg colors, and individually times, independently." recognizable patterns of spots and speckles." The egg colors of birds reflect characteristic preferences in nesting environments and brooding behaviors.
    [Show full text]
  • New Turtle Egg Fossil from the Upper Cretaceous of the Laiyang Basin, Shandong Province, China
    Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências (2013) 85(1): 103-111 (Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences) Printed version ISSN 0001-3765 / Online version ISSN 1678-2690 www.scielo.br/aabc New turtle egg fossil from the Upper Cretaceous of the Laiyang Basin, Shandong Province, China 1 1 1 1, 2 1, 2 QIANG WANG , XIAOLIN WANG , ZIKUI ZHAO , JIALIANG ZHANG and SHUNXING JIANG 1Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origin of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, China 2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China Manuscript received on June 11, 2012; accepted for publication on November 23, 2012 ABSTRACT A new type of turtle egg fossil was established: Emydoolithus laiyangensis oogen. et oosp. nov.. Based on its elliptical morphological shape, rigid eggshells, and eggshell characteristics, it is different from other types of round chelonian egg fossils. It is the second chelonian egg fossil found in Cretaceous in China. This discovery shows the Laiyang ecosystem in Late Cretaceous is more diversified than previously thought. Key words: Turtle egg fossil, Jingangkou Formation, Late Cretaceous, Laiyang Basin, Shandong Province. INTRODUCTION and Ozaki 1929), they were later recognized Turtle egg fossils are very rare. Even though they as dinosaur eggs based on their macrostructure are found from the Jurassic to the Tertiary age, turtle characteristics (Chow 1954). Recently, we have eggs are known only from a few Cretaceous deposits, restudied the macrostructure and microstructure of from localities in China (Fang et al. 2003, Jackson et these eggs found in Changtu (housed at the Dalian al.
    [Show full text]
  • Volume 1: Why Do We Explore?
    TheThe NOAANOAA ShipShip OkeanosOkeanos ExplorerExplorer EducationEducation MaterialsMaterials CollectionCollection Ocean Exploration and Research The NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer Education Materials Collection For Grades 5 – 12 Volume 1: Why Do We Explore? National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Ocean Exploration and Research i Ocean Exploration and Research November 2010 2nd Edition June 2012 3rd Edition August 2015 Project Manager: Paula Keener, Director, Education Programs NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research Lesson Plan Development: Mel Goodwin, PhD, Marine Biologist and Science Writer, Charleston, SC Design/Layout: Sandy Goodwin, Coastal Images Graphic Design, Mt Pleasant, SC Reviewer: Susan Haynes, Education Program Manager, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Contractor: Collabralink Technologies, Inc. Cover photos courtesy National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This collection of materials was produced for NOAA. If reproducing materials from this collection, please cite NOAA as the source, and provide the following URL: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov For more information, please contact: Paula Keener, Director, Education Programs NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 [email protected] TheThe NOAANOAA ShipShip OkeanosOkeanos ExplorerExplorer EducationEducation MaterialsMaterials CollectionCollection NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer: America’s Ship for Ocean Exploration. Image credit: NOAA. For more information, see the following
    [Show full text]
  • Reproduction in Mesozoic Birds and Evolution of the Modern Avian Reproductive Mode Author(S): David J
    Reproduction in Mesozoic birds and evolution of the modern avian reproductive mode Author(s): David J. Varricchio and Frankie D. Jackson Source: The Auk, 133(4):654-684. Published By: American Ornithological Society DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1642/AUK-15-216.1 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1642/AUK-15-216.1 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Volume 133, 2016, pp. 654–684 DOI: 10.1642/AUK-15-216.1 REVIEW Reproduction in Mesozoic birds and evolution of the modern avian reproductive mode David J. Varricchio and Frankie D. Jackson Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA [email protected], [email protected] Submitted November 16, 2015; Accepted June 2, 2016; Published August 10, 2016 ABSTRACT The reproductive biology of living birds differs dramatically from that of other extant vertebrates.
    [Show full text]
  • Journal of Nutritional Science
    JNS JOURNAL OF NUTRITIONAL SCIENCE PERSPECTIVES IN NUTRITIONAL SCIENCE https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2019.7 . Why did the dinosaurs become extinct? Could cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) deficiency be the answer? D. R. Fraser* Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia (Received 6 January 2019 – Final revision received 19 February 2019 – Accepted 21 February 2019) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Journal of Nutritional Science (2019), vol. 8, e9, page 1 of 5 doi:10.1017/jns.2019.7 Abstract Palaeontological deductions from the fossil remnants of extinct dinosaurs tell us much about their classification into species as well as about their physio- logical and behavioural characteristics. Geological evidence indicates that dinosaurs became extinct at the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene eras, about 66 million years ago, at a time when there was worldwide environmental change resulting from the impact of a large celestial object with the Earth and/or from vast volcanic eruptions. However, apart from the presumption that climate change and interference with food supply contributed to their extinction, no biological mechanism has been suggested to explain why such a diverse range of terrestrial vertebrates ceased to exist. One of perhaps several contributing mechanisms comes by extrapolating from the physiology of the avian descendants of dinosaurs. This raises the possibility that chole- fi calciferol (vitamin D3)de ciency of developing embryos in dinosaur eggs could have caused their death before hatching, thus extinguishing the entire family of dinosaurs through failure to reproduce. Key words: Dinosaur extinction: Solar UVB radiation: Embryo mortality: Fossilised eggs At the end of the Cretaceous era, about 66 million years ago and that the various species had declined in number over many , subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at (Mya), there was a mass extinction of many animal species generations.
    [Show full text]
  • Mass Extinctions Past and Present
    Biogeosciences Discuss., 5, 2401–2423, 2008 Biogeosciences www.biogeosciences-discuss.net/5/2401/2008/ Discussions BGD © Author(s) 2008. This work is distributed under 5, 2401–2423, 2008 the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Biogeosciences Discussions is the access reviewed discussion forum of Biogeosciences Mass extinctions past and present S. A. Wooldridge Title Page Mass extinctions past and present: Abstract Introduction Conclusions References a unifying hypothesis Tables Figures S. A. Wooldridge J I Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB #3, Townsville MC, 4810, QLD, Australia J I Received: 18 April 2008 – Accepted: 13 May 2008 – Published: 9 June 2008 Back Close Correspondence to: S. A. Wooldridge ([email protected]) Full Screen / Esc Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. Printer-friendly Version Interactive Discussion 2401 Abstract BGD Enzymes are often referred to as the “agents of life” – a very apt term, since essentially all life processes are controlled by them. Typically, these enzymes only function across 5, 2401–2423, 2008 a narrow band of environmental conditions, particularly temperature and pH. Ambi- 5 ent conditions that challenge these operating conspecifics trigger enzyme dysfunction. Mass extinctions Here, it is proposed that the pH-dependent inactivation of a single enzyme, urease, past and present provides a unifying kill-mechanism for at least four of the “big five” mass extinctions of the past 560 million years. The triggering of this kill-mechanism is suggested to be S. A. Wooldridge sensitive to both gradualistic and catastrophic environmental disturbances that cause 10 the operating pH of urease-dependent organisms to cross enzymatic “dead zones”, one of which is suggested to exist at ∼pH 7.9.
    [Show full text]
  • Fossil Forensics Reveals How Wasps Populated Rotting Dinosaur Eggs 15 July 2011
    Fossil forensics reveals how wasps populated rotting dinosaur eggs 15 July 2011 but, as author Dr Jorge Genise of the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales states "this is the first time that these cocoons are found closely associated with an egg". Such a study of organismal behaviour (e.g. burrows, footprints) is known as ichnology. The results indicate "that wasps probably participated in the food web, mostly composed of scavenging insects, which developed on the rotten egg". The make-up of carrion communities - spiders, beetles and other creatures populating rotting organic matter - is more familiar to us from the screens of crime scene investigation documentaries. The numbers and different types of creatures This is a side view of egg cocoons and fractured egg indicate the length of deposition and the time since shell. Scale bar = 5 cm in both cases. Credit: Jorge death. In this particular CSI, it appears that the Genise dinosaur egg was broken by force, and subsequent fractures in the egg shell allowed scavenging creatures to feed upon the contents. At egg sizes of around 20cm, this represents a sizable amount of Exceptionally preserved fossils of insect cocoons yolk! Other creatures later appeared to feed not have allowed researchers in Argentina to describe upon the egg contents, but on the initial scavengers how wasps played an important role in food webs themselves. The wasps represent the top of the devoted to consuming rotting dinosaur eggs. The food web, and could have been feeding on insects research is published in the scientific journal or spiders gorging on rotting egg contents.
    [Show full text]