Osyris lanceolata is heavily and illegally exploited in East Africa for its essential oils, yet little is known about its population status and ecological requirements. This study examined its population structure and...Osyris lanceolata is heavily and illegally exploited in East Africa for its essential oils, yet little is known about its population status and ecological requirements. This study examined its population structure and environmental factors influencing its distribution in the semi-arid Karamoja sub-region, Uganda. We surveyed 388 plots (5 m radius) at different altitudes, recording life stages, stem diameters, and regeneration patterns, and analyzed soil samples. Multivariate analyses, including Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA), Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA), Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS), and Multiple Regression Modeling (MRM), identified key environmental factors affecting its distribution. Findings show that O. lanceolata populations in Moroto, Nakapiripirit, and Amudat districts are severely degraded due to overexploitation. The species is primarily regenerating through coppicing rather than seedlings, with an exploitation intensity of 56.6%. Population densities are low, distribution is irregular, and sustainable harvesting is not viable. Soil properties, particularly Ca2+, N, P, K+, Na+, and organic matter, significantly influence its abundance. Conservation efforts should focus on identifying suitable provenances for genetic preservation and plantation establishment. Areas with at least 9 trees per hectare in Moroto, Nakapiripirit, and Amudat could serve as potential sites for ex-situ plantations. Further research should explore how biotic interactions, genetic diversity, and morphology affect oil yield and quality to support restoration, breeding, and domestication initiatives.展开更多
Stability, boundedness and persistence are three important aspects for an ecological model. In this paper, a further analysis of a class of anaerobic digestion ecological models is performed. Based on the Liupunov Met...Stability, boundedness and persistence are three important aspects for an ecological model. In this paper, a further analysis of a class of anaerobic digestion ecological models is performed. Based on the Liupunov Method, the local stability of all equilibria in the system is got. According to the vector fields described by the system, the proof of the boundedness of the solution on the anaerobic digestion processes is completed in three steps. The method proposed in the discussion on the boundedness can be generalized to the similar problems. Results in this paper give information on how to run the ecological system well by adjusting the system parameters.展开更多
In this paper,nonnegative solutions for the degenerate elliptic systems are considered.First,nonnegative solutions for scalar equation with spatial discontinuities are studied.Then the method developed for scalar equa...In this paper,nonnegative solutions for the degenerate elliptic systems are considered.First,nonnegative solutions for scalar equation with spatial discontinuities are studied.Then the method developed for scalar equation is applied to study elliptic systems.At last,the existence criteria of nonnegative solutions of elliptic systems are given.展开更多
The disjunct distribution of plants between eastern Asia(EA) and North America(NA) is one of the most well-known biogeographic patterns. However, the formation and historical process of this pattern have been long deb...The disjunct distribution of plants between eastern Asia(EA) and North America(NA) is one of the most well-known biogeographic patterns. However, the formation and historical process of this pattern have been long debated. Chamaecyparis is a good model to test previous hypotheses about the formation of this disjunct pattern as it contains six species disjunctly distributed in EA, western North America(WNA)and eastern North America(ENA). In this study, we applied ecological niche models to test the formation of the disjunct pattern of Chamaecyparis. The model calibrated with the EA species was able to predict the distribution of eastern NA species well, but not the western NA species. Furthermore, the eastern Asian species were shown to have higher niche overlap with the eastern North American species. The EA species were also shown to share more similar habitats with ENA species than with WNA species in the genus. Chamaecyparis species in WNA experienced a significant niche shift compared with congeneric species. Chamaecyparis had a low number of suitable regions in Europe and the middle and western NA during the Last Glacial Maximum(LGM) period, and became extinct in the former region whereas it retains residual distribution in the latter. The extirpations in western NA and Europe in response to the late Neogene and Quaternary climatic cooling and the more similar habitats between ENA and EA ultimately shaped the current intercontinental disjunct distribution of Chamaecyparis. Both current hypotheses may be also jointly applied to explain more eastern Asian and eastern North American disjunctions observed today.展开更多
Comprehensive phylogeographic insights require the integration of evidence across diverse taxa,ecosystems,and geographical regions.However,our understanding of the arid biota of the vast Asian drylands remains limited...Comprehensive phylogeographic insights require the integration of evidence across diverse taxa,ecosystems,and geographical regions.However,our understanding of the arid biota of the vast Asian drylands remains limited.Accordingly,this study combined phylogeographic analyses with ecological niche modeling to investigate patterns of diversification and demography of the Central Asian racerunner(Eremias vermiculata),a widespread lizard inhabiting arid eastern-Central Asia(AECA).Mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA)sequences were obtained from 876 individuals across 113 localities,while three nuclear genes-CGNL1,MAP1A,andβ-fibint7-were sequenced from 204,170,and 138 individuals,respectively.Analyses identified four distinct mtDNA lineages corresponding to specific geographic subregions within the AECA,reflecting the topographic and ecological heterogeneity of the region.The detection of mito-nuclear discordance indicated the presence of complex evolutionary dynamics.Divergence dating placed the initial lineage splits at approximately 1.18 million years ago,coinciding with major tectonic activity and climatic aridification that likely promoted allopatric divergence.In particular,lineage diversification within the Tarim Basin suggests that recent environmental shifts may have contributed to genetic divergence.Demographic reconstructions revealed signatures of population expansion or range shifts across all lineages during the Last Glacial Maximum,signifying the combined influence of the unique topography and climate dynamics of the AECA on diversification and demographic change.These results highlight the need for fine-scale genomic investigations to clarify the mechanisms underlying mito-nuclear discordance and local adaptation.Such efforts are essential for advancing understanding of how genetic diversity in dryland taxa responds to environmental change,providing insights into the evolutionary adaptability of species in dynamic landscapes.展开更多
Teachers' teaching concepts, language skills and so on are directly related to teaching methods, and have a profound impact on English teaching. Eco-linguistics is mainly an interdisciplinary subject of language d...Teachers' teaching concepts, language skills and so on are directly related to teaching methods, and have a profound impact on English teaching. Eco-linguistics is mainly an interdisciplinary subject of language development and change from the perspective of ecology. It is helpful to create a favorable teaching environment, arouse students' interest in learning and improve the quality of classroom teaching. With the help of application tools such as"Rain classroom", this paper mainly focuses on the ecological teaching mode of college English from the perspective of ecological linguistics in detail such as individualized assignment and group work etc, hoping to be helpful to the relevant personnel.展开更多
Based on the theory of emergy analysis,a modified model of ecological footprint accounting,termed emergetic ecological footprint(EMEF)in contrast to the conventional ecological footprint(EF)model,is formulated and app...Based on the theory of emergy analysis,a modified model of ecological footprint accounting,termed emergetic ecological footprint(EMEF)in contrast to the conventional ecological footprint(EF)model,is formulated and applied to a case study of Jiangsu cropland,China.Comparisons between the EF and the EMEF with respect to grain,cotton,and food oil were outlined.Per capita EF and EMEF of cropland were also presented to depict the resources consumption level by comparing the biocapacity(BC)or emergetic biocapacity(EMBC,a new BC calculation by emergy analysis) of the same area.In the meanwhile,the ecological sustainability index(ESI),a new concept initiated by the authors, was established in the modified model to indicate and compare the sustainability of cropland use at different levels and between different regions.The results from conventional EF showed that per capita EF of the cropland has exceeded its per capita BC in Jiangsu since 1986.In contrast,based on the EMBC,the per capita EMEF exceeded the per capita EMBC 5 years earlier.The ESIs of Jiangsu cropland use were between 0.7 and 0.4 by the conventional method,while the numbers were between 0.7 and 0.3 by the modified one.The fact that the results of the two methods were similar showed that the modified model was reasonable and feasible,although some principles of the EF and EMEF were quite different. Also,according to the realities of Jiangsu cropland use,the results from the modified model were more acceptable.展开更多
Bactrocera bryoniae and Bactrocera neohumeralis are highly destructive and major biosecurity/quarantine pests of fruit and vegetable in the tropical and subtropical regions in the South Pacific and Australia.Although ...Bactrocera bryoniae and Bactrocera neohumeralis are highly destructive and major biosecurity/quarantine pests of fruit and vegetable in the tropical and subtropical regions in the South Pacific and Australia.Although these pests have not established in China,precautions must be taken due to their highly destructive nature.Thus,we predicted the potential geographic distribution of B.bryoniae and B.neohumeralis across the world and in particular China by ecological niche modeling of the Maximum Entropy(Max Ent)model with the occurrence records of these two species.Bactrocera bryoniae and B.neohumeralis exhibit similar potential geographic distribution ranges across the world and in China,and each species was predicted to be able to distribute to over 20%of the globe.Globally,the potential geographic distribution ranges for these two fruit fly species included southern Asia,the central and the southeast coast of Africa,southern North America,northern and central South America,and Australia.While within China,most of the southern Yangtze River area was found suitable for these species.Notably,southern China was considered to have the highest risk of B.bryoniae and B.neohumeralis invasions.Our study identifies the regions at high risk for potential establishment of B.bryoniae and B.neohumeralis in the world and in particular China,and informs the development of inspection and biosecurity/quarantine measures to prevent and control their invasions.展开更多
Sharples’ 1 D physical model employing tide wind driven turbulence closure and surface heating cooling physics, was coupled with an ecological model with 9 biochemical components: phytoplankton, zooplankton, shellfis...Sharples’ 1 D physical model employing tide wind driven turbulence closure and surface heating cooling physics, was coupled with an ecological model with 9 biochemical components: phytoplankton, zooplankton, shellfish, autotrophic and heterotrophic bacterioplankton, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), suspended detritus and sinking particles to simulate the annual evolution of ecosystem in the central part of Jiaozhou Bay. The coupled modeling results showed that the phytoplankton shading effect could reduce seawater temperature by 2℃, so that photosynthesis efficiency should be less than 8%; that the loss of phytoplankton by zooplankton grazing in winter tended to be compensated by phytoplankton advection and diffusion from the outside of the Bay; that the incident irradiance intensity could be the most important factor for phytoplankton growth rate; and that it was the bacterial secondary production that maintained the maximum zooplankton biomass in winter usually observed in the 1990s, indicating that the microbial food loop was extremely important for ecosystem study of Jiaozhou Bay.展开更多
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the word's highest and largest plateau. Due to increasing demands for environment exploration and tourism, a large transitional area is required for altitude adaptation. Hehuang valley, w...The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the word's highest and largest plateau. Due to increasing demands for environment exploration and tourism, a large transitional area is required for altitude adaptation. Hehuang valley, which locates in the transition zone between the Loess Plateau and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, has convenient transportation and relatively low elevation. Our question is whether the geographic conditions here are appropriate for adapted stay before going into the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Therefore, in this study, we examined the potential use of ecological niche modeling (ENM) for mapping current and potential distribution patterns of human settlements. We chose the Maximum Entropy Method (Maxent), an ENM which integrates climate, remote sensing and geographical data, to model distributions and assess land suitability for transition areas. After preprocessing and selection, the correlation between variables and spatial auto- correlation input data were removed and 106 occurrence points and 9 environmental layers were determined as the model inputs. The threshold- independent model performance was reasonable according to lO times model running, with the area under the curve (AUC) values being 0.917± 0.01, and 0.923±0.002 for test data. Cohen's kappa coefficient of model performance was 0.848. Results showed that 82.22% of the study extent was not suitable for human settlement. Of the remaining areas, highly suitable areas aceounted for 1.19%, moderately for 5.3% and marginally for 11.28%. These suitable areas totaled 418.79 km2, and 86.25% of the sample data was identified in the different gradient of suitable area.The decisive environmental factors were slope and two climate variables: mean diurnal temperature range and temperature seasonality. Our model showed a good performance in mapping and assessing human settlements. This study provides the first predicted potential habitat distribution map for human settlement in Ledu County, which could also help in land use management.展开更多
Predictive studies play a crucial role in the study of biological invasions of terrestrial plants under possible climate change scenarios.Invasive species are recognized for their ability to modify soil microbial comm...Predictive studies play a crucial role in the study of biological invasions of terrestrial plants under possible climate change scenarios.Invasive species are recognized for their ability to modify soil microbial communities and influence ecosystem dynamics.Here,we focused on six species of allelopathic flowering plants-Ailanthus altissima,Casuarina equisetifolia,Centaurea stoebe ssp.micranthos,Dioscorea bulbifera,Lantana camara,and Schinus terebinthifolia-Xhat are invasive in North America and examined their potential to spread further during projected climate change.We used Species Distribution Models(SDMs)to predict future suitable areas for these species in North America under several proposed future climate models.ENMEval and Maxent were used to develop SDMs,estimate current distributions,and predict future areas of suitable climate for each species.Areas with the greatest predicted suitable climate in the future include the northeastern and the coastal northwestern regions of North America.Range size estimations demonstrate the possibility of extreme range loss for these invasives in the southeastern United States,while new areas may become suitable in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada.These findings show an overall northward shift of suitable climate during the next few decades,given projected changes in temperature and precipitation.Our results can be utilized to analyze potential shifts in the distribution of these invasive species and may aid in the development of conservation and management plans to target and control dissemination in areas at higher risk for potential future invasion by these allelopathic species.展开更多
Parkinson's disease has a negative impact on health-related quality of life in Parkinson's disease patients. Depression, cognitive impairment, coping strategies, dyskinesia, gait disorders and complications of dopam...Parkinson's disease has a negative impact on health-related quality of life in Parkinson's disease patients. Depression, cognitive impairment, coping strategies, dyskinesia, gait disorders and complications of dopaminergic drugs are the variables that most affect health-related quality of life. The ecological model of human development focuses attention on both individual and social environmental factors as targets for health interventions. From this perspective, the aim of this cross-sectional survey was to evaluate the influence of gender, family size and perceived autonomy on health-related quality of life in Parkinson's disease patients in nOrtheastern Sicily, Italy. Ninety Parkinson's disease patients, attending the Movement Disorders Clinic at IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo" (Messina), were consecutively enrolled. The Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale motor subscale (UPDRS-Ⅲ) scores, the Parkinson Disease Questionnaire-39 Item scores (as a disease-specific measure of health-related quality of life), scores on the Short Form (36) Health Survey Questionnaire (as a generic measure), and answers to a brief checklist were recorded. A total of 85 Parkinson's disease patients (49% males and 51% females; mean age 70.8 ± 8.6 years mean UPDRS-Ⅲ 24.15 ± 6.55; mean disease duration 5.52 ± 4.65 years) completed the booklet of questionnaires. In the multivariate regression analysis, we included clinical and social variables as independent predictors of health-related quality of life. Our results suggest a potential compounding effect of ecological intrapersonal and interpersonal levels on health-related quality of life outcomes. Gender, self-evaluated autonomy and family size significantly impacted health-related quality of life. If quality of life is used as an indicator of treatment outcomes, an ecological perspective of the case history will be important to disclose relevant prognostic information and trigger personalized health care interventions.展开更多
We present and discuss the partial oscillation with respect to equilibrium state ofm-dimensional Logistic delay ecologic models, and obtain some simple criteria.
Species distribution models are used to aid our understanding of the processes driving the spatial patterns of species’ habitats. This approach has received criticism, however, largely because it neglects landscape m...Species distribution models are used to aid our understanding of the processes driving the spatial patterns of species’ habitats. This approach has received criticism, however, largely because it neglects landscape metrics. We examined the relative impacts of landscape predictors on the accuracy of habitat models by constructing distribution models at regional scales incorporating environmental variables (climate, topography, vegetation, and soil types) and secondary species occurrence data, and using them to predict the occurrence of 36 species in 15 forest fragments where we conducted rapid surveys. We then selected six landscape predictors at the landscape scale and ran general linear models of species presence/absence with either a single scale predictor (the probabilities of occurrence of the distribution models or landscape variables) or multiple scale predictors (distribution models + one landscape variable). Our results indicated that distribution models alone had poor predictive abilities but were improved when landscape predictors were added; the species responses were not, however, similar to the multiple scale predictors. Our study thus highlights the importance of considering landscape metrics to generate more accurate habitat suitability models.展开更多
Our knowledge of the identity and distribution of most species on earth is remarkably poor. Species in hotspots tend to be scarce within their range which increases their probability of extinction. In this study, we u...Our knowledge of the identity and distribution of most species on earth is remarkably poor. Species in hotspots tend to be scarce within their range which increases their probability of extinction. In this study, we used ecological niche modeling (ENM) to estimate dimensions of realized niches of 4 species that are totally (Physopelta robusta St^l and Physopelta slanbuschii Fabricius) or partially (Physopelta cincticollis StS,1 and Physopelta quadriguttata Bergroth) distributed in the Indo-Myanmar and South Central China hotspot, and predicted additional sites where they might be found. Our findings suggest that the range of the 4 species could extend beyond their presently known distributions, which might be useful for future field surveys. Niche overlap was modeled between the 4 species, with R slanbuschii and R robusta showing more tolerance to temperature and P quadriguttata and P. slanbuschii more tolerance to precipitation. This study presents one more case study which highlights the ecological approach for taxonomic study in biodiversity conservation, especially of poorly, little known, and localized endemic species.展开更多
Reliable delimitation of venomous scorpions is not only consequential to toxicological studies but also instructive to conservation and exploration of these important medical resources.In the present study,we delimite...Reliable delimitation of venomous scorpions is not only consequential to toxicological studies but also instructive to conservation and exploration of these important medical resources.In the present study,we delimited species boundary for the the Przewalski’s scorpion from arid northwest China through a combined approach employing phylogenetic analysis,ecological niche modeling and morphological comparison.Our results indicate that the Przewalski’s scorpion represent an independent taxonomic unit and should be recognized as full species rank,Mesobuthus przewalskii stat.nov.This species and the Chinese scorpion M.martensii represent the eastern members of the M.caucasicus species group which manifests a trans-Central Asia distribution across the Tianshan Mountains range.We also discussed the likely geographic barrier and climatic boundary that demarcate distributional range of the the Przewalski’s scorpion.展开更多
This study attempted to investigate the similarities and differences regarding the conceptions of translation eternality among a small group of Iranian people of different social positions and different ages. Sixty-tw...This study attempted to investigate the similarities and differences regarding the conceptions of translation eternality among a small group of Iranian people of different social positions and different ages. Sixty-two participants were selected based on the maximum variation sampling. To gather data, semi-structured interview was utilized. The participants were asked a list of 11 questions collected from the existing literature on the similar topics. Then, the interviews were transcribed for analyzing the data. Besides, Erikson's (1959) theory of development was used to classify participants of different ages in four groups of teenager, young, middle age, and old. The high frequency factors were found and analyzed with the use of Bronfenbrenner's (1979) nested ecological model. Moreover, the participants were classified in 11 groups based on their social positions and their conceptions were analyzed with the same method. Broadly speaking, 17 central tendencies in the interviews were obtained: People mainly focused on subjects of the books, translation fluency, author's competence in writing, and translator's competence, translations which have common grounds with social events of Iran, advertisement, existence of movie or cartoon adaptation of the book, translator's awareness of the content of the book, existence of cultural similarities between the source and target culture, popularity of the translator, author, and the original book, conversational language in translation, translation fidelity, being both translator and author, and effect of censorship on translation. Besides, old participants seemed to have more precise view on translation eternality and teenager's concerns were mostly about the appearance-related issues.展开更多
文摘Osyris lanceolata is heavily and illegally exploited in East Africa for its essential oils, yet little is known about its population status and ecological requirements. This study examined its population structure and environmental factors influencing its distribution in the semi-arid Karamoja sub-region, Uganda. We surveyed 388 plots (5 m radius) at different altitudes, recording life stages, stem diameters, and regeneration patterns, and analyzed soil samples. Multivariate analyses, including Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA), Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA), Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS), and Multiple Regression Modeling (MRM), identified key environmental factors affecting its distribution. Findings show that O. lanceolata populations in Moroto, Nakapiripirit, and Amudat districts are severely degraded due to overexploitation. The species is primarily regenerating through coppicing rather than seedlings, with an exploitation intensity of 56.6%. Population densities are low, distribution is irregular, and sustainable harvesting is not viable. Soil properties, particularly Ca2+, N, P, K+, Na+, and organic matter, significantly influence its abundance. Conservation efforts should focus on identifying suitable provenances for genetic preservation and plantation establishment. Areas with at least 9 trees per hectare in Moroto, Nakapiripirit, and Amudat could serve as potential sites for ex-situ plantations. Further research should explore how biotic interactions, genetic diversity, and morphology affect oil yield and quality to support restoration, breeding, and domestication initiatives.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.60372012) and NSF of Chongqing (No.0831)
文摘Stability, boundedness and persistence are three important aspects for an ecological model. In this paper, a further analysis of a class of anaerobic digestion ecological models is performed. Based on the Liupunov Method, the local stability of all equilibria in the system is got. According to the vector fields described by the system, the proof of the boundedness of the solution on the anaerobic digestion processes is completed in three steps. The method proposed in the discussion on the boundedness can be generalized to the similar problems. Results in this paper give information on how to run the ecological system well by adjusting the system parameters.
文摘In this paper,nonnegative solutions for the degenerate elliptic systems are considered.First,nonnegative solutions for scalar equation with spatial discontinuities are studied.Then the method developed for scalar equation is applied to study elliptic systems.At last,the existence criteria of nonnegative solutions of elliptic systems are given.
基金funded by grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Basic Research Project(No. 2013FY112600)the Talent Project of Yunnan Province(No. 2011CI042)
文摘The disjunct distribution of plants between eastern Asia(EA) and North America(NA) is one of the most well-known biogeographic patterns. However, the formation and historical process of this pattern have been long debated. Chamaecyparis is a good model to test previous hypotheses about the formation of this disjunct pattern as it contains six species disjunctly distributed in EA, western North America(WNA)and eastern North America(ENA). In this study, we applied ecological niche models to test the formation of the disjunct pattern of Chamaecyparis. The model calibrated with the EA species was able to predict the distribution of eastern NA species well, but not the western NA species. Furthermore, the eastern Asian species were shown to have higher niche overlap with the eastern North American species. The EA species were also shown to share more similar habitats with ENA species than with WNA species in the genus. Chamaecyparis species in WNA experienced a significant niche shift compared with congeneric species. Chamaecyparis had a low number of suitable regions in Europe and the middle and western NA during the Last Glacial Maximum(LGM) period, and became extinct in the former region whereas it retains residual distribution in the latter. The extirpations in western NA and Europe in response to the late Neogene and Quaternary climatic cooling and the more similar habitats between ENA and EA ultimately shaped the current intercontinental disjunct distribution of Chamaecyparis. Both current hypotheses may be also jointly applied to explain more eastern Asian and eastern North American disjunctions observed today.
基金supported by the Central Asia Drug Discovery and Development Centre of Chinese Academy of Sciences(180GJHZ2024036MI)National Natural Science Foundation of China(32070433,32470466,31672270,31872959)+2 种基金Third Xinjiang Scientific Expedition Program(2021xjkk0600)Special Exchange Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciencessponsored by the ANSO Scholarship for Young Talents
文摘Comprehensive phylogeographic insights require the integration of evidence across diverse taxa,ecosystems,and geographical regions.However,our understanding of the arid biota of the vast Asian drylands remains limited.Accordingly,this study combined phylogeographic analyses with ecological niche modeling to investigate patterns of diversification and demography of the Central Asian racerunner(Eremias vermiculata),a widespread lizard inhabiting arid eastern-Central Asia(AECA).Mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA)sequences were obtained from 876 individuals across 113 localities,while three nuclear genes-CGNL1,MAP1A,andβ-fibint7-were sequenced from 204,170,and 138 individuals,respectively.Analyses identified four distinct mtDNA lineages corresponding to specific geographic subregions within the AECA,reflecting the topographic and ecological heterogeneity of the region.The detection of mito-nuclear discordance indicated the presence of complex evolutionary dynamics.Divergence dating placed the initial lineage splits at approximately 1.18 million years ago,coinciding with major tectonic activity and climatic aridification that likely promoted allopatric divergence.In particular,lineage diversification within the Tarim Basin suggests that recent environmental shifts may have contributed to genetic divergence.Demographic reconstructions revealed signatures of population expansion or range shifts across all lineages during the Last Glacial Maximum,signifying the combined influence of the unique topography and climate dynamics of the AECA on diversification and demographic change.These results highlight the need for fine-scale genomic investigations to clarify the mechanisms underlying mito-nuclear discordance and local adaptation.Such efforts are essential for advancing understanding of how genetic diversity in dryland taxa responds to environmental change,providing insights into the evolutionary adaptability of species in dynamic landscapes.
文摘Teachers' teaching concepts, language skills and so on are directly related to teaching methods, and have a profound impact on English teaching. Eco-linguistics is mainly an interdisciplinary subject of language development and change from the perspective of ecology. It is helpful to create a favorable teaching environment, arouse students' interest in learning and improve the quality of classroom teaching. With the help of application tools such as"Rain classroom", this paper mainly focuses on the ecological teaching mode of college English from the perspective of ecological linguistics in detail such as individualized assignment and group work etc, hoping to be helpful to the relevant personnel.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.40401059)the Natural Science Foundation of the Education Department of Jiangsu Province(No.07KJD170123)the Natural Science Foundation of Nanjing Xiaozhuang University(No.2007NXY06)
文摘Based on the theory of emergy analysis,a modified model of ecological footprint accounting,termed emergetic ecological footprint(EMEF)in contrast to the conventional ecological footprint(EF)model,is formulated and applied to a case study of Jiangsu cropland,China.Comparisons between the EF and the EMEF with respect to grain,cotton,and food oil were outlined.Per capita EF and EMEF of cropland were also presented to depict the resources consumption level by comparing the biocapacity(BC)or emergetic biocapacity(EMBC,a new BC calculation by emergy analysis) of the same area.In the meanwhile,the ecological sustainability index(ESI),a new concept initiated by the authors, was established in the modified model to indicate and compare the sustainability of cropland use at different levels and between different regions.The results from conventional EF showed that per capita EF of the cropland has exceeded its per capita BC in Jiangsu since 1986.In contrast,based on the EMBC,the per capita EMEF exceeded the per capita EMBC 5 years earlier.The ESIs of Jiangsu cropland use were between 0.7 and 0.4 by the conventional method,while the numbers were between 0.7 and 0.3 by the modified one.The fact that the results of the two methods were similar showed that the modified model was reasonable and feasible,although some principles of the EF and EMEF were quite different. Also,according to the realities of Jiangsu cropland use,the results from the modified model were more acceptable.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2017YFC1200600 and 2016YFC1202104)the Innovation Team of Modern Agricultural Industry Generic Key Technology R&D of Guangdong Province,China(2019KJ134)+1 种基金the Open Fund of the Guangxi Key Laboratory of Biology for Crop Diseases and Insect Pests,China(2016-KF-3)A student scholarship was provided by the Harry Butler Institute,Murdoch University,Australia。
文摘Bactrocera bryoniae and Bactrocera neohumeralis are highly destructive and major biosecurity/quarantine pests of fruit and vegetable in the tropical and subtropical regions in the South Pacific and Australia.Although these pests have not established in China,precautions must be taken due to their highly destructive nature.Thus,we predicted the potential geographic distribution of B.bryoniae and B.neohumeralis across the world and in particular China by ecological niche modeling of the Maximum Entropy(Max Ent)model with the occurrence records of these two species.Bactrocera bryoniae and B.neohumeralis exhibit similar potential geographic distribution ranges across the world and in China,and each species was predicted to be able to distribute to over 20%of the globe.Globally,the potential geographic distribution ranges for these two fruit fly species included southern Asia,the central and the southeast coast of Africa,southern North America,northern and central South America,and Australia.While within China,most of the southern Yangtze River area was found suitable for these species.Notably,southern China was considered to have the highest risk of B.bryoniae and B.neohumeralis invasions.Our study identifies the regions at high risk for potential establishment of B.bryoniae and B.neohumeralis in the world and in particular China,and informs the development of inspection and biosecurity/quarantine measures to prevent and control their invasions.
文摘Sharples’ 1 D physical model employing tide wind driven turbulence closure and surface heating cooling physics, was coupled with an ecological model with 9 biochemical components: phytoplankton, zooplankton, shellfish, autotrophic and heterotrophic bacterioplankton, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), suspended detritus and sinking particles to simulate the annual evolution of ecosystem in the central part of Jiaozhou Bay. The coupled modeling results showed that the phytoplankton shading effect could reduce seawater temperature by 2℃, so that photosynthesis efficiency should be less than 8%; that the loss of phytoplankton by zooplankton grazing in winter tended to be compensated by phytoplankton advection and diffusion from the outside of the Bay; that the incident irradiance intensity could be the most important factor for phytoplankton growth rate; and that it was the bacterial secondary production that maintained the maximum zooplankton biomass in winter usually observed in the 1990s, indicating that the microbial food loop was extremely important for ecosystem study of Jiaozhou Bay.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41171330)National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program)(Grant No. 2013AA12A302)the Special Foundation for Free Exploration of State Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science (Grant No.Y1Y00245KZ)
文摘The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the word's highest and largest plateau. Due to increasing demands for environment exploration and tourism, a large transitional area is required for altitude adaptation. Hehuang valley, which locates in the transition zone between the Loess Plateau and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, has convenient transportation and relatively low elevation. Our question is whether the geographic conditions here are appropriate for adapted stay before going into the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Therefore, in this study, we examined the potential use of ecological niche modeling (ENM) for mapping current and potential distribution patterns of human settlements. We chose the Maximum Entropy Method (Maxent), an ENM which integrates climate, remote sensing and geographical data, to model distributions and assess land suitability for transition areas. After preprocessing and selection, the correlation between variables and spatial auto- correlation input data were removed and 106 occurrence points and 9 environmental layers were determined as the model inputs. The threshold- independent model performance was reasonable according to lO times model running, with the area under the curve (AUC) values being 0.917± 0.01, and 0.923±0.002 for test data. Cohen's kappa coefficient of model performance was 0.848. Results showed that 82.22% of the study extent was not suitable for human settlement. Of the remaining areas, highly suitable areas aceounted for 1.19%, moderately for 5.3% and marginally for 11.28%. These suitable areas totaled 418.79 km2, and 86.25% of the sample data was identified in the different gradient of suitable area.The decisive environmental factors were slope and two climate variables: mean diurnal temperature range and temperature seasonality. Our model showed a good performance in mapping and assessing human settlements. This study provides the first predicted potential habitat distribution map for human settlement in Ledu County, which could also help in land use management.
基金This research was supported by NSF grants DBI-1458640 and DBI-1547229.
文摘Predictive studies play a crucial role in the study of biological invasions of terrestrial plants under possible climate change scenarios.Invasive species are recognized for their ability to modify soil microbial communities and influence ecosystem dynamics.Here,we focused on six species of allelopathic flowering plants-Ailanthus altissima,Casuarina equisetifolia,Centaurea stoebe ssp.micranthos,Dioscorea bulbifera,Lantana camara,and Schinus terebinthifolia-Xhat are invasive in North America and examined their potential to spread further during projected climate change.We used Species Distribution Models(SDMs)to predict future suitable areas for these species in North America under several proposed future climate models.ENMEval and Maxent were used to develop SDMs,estimate current distributions,and predict future areas of suitable climate for each species.Areas with the greatest predicted suitable climate in the future include the northeastern and the coastal northwestern regions of North America.Range size estimations demonstrate the possibility of extreme range loss for these invasives in the southeastern United States,while new areas may become suitable in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada.These findings show an overall northward shift of suitable climate during the next few decades,given projected changes in temperature and precipitation.Our results can be utilized to analyze potential shifts in the distribution of these invasive species and may aid in the development of conservation and management plans to target and control dissemination in areas at higher risk for potential future invasion by these allelopathic species.
基金supported by a grant from the Ministry of Health (Research for the Strategic Program 2007)
文摘Parkinson's disease has a negative impact on health-related quality of life in Parkinson's disease patients. Depression, cognitive impairment, coping strategies, dyskinesia, gait disorders and complications of dopaminergic drugs are the variables that most affect health-related quality of life. The ecological model of human development focuses attention on both individual and social environmental factors as targets for health interventions. From this perspective, the aim of this cross-sectional survey was to evaluate the influence of gender, family size and perceived autonomy on health-related quality of life in Parkinson's disease patients in nOrtheastern Sicily, Italy. Ninety Parkinson's disease patients, attending the Movement Disorders Clinic at IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo" (Messina), were consecutively enrolled. The Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale motor subscale (UPDRS-Ⅲ) scores, the Parkinson Disease Questionnaire-39 Item scores (as a disease-specific measure of health-related quality of life), scores on the Short Form (36) Health Survey Questionnaire (as a generic measure), and answers to a brief checklist were recorded. A total of 85 Parkinson's disease patients (49% males and 51% females; mean age 70.8 ± 8.6 years mean UPDRS-Ⅲ 24.15 ± 6.55; mean disease duration 5.52 ± 4.65 years) completed the booklet of questionnaires. In the multivariate regression analysis, we included clinical and social variables as independent predictors of health-related quality of life. Our results suggest a potential compounding effect of ecological intrapersonal and interpersonal levels on health-related quality of life outcomes. Gender, self-evaluated autonomy and family size significantly impacted health-related quality of life. If quality of life is used as an indicator of treatment outcomes, an ecological perspective of the case history will be important to disclose relevant prognostic information and trigger personalized health care interventions.
文摘We present and discuss the partial oscillation with respect to equilibrium state ofm-dimensional Logistic delay ecologic models, and obtain some simple criteria.
基金supported by the Biota Minas Program(Proc.No.APQ 03549-09)FAPEMIG(Proc.No.PCE-00106-12)
文摘Species distribution models are used to aid our understanding of the processes driving the spatial patterns of species’ habitats. This approach has received criticism, however, largely because it neglects landscape metrics. We examined the relative impacts of landscape predictors on the accuracy of habitat models by constructing distribution models at regional scales incorporating environmental variables (climate, topography, vegetation, and soil types) and secondary species occurrence data, and using them to predict the occurrence of 36 species in 15 forest fragments where we conducted rapid surveys. We then selected six landscape predictors at the landscape scale and ran general linear models of species presence/absence with either a single scale predictor (the probabilities of occurrence of the distribution models or landscape variables) or multiple scale predictors (distribution models + one landscape variable). Our results indicated that distribution models alone had poor predictive abilities but were improved when landscape predictors were added; the species responses were not, however, similar to the multiple scale predictors. Our study thus highlights the importance of considering landscape metrics to generate more accurate habitat suitability models.
基金supported by a postdoctoral fellowship award to GZ in Nankai University (2012M510744)by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31071959,J0630963)
文摘Our knowledge of the identity and distribution of most species on earth is remarkably poor. Species in hotspots tend to be scarce within their range which increases their probability of extinction. In this study, we used ecological niche modeling (ENM) to estimate dimensions of realized niches of 4 species that are totally (Physopelta robusta St^l and Physopelta slanbuschii Fabricius) or partially (Physopelta cincticollis StS,1 and Physopelta quadriguttata Bergroth) distributed in the Indo-Myanmar and South Central China hotspot, and predicted additional sites where they might be found. Our findings suggest that the range of the 4 species could extend beyond their presently known distributions, which might be useful for future field surveys. Niche overlap was modeled between the 4 species, with R slanbuschii and R robusta showing more tolerance to temperature and P quadriguttata and P. slanbuschii more tolerance to precipitation. This study presents one more case study which highlights the ecological approach for taxonomic study in biodiversity conservation, especially of poorly, little known, and localized endemic species.
基金founded by the Natural Science Foundation of China(31772435)
文摘Reliable delimitation of venomous scorpions is not only consequential to toxicological studies but also instructive to conservation and exploration of these important medical resources.In the present study,we delimited species boundary for the the Przewalski’s scorpion from arid northwest China through a combined approach employing phylogenetic analysis,ecological niche modeling and morphological comparison.Our results indicate that the Przewalski’s scorpion represent an independent taxonomic unit and should be recognized as full species rank,Mesobuthus przewalskii stat.nov.This species and the Chinese scorpion M.martensii represent the eastern members of the M.caucasicus species group which manifests a trans-Central Asia distribution across the Tianshan Mountains range.We also discussed the likely geographic barrier and climatic boundary that demarcate distributional range of the the Przewalski’s scorpion.
文摘This study attempted to investigate the similarities and differences regarding the conceptions of translation eternality among a small group of Iranian people of different social positions and different ages. Sixty-two participants were selected based on the maximum variation sampling. To gather data, semi-structured interview was utilized. The participants were asked a list of 11 questions collected from the existing literature on the similar topics. Then, the interviews were transcribed for analyzing the data. Besides, Erikson's (1959) theory of development was used to classify participants of different ages in four groups of teenager, young, middle age, and old. The high frequency factors were found and analyzed with the use of Bronfenbrenner's (1979) nested ecological model. Moreover, the participants were classified in 11 groups based on their social positions and their conceptions were analyzed with the same method. Broadly speaking, 17 central tendencies in the interviews were obtained: People mainly focused on subjects of the books, translation fluency, author's competence in writing, and translator's competence, translations which have common grounds with social events of Iran, advertisement, existence of movie or cartoon adaptation of the book, translator's awareness of the content of the book, existence of cultural similarities between the source and target culture, popularity of the translator, author, and the original book, conversational language in translation, translation fidelity, being both translator and author, and effect of censorship on translation. Besides, old participants seemed to have more precise view on translation eternality and teenager's concerns were mostly about the appearance-related issues.