Diversity patterns of cushion plants on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:A basic study for future conservation efforts on alpine ecosystems

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP)is an important cushion plant hotspot.However,the distribution of cushion plants on the QTP is unknown,as are the factors that drive cushion plant distribution,limiting our understanding of the evolution of cushion species in the region.In this study,we assessed spatial patterns of total cushion plant diversity(including taxonomic and phylogenetic)over the entire QTP and compared patterns of diversity of cushion plants with different typologies(i.e.,compact vs.loose).We also examined how these patterns were related to climatic features.Our results indicate that the southern QTP hosts the highest total cushion plant richness,especially in the south-central Hengduan Mountains subregion.The total number of cushion species declines from south to north and from southeast to northwest.Compact cushion plants exhibit similar patterns as the total cushion plant richness,whereas loose cushion plants show random distribution.Cushion plant phylogenetic diversity showed a similar pattern as that of the total cushion plant richness.In addition,cushion plant phylogenetic community structure was clustered in the eastern and southwestern QTP,whereas random or overdispersed in other areas.Climatic features represented by annual energy and water trends,seasonality and extreme environmental factors,had significant effects on cushion plant diversity patterns but limited effects on the phylogenetic community structure,suggesting that climatic features indeed promote the formation of cushion plants.Because cushion plants play vital roles in alpine ecosystems,our findings not only promote our understanding of the evolution and formation of alpine cushion plant diversity but also provide an indispensable foundation for future studies on cushion plant functions and thus alpine ecosystem sustainability in the entire QTP region.

Non-Linearity of Visual Sensitivity and Pursuit Velocity during Smooth Pursuit Eye Movements

During pursuit eye movements, whether the relationships among the visual sensitivity, pursuit velocity, and target velocity are linear or non-linear is an old issue. In this study, we reexamined their relationships with seven speeds by a simple character discrimination task using an infrared eye tracker. Our results found that the pursuit velocity and accuracy were non-linearly related with the target velocity. Besides, the perceptual sensitivity was not linearly related with the pursuit velocity either. A significant difference existed between lower （less than 20 deg/s） and higher speeds （greater than 20 deg/s）. In addition, we found there was no position bias of visual sensitivity between ahead of and behind the pursuit target, but there was a significant perceptual dissymmetry between horizontal and vertical directions at lower pursuit speeds.