Spatial pattern of plant species diversity and the influencing factors in a Gobi Desert within the Heihe River Basin, Northwest China

Understanding the spatial pattern of plant species diversity and the influencing factors has important implications for the conservation and management of ecosystem biodiversity. The transitional zone between biomes in desert ecosystems, however, has received little attention in that regard. In this study, we conducted a quantitative field survey （including 187 sampling plots） in a 40-km2 study area to determine the spatial pattern of plant species diversity and analyze the influencing factors in a Gobi Desert within the Heihe River Basin, Northwest China. A total of 42 plant species belonging to 16 families and 39 genera were recorded. Shrub and semi-shrub species generally represented the major part of the plant communities （covering 90% of the land surface）, while annual and perennial herbaceous species occupied a large proportion of the total recorded species （71%）. Patrick richness index （R）, Shannon-Wiener diversity index （H）, Simpson＇s dominance index （D）, and Pielou＇s evenness index （I） were all moderately spadaUy variable, and the variability increased with increasing sampling area. The semivariograms for R and H＇ were best fitted with Gaussian models while the semivariograms for D andJ were best fitted with exponential models. Nugget-to-still ratios indicated a moderate spatial autocorrelation for R, H＇, and D while a strong spatial autocorrelation was observed for J. The spatial patterns of R and H＇ were closely related to the geographic location within the study area, with lower values near the oasis and higher values near the mountains. However, there was an opposite trend for D. R, H＇, and D were significantly correlated with elevation, soil texture, bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and total porosity （P〈0.05）. Generally speaking, locations at higher elevations tended to have higher species richness and diversity and the higher elevations were characterized by higher values in sand and gravel contents, bulk density, and saturated hydraulic conductivity and also by lower values in total porosity. Furthermore, spatial variability of plant species diversity was dependent on the sampling area.

Spatial coherence resonance induced by coloured noise and parameter diversity in a neuronal network

Spatial coherence resonance in a two-dimensional neuronal network induced by additive Gaussian coloured noise and parameter diversity is studied. We focus on the ability of additive Gaussian coloured noise and parameter diversity to extract a particular spatial frequency （wave number） of excitatory waves in the excitable medium of this network. We show that there exists an intermediate noise level of the coloured noise and a particular value of diversity, where a characteristic spatial frequency of the system comes forth. Hereby, it is verified that spatial coherence resonance occurs in the studied model. Furthermore, we show that the optimal noise intensity for spatial coherence resonance decays exponentially with respect to the noise correlation time. Some explanations of the observed nonlinear phenomena are also presented.

Impact of agricultural landscape structure on the patterns of bird species diversity at a regional scale

The loss of bird species diversity is a crucial problem in the European agricultural landscape.Change in the area coverage of major land cover types has been mentioned as one of the main factors responsible for bird biodiversity impoverishment.In this study,we focused on the impact of landscape matrix characteristics on bird species richness and on Faith’s phylogenetic diversity index on a spatial scale of 1000-m radius around the measured occurrence points.We investigated how land cover composition affects bird diversity on the landscape scale using nationwide citizen science data.In total,168,739 records of bird occurrence in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic during growing season from 2009 to 2019 were evaluated.We found that the presence of water bodies and wetlands significantly corresponded to the areas of highest bird species richness.We also revealed that the presence of forests(~60%of the forest in the Czech Republic is occupied by commercial forests),urban areas and arable land were negatively associated with bird species richness and phylogenetic diversity.Forests(both coniferous and deciduous)and urban habitats were found to have a tendency to host a clustered phylogenetic community structure in comparison with wetland and arable land.A strong negative association between forest proportion and bird diversity led us to conclude that the expansion of the forest(with simple species composition,horizontal and vertical structure)could be one of the critical drivers of the decline of bird species diversity in the European agricultural landscape.On the other hand,our results also pointed out that small woody features(i.e.,woodlots)and scattered woodland shrub vegetation were one of the main landscape characteristics supporting a bird diversity in rural landscape.This is in concordance with other studies which mention these landscape structures as important elements for nesting and foraging of farmland birds.We thus recommend to maintain and restore scattered trees or woodlots with complex structure in agricultural landscape.

Endemic medicinal plant distribution correlated with stable climate,precipitation,and cultural diversity

Medicinal plants provide crucial ecosystem services,especially in developing countries such as China,which harbors diverse endemic medicinal plant species with substantial cultural and economic value.Accordingly,understanding the patterns and drivers of medicinal plant distribution is critical.However,few studies have investigated the patterns and drivers of endemic medicinal plants distribution in China.Here,we linked endemic medicinal plants distribution with possible explanatory variables,i.e.,paleoclimate change,contemporary climate,altitudinal range and ethnic minority human population size at the prefecture city level in China.Our results show that endemic medicinal plants are concentrated in southern China,especially in southwestern China.Notably,both endemic medicinal plant species richness and the ratio of endemic medicinal plant species richness are negatively associated with glacialinterglacial anomaly in temperature,and positively associated with contemporary precipitation and altitudinal range.In addition,we found that endemic medicinal plant species richness is positively associated with ethnic minority population sizes as well as its ratio to the overall population size.These findings suggest that the distribution of endemic medicinal plants is determined by multiple drivers.Furthermore,our findings stress that dramatic future climate changes and massive anthropogenic activities in southern China pose great challenges to the conservation of China's endemic medicinal plants.

Single-cell and spatial omics:exploring hypothalamic heterogeneity

Elucidating the complex dynamic cellular organization in the hypothalamus is critical for understanding its role in coordinating fundamental body functions. Over the past decade, single-cell and spatial omics technologies have significantly evolved, overcoming initial technical challenges in capturing and analyzing individual cells. These high-throughput omics technologies now offer a remarkable opportunity to comprehend the complex spatiotemporal patterns of transcriptional diversity and cell-type characteristics across the entire hypothalamus. Current single-cell and single-nucleus RNA sequencing methods comprehensively quantify gene expression by exploring distinct phenotypes across various subregions of the hypothalamus. However, single-cell/single-nucleus RNA sequencing requires isolating the cell/nuclei from the tissue, potentially resulting in the loss of spatial information concerning neuronal networks. Spatial transcriptomics methods, by bypassing the cell dissociation, can elucidate the intricate spatial organization of neural networks through their imaging and sequencing technologies. In this review, we highlight the applicative value of single-cell and spatial transcriptomics in exploring the complex molecular-genetic diversity of hypothalamic cell types, driven by recent high-throughput achievements.

ANALYSIS OF HABITAT PATTERN CHANGE OF RED-CROWNED CRANES IN THE LIAO HE DELTA USING SPATIAL DIVERSITY INDEX

Habitat pattern change of red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) in t he Liaohe Delta between 1988 and 1998 was analyzed with the help of Spatial Dive rsity Index based on remote sensing data and field investigation. The result sho wed that the influence from human activities on the wetland habitat of red-crow ned cranes was prominent with the development of oil and agricultural exploitati on, and the habitat pattern of red-crowned cranes had been obviously changed by the human disturbance during the ten years. The areas with high Spatial Diversi ty values (SD≥0.65) and that with mid-high values (0.5≤SD< 0.65), which const ituted the main part of suitable habitat of red-crowned cranes,had reduced to 9142ha and 5576ha respectively, with the shrinking of natural land cover, such a s reed and Suaeda community. The habitat pattern became more fragmented, which w as caused by roads and wells during oil exploration. It was indicated that the s uitability and quality of habitat for red-crowned cranes in the Liaohe Delta we re degraded in the last decade. The results also showed that diversity index cou ld reflect the habitat suitability of red-crowned cranes quantitatively and des cribe the spatial pattern of the habitat explicitly. This study will provide a s cientific basis for habitat protection of red-crowned cranes and other rare spe cies in wetlands.

Spatial Zonation and Diversity of Bivalves and Gastropods in Mangrove Forests of Casiguran, Aurora, Philippines

This study generally aimed to determine the spatial zonation and diversity of bivalves and gastropods in mangrove forest of Cozo, Esteves and Tinib in Casiguran, Aurora. Specifically, this aimed to determine the species composition and distribution, and determine the relationship between spatial zonation and diversity of bivalves and gastropods as influenced by ecological factors such as vegetation, soil texture, organic matter, soil salinity, and soil pH. A total of 22 taxa comprising eight species of bivalves and 14 species of gastropods were identified. The high tidal zone of Esteves had high diversity (0.66) of bivalve species compared to other tidal zones and areas. On the other hand, the diversity of gastropods was almost equal in the middle tidal zones of Cozo (0.60), Esteves (0.57), and Tinib (0.42). In terms of bivalve species’ density and abundance, Dendostrea folium was the most dense and abundant in the low tidal zone of Cozo (253,333 ind.ha−1 or 25 ind.m2-1, 97.44%) while Gafrarium tumidum in the low tidal zones of Esteves (46,666 ind.ha−1 or 4 ind.m2-1, 73.68%) and Tinib (126,666 ind.ha−1 or 12 ind.m2-1, 50%). In terms of gastropod species’ density and abundance, Cerithidea cingulata was the most dense and abundant in the low tidal zone (666,666 ind.ha−1 or 66 ind.m2-1, 65.79%) of Cozo and the middle tidal zone (5,280,000 ind.ha−1 or 528 ind.m2-1, 61.40%) of Tinib. It was Terebralia palustris in the low tidal zone (1,263,333 ind.ha−1 or 126 ind.m2-1, 63.06%) of Esteves. All tidal zones within each study area had greater dissimilarities in terms of bivalves but had greater similarities in terms of gastropod species’ compositions. On the other hand, all tidal zones between study areas had greater dissimilarities in terms of bivalve and gastropod species present. Most tidal zones had Gafrarium tumidum as common bivalve species while Neritidae sp. and Cerithidea cingulata were common gastropod species. All these species were found thriving in a wide range of vegetation, soil texture, organic matter, soil salinity and pH.

THE TR-UWB RECEIVER BASED ON SPATIAL DIVERSITY

This paper presents a new Transmitted Reference (TR) Ultra-WideBand (UWB) receiver based on Spatial Diversity (SD), which employs Multi-Antenna Technology (MAT) to improve the performance of TR-UWB receiver. According to the amplitude of correlator output of every antenna branch, this paper analyzed the performances of the proposed TR-UWB receiver employing three different kinds of combination strategies, i.e., Maximum Ratio Combination (MRC), Equal Gain Combination (EGC), and Selective Combination (SC), which are different from conventional ones, and theoretically proved that the performance of EGC is better than MRC. Simulation results verify that when EGC is adopted and BER=10-3, increasing three antennas provides Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) gain of about 3 dB in CM4 channel and SNR gain of about 2 dB in CM2 channel.

Study on diversity and temporal-spatial characteristics of eukaryotic microorganisms on Glacier No.1 at the Urumqi River Head,Tianshan

Surface snow samples of different altitudes and snow pit samples were collected from Glacier No. 1 at the Urumqi River Head, Tianshan. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE） was used to examine the diversity and temporal-spatial characteristics of eukaryotic microorganisms with different altitudes and depths. Results show that the eukaryotic microorganisms belong to four kingdoms--Viridiplantae, Fungi, Amoebozoa, and Alveolata. Among them, algae （especially Chlamydomonadales） were the dominant group. The diversity of eukaryotic microorganisms was negatively correlated with altitude and accumulation time, but positively correlated with 8180 values. These results indicate that temperature is the main factor for the temporal-spatial change of eukaryotic microorganisms, and the diversity of eukaryotic microorganisms could be an index for climate and environmental change.

Large-scale forest inventories of the United States and China reveal positive effects of biodiversity on productivity

Background： With the loss of species worldwide due to anthropogenic factors, especially in forested ecosystems, it has become more urgent than ever to understand the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationship （BEFR）. BEFR research in forested ecosystems is very limited and thus studies that incorporate greater geographic coverage and structural complexity are needed. Methods： We compiled ground-measured data from approx, one half million forest inventory sample plots across the contiguous United States, Alaska, and northeastern China to map tree species richness, forest stocking, and productivity at a continental scale. Based on these data, we investigated the relationship between forest productivity and tree species diversity, using a multiple regression analysis and a non-parametric approach to account for spatial autocorrelation. Results： In general, forests in the eastern United States consisted of more tree species than any other regions in the country. The highest forest stocking values over the entire study area were concentrated in the western United States and Central Appalachia. Overall, 96.4 % of sample plots （477,281） showed a significant positive effect of species richness on site productivity, and only 3.6 % （17,349） had an insignificant or negative effect. Conclusions： The large number of ground-measured plots, as well as the magnitude of geographic scale, rendered overwhelming evidence in support of a positive BEFR. This empirical evidence provides insights to forest management and biological conservation across different types of forested ecosystems. Forest timber productivity may be impaired by the loss of species in forests, and biological conservation, due to its potential benefits on maintaining species richness and productivity, can have profound impacts on the functioning and services of forested ecosystems.

基于SD法的高速公路服务区空间评价研究

高速公路服务区是高速公路建设过程中必不可少的重要建筑,具有短期人群聚集量大、全天候运行等特征,高速公路服务区能够一定程度上缓解驾驶员行驶疲劳感、保障行驶安全及提高运输效率。本文基于高速公路服务区使用者感知评价,分析被访者对沪宁高速公路上的阳澄湖服务区及梅村服务区空间现状的心理感受,得出影响高速公路服务空间的四个主要因子,按照重要性高低排序分别为功能及空间因子、物理环境因子、空间流线因子及视觉体验因子,并从4个主要因子层面提出优化策略,以期为未来高速公路服务区空间设计提供一定参考。

Effects of Corridor Networks on Plant Species Composition and Diversity in an Intensive Agriculture Landscape

The development of modern agriculture has resulted in much homogenization of the landscape consisting of large patches of farmland,so small remnant non-crop habitats especially linear corridors play an important role in the conservation of species and the maintenance of ecosystem functions.However,little attention has been paid to the effects of corridors structural characteristics on the plant species restricted to such habitats.In this study,we selected three types of corridors including ditch,hedgerow and road,and analyzed their structural characteristics.The plant species presented in these corridors were investigated,and the species diversity,abundance and frequency were estimated.Moreover,spatial arrangements of corridors were classified into different types to discuss whether there were significant effects of corridor network on plant distribution.The results show that three types of corridors have different effects on plant species composition and diversity.The one-one combined corridor networks and total network associated by three corridors have more complex structural features than each single type of corridor.However,there is no strong correlation between the corridor networks with their plant species.We suggest that carrying out a pointed vegetation survey at corridor intersections to further test the relationships between structural features of corridor and plants is necessary.

Genetic diversity of Mansonia altissima A. Chev. under different regimes of human impact in the Akure Forest Reserve,Nigeria

Mansonia altissima is an important West African timber tree species. For the purpose of examining the effect of human impact on its genetic diversity, genetic diversity and spatial genetic structure of the species under different regimes of human impact were investigated in the Akure Forest Reserve, Nigeria, using 504 amplified fragment length polymorphism （AFLP） markers. The results indicate a very low genetic diversity in M. altissima within the forest reserve （He = 0.045; PPL = 16.75%; Br = 1.162）. The highest genetic diversity was observed in the primary forest （H e= 0.062; PPL - 21.00%; Br = 1.204）, with the lowest genetic diversity in the isolated forest patch （He = 0.032; PPL = 9.00%; B r= 1.089）. A significant and pronounced spatial genetic structure was found in the logged forest and in the isolated forest patch. In contrast, the primary forest exhibited very weak spatial genetic structuring. As expected, no spatial genetic structure was found in the planted stands of M. altissima. From a conservation point of view, our results suggest that genetic diversity ofM. altissima is at risk in the forest reserve. The scale of human impact in the study area could pose a serious threat to the maintenance of genetic diversity of the species. These results would offer practical applications in the conservation of other tropical tree species.

Switching between multiplexing and diversity in MIMO systems with QoS provisioning

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication systems can significantly improve the spectrum efficiency or transmission reliability through spatial multiplexing or diversity respectively.Most of previous works mainly have focused on the multiplexing-diversity tradeoff or switching between multiplexing and diversity without considering the property of heterogeneous QoS provisioning.In this paper,switching between multiplexing and diversity in MIMO system with the heterogeneous QoS provisioning is studied.Firstly the QoS provisioning for users are classified into two classes:users with real time service requirement and users with non-real time service requirement respectively.Then based on the heterogeneous QoS Provisioning for users,two different switching criterions are proposed,switching based on the Euclidean distance for users with real time service to minimize the probability of symbol error and capacity-based switching criterion for users with non-real time service to maximize the transmission capacity respectively.Finally,numerical simulation results are illustrated to demonstrate the performance of proposed scheme.

Assessment of Genetic Diversity of Moroccan Cultivated Almond(Prunus dulcis Mill.DA Webb)in Its Area of Extreme Diffusion,Using Nuclear Microsatellites

Assessment of genetic diversity of Moroccan cultivated almond (Prunus dulcis Mill.) grown from seed and cultivated at four eco-geographical regions was performed using 16 nuclear SSRs. 238 alleles were detected with an average of 14.88 alleles per locus, ranging from 4 (locus BPPCT027) to 24 (locus CPSCT018). The size of alleles ranged from 84 bp (locus UDP96-003) to 253 bp (locus UDP96-018). A high genetic diversity of the local almonds is apparent and structured into three major clusters (Oasis cluster, High and Anti Atlas cluster, and Middle Atlas cluster). Compared to the Mediterranean genetic pools, from the East to West, the genetic diversity tends to be limited in Morocco which is the area of its extreme diffusion.

基于SD调查法的现代图书馆建筑空间评价研究——以西安市曲江书城为例

“图书馆消亡论”已出现了数十年,而今日活跃于各个城市的图书馆强势回击了这一观点。图书馆随着时代的发展也被赋予了新的内涵,其存在的意义不仅是保存图书文献,还承担社会教育基地和社区活动中心等职能。本文选择西安市曲江书城为研究对象,采用调研问卷的方式收集图书馆使用者的反馈信息,取得使用者对图书馆建筑空间的各项心理感受和评价,最后运用SD法对收集到的数据进行归纳分析,得出科学的评价结果,希望为今后的现代图书馆建筑中的空间设计提供参考。

基于SD法的遗址博物馆感知评价——以龟山汉墓博物馆为例

文章以龟山汉墓博物馆为例,对遗址类博物馆使用语意分析法进行空间感知评价,提出空间优化设计启示。利用语意分析法(SD)量化分析游人心理感知情况,围绕“人”展开研究,强调人的行为心理与空间设计的关系,寻找该类空间的设计要点,如空间秩序、空间尺度、空间氛围等。尝试提出基于SD法分析下的设计策略,有助于推动遗址类博物馆的可持续发展,为未来遗址类博物馆的研究提供可参考的研究思路。

Incremental Diversity: A Framework for Rate-Adaptation/Energy-Conservation Enhancement in MIMO Systems

In recent years, MIMO technology has emerged as one of the technical breakthroughs in the field of wireless communications. Two famous MIMO techniques have become investigated thoroughly throughout the literature;Spatial Multiplexing, and Space Time Block Coding. On one hand, Spatial Multiplexing offers high data rates. On the other hand, Space Time Block Coding presents transmission fidelity. This imposes a fundamental tradeoff between capacity and reliability. Adaptive MIMO Switching schemes have been proposed to select the MIMO scheme that best fits the channel conditions. However, the switching schemes presented in the literature directly switch between the MIMO endpoints. In this paper, an adaptive MIMO system that incrementally switches from multiplexing towards diversity is proposed. The proposed scheme is referred to as incremental diversity and can be set to operate in two different modes;Rate-Adaptive, and Energy-Conservative Incremental Diversity. Results indicate that the proposed incremental diversity framework achieves transmission reliability offered by MIMO diversity, while maintaining a gradual increase in spectral efficiency (in the Rate-Adaptive mode) or a reduction in required number of received symbols (in the Energy-Conservative mode) with increase in the SNR.

南水北调中线冬季冰情变化特征及输水能力提升策略研究

南水北调中线工程冰期输水能力受限已成为制约工程安全运行和社会效益发挥的巨大障碍。认识和辨析通水以来中线干渠冬季水温冰情演变规律及影响机理,是中线干渠冬季输水能力提升亟需解决的关键问题。本文基于2011—2023年中线干渠连续12个冬季的气象、水力、冰情等原型观测资料,分析了中线干渠水温冰情时空分布本底和特征规律,明晰了影响中线干渠冰凌生消的关键因素,针对性提出了冬季输水能力提升的相关应对策略。分析表明:通水以来冰情发生的范围和时间相比理论预想偏小、偏短,冰凌影响区为七里河倒虹吸至北拒马河暗渠段,冰塞风险区为滹沱河倒虹吸至北拒马河暗渠段,多年平均冰厚15 cm,历史极端冰塞厚2.9 m,冰凌壅水最高值0.73 m;干渠冬季水温由南向北递减,依次出现岸冰、流冰和冰盖,日均气温转负后相应的断面平均测量水温在2.5、1.0和0.25℃左右,且沿程水温下降速率与流量和气温呈负相关,即增大输水流量可减缓水温下降速度;影响冰凌生消的关键因素是气温、流量、太阳辐射和风速,典型年如2016年的严重冰情与1月低累计负积温、大输水流量和短时寒潮叠加有关,漕河等渡槽失温快产冰量大与风速密切相关。基于上述分析,未来可考虑结合气象、水情、冰情实时监测和智能预警预报,建立水温-水量-水力协同调控和动态调度技术体系,重点从缩短冰期输水时长、降低冰情影响范围、优化关键控制指标和挖潜渠道防冰塞性能等多方面全面提升南水北调中线工程冬季输水能力。