Spatial patterns of interprovincial mountain geographical names in China and implications for regional governance

Suffering from fragile environment, poor accessibility and infrastructure, as well as social,political and economic marginality, the interprovincial mountain geographical entities are difficult areas for the regional governance in China.By analyzing the spatial patterns and the influencing factors of the interprovincial mountain geographical names(IMGNs), the goal of this research is to clarify the geographical features of IMGNs and offer alternatives for the management of interprovincial mountain regions in China. The spatial visualization,the analysis of spatial agglomeration and the influencing factors of IMGNs were all implemented under a geographical information system. Results showed that there were 6869 IMGNs in China according to the database of "China's Second National Survey of Geographical Names(2014-2018)",including 4209 mountain geographical names, 1684 mountain peak geographical names and 976 the other mountain geographical names. Hunan Province had the largest number of names while Shanghai had the smallest number of names. In addition, the spatial variance of the mountain peak names and the mountain names were larger than that of the other mountain geographical names, and the IMGNs showed a significant clustering phenomenon in the southern part of China. The relative elevation and the population had an impact on the distribution of the IMGNs. The largest number of the names occurred where the relative elevation was between 1000-2000 m and where the population was between 40-50 million. Density of unnamed interprovincial mountain geographical entities declined from west to east in China. The analysis of generic names of different types of IMGNs implied that the naming of IMGNs is inconsistent. Based on these analyses, it is suggested that the government should take the IMGNs as management units, strengthen the naming of unnamed interprovincial mountain geographical entities, standardize the generic names of IMGNs and identify areas of poverty based on the survey of IMGNs.

THE MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH OF GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES USING GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM

Based on the combination of Geographical information system(GIS)with the research ofToponymy,some foundational problems of the Geographical Name Information System(GINS)are discussed in this paper.The present situation of Toponymical research is anal-ysed and the necessity of introducing the GIS tools to the research of Toponymy is demon-strated.The conceptual model of the GNIS and the structure of Geographical name Database(GND)are discussed.The basic functions of the GNIS software for management and re-search of geographical name are suggested.Some issues are stated such as the applicationand potential of the combination of GIS with CAD in the management and research of To-ponymy,the combination of GNIS with other spatial information system and sharing the in-formation with each other,the research and development of GNIS, etc.

Spatial distribution and influencing factors of interprovincial terrestrial physical geographical names in China

The interprovincial terrestrial physical geographical entities are the key areas of regional integrated management. In this paper, we analyzed the spatial patterns of the interprovincial terrestrial physical geographical names(ITPGN) from three aspects: numerical features, spatial variance and spatial agglomeration. The influencing factors of the distribution of ITPGN and the implications for the regional management were further discussed. GIS technology was used to visualize the distribution of ITPGN, analyze the spatial agglomeration and the influencing factors of ITPGN. A total of 11,325 ITPGN, including 4243 water ITPGN and 7082 terrain ITPGN, were extracted from the database of "China's Second National Survey of Geographical Names(2014–2018)", and the mountain geographical names were the largest type in ITPGN. Hunan Province had the largest number of the names in China, and Shanghai had the smallest number of the names. The spatial variance of the terrain ITPGN was larger than that of the water ITPGN, and the ITPGN showed a significant agglomeration phenomenon in the southern part of China. In addition, the relative elevation and the population had an impact on the distribution of the ITPGN. The largest number of the geographical names occurred in the regions where the relative elevation was between 1000–2000 meters, and where the population was between 40–50 million. Based on the analysis, it was suggested that the government should take the ITPGN as management units, optimize management strategies based on the characteristics of different types of ITPGN, strengthen the naming of unnamed interprovincial terrestrial physical geographical entities and balance the interests in the controversial ITPGN. This study demonstrated that GIS and spatial analysis techniques were useful for the research of ITPGN and the results could provide targeted management suggestions to realize coordinated development in the interprovincial regions.

Atlas information systems and geographical names information systems as contributants to spatial data infrastructure

National and international programs dealing with spatial data infrastructures(SDI)made it possible to compile a uniform digital base and a universal toolkit for the integrated description of territories on global to national scales.Atlas information systems(AIS)are considered to be an integrating tool for diverse information resources(modelling,visualisation and analysis),as well as for the elaboration of various scenarios and the possible development of alternatives for such complex systems as those of nature-society-economy.As there is an increased use of digital maps at spatial data infrastructures all aspects related to geographical names are of particular importance in this application of AIS to SDI.It is important to realise a toponymic project,dealing with place-names and their variants depending on the language and time period when a specific place-name was used.The layer of geographical names is considered to be one of the three most important data components of AIS.

Species’ geographical range, environmental range and traits lead to specimen collection preference of dominant plant species of grasslands in Northern China

Many different factors,such as species traits,socio-economic factors,geographical and environmental factors,can lead to specimen collection preference.This study aims to determine whether grassland specimen collection in China is preferred by species traits(i.e.,plant height,flowering and fruiting period),environmental range(i.e.,the temperature and precipitation range)and geographical range(i.e.,distribution range and altitudinal range).Ordinary least squares models and phylogenetic generalized linear mixed models were used to analyze the relationships between specimen number and the explanatory variables.Random Forest models were then used to find the most parsimonious multivariate model.The results showed that interannual variation in specimen number between 1900 and 2020 was considerable.Specimen number of these species in southeast China was notably lower than that in northwest China.Environmental range and geographical range of species had significant positive correlations with specimen number.In addition,there were relatively weak but significant associations between specimen number and species trait(i.e.,plant height and flowering and fruiting period).Random Forest models indicated that distribution range was the most important variable,followed by flowering and fruiting period,and altitudinal range.These findings suggest that future floristic surveys should pay more attention to species with small geographical range,narrow environmental range,short plant height,and short flowering and fruiting period.The correction of specimen collection preference will also make the results of species distribution model,species evolution and other works based on specimen data more accurate.

Geographical Variation in the Advertisement Calls of Leptobrachella ventripunctata(Anura:Megophryidae)in Southwestern China

In anurans,advertisement calls(ACs)are an essential form of intraspecific communication.This study evaluates geographical variation in the ACs of Leptobrachella ventripunctata in the Guizhou Plateau,southwestern China,and explores correlations between call characteristics,body size,and environmental factors.ACs are simple calls of L.ventripunctata,and apparent differences were observed in the ACs among different geographical populations of L.ventripunctata.The Call duration(CD)revealed a significant positive correlation with altitude and a significant negative correlation with temperature and humidity.Moreover,the Dominant frequency(DF)exhibited a significant negative correlation with altitude and the habitat closure degree and a significant positive correlation with temperature.These variations in ACs between different geographical populations of L.ventripunctata may critically impact the adaptive evolution of species,and the calls may also be relevant for environmental selection.

Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression in Assessing Dengue Fever Spread Factors in Yunnan Border Regions

Objective This study employs the Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression(GTWR)model to assess the impact of meteorological elements and imported cases on dengue fever outbreaks,emphasizing the spatial-temporal variability of these factors in border regions.Methods We conducted a descriptive analysis of dengue fever’s temporal-spatial distribution in Yunnan border areas.Utilizing annual data from 2013 to 2019,with each county in the Yunnan border serving as a spatial unit,we constructed a GTWR model to investigate the determinants of dengue fever and their spatio-temporal heterogeneity in this region.Results The GTWR model,proving more effective than Ordinary Least Squares(OLS)analysis,identified significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity in factors influencing dengue fever’s spread along the Yunnan border.Notably,the GTWR model revealed a substantial variation in the relationship between indigenous dengue fever incidence,meteorological variables,and imported cases across different counties.Conclusion In the Yunnan border areas,local dengue incidence is affected by temperature,humidity,precipitation,wind speed,and imported cases,with these factors’influence exhibiting notable spatial and temporal variation.

Cluster Analysis of Morphologic Characteristic of Eight Geographical Populations of Rana Dybowskii

[ObJective] The research aimed to determine the geographic distribution map of system of Rana dybowskii. [Method] Four morphologic indices （body length, body weight, forelimb length, hindlimb length） of eight geographical populations of R.dybowskii which naturally distribute in Changhai Mountain and Xiaoxing＇an Mountain were measured. Measure results were variance analyzed and cluster analyzed. [Result] Variance analysis showed： the genetic branching among the Dongfanghong male population（ belongs to Wandashan） and Xiaoxing＇an Mountain male population and Changbai Mountain male population were significantly different （P〈0.05） ; the genetic branching between the Hebei female population （belongs to Xiaoxing＇an Mountain） and Changbai Mountain female population was significantly different （P〈0.05 ）. Cluster analysis showed ： male R.dybowskii can be divided into three groups ： the first group included Quanyang, Tianbei, Chaoyang and Ddkouqin, the second group included Tieli and Anshan, the third group included Dongfanghong; and the female R. dybowskii can be divided into three groups ： the first group included Quanyang and Chaoyang, the second group included Tianbei and Dakouqin, the third group included Hebei. [Condusion] The paper deduced that the Sanjiang Plain was the geographical origin center ofR. dybowskii which radiated to Changbai Mountain and Xiaoxing＇an Mountain along the adverse current of Songhua River basin, therefore, the current distribution pattern of R. dybowskii was formed.

Research on Geographical Indications and Cultural Heritage of Famous Tea in Hubei

In the study, analysis was made on present situation and development measures of geographical indications and cultural heritage protection of famous teas in Hubei Province. In addition, 8 related suggestions were proposed as well.

Research on Geographical Environment and Culture Symbiosis of Chishui River Basin

This paper took Chishui River Basin as the research object,and pointed out that its culture,which reflected local life and production and was featured with regional characteristics as well as abundant cultural connotation,was constituted by native natural and cultural geography,folk customs and historical feature.The relation between Chishui salt path and salt business culture under the typical closed and half-closed geographical environment was analyzed to indicate that the realignment of Chishui River had brought prosperity of Chishui River,booming of commercial towns,and development of ancient architectures and guild hall culture.The relation between rich natural resources and production and life culture of Chishui River was explained to show that Danxia landform nurtured stone culture,Chishui River resources cultivated fishing culture,special hydrogeological environment fostered liquor culture represented by Maotai,and Bamboo culture accumulated for hundreds of years.Finally,it introduced military culture and the spirit of the Long March forming based on the special location of Chishui River.It emphasized that geological environment was the important basis for human's survival and played an immeasurable role in the cultural development of a region.

Exploration of the spatial pattern of urban residential land use with geographically weighted regression technique: a case study of Nanjing,China

As the traditional methods and technical means cannot meet the quantitative research needs of the urban land use patterns, quantitative research methods for the urban land use pattern are established via the GIS （geographic information system ） technique combined with the related theories and models. Taking the city of Nanjing as an example, a spatial database of urban land use and other environmental and socio-economic data is constructed. A multiple linear regression model is developed to determine the statistically significant factors affecting the residential land use distributions. To explain the spatial variations of urban land use patterns, the geographically weighted regression （GWR） is employed to establish spatial associations between these significant factors and the distribution of urban residential land use. The results demonstrate that the GWR can provide an effective approach to the exploration of the urban land use spatial patterns and also provide useful spatial information for planning residential development and other types of urban land use.

Analysis of the Correlation between the Geographical Distribution of Populus euphratica Oliv. and the Climatic Environment

[Objective] This research was to study the correlation regional climatic characteristics and changing geographic distribution of Populus euphratica Oliv. (Salicaceae), as well as the adaption of Populus euphratica Oliv. to the climatic environment. [Method] The climatic characteristics, water source, groundwater and soil type in the distribution regions of Populus euphratica Oliv. and the effect of long-term human activities were comprehensively analyzed based an overview of Populus euphratica Oliv. and its distribution. [Result] Specific regional climatic characteristics and long term human activities are the principle determinants for the growth of Populus euphratica Oliv. The change of leaf shape is a distinct feature of Populus euphratica Oliv. in adapting to the climatic environment. Populus euphratica Oliv. withstands various environmental stresses by means of in vivo synthesis, transport and conversion of secondary phenolic metabolites. Effective protection and rehabilitation measures, and ecological water transport have obvious effect on the restoration and reconstruction of damaged ecological environment of Populus euphratica oasis. [Conclusion] This study is of great significance for the restoration of ecological environment in the arid inland regions, north-west China.

Geographical Patterns and Temporal Variations of Regional Dry and Wet Heatwave Events in China during 1960–2008

Daily maximum/minimum temperatures and relative humidity records from 510 stations in China for the period 1960–2008 were used to investigate geographical patterns and temporal variations of heatwave （HW） events. Dry and wet HW events were compared by different definitions. Regionally, both dry and wet HW events are commonly located in southeastern China in the monsoon area, with neither type occurring in the northeast part of Northeast China and Southwest China, while the north-northwest region of the country experiences dry HW events and a few wet HW events. In the southeast of the country, site dry HW events occurred from April to September and mostly in June, while site wet HW events occurred from April to October and mostly in September. In total, 163 regional wet HW events were identified. The ten longest regional wet HW events lasted for more than 20 days, while the mean duration for 163 events was about 11 days. For the top ten events, six occurred after the 1990s, compared with four before this time. Global surface warming was clear since 1979, but the frequency and severity of regional wet HW events were relatively low in the 1980s, increasing remarkably since the 1990s. Possible reasons for this might be the strong interdecadal and interannual variations in regional atmospheric circulations, as well as water transport related directly to temperature contrasts in different regions, rather than global-mean temperature changes.

Integrating TM and Ancillary Geographical Data with Classification Trees for Land Cover Classification of Marsh Area

The main objective of this research is to determine the capacity of land cover classification combining spec- tral and textural features of Landsat TM imagery with ancillary geographical data in wetlands of the Sanjiang Plain, Heilongjiang Province, China. Semi-variograms and Z-test value were calculated to assess the separability of grey-level co-occurrence texture measures to maximize the difference between land cover types. The degree of spatial autocorrelation showed that window sizes of 3×3 pixels and 11×11 pixels were most appropriate for Landsat TM im- age texture calculations. The texture analysis showed that co-occurrence entropy, dissimilarity, and variance texture measures, derived from the Landsat TM spectrum bands and vegetation indices provided the most significant statistical differentiation between land cover types. Subsequently, a Classification and Regression Tree (CART) algorithm was applied to three different combinations of predictors: 1) TM imagery alone (TM-only); 2) TM imagery plus image texture (TM+TXT model); and 3) all predictors including TM imagery, image texture and additional ancillary GIS in- formation (TM+TXT+GIS model). Compared with traditional Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) supervised classification, three classification trees predictive models reduced the overall error rate significantly. Image texture measures and ancillary geographical variables depressed the speckle noise effectively and reduced classification error rate of marsh obviously. For classification trees model making use of all available predictors, omission error rate was 12.90% and commission error rate was 10.99% for marsh. The developed method is portable, relatively easy to im- plement and should be applicable in other settings and over larger extents.

Geographical Information System-Based Assessment of Ecological Security in Changbai Mountain Region

Ecological security defined as the creation of a condition where the physical surroundings of a community provide for the needs of its inhabitants without diminishing its natural stock,which is important for regional security and social stability.In recent years,land use patterns in the Changbai Mountain region have changed significantly with intensive human activities,and consequently led to increasing problems in regional ecological security.Based on the Pressure-State-Impact-Response(PSIR) model and the mathematical method of catastrophe progression supported by geographical information system(GIS),the ecological security situation of the study area under land use and cover change(LUCC) was evaluated.The results indicated that the ecological security in Changbai Mountain region varied nonlinearly,which got better from 1990 to 2000 but became worse from 2000 to 2007,the ecological security levels in Changbai Mountain region were mainly medium and medium to low during the past 17 years,with higher values of Ecological Security Index(ESI) in the central region and lower values in the east and west,the ecological security situation was more serious in the settlements and river valleys,where the LUCC was most remarkable.

Rice cultivation changes and its relationships with geographical factors in Heilongjiang Province,China

Rice planting patterns have changed dramatically over the past several decades in northeast China （NEC） due to the combined influence of global change and agricultural policy. Except for its great implications for environmental protection and climate change adaption, the spatio-temporal changes of rice cultivation in NEC are not clear. In this study, we conducted spatio-temporal analyses of NEC＇s major rice production region, Heilongjiang Province, by using satellite-derived rice cultivation maps. We found that the total cultivated area of rice in Heilongjiang Province increased largely from 1993 to 2011 and it expanded spatially to the northern and eastern part of the Sanjiang Plain. The results also showed that rice cultivation areas experienced a larger increase in the region managed by the Reclamation Management Bureau （RMB） than that managed by the local provincial government. Rice cultivation changes were closely related with those geographic factors over the investigated periods, represented by the geomorphic （slope）, climatic （accumulated temperature）, and hydrological （watershed） variables. These findings provide clear evidence that crop cultivation in NEC has been modified to better cope with the global change.

Geographical Variation and Influencing Factors of Spartina alterniflora Expansion Rate in Coastal China

Biological invasion poses a huge threat to ecological security.Spartina alterniflora was introduced into China in 1979,and its arrival corresponded with negative effects on native ecosystems.To explore geographical variation of its expansion rate in coastal China,we selected 43 S.alterniflora sites from Tianjin Coastal New Area to Beihai.The area expansion rate,expansion rate paralleling and vertical to the shoreline were analysed based on Landsat images and field survey in 2015.Simple Ocean Data Assimilation(SODA)and climate data were collected to statistically analyse the influential factors of expansion rate.Results showed that significant difference of S.alterniflora area expansion rate among different latitude zones(P<0.01),increasing from 6.08%at southern(21°N–23°N)to 19.87% in Bohai Bay(37°N–39°N)along latitude gradient.There was a significant difference in expansion rate vertical to shoreline in different latitude zones(P<0.01)with the largest occurring in Bohai Bay(256m/yr,37°N–39°N),and showed an decreasing tendency gradually from north to south.No significant difference and latitudinal clines in expansion rate paralleling to shoreline were observed.Expansion rate had significant negative correlation with mean seawater temperature,the lowest seawater temperature,current zonal velocity and meridional velocity and presented a reducing trend as these biotic factors increased;however,they were not significantly correlated with the highest seawater temperature and mean seawater salinity.We identified significant correlations between expansion rate and annual mean temperature,the lowest temperature in January and annual precipitation,but there was little correlation with annual diurnal difference in temperature and the highest temperature in July.The rapid expansion rate in high-latitude China demonstrated a higher risk of potential invasion in the north;dynamic monitoring and control management should be established as soon as possible.

Quantification of driving factors on NDVI in oasis-desert ecotone using geographical detector method

Within oasis-desert ecotone regions,the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)is an important parameter for evaluating the growth of vegetation.An accurate quantitative study between NDVI and environmental and anthropogenic factors is critical for understand the driving factors of vegetation growth in oasis-desert ecotone.In 2016,four periods Landsat 8 OLI_TIRS images,relevant climatological parameters data(air temperature,air relative humidity,wind velocity and accumulated temperature),land cover type data and soil data were selected as proxies.In order to quantify the explanatory power for NDVI spatial and temporal distribution in the southern edge of Dunhuang City and northern side of the Mingsha Mountain,the geographical detector model was used to explain the potential influences of factors versus the spatial distribution of NDVI,and each explanatory variable's relative importance can be calculated.The factor detector results disclose that the spatial distribution of NDVI is primarily dominated by land cover type.The risk detector results show that,high NDVI region is located within woodland.The mean value of NDVI displays an increase and then decrease trend with air temperature increase.With the increase of wind velocity and decrease of air relative humidity,the NDVI value shows a decrease trend.The interactive q values between the two factors are higher than any q value of separated factors.Results also indicate that the strongest interactive effects of NDVI are different in distinct seasons.Consequently,anthropogenic activity is more important than environmental factors on NDVI in oasis-desert ecotone.We also demonstrate that air relative humidity rather than air temperature have played a greater role in NDVI spatial distribution.

Comparison of Artificial Neural Networks,Geographically Weighted Regression and Cokriging Methods for Predicting the Spatial Distribution of Soil Macronutrients(N,P,and K)

Soil macronutrients(i.e. nitrogen(N), phosphorus(P), and potassium(K)) are important soils components and knowing the spatial distribution of these parameters are necessary at precision agriculture. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of different methods such as artificial neural networks(ANN) and two geostatistical methods(geographically weighted regression(GWR) and cokriging(CK)) to estimate N, P and K contents. For this purpose, soil samples were taken from topsoil(0–30 cm) at 106 points and analyzed for their chemical and physical parameters. These data were divided into calibration(n = 84) and validation(n = 22). Chemical and physical variables including clay, p H and organic carbon(OC) were used as auxiliary soil variables to estimate the N, P and K contents. Results showed that the ANN model(with coefficient of determination R^2 = 0.922 and root mean square error RMSE = 0.0079%) was more accurate compared to the CK model(with R^2 = 0.612 and RMSE = 0.0094%), and the GWR model(with R^2 = 0.872 and RMSE = 0.0089%) to estimate the N variable. The ANN model estimated the P with the RMSE of 3.630 ppm, which was respectively 28.93% and 20.00% less than the RMSE of 4.680 ppm and 4.357 ppm from the CK and GWR models. The estimated K by CK, GWR and ANN models have the RMSE of 76.794 ppm, 75.790 ppm and 52.484 ppm. Results indicated that the performance of the CK model for estimation of macro nutrients(N, P and K) was slightly lower than the GWR model. Also, the accuracy of the ANN model was higher than CK and GWR models, which proved to be more effective and reliable methods for estimating macro nutrients.

Genetic Differentiation of Different Geographical Populations of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) Complex

Bemisia tabaci （Gennadius） is a species complex, which includes different geographical populations with genetic differentiation. The recent progress on the genetic differentiation of various geographical populations of B. tabaci complex was introduced. The genetic differentiation was further analyzed on the basis of the sequences of mtDNA COI and rDNA ITS1 recorded in the world＇s GenBank. Five groups are defined on the basis of mtDNA COI and rDNA ITS1, including the Asia group, America group, Africa group, Australia group, and Biotype B/Mediterranean/Middle East/ Northern Africa/Biotype Ms group. There are several ungrouped geographical classifications, such as the Uganda population, Ivory Coast population, and Taiwan population. Geographical isolation may be the most important factor that contributed to the genetic differentiation of various geographical populations of B. tabaci. Many populations with biological advantages invaded new regions and caused severe economic losses within human activity. It is necessary to strengthen the research of B. tabaci biotype to prevent the spread of invaded populations and the invasion of potentially dangerous populations.