Under natural conditions, the use of vapor pressure deficit between mesophyll cell surface and ambient air ( VPD s ) instead of atmospheric humidity factors in some stomatal models may markedly promote the applicabil...Under natural conditions, the use of vapor pressure deficit between mesophyll cell surface and ambient air ( VPD s ) instead of atmospheric humidity factors in some stomatal models may markedly promote the applicability of stomatal models. It has been pointed out from theoretical analysis that the expression of the responses of stomatal conductance to VPD s is equivalent to the expression of responses of stomatal conductance to water loss of transpiration in stomatal models.展开更多
Alpine-cold regions are characterized as hypoxia,strong wind,heavy rain,cold climate,huge temperature difference between day and night,and vertical climate. All these make it difficult for an emergency rescue when a n...Alpine-cold regions are characterized as hypoxia,strong wind,heavy rain,cold climate,huge temperature difference between day and night,and vertical climate. All these make it difficult for an emergency rescue when a natural disaster such as earthquake happens. Based on the characteristics of emergency rescue in alpinecold region,several multifunctional protective equipments have been developed by the Quartermaster Equipment Institute of General Logistics Departmen(tGLD)of the Chinese People's Liberation Army(CPLA). These equipments are lightweight,durable and environment adaptable.展开更多
In view of the fact that climate-related disasters are already taking a heavy toll, causing massive damage to crops and infrastructure and forcing some people to flee their homes, however, the potential impacts of cli...In view of the fact that climate-related disasters are already taking a heavy toll, causing massive damage to crops and infrastructure and forcing some people to flee their homes, however, the potential impacts of climate change are likely to trigger adaptive responses that influence environmental and socio-economic drivers of food system performance in positive as well as negative ways. This paper was conducted through the collection of some research materials with the projected balance of these various climate impacts on food system performance and food security outcomes at the local and global levels. More so that, food security is likely to be affected by climate change in several ways: food security depends not only on the direct impact of climate change on food production but also on its indirect impact on human nutrition and health, economic growth, trade flows and food aid policy. The paper further examined the effectiveness of managing new risks and uncertainty, improving the quality of information and its use, monitoring weather and improving scientific understanding of climate change, promoting insurance schemes, maintaining biodiversity and access to fund as some of the crucial measures for adaptation. The large amount of resources that would be necessary to avoid the worst case scenario suggests the necessity of continued support from the international community to improve food security at the local and global levels as a whole.展开更多
The Igbos are one of the major tribes of Nigeria. Over the years, their distinct way of living have further accentuated their culture. The paper discusses the Igbo cultural landscape region which comprises of rural au...The Igbos are one of the major tribes of Nigeria. Over the years, their distinct way of living have further accentuated their culture. The paper discusses the Igbo cultural landscape region which comprises of rural autonomous communities made up of clusters of kindred and villages. In spite of the existence of the townships serving as trade, political and administrative centers for more than one century, the rate of urbanization has been very slow thereby affecting the development of the communities physically, economically and socially at astonishing rates consuming farmlands and traditional community boundaries. This paper is aimed at creating awareness on the unique regional growth pattern in Igbo land heavily dependent on cultural and natural heritages for purpose of determining adaptable regional planning strategies for such vibrant cultural region. It has examined the key issues and suggested a way forward to a more sustainable development of the region.展开更多
Human settlement is a necessary factor for human survival and development.The scientific assessments of the natural suitability and appropriateness of human settlements contribute to addressing the discord between eco...Human settlement is a necessary factor for human survival and development.The scientific assessments of the natural suitability and appropriateness of human settlements contribute to addressing the discord between ecological environments and economic development and fostering sustainable development in the relationship between humans and nature.Building upon established methods for assessing human settlement suitability,this study investigated the natural suitability of the living environment in the urban agglomeration of mid-southern Liaoning.Based on this exploration,the suitability of the degree of human settlements for the population distribution in the study area from 2000 to 2020 was calculated.The results revealed three important points.(1)Nearly one-fifth of the study area,the area around the offshoot of Changbai Mountain,is a critically suitable area.More than half of this area,generally the buffer zone connecting the Liaohe Plain and the offshoot of Changbai Mountain,is generally suitable for human settlements.The proportion of suitable areas is only 25.53%,mostly on the Liaohe Plain along the Liaodong Peninsula by the Yellow Sea.(2)The overall spatial distribution of human settlement exhibits a pattern that is moderate-low in the middle and high on both sides;and higher in the southern part and lower in the northern part.(3)The human settlement suitability degree is higher in the western regions and lower in the eastern regions,with Shenyang and Panjin in the west having the highest suitability,while Benxi in the east exhibits the lowest habitat suitability.From 2000 to 2020,except for Shenyang and Panjin where suitability remained constant,the suitability degree of other cities has improved.Among them,Dandong experienced the most significant increase in suitability.展开更多
Mimicry is widely used to exemplify natural selection's power in promoting adaptation. Nonetheless, it has become increasingly clear that mimicry is frequently imprecise. Indeed, the phenotypic match is often poor be...Mimicry is widely used to exemplify natural selection's power in promoting adaptation. Nonetheless, it has become increasingly clear that mimicry is frequently imprecise. Indeed, the phenotypic match is often poor between mimics and models in many Batesian mimicry complexes and among co-mimics in many Mtillerian mimicry complexes. Here, we consider whether such imperfect mimicry represents an evolutionary compromise between predator-mediated selection favoring mimetic conver- gence on the one hand and competitively mediated selection favoring divergence on the other hand. Specifically, for mimicry to be effective, mimics and their models/co-mimics should occur together. Yet, co-occurring species that are phenotypically similar often compete for resources, successful reproduction, or both. As an adaptive response to minimize such costly interactions, in-teracting species may diverge phenotypically through an evolutionary process known as character displacement. Such divergence between mimics and their models/co-mimics may thereby result in imperfect mimicry. We review the various ways in which character displacement could promote imprecise mimicry, describe the conditions under which this process may be especially likely to produce imperfect mimicry, examine a possible case study, and discuss avenues for future research. Generally, character displacement may play an underappreciated role in fostering inexact mimicry .展开更多
文摘Under natural conditions, the use of vapor pressure deficit between mesophyll cell surface and ambient air ( VPD s ) instead of atmospheric humidity factors in some stomatal models may markedly promote the applicability of stomatal models. It has been pointed out from theoretical analysis that the expression of the responses of stomatal conductance to VPD s is equivalent to the expression of responses of stomatal conductance to water loss of transpiration in stomatal models.
文摘Alpine-cold regions are characterized as hypoxia,strong wind,heavy rain,cold climate,huge temperature difference between day and night,and vertical climate. All these make it difficult for an emergency rescue when a natural disaster such as earthquake happens. Based on the characteristics of emergency rescue in alpinecold region,several multifunctional protective equipments have been developed by the Quartermaster Equipment Institute of General Logistics Departmen(tGLD)of the Chinese People's Liberation Army(CPLA). These equipments are lightweight,durable and environment adaptable.
文摘In view of the fact that climate-related disasters are already taking a heavy toll, causing massive damage to crops and infrastructure and forcing some people to flee their homes, however, the potential impacts of climate change are likely to trigger adaptive responses that influence environmental and socio-economic drivers of food system performance in positive as well as negative ways. This paper was conducted through the collection of some research materials with the projected balance of these various climate impacts on food system performance and food security outcomes at the local and global levels. More so that, food security is likely to be affected by climate change in several ways: food security depends not only on the direct impact of climate change on food production but also on its indirect impact on human nutrition and health, economic growth, trade flows and food aid policy. The paper further examined the effectiveness of managing new risks and uncertainty, improving the quality of information and its use, monitoring weather and improving scientific understanding of climate change, promoting insurance schemes, maintaining biodiversity and access to fund as some of the crucial measures for adaptation. The large amount of resources that would be necessary to avoid the worst case scenario suggests the necessity of continued support from the international community to improve food security at the local and global levels as a whole.
文摘The Igbos are one of the major tribes of Nigeria. Over the years, their distinct way of living have further accentuated their culture. The paper discusses the Igbo cultural landscape region which comprises of rural autonomous communities made up of clusters of kindred and villages. In spite of the existence of the townships serving as trade, political and administrative centers for more than one century, the rate of urbanization has been very slow thereby affecting the development of the communities physically, economically and socially at astonishing rates consuming farmlands and traditional community boundaries. This paper is aimed at creating awareness on the unique regional growth pattern in Igbo land heavily dependent on cultural and natural heritages for purpose of determining adaptable regional planning strategies for such vibrant cultural region. It has examined the key issues and suggested a way forward to a more sustainable development of the region.
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China(41430861).
文摘Human settlement is a necessary factor for human survival and development.The scientific assessments of the natural suitability and appropriateness of human settlements contribute to addressing the discord between ecological environments and economic development and fostering sustainable development in the relationship between humans and nature.Building upon established methods for assessing human settlement suitability,this study investigated the natural suitability of the living environment in the urban agglomeration of mid-southern Liaoning.Based on this exploration,the suitability of the degree of human settlements for the population distribution in the study area from 2000 to 2020 was calculated.The results revealed three important points.(1)Nearly one-fifth of the study area,the area around the offshoot of Changbai Mountain,is a critically suitable area.More than half of this area,generally the buffer zone connecting the Liaohe Plain and the offshoot of Changbai Mountain,is generally suitable for human settlements.The proportion of suitable areas is only 25.53%,mostly on the Liaohe Plain along the Liaodong Peninsula by the Yellow Sea.(2)The overall spatial distribution of human settlement exhibits a pattern that is moderate-low in the middle and high on both sides;and higher in the southern part and lower in the northern part.(3)The human settlement suitability degree is higher in the western regions and lower in the eastern regions,with Shenyang and Panjin in the west having the highest suitability,while Benxi in the east exhibits the lowest habitat suitability.From 2000 to 2020,except for Shenyang and Panjin where suitability remained constant,the suitability degree of other cities has improved.Among them,Dandong experienced the most significant increase in suitability.
基金We thank Karin Pfennig, the members of the Pfennig lab, and two anonymous referees for helpful comments. We also thank Zhi-Yun Jia for inviting us to submit this paper and the U.S. National Science Foundation for fund-ing our research on mimicry and character displacement.
文摘Mimicry is widely used to exemplify natural selection's power in promoting adaptation. Nonetheless, it has become increasingly clear that mimicry is frequently imprecise. Indeed, the phenotypic match is often poor between mimics and models in many Batesian mimicry complexes and among co-mimics in many Mtillerian mimicry complexes. Here, we consider whether such imperfect mimicry represents an evolutionary compromise between predator-mediated selection favoring mimetic conver- gence on the one hand and competitively mediated selection favoring divergence on the other hand. Specifically, for mimicry to be effective, mimics and their models/co-mimics should occur together. Yet, co-occurring species that are phenotypically similar often compete for resources, successful reproduction, or both. As an adaptive response to minimize such costly interactions, in-teracting species may diverge phenotypically through an evolutionary process known as character displacement. Such divergence between mimics and their models/co-mimics may thereby result in imperfect mimicry. We review the various ways in which character displacement could promote imprecise mimicry, describe the conditions under which this process may be especially likely to produce imperfect mimicry, examine a possible case study, and discuss avenues for future research. Generally, character displacement may play an underappreciated role in fostering inexact mimicry .