Phonetic distance and dialect clustering on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-178
Author(s):  
Abe Powell ◽  
Hiroyuki Suzuki
Keyword(s):  
Edit Distance ◽  
Distance Matrix ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Equal Degree ◽  
String Edit Distance ◽  
Eastern Border ◽  
Phonetic Distance ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Abstract The goal of this paper is to use string edit distance to describe the synchronic relationship between the Tibetan speech varieties located on the Northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. String edit distance provides a statistical way to compare a large number of linguistic features, in essence producing a statistical bundle of isoglosses. In this way, it can be used as a tool in dialect mapping and synchronic clustering. In this paper, the aggregate distance matrix produced by string edit distance reveals that the great degree of phonetic continuity on the grasslands of the northeastern edge of the plateau is matched by an equal degree of phonetic discontinuity in the mountains forming the eastern border of the plateau. While the dialects located on the grasslands can be grouped together into one cluster, the dialects in the mountains can be grouped together into six clusters.

scholarly journals Methane emissions by alpine plant communities in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 681-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangmin Cao ◽  
Xingliang Xu ◽  
Ruijun Long ◽  
Qilan Wang ◽  
Changting Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Atmospheric Methane ◽  
Closed Chamber ◽  
Methane Budget ◽  
Alpine Plant Communities ◽  
Regional Basis ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

For the first time to our knowledge, we report here methane emissions by plant communities in alpine ecosystems in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. This has been achieved through long-term field observations from June 2003 to July 2006 using a closed chamber technique. Strong methane emission at the rate of 26.2±1.2 and 7.8±1.1 μg CH 4 m −2  h −1 was observed for a grass community in a Kobresia humilis meadow and a Potentilla fruticosa meadow, respectively. A shrub community in the Potentilla meadow consumed atmospheric methane at the rate of 5.8±1.3 μg CH 4 m −2  h −1 on a regional basis; plants from alpine meadows contribute at least 0.13 Tg CH 4 yr −1 in the Tibetan Plateau. This finding has important implications with regard to the regional methane budget and species-level difference should be considered when assessing methane emissions by plants.

Characterization of the Rickettsia-like and Coxiella-like symbionts in the tick Dermacentor everestianus Hirst, 1926 (Acari: Ixodidae) from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Ningxin Li ◽  
Sisi Li ◽  
Duo Wang ◽  
Peng Yan ◽  
Wenying Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salivary Glands ◽  
Malpighian Tubules ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Anaplasma Ovis ◽  
Dermacentor Everestianus ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau ◽  
Great Damage

The tick Dermacentor everestianus is widely distributed on the Tibetan Plateau of China, where adult ticks usually parasitize sheep, yaks and horses. D. everestianus is able to transmit many zoonotic pathogens, including Francisella tularensis, Anaplasma ovis and Rickettsia raoultii-like bacteria, and can cause great damage to animals and human health. However, the symbionts in D. everestianus have not yet been investigated, which has hindered our understanding of the relationships between this tick species and associated tick-borne pathogens. In the current study, the Rickettsia-like and Coxiella-like symbionts in D. everestianus were identified and characterized. The results indicated that both Rickettsia-like (RLS-Des) and Coxiella-like (CLS-Des) symbionts showed 100% infection rates and displayed vertical transmission in D. everestianus. The RLS-Des showed a relatively higher abundance than the CLS-Des in D. everestianus. No tissue specificity was found for the RLS-Des or CLS-Des. These symbionts can inhabit the ovaries, salivary glands, midguts, Malpighian tubules and testes of D. everestianus. During the development of D. everestianus, the density of the RLS-Des showed more obvious changes than did that of the CLS-Des. Dramatic changes in the density of the RLS-Des were detected in the midguts, ovaries, salivary glands and Malpighian tubules when female D. everestianus were engorged and detached from the host, which suggested the potential role of these symbionts in the reproduction and development of D. everestianus. The dynamic changes in the density of the CLS-Des during feeding and reproduction of D. everestianus suggest the involvement of the CLS-Des in the reproduction of D. everestianus. 

scholarly journals Temporal Variations in the Quantity of Groundwater Flow in Nam Co Lake

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Du ◽  
Zhide Huang ◽  
Mowen Xie ◽  
Asim Farooq ◽  
Chen Chen
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Flow ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Nam Co ◽  
Lake Water Level ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau ◽  
Nam Co Lake

This paper aims to calculate and analyze the spatial and temporal variations in the groundwater flow quantity in Nam Co Lake based on the water balance principle. The results show that a large amount of groundwater was gradually lost and that, groundwater loss decreased from 1.9 billion m3 to 1.5 billion m3 from the period of 1980–1984 to 1995–2009. The comparative analysis in the current study indicates that the decrease in the groundwater index has a strong linear relationship with the temperature of the ground surface on the Tibetan Plateau, with a correlation coefficient as high as 0.92. Moreover, environmental variations such as large-scale engineering construction projects and increases in water storage may have played dominant roles in the sudden changes in the water quantities of plateau lakes (e.g., Nam Co Lake) during the periods of 1990–1995 and 2000–2009. The increased water levels resulted in reduced groundwater losses, which may lead to the substantial expansion or gradual shrinkage of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau lakes over short periods of time. The results of this study provide an important reference for studying the mechanisms of lake water level changes on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.

scholarly journals Drought evolution characteristics of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau over the last 100 years based on SPEI

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shengzhen Wang ◽  
Fenggui Liu ◽  
Qiang Zhou ◽  
Qiong Chen ◽  
Baicheng Niu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Qaidam Basin ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Northwestern Part ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Southeastern Part ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Distributions ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
Main Period ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Abstract. The standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) of the Tibetan Plateau was calculated using the CRU4.03 gridded dataset from 1901 to 2018 in this paper. Then, based on the SPEI data, drought on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was studied in terms of its spatial and temporal distributions and its changing characteristics over the last 100 years. The results revealed that the precipitation in the southeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has been steadily rising over the last 100 years, in conjunction with only minor temperature shifts. In the northwestern part of the plateau, precipitation has decreased significantly, accompanied by a significant increase in temperature. The drought on the Tibetan Plateau showed a clear gradual increase in aridity from southeast to northwest over the last hundred years. The SPEI also showed distinct seasonal patterns, steadily increasing in spring and summer and decreasing significantly in autumn and winter. In addition, each season had its own spatial characteristics. The northeastern part of the plateau, except the Qaidam Basin, showed a significant aridity trend in all seasons. A wet trend prevailed in the southeastern and southern areas. Drought on the Tibetan Plateau exhibits apparent cyclical oscillations with a main period of 54 years and has different cyclical characteristics in different seasons.

scholarly journals Disentangling the interplay of positive and negative selection forces that shaped mitochondrial genomes of Gammarus pisinnus and Gammarus lacustris

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 190669
Author(s):  
Shengming Sun ◽  
Ying Wu ◽  
Xianping Ge ◽  
Ivan Jakovlić ◽  
Jian Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Selection ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Purifying Selection ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Lower Altitude ◽  
Gammarus Fossarum ◽  
Gammarus Lacustris ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau ◽  
Phylogenetic Models

We hypothesized that the mitogenome of Gammarus lacustris (GL), native to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, might exhibit genetic adaptations to the extreme environmental conditions associated with high altitudes (greater than 3000 m). To test this, we also sequenced the mitogenome of Gammarus pisinnus (GP), whose native range is close to the Tibetan plateau, but at a much lower altitude (200–1500 m). The two mitogenomes exhibited conserved mitochondrial architecture, but low identity between genes (55% atp8 to 76.1% cox1 ). Standard (homogeneous) phylogenetic models resolved Gammaridae as paraphyletic, but ‘heterogeneous’ CAT-GTR model as monophyletic. In indirect support of our working hypothesis, GL, GP and Gammarus fossarum exhibit evidence of episodic diversifying selection within the studied Gammaroidea dataset. The mitogenome of GL generally evolves under a strong purifying selection, whereas GP evolves under directional (especially pronounced in atp8 ) and/or relaxed selection. This is surprising, as GP does not inhabit a unique ecological niche compared to other gammarids. We propose that this rapid evolution of the GP mitogenome may be a reflection of its relatively recent speciation and heightened non-adaptive (putatively metabolic rate-driven) mutational pressures. To test these hypotheses, we urge sequencing mitogenomes of remaining Gammarus species populating the same geographical range as GP.

scholarly journals The uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: The driver behind the scene

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruohan Zheng ◽  
Wentao Jin ◽  
Ting Zeng ◽  
Xiaoyong Lu ◽  
Haili Ran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Indian Subcontinent ◽  
Horizontal Component ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

During the summer months, the northern hemisphere is tilted to the sun, and the Tibetan plateau and the Indian subcontinent are subjected to the solar pull. It is apparent that the upward component where the Tibetan plateau is subjected to is larger than that of the Indian subcontinent. In contrast, the horizontal component of the solar pull to the Indian subcontinent is larger than that of the Tibetan plateau. Additionally, large masses decelerate more slowly than smaller masses. Collectively these forces propel the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau upward and northeastward.

scholarly journals How Does Spring Phenology Respond to Climate Change in Ecologically Fragile Grassland? A Case Study from the Northeast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12781
Author(s):  
Xin Yang ◽  
Yuanyuan Hao ◽  
Wenxia Cao ◽  
Xiaojun Yu ◽  
Limin Hua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Threshold Method ◽  
Spring Phenology ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Vegetation phenology is an important indicator of global climate change, and the response of grassland phenology to climate change is particularly sensitive in ecologically fragile areas. To enhance the ecological security of the Tibetan Plateau, it is crucial to determine the relationship between fluctuations in the start of the growing season (SOS) and the response to environmental factors. We investigated the trends of the intra-annual (ten-day) and interannual spatiotemporal dynamics of the SOS on the Northeast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (NQTP) from 2000–2020 with MOD09GA data. We identified the response relationships with environmental factors (climate, terrain) using the maximum value composite method and the Savitzky–Golay filtering and dynamic threshold method. The SOS was concentrated from the 110th to 150th days; the average annual SOS was on the 128th day, with a spatial pattern of “early in the east and late in the west”. The overall trend of the SOS was advanced (45.48%); the regions with the advanced trend were mainly distributed in the eastern part of the NQTP. The regions with a delayed SOS were mainly concentrated in the higher-altitude regions in the southwest (38.31%). The temperature, precipitation and SOS exhibited a reverse fluctuation trend around the midpoint of 2010. Precipitation affected the SOS earlier than temperature. When temperature became a limitation of the SOS, precipitation had a more significant regulatory effect on the SOS. The SOS and aspect, slope and altitude were distributed in axisymmetric, pyramidal and inverted pyramidal shapes, respectively. The SOS on shaded slopes was earlier and more intensive than that on sunny slopes. With increasing slope, the area of the SOS decreased, and it occurred later. The SOS area was largest at 4500–5000 m and decreased at lower and higher altitude intervals. The SOS occurred later as altitude increased.

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