Analysis on the relationship between winter precipitation and the annual variation of horse stomach fly community in arid desert steppe, Northwest China (2007‐2019)

Abstract Background: The departure of the mature larvae of the horse stomach bot fly from the host indicates the beginning of a new infection period, and the Gasterophilus pecorum becomes the dominant species in the desert steppe, showing its special biological characteristics. The population dynamics of G. pecorum were studied to reveal the population development rule of G. pecorum in the arid desert steppe. Method: The larvae were collected and recorded in the newly excreted feces by tracking the Przewalski’s horses (Equus przewalskii), meanwhile, the larval pupation experiments were carried out under natural conditions. Results: (a) There was a positive correlation between the survival rate and the number of larvae (r = 0.630, p < 0.01), indicating that the species development had the characteristics of centralized occurrence; (b) The main periods of mature larvae discharge were from early April to early May (peak Ⅰ) and from mid-August to early September (peak II), and the larval population curve showed a sudden spike in increase and gradual decrease at both peaks; under higher temperature, the number of adults from peak II had higher survival rate, higher pupation rate, higher emergence rate and less eclosion time than that of peak I; (c) Although it has one generation a year, the occurrence peak twice annually displaying a bimodal population distribution phenomenon, which forms double parasitic pressure on the local host. This phenomenon is very rare in the study of insect life history, especially in the parasite epidemiology.Conclusion: The natural discharge period of the G. pecorum larvae in Kalamaili Nature Reserve (KNR) is longer than 7 months and have the potentially long term infection effect on the host. The above phenomenon is one important reason for the local equine animals to be severely infected with equine myiasis.

Download Full-text

Strengthened Relationships of Northwest China Wintertime Precipitation with ENSO and Midlatitude North Atlantic SST since the Mid-1990s

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/jcli-d-19-0454.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (10) ◽

pp. 3967-3988

Author(s):

Xiaoxue Yin ◽

Lian-Tong Zhou

Keyword(s):

North Atlantic ◽

Arctic Oscillation ◽

Southern Oscillation ◽

Northwest China ◽

Winter Precipitation ◽

Sea Surface ◽

Physical Processes ◽

Atmospheric Teleconnections ◽

Precipitation Anomalies ◽

The Relationship

AbstractThe present study investigates the interdecadal changes in the relationship between El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and midlatitude North Atlantic (MNA) sea surface temperature (SST) with northwest China (NWC) winter precipitation (WP) variability and the plausible causes. Results show that ENSO and MNA SST have weak correlations with NWC WP before the mid-1990s, whereas the connections are enhanced sharply afterward, with above (below) normal precipitation occuring when there are positive (negative) ENSO SST and negative (positive) MNA SST anomalies (SSTA). Remarkable differences are found in the atmospheric circulations. After the mid-1990s, there is a pronounced Pacific–North American–Eurasian (PNA-EU)-like pattern in the Northern Hemisphere, whereas an Arctic Oscillation–like pattern is found before the mid-1990s. The change in the relationships between NWC WP and SSTs is likely attributable to the enhanced connection between ENSO and MNA SST after the mid-1990s. It is found that ENSO and MNA SSTA can cause NWC WP variation independently through atmospheric teleconnections. In addition, significant precipitation anomalies also occur when concurrent but oppositely signed SSTs anomalies in the two regions are observed. The reinforced negative correlations between ENSO and MNA SST after the mid-1990s act in concert on NWC WP by exciting a PNA-EU-like pattern. This information would help us to better understand the physical processes of the teleconnections between NWC WP variability and the ENSO/MNA SST, in which the strength of the correlation between ENSO and MNA SST should be taken into account.

Download Full-text

Male parent birds exert more effort to reproduce in two desert passerines

Avian Research ◽

10.1186/s40657-021-00273-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Donghui Ma ◽

Mengjie Lu ◽

Zhichang Cheng ◽

Xingnan Du ◽

Xiaoyu Zou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reproductive Output ◽

Female Parent ◽

Northwest China ◽

Reproductive Behaviour ◽

Male Parent ◽

Hatching Rate ◽

Feeding Rates ◽

Passerine Species ◽

Arid Desert ◽

Habitat Environment

Abstract Background Parental investment by birds is limited by the habitat environment, and a male parent increases its effort to reproduce in birds that live in high-altitude areas. Methods A study of the reproductive behaviour of the Saxaul Sparrow (Passer ammodendri) and the Isabelline Shrike (Lanius isabellinus) was carried out at the Gansu An’xi Extremely Arid Desert National Nature Reserve in northwest China to determine the reproductive input of passerine species in desert habitats. Results In Saxaul Sparrows, compared to the female parent, the male parent exhibited a significantly higher frequency of nest-defense behaviour (chirping and warning) during nesting, hatching and feeding periods. In addition, in comparison to the female parent, the male parent exhibited almost equal frequencies of nesting and incubation but fed nestlings significantly more times. Similar to the male sparrows, the feeding rates of the male Isabelline Shrikes were significantly higher than those of the females. The hatching rate and fledging rate of the Saxaul Sparrow on average in this study were 81.99 and 91.92%, respectively, while those of the shrike were 69.00 and 96.53%, respectively. Conclusions These two different passerine species living in the same desert environment exhibited the same trend in their reproductive investments. Adapting to desert environments is a strategy that may have evolved in passerines where male parent birds put more effort than females into reproduction to ensure high reproductive output.

Download Full-text

Analysis of land cover change and its driving forces in a desert oasis landscape of Xinjiang, northwest China

Solid Earth ◽

10.5194/se-5-1071-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 1071-1085 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

T. Amuti ◽

G. Luo

Keyword(s):

Land Cover ◽

Land Degradation ◽

Driving Forces ◽

Northwest China ◽

Landsat Images ◽

Desert Oasis ◽

Standard Classification ◽

Effects Of Drought ◽

Arid Desert ◽

Southern Xinjiang

Abstract. The combined effects of drought, warming and the changes in land cover have caused severe land degradation for several decades in the extremely arid desert oases of southern Xinjiang, northwest China. Land cover classifications of Landsat images in 1990, 2000 and 2008 were performed based on the multistage supervised classification scheme using the maximum likelihood classifier integrated with conventional vegetation and soil indexes, which improved overall accuracies by 4–5% compared to the standard classification method. Based on the detection of changes in land cover during 1990–2008 using remote sensing (RS) and a geographic information system (GIS), it can be found that the oasis significantly (+35%) increased, while the area of ecotone decreased (−43%). The major trends of the land cover changes were the notable growth of the oasis and the reduction of the desert–oasis ecotone. These changes were mainly a result of the intensified human activities such as land and water exploitation as well as overgrazing. The results of this study indicate that the oasis environment will be deteriorated by increase in potential areas of land degradation if the trend of desert moving further inward and the shrinking of the ecotone continues over the next decades.

Download Full-text

Research on the Effects of Occupational Stress and the DRD2 Gene on the Psychological Health of Workers in the Xinjiang Desert Oil Field

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.737228 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Ting Jiang ◽

Gulijianati Wumaier ◽

Xue Li ◽

Xu Yang ◽

Jiwen Liu

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Occupational Stress ◽

Psychological Disorders ◽

Oil Field ◽

Desert Environment ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Oil Workers ◽

Arid Desert ◽

Personal Strain ◽

The Relationship

Background: This study investigated the relationship between occupational stress and the mental health of people working in oil fields in the arid desert environment of Xinjiang, and revealed the causal relationship between occupational stress and psychological disorders, while furthermore exploring the relationship between psychological disorders and genetic levels.Methods: The participants of this study included oil field company workers from the Xinjiang Petroleum Administration of Karamay City, Xinjiang, who underwent occupational health examinations. The Occupational Stress Inventory Revised Edition (OSI-R) was used to measure the occupational stress of the oil workers. The mental health status of oil workers was evaluated using the Symptoms Checklist-90.Results: Occupational tasks: The total scores of the personal strain and mental health questionnaires were positively correlated with somatization, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, terror, paranoia, and psychosis (P < 0.05). Individual coping resources and the mental health total score was negatively correlated with somatization, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, hostility, terror, paranoia, and psychosis. The following factors were identified as mental health risk factors: female gender; age 45 and above (relative to ≤30 years old); high scores on the personal strain questionnaire; occupational stress; external effort; internal investment; and high effort-low return. The following factors were identified as protective factors for mental health: Han nationality; oil transportation (relative to drilling); individual resilience; and work returns. In respect to the abnormal psychological group and the normal psychological group, statistically significant differences were found in the distribution of genotypes and allele frequencies at the rs1800497 locus (P < 0.05). The depression and paranoia scores observed between different genotype groups at the rs1800497 locus were statistically significant (P < 0.05).Conclusions: This study shows that occupational stress and the D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) gene have an impact on the mental health of oil field workers in the arid desert environment of Xinjiang. Effort-reward imbalance and occupational stress were identified as risk factors for mental health, while rewards for work were protective factors. Higher levels of occupational stress may lead to depression and other psychological disorders, adversely affecting mental health. In oil field operators in the arid desert environment of Xinjiang, the AA genotype of the DRD2 gene in the rs1800497 locus was identified as a genotype specific to susceptibility to mental health problems, and a correlation was found between the A allele and an increased risk of psychological problems. Therefore, it is necessary to devise relevant measures to alleviate occupational stress among oil workers and increase their job rewards, so as to improve their mental health.

Download Full-text

High Air Humidity Causes Atmospheric Water Absorption via Assimilating Branches in the Deep-Rooted Tree Haloxylon ammodendron in an Arid Desert Region of Northwest China

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2019.00573 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Xue-Wei Gong ◽

Guang-Hui Lü ◽

Xue-Min He ◽

Binoy Sarkar ◽

Xiao-Dong Yang

Keyword(s):

Water Absorption ◽

Rooted Tree ◽

Northwest China ◽

Air Humidity ◽

Atmospheric Water ◽

Haloxylon Ammodendron ◽

Desert Region ◽

Arid Desert

Download Full-text

Effects of planting Caragana shrubs on soil nutrients and stoichiometries in desert steppe of Northwest China

CATENA ◽

10.1016/j.catena.2019.104213 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 183 ◽

pp. 104213 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yang Yang ◽

Bingru Liu

Keyword(s):

Soil Nutrients ◽

Northwest China ◽

Desert Steppe

Download Full-text

Interdecadal variability of winter precipitation in Northwest China and its association with the North Atlantic SST change

International Journal of Climatology ◽

10.1002/joc.4047 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 35 (6) ◽

pp. 1172-1179 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Lian-Tong Zhou ◽

Renguang Wu

Keyword(s):

North Atlantic ◽

Northwest China ◽

Winter Precipitation ◽

Interdecadal Variability ◽

The North ◽

The North Atlantic

Download Full-text

Reproductive seasonality and environmental effects in green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting at Penang Island, Malaysia

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315420000399 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 100 (4) ◽

pp. 645-650

Author(s):

Sarahaizad Mohd Salleh ◽

Hideaki Nishizawa ◽

Shahrul Anuar Mohd Sah ◽

Ahmed Jalal Khan Chowdhury

Keyword(s):

Green Turtle ◽

Annual Variation ◽

Temporal Distribution ◽

Chelonia Mydas ◽

Monthly Basis ◽

Fundamental Information ◽

Higher Temperature ◽

Lower Temperature ◽

Response To Environmental Change ◽

The Relationship

AbstractFor species with environmental sex determination, understanding the relationship between reproduction and environmental factors is important for predicting their reproductive output. Here, we study intra-annual variation in green turtle nesting during the 2010–2016 seasons at Penang Island (5°16′28″–5°28′15″N 100°10′52″–100°11′55″E), Malaysia. The additive modelling on a monthly-basis number of nests shows that fluctuation in the number of nests relates to temperature in addition to month of year, rather than precipitation. The number of nests tended to be higher in response to higher temperature during March–July, whereas the lower temperature during August–February also tended to result in a relatively higher number of nests. Concentration of nests during March–July resulted from a shorter inter-nesting interval during warm temperatures, whereas relatively low temperatures may homogenize the temporal distribution of the number of nests. This study provides fundamental information for green turtle nesting seasonality in response to environmental change.

Download Full-text