Genomic Phylogeography of Gymnocarpos przewalskii (Caryophyllaceae): Insights into Habitat Fragmentation in Arid Northwestern China

Extensive range of deserts and gobis (rocks) had promoted habitat fragmentation of species in arid northwestern China. Distribution of endangered Gymnocarpos przewalskii Maxim. covers most of gobis (rocks) and desert terrain across arid regions of northwestern China. In the present study, we had employed genomic phylogeographical analysis to investigate population structure of G. przewalskii and test the effect of environmental conditions on spatial pattern of genetic diversity. Results showed four groups were identified from east to west: Edge of the Alxa Desert, Hexi Corridor, Hami Basin, and North edge of the Tarim Basin. Genetic diversity was at an equal level among four groups. General linear model (GLM) analysis showed spatial pattern of genetic diversity was significant correlated with three habitat variables including habitat suitability at present (Npre) and last glacial maximum (LGM) (NLGM) periods, and locality habitat stability (NStab). It concluded that habitat fragmentation had triggered lineage divergences of G. przewalskii in response to long-term aridification. Genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) could increase the ability of clarifying population structures in comparison with traditional molecular markers. Spatial pattern of genetic diversity was determined by fragmented habitats with high habitat suitability (Npre and NLGM) and stability (NStab). At last, we propose to establish four conservation units which are in consistent with the population grouping to maintain the genetic integrity of this endangered species.

Twelve-Year Landslide Risk Assessment in Villa de Independencia, Bolivia, with Sentinel-1 and ALOS-1/2 InSAR Observations

<p>Monitoring of slow landslide movement on a local scale with Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) observations can provide long-term deformation information and assist in identifying failure triggers. We combined three different tracks of satellite radar images spanning 12 years from ALOS-1 PALSAR-1, ALOS-2 PALSAR-2, and Sentinel-1 to assess the evolution of a landslide in Bolivia where the village of Independencia lies at the slope foot. For ALOS-1 PALSAR, SAR data was acquired on 15 dates during the period from 28 February 2007 to 11 March 2011 in ascending mode. For ALOS-2 PALSAR-2, eight acquisitions between 07 October 2015 and 29 November 2017 were available in ascending mode. The low temporal resolution of ALOS images makes the detection of deforming signal difficult though the L-band data captures more coherent pixels on vegetation areas than C-band. Sentinel-1 data with a minimum time interval of six days from 16 October 2014 to 08 September 2019 (144 images) is collected and processed to recover the dynamic behaviour of the landslide movement.</p><p>To explore the sensitivity of different InSAR time series analysis methods on revealing the deformation pattern of the landslide, we respectively used Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI), Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) algorithm and Distributed Scatterer Interferometry (DSI) based on phase eigenvalue-decomposition to process the mentioned multiple satellite radar observations. Overlapping valid pixels from these three methods share similar temporal evolution while SBAS and DSI trace more measurement points than PSI in spatial distribution. Preliminary results show that the village central exhibits extremely slow movements (<= 10 mm/yr) with seasonal oscillation. The north edge of the village in the middle of the landslide body retains stable until 2018. Deformation time series after early 2018 perform an acceleration from about 5 mm/yr to 15 mm/yr. Such acceleration may result from artificial irrigation activities, precipitation or internal landslide reactivation, and we expect to collect more ground evidence to interpret the acceleration. To conclude, the failure risk of this landslide is relatively higher since 2018 and is more noteworthy than before.</p>

Maintenance Mechanism for the Teleconnection Pattern over the High Latitudes of the Eurasian Continent in Summer

There is a zonally oriented teleconnection pattern over the high-latitude Eurasian continent, which is maintained through baroclinic energy conversion. In this study, we investigate the unique features of the maintenance mechanism of this teleconnection. It is found that the baroclinic energy conversion is most efficient in both the midtroposphere and the lower troposphere, and that the baroclinic energy conversion in the lower troposphere is comparable to that in the midtroposphere. Further results indicate that the basic state plays a crucial role in the baroclinic energy conversion. For both the middle and lower troposphere, the atmospheric stability is low and the Coriolis parameter is large over high-latitude Eurasia, favoring strong baroclinic energy conversion. Particularly, in the lower troposphere, the atmospheric stability exhibits a clear land–sea contrast, favoring baroclinic energy conversion over the continents rather than the oceans. Furthermore, in the lower troposphere, the in-phase configuration of the meridional wind and temperature anomalies, which results from the strong meridional gradient of mean temperature around the north edge of the Eurasian continent, also significantly contributes to baroclinic energy conversion. This study highlights the role of the basic state of temperature rather than zonal wind in maintaining the high-latitude teleconnection through baroclinic energy conversion.

Long-Term Observation of Atmospheric Speciated Mercury during 2007–2018 at Cape Hedo, Okinawa, Japan

The concentrations of atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM), and particle-bound mercury (particles with diameter smaller than 2.5 μm; PBM2.5) were continuously observed for a period of over 10 years at Cape Hedo, located on the north edge of Okinawa Island on the border of the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Regional or global scale mercury (Hg) pollution affects their concentrations because no local stationary emission sources of Hg exist near the observation site. Their concentrations were lower than those at urban and suburban cities, as well as remote sites in East Asia, but were slightly higher than the background concentrations in the Northern Hemisphere. The GEM concentrations exhibited no diurnal variations and only weak seasonal variations, whereby concentrations were lower in the summer (June–August). An annual decreasing trend for GEM concentrations was observed between 2008 and 2018 at a rate of −0.0382 ± 0.0065 ng m−3 year−1 (−2.1% ± 0.36% year−1) that was the same as those in Europe and North America. Seasonal trend analysis based on daily median data at Cape Hedo showed significantly decreasing trends for all months. However, weaker decreasing trends were observed during the cold season from January to May, when air masses are easily transported from the Asian continent by westerlies and northwestern monsoons. Some GEM, GOM, and PBM2.5 pollution events were observed more frequently during the cold season. Back trajectory analysis showed that almost all these events occurred due to the substances transported from the Asian continent. These facts suggested that the decreasing trend observed at Cape Hedo was influenced by the global decreasing GEM trend, but the rates during the cold season were restrained by regional Asian outflows. On the other hand, GOM concentrations were moderately controlled by photochemical production in summer. Moreover, both GOM and PBM2.5 concentrations largely varied during the cold season due to the influence of regional transport rather than the trend of atmospheric Hg on a global scale.

A new species of Curculionichthys (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the north edge of the Brazilian Shield, lower Amazon basin

ABSTRACT A new species of Curculionichthys is described from the rio Curuá-Una basin, in the northern edge of the Brazilian Shield, State of Pará, Brazil. The new species is diagnosed from congeners by possessing a single rostral plate, by having darkened tooth-crowns, and by a series of morphometric and meristic data. A close examination of the species of Curculionichthys revealed the presence of hyperthrophied odontodes on both dorsal and ventral margins of the snout tip, which are illustrated by electronic microscopy. A discussion is provided on possible phylogenetic relationships of the new taxon. The new species is provisionally accessed as Least Concern (not threatened).

Rola Avarského Kaganátu Pri Vzniku Slovenčiny

The paper proposes a basis of theory with the aim of clarifying the casual nature of the relationship between the West Slavic and non-West Slavic Proto-Slavic base of the Slovak language. The paper links the absolute chronology of the Proto-Slavic language changes to historical and archaeological information about Slavs and Avars. The theory connects the ancient West Slavic core of the Proto-Slavic base of the Slovak language with Sclaveni, and non-West Slavic core with Antes, which are connected to the later population in the middle Danube region. It presumes emergence and further expansion of the Slavic koiné, originally based on the non-West Slavic dialects, with subsequent influence on language of the western Slavic tribes settled in the north edge of the Avar Khaganate. The paper also contains a periodization of particular language changes related to the situation in the Khaganate of that time.

Chia (Salvia hispanica) experiment at a 30˚ N site in Sichuan Basin, China

ABSTRACT: The mysterious ancient Mesoamerican Indian crop chia (Salvia hispanica) is revived and expanding worldwide due to its richness of valuable nutraceuticals such as α-linolenic acid (ALA), antioxidants, food fiber, gels, and proteins. We carried out a pilot experiment on chia planting in non-frost Sichuan Basin, at Hechuan Base (30˚0′ 43″ N, 106˚7′ 41″ E, 216 m), Southwest University, Chongqing, China. The split-plot trial contained two factors, 3 spring-summer sowing times as main plots, and 6 densities as subplots, with 3 replicates. Phenological, botanical, adversity, yield, and seed quality traits were investigated. Plants were very tall, suffered from lodging, and flowered in mid-October. Sichuan Basin can be considered as a north edge for growing chia, with low yield (680 kg/hectare) because of insufficient seed filling and maturation in autumn-winter season (1000-seed weight of 1.14 g). However, its ALA content is 5 percent points higher than the seed-donor commercial bottle (65.06%/63.96% VS 59.35%/59.74% for black/white seeds), accompanied by decrease oleic and stearic acid, while linoleic acid and palmitic acid are equivalent. Considering its short-day habit, it is recommended to try sowing in middle summer (from late June to early August) to avoid too long growing period, excessive vegetative growth, and waste of field and climate resources caused by spring-summer sowing. Furthermore, winter sowing of chia with mulch cover could also be tried, with an expectation of harvesting in summer. Most importantly, only when the photoperiod-insensitive early flowering stocks are created, chia can be recommended as a low-risk crop to the farmers of this region.

Using EOF Analysis over a Large Area for Assessing the Climate Impact of Small-Scale Afforestation in a Semiarid Region

The authors suggest an approach to analyze the effects of small-scale afforestation on the surrounding climate of a large heterogenic area. While simple statistics have difficulty identifying the effect, here a well-known eigenvector technique is used to overcome several specific challenges that result from a limited research region, complex topography, and multiple atmospheric circulation patterns. This approach is applied to investigate the influence of the isolated Yatir forest, at the north edge of Israel’s Negev Desert. It was found that this forest does influence the daily climate, primarily seen in the main pattern of the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) of temperature and humidity. The EOF explains 93% and 80%, respectively, of the total variance in the data. Although the Yatir forest is small, it is significant in regulating the climate in the nearby surroundings, as it is located in a sharp transition area toward an arid climate. The results are presented as maps of correlation and regression between the normalized principal component time series of each pattern as well as other time series of the raw data and spatially interpolated data stations. Analysis of short-term campaign measurements around the Yatir forest supports the EOF results, and shows the forest’s influence to the south, mainly during nighttime when the forest becomes cooler than its surroundings. Overall, results suggest that in areas of transition to semiarid climates, forests regulate the surrounding surface air temperature and humidity fields. Wind analysis based on a complex EOF technique reveals the pattern of the daily cycle of surface wind over the region.