The Relationship between the Moso Settlements and the Mani Lumps

The Moso and Nasi minority groups inhabit the area around Lugu Lake, which also includes mani lumps that are associated with nature worship. The setting of the mani lumps differs from one village to another. This study aims to examine the relationship between the characteristics of the Moso settlements and settings of the mani lumps in addition to the functions of each mani lump. The results show that the function of the mani lumps may vary depending on the topography of the settlement, the adjacency between settlements, and the religious facilities in place. Many mani lumps have a view of the Goddess Mountain and may have been established according to the villages’ characteristics based on their inherited nature worship beliefs. Lugu Lake is currently undergoing tourism development because of its landscape, and cultural tourism activities based on nature worship with the mani lumps as the centerpiece are expected to be developed.

The Transition of Soundscapes in Tourist Destinations from the Perspective of Residents’ Perceptions: A Case Study of the Lugu Lake Scenic Spot, Southwestern China

As an important part of regional synthesis, the local landscape is a crucial source of attractiveness for tourist destinations, in which soundscapes play a notable and special role. Many studies have investigated changes in the economic, cultural, and environmental aspects of tourist destinations under development, while little attention has been paid to how soundscapes change after tourism development. To this end, we chose the Lugu Lake Scenic Spot as a study area and explored the characteristics of soundscape changes by conducting a survey of residents in six villages at different stages of tourism development. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) Geophony did not obviously change under the influence of tourism. Biophony increasingly lost its influence, while anthrophony increased significantly, causing wide concern among residents. (2) The phenomenon of soundscape commercialization could be attributed to the impact of tourism maturation. Further, the representation of folk songs has undergone a great change. (3) In terms of spatial patterns, residents whose villages were in different states of tourism development had significantly different perceptions of soundscape transition. For example, the one village not undergoing tourism development was in its original soundscape phase. In the other villages, which were in the consolidation stage or the involvement stage, the sound environment had changed significantly, entering a tourism soundscape phase once there were tourism elements involved. Finally, we propose suggestions for enhancing the conservation of local soundscapes, with a focus on both building the tourism industry and enhancing the sustainable development of tourist destinations.

Assessment of Anthropogenic Impact versus Climate Change on the Succession of the Diatom Community in Lugu Lake (Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, China) Using the Sedimentary Record of Geochemical Elements

The lake ecosystems on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in China have degraded in recent decades under the effects of anthropogenic activities and climate change. The human impact on the oligotrophic Lugu Lake aquatic ecosystem was evaluated using the sediment records of metals, nitrogen isotopes (δ15N) and magnetic susceptibility over the past 200 years. Three periods were identified based on the trace metal and δ15N records. During the first stage (1816–1976 AD), the concentrations of metals, δ15N and magnetic susceptibility were low with small variations. The anthropogenic contributions to the inputs were also small, except for Ni, reflecting minor human activities in the watershed, and no significant change was observed in the sediment record of the diatom assemblage. During the second stage (1976–2001 AD), the concentrations of Zn and δ15N increased, as well as the anthropogenic contribution of Zn. However, no significant change was detected in the anthropogenic sources of the other metals. These results reflect the low-level use of chemical fertilizers. The major shift in the sediment diatom assemblage during this stage was mainly attributed to regional climate change. During the third stage (2001–2010 AD), the concentrations of the sedimentary metals (Ni, Cr, Mn, Cu, Hg and Al) increased rapidly, with the exception of As and Zn, and a similar increasing trend was observed in the changes by anthropogenic sources of Ni, Cr, Mn and Cu. RDA (Redundancy Analysis) and variance partitioning analysis showed that the human impact and climate proxies independently explained 31.59% and 4.26% of the change of diatom community, respectively, and the interaction between climate change and human impact accounted for 18.61% of the change of diatom community. Tourism-dominated human activities, which were reflected in the metals profiles, facilitated the dominance of eutrophic species and reduced that of oligotrophic species. The development of tourism was likely the main driving force for the succession of diatom assemblages in the third stage. In summary, the anthropogenic input of trace metals in Lugu Lake is still at a low level. However, the significant growth trend in metals over the past decade is significantly related to the change in the lake ecosystem. Therefore, the effects of human activities, especially tourism, on the watershed should be controlled for the protection of the oligotrophic Lugu Lake.

A new species of Gomphosinica (Bacillariophyta) from Lugu Lake, Yunnan Province, SW China

A new Gomphosinica species is described here as new to science. Based on its small and narrowly linear-clavate valves, slightly protracted or not protracted, rounded headpole, and rounded footpole, as well as irregularly-shaped central area, this species is readily distinguishable from its congeners. SEM observations show this species has one stigma in the central area; the external opening of the stigma is small and round, while the internal opening has a hooded structure with several small perforations. Also evident is the presence of biseriate striae composed of small and round areolae. This observation is interesting since most Chinese members of the genus have triseriate striae. The raphe structure is also unique, since the external distal raphe end terminates far short of the valve terminus at both ends. At the footpole, the raphe does not bisect the apical pore field. This species was found from Lugu Lake, Yunnan Province, China, and was named as Gomphosinica lugunsis Liu, Kociolek, You & Fan sp. nov. Differences with other taxa and the biogeographic distribution of this genus are discussed.