Search

Background: The radiation of ecdysozoans (moulting animals) during the Cambrian gave rise to panarthropods and various groups of worms including scalidophorans, which played an important role in the elaboration of early marine ecosystems. Although most scalidophorans were infaunal burrowers travelling through soft sediment at the bottom of the sea, Selkirkia lived inside a tube., Results: We explore the palaeobiology of these tubicolous worms, and more generally the origin and evolutionary significance of tube-dwelling in early animals, based on exceptionally preserved fossils from the early Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätte (Stage 3, China) including a new species, Selkirkia transita sp. nov. We find that the best phylogenetic model resolves Selkirkia as a stem-group priapulid. Selkirkia secreted a protective cuticular thickening, the tube, inside which it was able to move during at least part of its life. Partly based on measured growth patterns, we construe that this tube was separated from the trunk during a moulting process that has no direct equivalent in other scalidophorans. Although the ontogeny of Selkirkia is currently unknown, we hypothesize that its conical tube might have had the same ecological function and possibly even deep development origin as the lorica, a protective cuticular thickening found in larval priapulids and adult loriciferans. Selkirkia is seen as a semi-sedentary animal capable of very shallow incursions below the water/sediment interface, possibly for feeding or during the tube-secreting phase. Brachiopod epibionts previously reported from the Xiaoshiba Lagerstätte (ca. 514 Ma) also presumably occur in Selkirkia sinica from Chengjiang (ca. 518 Ma)., Conclusions: Our critical and model-based approach provides a new phylogenetic framework for Scalidophora, upon which to improve in order to study the evolution of morphological characters in this group. Tube-dwelling is likely to have offered Selkirkia better protection and anchoring to sediment and has developed simultaneously in other Cambrian animals such as hemichordates, annelids or panarthropods. Often lost in modern representatives in favour of active infaunal lifestyles, tube-dwelling can be regarded as an early evolutionary response of various metazoans to increasing environmental and biological pressure in Cambrian marine ecosystems., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Developing new energy vehicles is vital to promote green development and the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature. It is also the only way to help China move from a significant automobile country to a powerful automobile country. Based on the background of the "recession" of government subsidies and considering the importance of green credit in promoting green and low-carbon transformation, this paper constructs a four-party evolutionary game model that includes government, automotive companies, banks, and consumers to analyze the stability of the strategic choices of various parties in the development process of the new energy vehicle industry. It uses MATLAB simulation tools to analyze the impact of relevant factors on system stability. The research shows that: (1) The government's subsidy mechanism significantly promotes the development of the new energy vehicle industry. Still, there is a subsidy threshold, beyond which the effect will weaken and quickly bring financial pressure. (2) With the gradual decline of government subsidies, the bank's green credit policy has a specific policy complementary effect on the decline of government subsidies. (3) Considering that costs and benefits are the main influencing factors for automotive companies and consumers' strategic choices, the impact of factors such as the punishment of violations, adjustment of subsidy policies, and consumers' environmental awareness must also be paid attention to., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Liu. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Government-enterprise-university synergy (GEUS) is an effective way to mobilize government, enterprises, and universities to collaborate on education, but these three parties involved in GEUS may, out of bounded rationality, choose to collaborate in ways that benefit themselves and harm others. To guide the three parties to better cooperation, this study creates an evolutionary game model among the three parties and evaluates the applicability and validity of the model by selecting the educational cooperation data in Beijing. It is shown that participation in education cooperation is the best course of action for all three parties. The intensity of willingness to participate in the GEUS is on the order of high to low for universities, enterprises, and the government. If the three parties wish to accomplish education collaboration sooner, they can increase default payments, boost government revenues, raise corporate participation in distribution, and reduce government and government spending. These results highlight the inherent regularities of GEUS and provide concrete implementation strategies to improve the efficiency of education cooperation., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright: © 2024 Shuangzhi Zhang. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Differential evolution (DE) is a stochastic optimization technique that imitates the evolution process in nature. This paper uses an improved adaptive differential evolution to solve gravity inversion with multiplicative regularization. Compared with additive regularization, the advantage of multiplicative regularization is that it does not require the regularization parameter in the search process. The contributions in this paper mainly focus on two aspects: accelerating the convergence speed of adaptive DE and balancing the effect of model and data misfits in the objective function. The effectiveness of the proposed inversion method is verified by synthetic and field cases. For the synthetic cases, it is concluded that, based on the obtained results and analysis, the presented DE method is superior and competitive with its original version. Additionally, the designed parameter adaptation for multiplicative regularization is useful for trading off the effect of data and model misfits. For the field cases, two successful applications from China were conducted, and the obtained density source distributions were in accordance with those obtained from drilling wells. The synthetic and practical examples demonstrate that high-quality inversion results can be obtained using improved adaptive differential evolution and multiplicative regularization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate oscillation and its synergistic impacts on habitat fragmentation have been identified as threatening the survival of some extant species. However, the mechanisms by which semi-aquatic insects impacted by such events remain poorly understood. Herein, we studied the largest water strider in the world, Gigantometra gigas, to explore the effect of these two factors on its evolutionary history. The sequences of mitogenomic and nrDNA cluster were utilized to reconstruct phylogenetic relationship among G. gigas populations and its demographic history. Mitochondrial genes were separately reconstructed topologies of that populations and detected remarkable differences. We found that G. gigas populations conform to the isolation-by-distance model, and decline occurred at about 120 ka, which was probably influenced by the climate change during the late Pleistocene and eventually maintained a small effective population size (Ne) around 85,717. The populations in Guangdong Province of China are worthy of note in that they exhibit low genetic diversity, a small Ne around 18,899 individuals, and occupy an area with little suitable future habitat for G. gigas. This work recommends that conservation efforts are implemented to ensure the long-term survival of small G. gigas populations, and notes that further evaluation of their extinction risk under the impacts of human activities is required., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

With the advancement of urbanisation, the inflow of population in China's large cities has been increasing and the demand for rental housing of "new citizens" with insufficient housing affordability has become increasingly strong. Therefore, the Chinese government proposes to provide government-subsidized rental housing (GSRH) different from public rental housing. At present, the supply mode of public rental housing in China is mainly government construction and operation, which has the problems of low supply efficiency and low service level. It is critical to explore an efficient supply model in the construction of the GSRH system. Therefore, this study, starting from the three supply subjects of government, market, and society, constructs an evolutionary game model and uses agent-based modelling simulation to explore how multisubjects achieve optimal collaboration in the supply process of GSRH. The results are as follows: First, the development of a collaborative supply system includes four stages: noncooperative behaviour, collaborative exploration, collaborative game, and three-subject collaborative supply. Second, the government is the core of realising multisubject coordination. Increasing government supervision will boost market participation, while increasing government subsidies can fully mobilise the enthusiasm of social subjects but cannot continuously improve the market's enthusiasm. Third, increasing the participation ratio of social subjects will help mobilise the enthusiasm of other subjects to participate, while the excessive participation ratio of market subjects may cause an imbalance in the collaborative supply system. This study provides theoretical support for the efficient supply of GSRH., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Xiaojun Liu et al.)

Competing to set industry standards is a strategic option to a variety of industries. This paper aims to investigate the role of standard drafting in the evolution of enterprises' competitiveness in multiplex networks of standards. Specifically, network-based measurements are deliberately designed to evaluate the enterprises participation, contribution, and collaboration in drafting standards. By demonstrating the development of the standard system in China's communication industry, the effectiveness of our measurement system is verified. Accompanied by empirical observation, the data analysis shows that the relevant governmental agencies dominate the whole standard system; basic-technology providers acquire greater competitiveness through participating in the standards drafting than the other kinds of enterprises. Finally, the corresponding managerial suggestions are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As of November 1, 2018, China's "One Belt and One Road" Initiative has involved 123 countries and promoted worldwide communication, cooperation and trade exchange. This paper constructs correlation networks of exchange rates among the countries along “The Belt and Road” and analyzes the risk contagion structure. It is found that when “The Belt and Road” initiative is initialized, countries in Eastern Europe occupy important positions in the network and play a vital role in the spreading of exchange rate risks; however, during the process of “The Belt and Road” initiative, the exchange rate risks are decentralized geographically, whereas they are centralized in countries that have in-depth communication and cooperation. The minimum Spanning Tree method is also proposed to investigate the structure of complex networks. It is found that the geographical link between exchange rate fluctuations and correlations among the countries has been strengthened while China has become an important node in the exchange rate network after the launch of “The Belt and Road” initiative. In addition, the influence and promotion of RMB has rapidly benefited from the initiative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a general economic resource or capital, labor plays a vital role in the development of a country. The improvement of people's living standards is the fundamental purpose of economic development. The economic development of a country is impossible from the support of the labor force. The supply and support of the labor force will directly affect the normal operation of a country's economy. Since the reforms are opening up, China has made remarkable achievements in rapid economic development, but some new problems have gradually emerged in the labor market. On the one hand, important changes have taken place in the supply and demand situation of the labor market. The labor shortage crisis has started to spread across the country. With the increase of labor costs of enterprises and the adjustment of industrial structure, the problems of employment in the labor market such as large-scale layoffs and reduction of labor have become more prominent. On the other hand, the population's age structure is gradually changing. China is about to enter an aging society in the future. This means that the proportion of old people towards youngsters will increase. At that time, China's huge population size will likely evolve from a booster of economic growth to a burden on the economy. Therefore, the labor structure needs to be optimized urgently. Deepening the reforms requires China to transform its growth model and develop knowledge-intensive industries. It requires optimizing the capacity and structure of the labor market and improving the quality of the labor force. Measuring the total workforce in the future is an important prerequisite for addressing various challenges in the new situation. A genetic algorithm is a computational model of the biological evolution process that simulates the natural selection and genetic mechanism of Darwin's theory of biological evolution. This is a technique of modeling the natural evolution process to get the best solution. In data mining, genetic algorithm has been widely used around the world. It is an important development direction to use them to effectively mine and predict data. Based on the changes in the age structure of the population, this paper will use an improved genetic algorithm. This algorithm will calculate the total labor supply and structural changes in China in the next few years. This study will provide a reference for the formulation of China's macroeconomic and population policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SOLEM is the first space debris long-term evolution model of China. This paper describes the principles, components, and workflow of the SOLEM. The effects of different mitigation measures based on SOLEM model are analyzed and presented. The limitation of the model is pointed out and its future improvement work-plan is prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper adopts models from epidemiology to account for the development and decline of neologisms based on internet usage. The research design focuses on the issue of whether a host-driven epidemic model is well-suited to explain human behavior regarding neologisms. We extracted the search frequency data from Google Trends that covers the ninety most influential Chinese neologisms from 2008-2016 and found that the majority of them possess a similar rapidly rising-decaying pattern. The epidemic model is utilized to fit the evolution of these internet-based neologisms. The epidemic model not only has good fitting performance to model the pattern of rapid growth, but also is able to predict the peak point in the neologism's life cycle. This result underlines the role of human agents in the life cycle of neologisms and supports the macro-theory that the evolution of human languages mirrors the biological evolution of human beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bait worm Marphysa victori Lavesque, Daffe, Bonifácio & Hutchings, 2017 was originally described from Arcachon Bay, France. In the original description, the authors suggested that it may have been introduced, although definitive evidence was lacking at the time. In this paper, we confirm that M. victori is an exotic species originating from East Asia, probably a native of China or Japan. This species was most likely introduced into Arcachon Bay in the 1970s with non-native oysters Crassostrea gigas Thunberg, 1793. The Asiatic origin of this species is confirmed based on both morphological and molecular evidence. Comparison of the type specimens of M. victori with those of Marphysa bulla Liu, Hutchings & Kupriyanova, 2018 described from the Yellow Sea, China, showed no morphological or molecular differences and therefore the more recently named M. bulla is relegated to a junior synonym. This is the first example of a large-sized errant invertebrate species being introduced with oysters into Arcachon Bay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yinggen‐Ejinaqi Basin (YEB) is located in the central‐southern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). Tectonically, the basin is situated at the intersection between the eastern and western CAOB, where Late Palaeozoic strata were well exposed. Hence, it offers a great opportunity to study the deep strata of the eastern CAOB. In this paper, based on extensive studies of Upper Palaeozoic field outcrops and reanalysis of associated geochemical and geochronological data in previous research, the local stratigraphic correlation is established, and the tectonic evolution, sedimentary filling, sedimentary characteristics, and petroleum system of the YEB are discussed. It is revealed that: (a) The filling characteristics of the Upper Palaeozoic strata in YEB are closely related to the closure of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean (PAO). YEB underwent subduction‐related compression during the initial extensional phase of the fore‐arc basin from the Viséan to the Serpukhovian (late Early Carboniferous). During the Bashkirian–Sakmarian interval (Late Carboniferous to Early Permian), it was in subduction‐related fore‐arc and postarc rifting phases. During the Artinskian–Capitanian (Early‐Middle Permian) times, it was in an intracontinental rifting‐depression phase. During the Wuchapingian (Late Permian), it was in an intracontinental compressional phase. Tectonostratigraphy, tectonic evolution, and hydrocarbon potential assessments of the study area show that the Zhusileng Hangwula‐Tost Ul tectonic zone (ZHTUTZ) and southwestern part of Querrshan‐Atasbogd tectonic zone (QATZ) are identified as the main prospective areas for the exploration in the YEB. (b) According to the tectonostratigraphic analysis, tectonic evolution and hydrocarbon system of Carboniferous–Permian in the YEB, the YEB has similar attributes to the basin province in western CAOB (e.g., Santanghu and Junggar basins) and eastern CAOB (Erlian, Songliao Basin). To explore commercial oil and gas in the deeper strata (Carboniferous–Permian) of the eastern CAOB basins, further tectonostratigraphic analyses and comprehensive assessment on hydrocarbon potentials are necessitated in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the Phanerozoic tectonic evolution of the western Tarim Basin based on an integrated stratigraphic, structural and tectonic analysis. P-wave velocity data show that the basin has a stable and rigid basement. The western Tarim Basin experienced a complex tectonic evolutionary history, and this evolution can be divided into six stages: Neoproterozoic to Early Ordovician, Middle Ordovician to Middle Devonian, Late Devonian to Permian, Triassic, Jurassic to Cretaceous and Paleogene to Quaternary. The western Tarim Basin was a rift basin in the Neoproterozoic to Early Ordovician. From the Middle Ordovician to Middle Devonian, the basin consisted of a flexural depression in the south and a depression that changed from a rift depression to a flexural depression in the north during each period, i.e., the Middle–Late Ordovician and the Silurian to Middle Devonian. During the Late Devonian to Permian, the basin was a depression basin early and then changed into a flexural basin late in each period, i.e., the Late Devonian to Carboniferous and the Permian. In the Triassic, the basin was a foreland basin, and from the Jurassic to Cretaceous, it was a downwarped basin. After the Paleogene, the basin became a rejuvenated foreland basin. Based on two cross sections, we conclude that the extension and shortening in the profile reflect the tectonic evolution of the Tarim Basin. The Tarim Basin has become a composite and superimposed sedimentary basin because of its long-term and complicated tectonic evolutionary history, highly rigid and stable basement and large size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report on LA‐ICP‐MS zircon U–Pb dates of 14 Mesozoic volcanic rocks from the central Great Xing'an Range (CGXR). These data are integrated with the temporal and spatial distribution of local magmatism‐related Mesozoic mineralization, in an effort to develop an understanding of the geodynamic evolution of the region. Periodic magmatic events in the GXR date from ~1,703 through ~145 Ma. Mesozoic volcanism in the CGXR can be subdivided into three episodes: Triassic (250–205 Ma), Early–Middle Jurassic (182–165 Ma), and Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous (155–115 Ma). A revision of the previously defined volcanic sequence is offered using a combination of our zircon U–Pb ages and published Mesozoic geological and geophysical evidence from northeast China. We propose that (a) Early–Middle Triassic volcanism in the CGXR resulted from subduction of the Paleo‐Asian oceanic plate; (b) Late Triassic volcanism was related to subduction of the Mongol–Okhotsk oceanic plate (especially near the Erguna Block) and subsequent extension after the closure of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean; (c) Early–Middle Jurassic volcanism was mainly controlled by the southward subduction of the Mongol–Okhotsk oceanic plate; (d) Late Jurassic–initial Early Cretaceous magmatism was initiated by closure of the Mongol–Okhotsk Ocean; and (e) late Early Cretaceous volcanism was induced following the final closure of the Mongol–Okhotsk Ocean and rollback of the Paleo‐Pacific oceanic plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plagiognathops microlepis is an economic freshwater fish in the subfamily Xenocyprinae of Cyprinidae. It is widely distributed in the freshwater ecosystem of China, with moderate economic value and broad development prospects. However, the lack of genomic resources has limited our understanding on the genetic basis, phylogenetic status and adaptive evolution strategies of this fish. Here, we assembled a chromosome-level reference genome of P. microlepis by integrating Pacbio HiFi long-reads, Illumina short-reads and Hi-C sequencing data. The size of this genome is 1004.34 Mb with a contig N50 of 38.80 Mb. Using Hi-C sequencing data, 99.59% of the assembled sequences were further anchored to 24 chromosomes. A total of 578.91 Mb repeat sequences and 28,337 protein-coding genes were predicted in the current genome, of which, 26,929 genes were functionally annotated. This genome provides valuable information for investigating the phylogeny and evolutionary history of cyprinid fishes, as well as the genetic basis of adaptive strategies and special traits in P. microlepis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liu, G.; Cai, F.; Qi, H.; Zhu, J., and Liu, J., 2019. Morphodynamic evolution and adaptability of nourished beaches. Journal of Coastal Research, 35(4), 737–750. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Beach nourishment has been widely used for coastal protection in China. However, few beaches have been monitored after nourishment, and the evolution of nourished beaches has not yet been elucidated. This paper presents a study of two nourished beaches, both of which are in low–wave-energy environments but have different tidal ranges: Huizhan Beach, with a large tidal range, and Meiliwan Beach, with a small tidal range. To gain a better understanding of the evolution of these nourished beaches, beach profile surveys were carried out repeatedly over 4 and 2 years after nourishment, respectively. The nourished beach evolutions were analyzed in terms of profile morphology, foreshore slope, dry beach width, and remaining sand volume. From the results obtained, it can be seen that Huizhan Beach profiles demonstrated major changes during the initial adjustment, followed by a stable state, while Meiliwan Beach profiles demonstrated major changes both during the initial adjustment and after a storm. Moreover, Huizhan Beach presented a rapid volume loss during initial adjustment, which was related to both the steeper foreshore slope and longshore spreading. For the analysis of profile equilibration, Huizhan Beach profiles changed rapidly and achieved equilibrium in several months, while Meiliwan Beach changed in stages and approached final equilibrium after the first postnourishment storm. The different mechanisms of profile equilibration at the two beaches were closely related to the tidal ranges of the sites. On the basis of the observed evolution, two types of profile evolution patterns of nourished beaches with different tidal ranges were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are risks of water burst and sand inrush in the working face of the Northwest Mining Area in China. Based on the 22407 working face of Halagou coal mine, the evolution characteristics and mechanism of a two-zone failure mode of the overburden strata in shallow buried thick seam mining were thoroughly analysed using physical modelling, theoretical analysis, on-site observation, and other research methods. A method to calculate the overburden fissure width was also proposed. The analysis results indicated that the evolution of a two-zone failure mode of the overburden strata mainly includes four stages: gestation, formation, transformation, and stabilization. In the transformation stage, a fracture zone is transformed into a caving zone. The caving zone and fracture zone are separately transferred to the working face direction based on the structure type of key strata of voussoir beam and cantilever beam after the heights of the two zones stabilize, and the "two-belt" cracks are mainly composed of inclined and horizontal fissures. Based on this study, the mechanism of the two-zone failure mode of overburden strata development was analysed according to the mining height and overburden strata key layer structure. This paper serves as a guide for safe and green mining on shallow buried thick seams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Schima includes about 20 species and is distributed only in southern China and adjacent areas of Asia. The previous molecular phylogenetic analysis suggested Schima is in the tribe Gordoniae, along with Gordonia and Franklinia. However, because few fossils have been reported, the biogeographic origin of Schima is still poorly known. In this paper mummified fossil fruits of Schima are described from the upper Oligocene Yongning Formation of the Nanning Basin, Guangxi, South China. In gross morphology, the new fossil species, Schima kwangsiensis, is similar to the extant S. superba by its pentacarpellate, loculicidally dehiscent capsules, 5 imbricate sepals, pedicels with bracteoles and marginally winged seeds. Due to its excellent preservation, the new species may provide sufficient details for understanding the early evolutionary and phytogeographic history of the genus. Morphological clustering analysis shows that the new fossil species is closely related to two extant species (S. wallichii and S. superba) in the genus, implying that they may belong to an ancient taxon that occurs earlier than the others. More importantly, this discovery represents the earliest record of this genus in Asia and it explicitly moves the fossil record back to the late Oligocene in this region.

Background: Most countries are experiencing growth in the number and proportion of their ageing populations and this issue is posing challenges for economies and societies worldwide. The most populated country in the world, China, is experiencing a dramatic increase in its ageing population. As China is the world's largest developing country, its serious ageing issue may have far-reaching effects not only domestically but also in other countries and even globally.Methods: In order to overcome the weaknesses of traditional statistical models and reveal further detail regarding the local area evolution, an improved Bayesian space-time model is presented in this paper and used to estimate the spatiotemporal evolution of Chinese ageing from 1992 to 2015.Results: The six eastern provinces with high levels of ageing have been experiencing an almost steady state, while Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang have weak increased trends of ageing, and the weak increased trend is decreasing. Although the northern and western provinces belong to the low ageing area, five of them have strong local growth trends and therefore strong potential to exacerbate ageing. Under the background of the "comprehensive two children" policy, the forecast value of China's ageing rate is 13.80% (95% CI:11.24%,18.83% is) in 2030.Conclusions: Considering developments over the past 24 years, it has been determined that the areas of the Chinese mainland that are experiencing the highest levels of growth in ageing populations are the two central provinces, which are connected to seven eastern provinces and five southwestern provinces. High ageing areas are not only concentrated in the eastern provinces, but also include Sichuan and Chongqing in the southwest region and Hubei and Hunan of the central region. The seven provinces (municipalities or autonomous regions) of the central and western regions have both high ageing levels and strong growth rates, but the growth rate is decreasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a famous traditional Chinese medicine adapted to the alpine environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and adjacent regions. Clarification of the species diversity of Ophiocordyceps sinensis and its relatives could expand the traditional medicinal resources and provide insights into the speciation and adaptation. The study is prompted by the discovery of a new species, O. megala, described here from a biodiversity hotspot in the Hengduan Mountains, China. Combined morphological, ecological, and phylogenetic evidence supports its distinctiveness from O. sinensis, O. xuefengensis, and O. macroacicularis. Additionally, based on the phylogenetic construction of Ophiocordyceps, a special clade was focused phylogenetically on the more closely related O. sinensis complex, which was defined as the O. sinensis- species complex lineage. A total of 10 species were currently confirmed in this lineage. We made a comprehensive comparison of the sexual/asexual morphological structures among this species complex, distinguishing their common and distinctive features. Furthermore, using the method of species distribution modelling, we studied the species ocurrences in relation to climatic, edaphic, and altitudinal variables for the eight species in the O. sinensis-species complex, and determined that their potential distribution could extend from the southeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the Xuefeng Mountains without isolating barrier. Thus, the biodiversity corridor hypothesis was proposed around the O. sinensis-species complex. Our study highlights the phylogeny, species diversity, and suitable distribution of the O. sinensis-species complex lineage, which should have a positive implication for the resource discovery and adaptive evolution of this unique and valuable group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has continuously improved and developed the rural system, deepened rural reform, and promoted the process of agricultural and rural modernization. This paper constructs an analytical framework of rural revitalization and explores the logical law behind it from the three aspects of theoretical evolution, historical evolution, and realistic development. Then, on the basis of summarizing the existing rural revitalization path model, in view of the lack of industrial, ecological, cultural, and other rural revitalization path development models, the paper explores the general principles of rural revitalization path selection and puts forward a realistic choice: First, the key breakthrough of rural revitalization will be achieved through the construction of a rural revitalization planning system, land system reform, and green development. Second, the connotation and extension of concepts, such as "small farmers", "industry prosperity", and "rural areas", are objectively analyzed and evaluated, so as to promote rural revitalization and avoid the risks and challenges that it may face in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pterosaur is the first known vertebrate clade to achieve powered flight. Its hyoid apparatus shows a simplification similar to that of birds, although samples of the apparatus are rare, limiting the ability to make an accurate determination. In this study we reveal a new pterosaur specimen, including the first definite basihyal. Through the comparison of pterosaur hyoids, a trend has been discovered for the shortened hyoid relative to the length of the skull, indicating a diminished role of lingual retraction during the evolution of the pterosaur. The new material, possibly from a gallodactylid Gladocephaloideus, represents one of the least effective lingual retractions in all pterosaurs. Based on the structure of an elongated ceratobranchial and retroarticular process on mandibles, the function of the Y-shaped istiodactylid tongue bone is similar to those of scavenger crows rather than chameleons, which is consistent with the interpretation of the scavenging behavior of this taxon. More fossil samples are needed for further study on the function of other pterosaur hyoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sectors tend to generate pressure on the environment due to its large amounts of emissions. The aim of this study is to identify critical betweenness sectors and transactions that play an important intermediate role in the supply chain, which can provide additional insights for CO 2 emissions. Based on the input-output and energy consumption data in China, the notion of network centrality and structural path analysis method are employed in this paper to identify critical betweenness sectors and transactions, and then the evolutionary trends of betweenness sectors and transactions are analyzed from 2005 to 2015. The results show that some critical betweenness sectors, such as Metal products sector and Electrical equipment sector, have huge potential for carbon emission reduction, which fail to receive sufficient attention from the perspective of production or consumption. Some critical transactions, such as the transaction from Nonmetal products sector to Construction sector, have a large amount of CO 2 emissions. The transaction from Metallurgy sector to Electrical equipment sector became increasingly important in China from 2005 to 2015. Additionally, the evolutionary trends of different transactions are significantly different. The findings reveal that special attention should be paid to these critical betweenness sectors and transactions and policy development should be dynamic to respond to changes in CO 2 emissions that are generated by different betweenness sectors and transactions. • Critical betweenness sectors and transactions for CO 2 emissions in China are identified. • Input-output relationships are converted into a supply chain network. • Edge betweenness and SPA are used to identify critical transactions in China. • The intermediate effect of Metal products sector is significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widespread species that inhabit diverse environments possess large population sizes and exhibit a high capacity for environmental adaptation, thus enabling range expansion. In contrast, narrow-range species are confined to restricted geographical areas and are ecologically adapted to narrow environmental conditions, thus limiting their ability to expand into novel environments. However, the genomic mechanisms underlying the differentiation between closely related species with varying distribution ranges remain poorly understood. The Niviventer niviventer species complex (NNSC), consisting of highly abundant wild rats in Southeast Asia and China, offers an excellent opportunity to investigate these questions due to the presence of both widespread and narrow-range species that are phylogenetically closely related. In the present study, we combined ecological niche modeling with phylogenetic analysis, which suggested that sister species cannot be both widespread and dominant within the same geographical region. Moreover, by assessing heterozygosity, linkage disequilibrium decay, and Tajima’s D analysis, we found that widespread species exhibited higher genetic diversity than narrow-range species. In addition, by exploring the “genomic islands of speciation”, we identified 13 genes in highly divergent regions that were shared by the two widespread species, distinguishing them from their narrow-range counterparts. Functional annotation analysis indicated that these genes are involved in nervous system development and regulation. The adaptive evolution of these genes likely played an important role in the speciation of these widespread species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Begonia species are common shade plants that are mostly found in southwest China. They have not been well studied despite their medicinal and decorative uses because gene penetration, decreased adaptability, and restricted availability are all caused by frequent interspecific hybridization. Result: To understand the patterns of mutation in the chloroplast genomes of different species of Begonia, as well as their evolutionary relationships, we collected seven Begonia species in China and sequenced their chloroplast genomes. Begonia species exhibit a quadripartite structure of chloroplast genomes (157,634 − 169,694 bp), consisting of two pairs of inverted repeats (IR: 26,529 − 37,674 bp), a large single copy (LSC: 75,477 − 86,500 bp), and a small single copy (SSC: 17,861 − 18,367 bp). 128–143 genes (comprising 82–93 protein-coding genes, 8 ribosomal RNAs, and 36–43 transfer RNAs) are found in the chloroplast genomes. Based on comparative analyses, this taxon has a relatively similar genome structure. A total of six substantially divergent DNA regions (trnT-UGU-trnL-UAA, atpF-atpH, ycf4-cemA, psbC-trnS-UGA, rpl32-trnL-UAG, and ccsA-ndhD) are found in the seventeen chloroplast genomes. These regions are suitable for species identification and phylogeographic analysis. Phylogenetic analysis shows that Begonia species that were suited to comparable environments grouped in a small clade and that all Begonia species formed one big clade in the phylogenetic tree, supporting the genus' monophyly. In addition, positive selection sites were discovered in eight genes (rpoC1, rpoB, psbE, psbK, petA, rps12, rpl2, and rpl22), the majority of which are involved in protein production and photosynthesis. Conclusion: Using these genome resources, we can resolve deep-level phylogenetic relationships between Begonia species and their families, leading to a better understanding of evolutionary processes. In addition to enhancing species identification and phylogenetic resolution, these results demonstrate the utility of complete chloroplast genomes in phylogenetically and taxonomically challenging plant groupings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explain how individuals’ self-perceived long-term mate value influences their mate preference and mate choice, two hypotheses have been presented, which are “potentials-attract” and “likes-attract”, respectively. The potentials-attract means that people choose mates matched with their sex-specific traits indicating reproductive potentials; and the likes-attract means that people choose mates matched with their own conditions. However, the debate about these two hypotheses still remains unsolved. In this paper, we tested these two hypotheses using a human’s actual mate choice data from a Chinese online dating system (called the Baihe website), where 27,183 users of Baihe website are included, in which there are 590 paired couples (1180 individuals) who met each other via the website. Our main results show that not only the relationship between individuals’ own attributes and their self-stated mate preference but also that between individuals’ own attributes and their actual mate choice are more consistent with the likes-attract hypothesis, i.e., people tend to choose mates who are similar to themselves in a variety of attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aiming to study the evolutionary trend of the annual autumn germination in Gurbantunggut Desert with more rains, the model of autumn germination ratio was established on the basis of the investigation by Valleriani and others. Altogether the paper presents four findings: (1) As for the different species, the bigger the ratio of plant yield between autumn germination and spring germination is, the lower the germination rate of evolutionary stability is; (2) The germination rate of evolutionary stability would increase given that the climate was pleasant for autumn germination. (3) The lower the dormancy survival rate of the species is, the higher the germination rate of evolutionary stability is; (4) As for the same species, the smaller the ratio of prospective yield between autumn germination and spring germination is, the lower the germination rate of evolutionary stability is; on the contrary, the germination rate of evolutionary stability would increase. After analyzing the tendency of the germination rate of evolutionary stability taking into account of the climate change, it turned out in the model that the less rains in spring, the lower the germination rate of evolutionary stability is and that more rains in autumn, less in spring as well as way too cold weather in winter all contribute to the seeds’ autumn germination. In conclusion, combined with the model and the fruit types of autumn germination it is speculated that the annual with large quantity of plants, seeds plus lower dormancy survival rate would be easier to germinate on condition of climate change. Therefore, this paper supplies reference to the features as well as evolutionary trend of plants in arid desert in terms of global climate change. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The paper aims to reveal the main aspects of the global demographic evolution between 1800-2017 and the prospect until 2100, as well as the shocks recorded in diff erent parts of the globe. The analysis begins with the real view of the demographic situation of the world population of the twentieth century. The increase in population is quite fast, but the share of the population in the continents should not be neglected, so that Europe has a quarter of the world's population at the end of the 20th century, and today holds only 10%. Demographic expansion and economic development have evolved interactively by mutually reinforcing, which continued throughout the 21st century. The impact of demographic shock on growth is evident in the economic evolution of the most populous countries like China and India. In conclusion, local and planetary sustainable development policies and programs require food, housing, health care, education, transport and infrastructure, social organization, entertainment, security, etc., which implies an integration of the demographic evolution with the economic evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The controversy about a Cambrian "explosion" of morphological disparity (followed by decimation), cladogenesis and fossilization is of central importance for the history of life. This paper revisits the controversy (with emphasis in onychophorans, which include emblematic organisms such as Hallucigenia), presents new data about the Chengjiang (Cambrian of China) faunal community and compares it and the Burgess Shale (Cambrian of Canada) with an ecologically similar but modern tropical marine site where onychophorans are absent, and with a modern neotropical terrestrial onychophoran community. Biovolume was estimated from material collected in Costa Rica and morphometric measurements were made on enlarged images of fossils. Cambrian tropical mudflats were characterized by the adaptive radiation of two contrasting groups: the vagile arthropods and the sessile poriferans. Arthropods were later replaced as the dominant benthic taxon by polychaetes. Vagility and the exoskeleton may explain the success of arthropods from the Cambrian to the modern marine and terrestrial communities, both in population and biovolume. Food ecological displacement was apparent in the B. Shale, but not in Chengjiang or the terrestrial community. When only hard parts were preserved, marine and terrestrial fossil deposits of tropical origin are even less representative than deposits produced by temperate taxa, Chengjiang being an exception. Nutrient limitations might explain why deposit feeding is less important in terrestrial onychophoran communities, where carnivory, scavenging and omnivory (associated with high motility and life over the substrate) became more important. Fossil morphometry supports the interpretation of "lobopod animals" as onychophorans, whose abundance in Chengjiang was equal to their abundance in modern communities. The extinction of marine onychophorans may reflect domination of the infaunal habitat by polychaetes. We conclude that (1) a mature ecological community structure was generalized during the Cambrian, and even biodiversity and equitability indices were surprisingly close to modern values; (2) the morphological diversity and geographic distribution of onychophorans indicate a significant pre-Cambrian evolutionary history which does not support the "explosion" hypothesis; (3) disparity among phyla was not as important as the explosion-decimation model predicts, but in the case of onychophorans, disparity within the phylum was greater than it is today and its reduction may have been associated with migration into the sediment when large predators evolved.

Ancient China attached great importance to urban ecology, which is reflected in the selection of urban sites conforming to nature and the natural attributes of cities.The rulers of the Ch'ing Dynasty paid full attention to the cities of the Ming Dynasty, took the military as the driving force and paid attention to the urban ecology, and built a large number of military and national cities accordingly. In order to consolidate the monarchy and colonize new territories, the Ch'ing Dynasty implemented the Eight Banners Garrison System and built Manchu cities in the interior and parts of the border areas. This paper is based on the official documents of the Ch'ing Dynasty, investigating the history of overall planning of the Manchu City, gradually collecting and analyzing its analogical biological evolution from the northeast region to the whole nation of the Ch'ing Dynasty. Besides, the paper argues that the spatial pattern of Manchu city is characterized by its hierarchy, defensiveness and connectivity, and summarizes the integrated planning of Manchu city, and reveal the intrinsic correlation between its planning and the changes of territory in the Ch'ing Dynasty. The planning and construction of Manchu cities implied the use of natural and social attributes of historical cities.At the same time, the military and urban planning of the Ch'ing Dynasty also provide useful insights and historical thoughts for homeland space security and land planning nowadays. • Ch'ing Dynasty implemented the Eight Banners Garrison System. • Built Manchu cities in the interior and parts of the border areas. • The spatial pattern of Manchu city is characterized by its hierarchy. • Planning and construction of Manchu cities implied natural & social attributes of historical cities use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endophytic bacterial microbiomes of plants contribute to the physiological health of the host and its adaptive evolution and stress tolerance. Wild rice possesses enriched endophytic bacteria diversity, which is a potential resource for sustainable agriculture. Oryza officinalis is a unique perennial wild rice species in China with rich genetic resources. However, endophytic bacterial communities of this species and their plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits remain largely unknown. In this study, endophytic bacteria in the root, stem, and leaf tissues of O. officinalis were characterized using 16S rRNA gene Illumina sequencing. Culturable bacterial endophytes were also isolated from O. officinalis tissues and characterized for their PGP traits. The microbiome analysis showed a more complex structure and powerful function of the endophytic bacterial community in roots compared with those in other tissue compartments. Each compartment had its specific endophytic bacterial biomarkers, including Desulfomonile and Ruminiclostridium for roots; Lactobacillus, Acinetobacter, Cutibacterium and Dechloromonas for stems; and Stenotrophomonas, Chryseobacterium, Achromobacter and Methylobacterium for leaves. A total of 96 endophytic bacterial strains with PGP traits of phosphate solubilization, potassium release, nitrogen fixation, 1- aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase secretion, and siderophore or indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production were isolated from O. officinalis. Among them, 11 strains identified as Enterobacter mori, E. ludwigii, E. cloacae, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, B. siamensis, Pseudomonas rhodesiae and Kosakonia oryzae were selected for inoculation of perennial rice based on their IAA production traits. These strains showed promising PGP effects on perennial rice seedlings. They promoted plants to form a strong root system, stimulate biomass accumulation, and increase chlorophyll content and nitrogen uptake, which could fulfil the ecologically sustainable cultivation model of perennial rice. These results provide insights into the bacterial endosphere of O. officinalis and its application potential in perennial rice. There is the prospect of mining beneficial endophytic bacteria from wild rice species, which could rewild the microbiome of cultivated rice varieties and promote their growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this study, the sexual dimorphism of the limb bones of the Asiatic toad was investigated. Despite male toads having smaller body lengths than females, they possess longer upper arms, forearms, thighs, calves, and feet. Additionally, the humerus and radioulna bones of males are heavier compared to females, and the protrusions on the humerus and femur of males are longer and higher than females. However, female toads have significantly longer hands than males. These sexual differences in limb morphology are believed to be adaptations to specific reproductive behaviors. We propose that the sexual dimorphism in the limb morphology of the Asiatic toad may be attributed to amplexus and male–male competition during the long process of adaptive evolution. Sexual dimorphism is often considered to be the result of differences in the intensity of sexual selection between sexes. From this point of view, the sexual dimorphism of the limb bones of the Bufo gargarizans in southwest China was studied. Results showed that the fore- and hindlimb skeletons of this species were sexually dimorphic in anatomy. The humerus, radioulna, and total lengths of the forelimb skeleton of males were substantially longer than those of females, but the hand length of males was smaller than that of females. Several other features of males, such as deltoid and medial crest areas and humerus and radioulnar weights, were also significantly larger than those of females. The femoris, tibiofibula, talus–calcaneus, and foot lengths; total hindlimb skeleton length; and femoral upper crest areas of males were significantly greater than those of females. However, no significant intersexual difference in femoris and tibiofibular weights was observed. These findings suggested that robust forelimb bones and long hindlimb bones could contribute to the mating success of males; if so, sexual selection promotes the evolution of sexual size and shape dimorphism in the limb bones of the B. gargarizans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ediacaran Period (~635–539 Ma) is marked by the emergence and diversification of complex metazoans linked to ocean redox changes, but the processes and mechanism of the redox evolution in the Ediacaran ocean are intensely debated. Here we use mercury isotope compositions from multiple black shale sections of the Doushantuo Formation in South China to reconstruct Ediacaran oceanic redox conditions. Mercury isotopes show compelling evidence for recurrent and spatially dynamic photic zone euxinia (PZE) on the continental margin of South China during time intervals coincident with previously identified ocean oxygenation events. We suggest that PZE was driven by increased availability of sulfate and nutrients from a transiently oxygenated ocean, but PZE may have also initiated negative feedbacks that inhibited oxygen production by promoting anoxygenic photosynthesis and limiting the habitable space for eukaryotes, hence abating the long-term rise of oxygen and restricting the Ediacaran expansion of macroscopic oxygen-demanding animals. Using Hg isotopes, the authors find that repeated invasion of toxic, H2S-rich water into the marine photic zone of the Ediacaran ocean may have inhibited the rise of oxygen and delayed the expansion of early animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ulmus mianzhuensis is an endemic tree species in China with high ornamental and economic value. Currently, little is known regarding its genomic architecture, phylogenetic position, or adaptive evolution. Here, we sequenced the complete chloroplast genome (cp genome) of U. mianzhuensis and further compared the variations in gene organization and structure within Ulmus species to define their genomic evolution, then reconstructed the phylogenomic relationship of 31 related Ulmus species to explore the systematic position of U. mianzhuensis and the utility of cp genome for resolving phylogenetics among Ulmus species. Results: Our results revealed that all the Ulmus species exhibited a typical quadripartite structure, with a large single copy (LSC) region of 87,170 − 88,408 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 18,650 − 19,038 bp and an inverted repeat (IR) region of 26,288 − 26,546 bp. Within Ulmus species, gene structure and content of cp genomes were highly conserved, although slight variations were found in the boundary of SC/IR regions. Moreover, genome-wide sliding window analysis uncovered the variability of ndhC-trnV-UAC, ndhF-rpl32, and psbI-trnS-GCU were higher among 31 Ulmus that may be useful for the population genetics and potential DNA barcodes. Two genes (rps15 and atpF) were further detected under a positive selection of Ulmus species. Comparative phylogenetic analysis based on the cp genome and protein-coding genes revealed consistent topology that U. mianzhuensis is a sister group to U. parvifolia (sect. Microptelea) with a relatively low-level nucleotide variation of the cp genome. Additionally, our analyses also found that the traditional taxonomic system of five sections in Ulmus is not supported by the current phylogenomic topology with a nested evolutionary relationship between sections. Conclusions: Features of the cp genome length, GC content, organization, and gene order were highly conserved within Ulmus. Furthermore, molecular evidence from the low variation of the cp genome suggested that U. mianzhuensis should be merged into U. parvifolia and regarded as a subspecies of U. parvifolia. Overall, we demonstrated that the cp genome provides valuable information for understanding the genetic variation and phylogenetic relationship in Ulmus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jehol and Yanliao biotas of northern China, two world‐class Lagerstätten with abundant biomass and biodiversity, provide critical clues to Mesozoic terrestrial ecosystems. Their evolution is a response to the destruction of the North China craton. However, the impetus for the rapid bloom of the biotas remains a mystery. Mesozoic large‐scale volcanic‐sedimentary strata in northern China are rich in terrestrial organisms. Statistical analyses show that volcanic nutrient element delivery, biomass, and biodiversity in these stratigraphic sequences increase synchronously, while harmful elements have the opposite change with them. These observations reveal the coevolutionary relationship between volcanism and terrestrial biotas. The increased nutrient element supply and inhibited harmful element delivery to terrestrial ecosystems from the voluminous volcanic products, produced under the geodynamic regime of paleo‐Pacific subduction and cratonic destruction, could create a conducive environment for the biodiversity and high prosperity of Mesozoic terrestrial biotas. Plain Language Summary: The weathering of volcanic products can quickly provide material supply for ecosystems, including nutrient and harmful elements. The availability of these elements in volcanic‐sedimentary sequences can provide key evidence for the intrinsic relations between volcanism and terrestrial biological evolution. Through statistically‐based big data analyses, we determine the changes in nutrient/harmful element delivery, biomass, and vertebrate and entomic diversity of the Mesozoic fossil‐bearing volcanic‐sedimentary strata in northern China. Excluding the interference of pyroclastic flows on the fossil records, the results reveal the significant contributions of elevated volcanic nutrient supply to the flourishing of the Jehol and Yanliao biotas. Meanwhile, the inhibited release of harmful elements has limited impacts on the biotas. This study opens a new path for multidisciplinary investigations to explore the feedback relationship among regional tectonics, volcanism, and terrestrial biotas. Key Points: Mesozoic terrestrial biotas in northern China coevolved with volcanism during the paleo‐Pacific subduction and cratonic destructionThe increasing supply of volcanic nutrients promoted the flourishing of the Jehol and Yanliao biotasInhibited volcanic toxic delivery facilitated the rapid bloom of the terrestrial biotas [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Apis cerana is widely distributed in China and, prior to the introduction of western honeybees, was the only bee species kept in China. During the long-term natural evolutionary process, many unique phenotypic variations have occurred among A. cerana populations in different geographical regions under varied climates. Understanding the molecular genetic basis and the effects of climate change on the adaptive evolution of A. cerana can promote A. cerana conservation in face of climate change and allow for the effective utilization of its genetic resources. Result: To investigate the genetic basis of phenotypic variations and the impact of climate change on adaptive evolution, A. cerana workers from 100 colonies located at similar geographical latitudes or longitudes were analyzed. Our results revealed an important relationship between climate types and the genetic variation of A. cerana in China, and a greater influence of latitude compared with longitude was observed. Upon selection and morphometry analyses combination for populations under different climate types, we identified a key gene RAPTOR, which was deeply involved in developmental processes and influenced the body size. Conclusion: The selection of RAPTOR at the genomic level during adaptive evolution could allow A. cerana to actively regulate its metabolism, thereby fine-tuning body sizes in response to harsh conditions caused by climate change, such as food shortages and extreme temperatures, which may partially elucidate the size differences of A. cerana populations. This study provides crucial support for the molecular genetic basis of the expansion and evolution of naturally distributed honeybee populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first complete mitochondrial genome of the freshwater goby Rhinogobius davidi was determined by high-throughput sequencing. This genome was 16,627 bp in length and consisted of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and 2 non-coding control regions. Phylogenetic analysis based on the amino acid sequences of 13 mitochondrial protein-coding genes from R. davidi and 23 relatives suggested that R. davidi had a close mitogenome relationship with Rhinogobius giurinus. This complete genome of R. davidi will provide basal molecular data for future studies on taxonomy, comparative genomics, and adaptive evolution in Rhinogobius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) is an international quarantine pest with many hosts, widely distributed in Asia, Europe, and America. L. dispar is distributed mainly in the Eastern Monsoon Region of China. Currently, the most effective means of prevention and control of this pest are timely monitoring and early warning. However, their implementation is usually hampered by the lack of feasible methods and tools for fast tracking and traceability. Stable isotope technology can be used for material traceability, but in China, it is rarely employed for insect traceability. Therefore, using L. dispar as an example, we conducted a case study to explore the feasibility of using hydrogen stable isotopes for pest-source traceability. The grid data of hydrogen stable isotopes of global precipitation were downloaded from the Online Isotopes in Precipitation Calculator (OIPC; Bowen and Revenaugh, 2003, Bowen, 2017), and then, a zoning map of hydrogen stable isotopes of precipitation in mainland China was constructed using ArcGIS 10.4.1 (Esri, Redlands, CA, USA). The wings of 284 L. dispar adults captured in five regions in China were selected as experimental samples. A Finnigan Delta V Advantage Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, U.S.) and a Flash 2000 HT Elemental Analyzer (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, U.S.) were used to measure the hydrogen stable isotope (δ2H) value of the samples. Then, using the recorded local precipitation hydrogen stable isotope of the sampling site, we performed a data simulation using R software (v.3.2.1; R Development Core Team, Vienna, Austria). A linear regression equation was next established: y = 1.186x − 13.247, where x represents the hydrogen stable isotope ratio of precipitation and y denotes the hydrogen stable isotope ratio of L. dispar. The t-test, F-test, and R2 test results confirmed the high significance and matching with the simulation data used in the model. To further verify the accuracy of the model, L. dispar samples from Chengdu in Sichuan Province were collected for model back-testing. The verification results also evidenced that the actual source of the L. dispar sample can be obtained based on the method applied and the model developed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early Cambrian witnessed profound environmental changes and biological evolution in Earth' history. During this period, organic-rich shales were widely distributed over almost the entire Yangtze Block. However, the dominant factor that drove the significant accumulation of organic matter (OM) remains controversial and is still debated. Here, we analyzed TOC, organic carbon isotopes, iron speciation, major and trace elements for the lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation in the upper slope Meiziwan section, to investigate the dominant factor controlling OM accumulation. High contents of TOC and Baxs reveal an OM-enriched feature of the Niutitang Formation, and the coupled relationship between them suggest a strong production control on OM accumulation at Meiziwan. Meanwhile, negative relationships between TOC and chemical index of alteration (CIA) values as well as Al contents suggest that influence of chemical weathering and terrestrial input on OM accumulation were limited. Fairly low CoEF × MnEF values provide strong evidence that the deposition of organic-rich shales was under the control of oceanic upwelling event. The upwelling event would bring nutrient-rich deep waters into surface water, stimulating phytoplankton bloom and primary productivity in surface water and facilitating OM enrichment. Meanwhile, enhanced accumulation of OM would have promoted subsequent bacterial sulfate reduction, leading to the occurrence of occasional euxinia (evidenced by iron speciation and redox-sensitive trace element data) and promoting preservation of OM. Taken together, our results shed light on the critical role of oceanic upwelling on the marine primary productivity on the earliest Cambrian Yangtze Platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cnidarians form a disparate phylum of animals and their diploblastic body plan represents a key step in animal evolution. Cnidarians are split into two main classes; anthozoans (sea anemones, corals) are benthic polyps, while medusozoans (hydroids, jellyfishes) generally have alternating life cycle stages of polyps and medusae. A sessile polyp is present in both groups and is widely regarded as the ancestral form of their last common ancestor. However, the nature and anatomy of the ancestral polyp, particularly of medusozoans, is controversial, owing to the divergent body plans of the extant lineages and the scarcity of medusozoan soft tissues in the fossil record. Here, we redescribe Conicula striata Luo & Hu from the early Cambrian Chengjiang biota, south China, which has previously been interpreted as a polyp, lophophorate or deuterostome. Through re-examination of the holotype and 51 exceptionally preserved specimens, we show that C. striata possessed features of both anthozoans and medusozoan polyps. A conical, annulated organic skeleton (periderm) fully encasing a polyp is found in fossil and living medusozoans, while a tubular pharynx extending from the mouth into a gut partitioned by c. 28 mesenteries, resembling the actinopharynx of anthozoans. Our phylogenetic analyses recover C. striata as a stem-group medusozoan, implying that the wealth of medusozoan diversity derived, ultimately, from an anemone-like ancestor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Understanding variations in the morphology and age of animals along a geographical gradient may aid in our comprehension of the evolution of these animals. In this view, we studied variation in the age and body size of Andrew's toad (Bufo andrewsi) across 31 populations along a geographical gradient. The results revealed that along with a decrease in the annual mean temperature, the age structure increased, whereas body size did not indicate an increasing trend, showing no support for Bergmann's rule. Precipitation seasonality negatively correlated with longevity and mean age, whereas precipitation of the driest month positively correlated with body size. Moreover, we also found that UV-B seasonality positively correlated with age structure traits and body size. The present study provided critical cues that explain the considerable variability observed in the ecogeographic patterns among Andrew's toads. Environmental variation likely modifies the life-history traits of vertebrates. As ectothermic vertebrates, it is possible that the body size of amphibians is impacted by environmental conditions. Here, we firstly quantified age and body size variation in the Andrew's toad (Bufo andrewsi) across the Hengduan Mountains. Then, we examined the environmental correlates of this variation based on the literature and our unpublished data on the age and body size of the Andrew's toad from 31 populations distributed in southwestern China. Although our analysis revealed significant variations in age and body size across B. andrewsi populations, neither latitude nor altitude correlated with this variability in age and body size. We found that age at sexual maturity, mean age, and longevity increased with decreasing annual mean temperature, whereas age at sexual maturity increased with decreasing temperature seasonality, implying that temperature was a crucial habitat characteristic that modulated age structure traits. Moreover, we revealed positive associations between age structure and UV-B seasonality, and negative relationships between both mean age and longevity and precipitation seasonality. We also found that body size increased with increasing precipitation in the driest month and UV-B seasonality. However, body size did not covary with temperature, signifying no support for Bergmann's rule. These findings help us to understand amphibians' abilities to adapt to environmental variation, which is particularly important in order to provide a theorical basis for their conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kuanchuanpu biota (ca. 535 Ma) from the basal Cambrian in South China yields various phosphatized, three-dimensionally preserved microscopic fossils, such as animal embryos, cyanobacteria, and algae. This provides an exceptional window for investigating the rapid divergent evolution of animal phyla in the early Cambrian ocean. However, the fossil eukaryotic algae are poorly documented and are not properly incorporated into the conceptual food web of the Cambrian ocean ecosystem. In this study, we report a new taxon of calathiform alga, Calathophycus irregulatus Tang gen. et sp. nov., and an indeterminate alga, from the Kuanchuanpu biota. Calathophycus irregulatus can be distinguished from other reported phosphatized multicellular algal fossils from the Kuanchuanpu biota and the Ediacaran Weng'an biota (Guizhou Province, China), based on the external morphology and features of cell clump aggregation. The observation of C. irregulatus and the indeterminate alga indicates a certain diversity of algae at the beginning of the Cambrian. Concerning the regularly or irregularly shaped multicellular algal fossils from the Kuanchuanpu Formation, co-occurring spherical fossils, previously interpreted as "cleavage stage" of animal embryos, should be reconsidered in affinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cambrian Stage 3 Chengjiang biota in South China is one of the most influential Konservat-Lagerstätten worldwide thanks to the fossilization of diverse non-biomineralizing organisms through pyritization. Despite their contributions to understanding the evolution of early animals, several Chengjiang species remain poorly known owing to their scarcity and/or incomplete preservation. Here, we use micro--computed tomography to reveal in detail the ventral appendage organization of the enigmatic nontrilobite artiopod Pygmaclypeatus daziensis-one of the rarest euarthropods in Chengjiang-and explore its functional ecology and broader evolutionary significance. Pygmaclypeatus daziensis possesses a set of uniramous antennae and 14 pairs of post--antennal biramous appendages, the latter of which show an unexpectedly high degree of heteronomy based on the localized differentiation of the protopodite, endopodite and exopodite along with the antero--posterior body axis. The small body size (less than 2 cm), the presence of delicate spinose endites and well--developed exopodites with multiple paddle--shaped lamellae on the appendages of P. daziensis indicate a nekto--benthic mode of life and a scavenging/detritus feeding strategy. Pygmaclypeatus daziensis shows that appendage heteronomy is phylogenetically widespread within Artiopoda-the megadiverse clade that includes trilobites and their relatives with non--biomineralizing exoskeletons-and suggests that a single exopodite lobe with paddle--like lamellae is ancestral for this clade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin and early evolution of animal development remain among the many deep, unresolved problems in evolutionary biology. As a compelling case for the existence of pre-Cambrian animals, the Ediacaran embryo-like fossils (EELFs) from the Weng'an Biota (approx. 609 Myr old, Doushantuo Formation, South China) have great potential to cast light on the origin and early evolution of animal development. However, their biological implications can be fully realized only when their phylogenetic positions are correctly established, and unfortunately, this is the key problem under debate. As a significant feature of developmental biology, the cell division pattern (CDP) characterized by the dynamic spatial arrangement of cells and associated developmentalmechanisms is critical to reassess these hypotheses and evaluate the diversity of the EELFs; however, their phylogenetic implications have not been fully realized. Additionally, the scarcity of fossil specimens representing late developmental stages with cell differentiation accounts for much of this debate too. Here, we reconstructed a large number of EELFs using submicron resolution X-ray tomographic microscopyandfocusedontheCDPsandassociated developmentalmechanisms as well as features of cell differentiation. Four types of CDPs and specimens with cell differentiation were identified. Contrary to the prevailing view, our results together with recent studies suggest that the diversity and complexity of developmental mechanisms documented by the EELFs are much higher than is often claimed. The diverse CDPs and associated development features including palintomic cleavage, maternal nutrition, asymmetric cell divisions, symmetry breaking, establishment of polarity or axis, spatial cell migration and differentiation constrain some, if not all, EELFs as total-group metazoans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Inner Mongolia is an important ecological barrier in northern China. The vegetation coverage and changes in the region will directly affect many important economic regions in China. In this paper, based on the long time series NOAA/AVHRR NDVI dataset and vegetation-climate regions map in Inner Mongolia, we utilized the Mann - Kendall non-parametric test to analyze vegetation change treads in different vegetation-climatic regions from 1982 to 2006. The results showed that different vegetation-climate regions had different vegetation change treads. Therein, Central and Western parts of Inner Mongolia had an ascending trend, while, the eastern part had a descending trend. Inner Mongolia span different climatic regions, and plants lived there had various adaptive capacities under different environments. Therefore, its change trends also were quite different. All these illustrate that, under the background of climate change, the sensibility of vegetation are significant different and some plants in different regions have showed their adaptive capacities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background The family Pieridae is a large group of butterflies which plays an important role in evolutionary biology and contains many potential pests (Courtney 1986). Pieridae is a cosmopolitan family while the tropics harbour higher species richness. In a very recent expedition to the Chinese-Indian border area in Tibet Autonomous Region, a migratory species, Belenois aurota (Fabricius, 1793), was discovered for the first time, which comprises the first record of the genus Belenois in China and the highest altitude record of this species. New information The species B. aurota (Fabricius, 1793) is the first record of the genus Belenois from China. The specimen was collected at an altitude of about 3,000 m in Tibet Autonomous Region. Relevant details are presented for the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Darwin’s ideas held sway among Chinese intellectuals by the early twentieth century. Yet the usual emphasis was a Spencerism instead of Darwin’s original ideas. As a result, translations of The Descent of Man in the early twentieth century quickly fell into oblivion. When the embryologist Zhu Xi (1900–62) eventually decided to give all evolutionary theories a comprehensive examination, he nevertheless found the idea of sexual evolution inadequate, as expressed in his volume Biological Evolution (1958). Only in the 1950s did serious efforts to translate Descent gather momentum, thanks to eugenicist and sociologist Pan Guangdan (1899–1967). Such efforts were not only responses to a renewed interest in Darwinism under the socialist regime, but also expressions that synthesized both scholars’ earlier paths in wrestling with schemes of human evolution and the roles of women in China’s survival and renewal. Trained in different scientific and cultural milieus and holding almost oppositional views, the two scholars nevertheless converged in finding new meanings in Darwin’s Descent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Dendronereis Peters, 1854 is characterized in the polychaete family Nereididae by its feathershaped branchiae on the anterior segments. In this study, we present the first complete mitogenome of Dendronereis, represented by D. chipolini Hsueh, 2019, collected from Beibu Gulf, China. The nucleotide composition is biased toward A + T nucleotides, accounting 31.5% for A, 22.3% for C, 14.7% for G and 31.5% for T. The assembled mitogenome is 15,763 bp in length, with a typical set of 13 proteincoding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA), 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and 1 non-coding control region. All genes are encoded on H-strand. The control region is 1260 bp in length and located between tRNAGly and tRNA-Met. Phylogenetic study showed that D. chipolini is arranged with high support into the clade of Namanereidinae. The complete mitogenome provides important molecular data for investigating the phylogeny and evolution of the nereid animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The evolution of urban spatial structure of 286 Chinese cities is investigated from the dimensions of polycentricity and dispersion. • Chinese cities have generally evolved towards concentration and decentralization, with the former trend being stronger than the latter one. • The evolution patterns differ across Chinese cities with different original types of urban spatial structure. • Significant differences in population and economic productivity growth exist among cities with different evolution patterns. While China's unprecedented urbanization process has caused substantial changes in urban spatial structure of its cities, relatively less is known about the nature and form of such changes. This paper provides a descriptive analysis of the evolution of urban spatial structure of 286 Chinese cities during the 2001–2016 period. Drawing upon the fine-grained LandScan population dataset and with the use of exploratory spatial data analysis techniques, we develop an approach to identifying population centers and measuring urban spatial structure from the dimensions of polycentricity and dispersion. Specifically, a city is considered more polycentric when it has a more balanced distribution of population between its main center and subcenter(s), while it is considered less dispersed when it has a higher share of population living in its urban centers. The empirical results which are robust based on different definitions of population centers show that urban spatial structure of Chinese cities has generally evolved towards concentration (i.e., less dispersed) and decentralization (i.e., more polycentric), with the former trend being relatively stronger than the latter one. Furthermore, we find that the evolution patterns differ across cities with different original types of urban spatial structure. Cities with relatively higher degrees of dispersion are more likely to change their urban spatial structure. Moreover, we find that cities which have changed their urban spatial structure tend to have higher population and per capita GDP growth than those that have not changed. Significant differences in population and economic productivity growth are also found to exist across cities with different evolution patterns of urban spatial structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]