Search

This study aimed to empirically explore the relationship between destination attractiveness and tourists' environmentally responsible behavior (TERB), as based on self-regulated attitude theory. In this paper, we have divided destination attractiveness into two aspects: the attractiveness of a facility's services, and that of the sightseeing experience, so as to build a structural equation model with mediation analysis. For our research, we selected Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan as the site of our case study, and we conducted a survey using a questionnaire. We then analyzed the path using a structural equation model. Our results show: (1) two elements of destination attractiveness have significantly positive effects on TERB; and (2) place attachment exerts a mediating effect among the attractiveness of the facility's services, that of the sightseeing experience, and TERB. Therefore, enhancing destination attractiveness and tourists' emotional attachments to locations could help to promote the implementation of TERB and the achievement of sustainable tourism development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes and illustrates a new species of Primulaceae, Primula wolongensis sp. nov. from Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province, China. It is very rare and currently only known from its type locality. The new species belongs to subsection Chartacea of the section Petiolares on account of lacking bud scales at flowering, being efarinose and having distinct petiolate leaves with more or less rounded lamina. The new species can be differentiated from other members of the subsection by leaf blade margin dentate, and leaf veins which are not raised, scape shorter than or equal to pedicels, yellow flowers and location of stamens of the corolla tube at thrum flower. Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on nuclear ribosome internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) demonstrated that P. wolongensis was sister to subgen. Auriculastrum. Primula wolongensis is currently known from a single location in Wolong Town, and its conservation status is assessed as Data Deficient (DD). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reveal dynamics of community succession of a secondary savanna shrub forest of the arid-hot valley in National Nature Reserve of Cycas panzhihuaensis in Sichuan, based on the first(2020)reexamined data of 1 hm² permanent fixed plot which was established in 2015, community dynamics over the past five years were analyzed by species composition, community diversity, importance value, mortality rate, recruitment rate and diameter at breast height(DBH). The results were as follows: (1) Woody plants in community changed from 15 families, 17 genera, and 17 species in 2015 to 15 families, 18 genera, and 18 species in 2020. There was no significant change for dominant species composition but a significant change for degree of dominance in the past five years. For the six common populations with higher importance values(>1) in 2020, the importance values of five populations increased, and the population of C. panzhihuaensis decreased only, when compared with their importance values in 2015. C. panzhihuaensis was still the most dominant species and constructive species in the plot, but its importance value declined significantly. However, a significant increase of importance values occurred for some arbor species such as Quercus cocciferoides and Terminalia franchetii. (2)The number of woody plants with DBH≥1 had increased to 1 710 until 2020, the average DBH of all woody plant individuals in this community increased from 11.10 cm to 11.17 cm. The average annual mortality was 0.29%, and the average annual recruitment rate was 2.75%, the average DBH of dead and recruited individuals were 11.84 cm and 4.96 cm respectively. Compared with the woody plants living in 2015, individual trees from seven species had died, and those from nine species were recruited over the past five years. (3) The results also indicated that although Osyris quadripartita declined, the populations of nine species increased, and four were stable from 2015 to 2020. The average DBH of Cycas panzhihuaensis and Osyris quadripartita decreased only, but the others increased to different extents. With forest succession, the importance of interspecific competition within community will increase gradually. Dominant position in community will be occupied by arbor tree species such as Quercus cocciferoides and Terminalia franchetii during process of succession in the future, but dominant position of Cycas panzhihuaensis is not threatened in a short term. The main reason of significant decrease of dominance of Cycas panzhihuaensis is plant individual death of larger diameter class. In the future, a transitional-type secondary community from secondary savanna shrub forest to climax which is occupied by arbor tree species gradually will been consisted of Cycas panzhihuaensis, Quercus cocciferoides, Terminalia franchetii and other arbor trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedicularis pandania(Orobanchaceae)was a new species discovered in the Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan, China. This new species belongs to the alternative-leaved group that characterizing by having abundant basal leaves or only 1-3 cauline leaves, short-tubed and beaked corolla, and the lower lip completely enveloping the beaked galea. Due to the corolla tube was strongly twisted near the calyx, the corolla lower lip was completely upside down, which was distinguished from other Chinese species. Phylogenetic analyses showed that P. pandania fell into the Clade 7, as a sister to species in Ser. Flammeae, Ser. Pseudo-oederianae, Ser. Rhynchodontae,Ser. Filiculae and Ser. Macrorhynchae. Morphologically, however, the new species is easily discriminated from them in the corolla form as mentioned above. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we report an unusual homing behavior of the Sichuan Partridge (Arborophila rufipectus) at the Laojunshan National Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, China. Hen Sichuan Partridges led the chicks back to the nests where they hatched in the evening and roosted there over night. This behavior lasted 6.7 ± 4.3 nights (range = 1–15; n = 13) after the chicks hatched. At this stage, the hens became very vigilant to predators and human disturbance. If disturbed, they often abandoned the nests immediately and no longer returned thereafter. The ambient temperature at night during the early brooding period of Sichuan Partridge at our study site was ~ 12.4 °C. Our findings suggest that hen Sichuan Partridges may make trade-offs between nest predation risks versus the thermoregulatory needs of their young. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Annual average NDVI demonstrate significant increasing trend in the three subregions. • NDVI values more than 0.8 mainly concentration on the 1049–2349 m, 947–2547 m, 617–2817 m in the three subregions. • The combination of extreme climate indices can better explain the NDVI change on the month and year scale in the three subregions. Southwest China (SWC) is a critical hotspot of biodiversity and highly sensitive to climate change. To better protect biodiversity, many National Nature Reserves have been established to maintain viable populations of species and minimize their habitat loss. However, the response of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in National Nature Reserves to extreme climate events has not been described. We analyzed NDVI changes and made several key observations: (1) from 1998 to 2019, annual average NDVI trends of 0.00421 yr−1, 0.00514 yr−1, and 0.00529 yr−1 were significantly increasing and NDVI values more than 0.8 were mainly concentrated at 1049–2349 m, 947–2547 m, 617–2817 m, in the National Nature Reserves of Hengduan Mountain (NNRHDM), Sichuan basin (NNRSCB), and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau (NNRYGP), respectively. The change trends in different altitude bins were more significant in the NNRYGP; (2) extreme cold (warm) indices significantly decreased (increased) in the NNRHDM, NNRSCB and NNRYGP, extreme precipitation indices increased in the NNRHDM, and decreased in the NNRSCB and NNRYGP; (3) the combination of extreme temperature indices can better explain NDVI change in the NNRSCB and NNRYGP, and the combination of extreme temperature and precipitation indices can better explain the NDVI change in the NNRHDM on the monthly scale. Overall, the NDVI green trend is more obvious in the NNRYGP than in the NNRHDM and NNRSCB, and is more sensitive to extreme climate change, especially extreme temperature. Our findings showed that although the National Nature Reserves have achieved remarkable results in conservation, future work should focus on the development of adaptation and alleviation strategies to prevent extreme climate events (especially extreme temperature events) that could promote vegetation degradation in these sensitive areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The West China Rain Zone (WCRZ; 25,000 km2) is a broad mountainous ecotone between the urbanized Sichuan Basin (SCB) and the rural Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). The WCRZ is rich in biodiversity and may be influenced by the air pollutants transported from the SCB towards the QTP. As air pollution can cause adverse effects on ecosystem health, this study investigated the fluxes, ecological risks, and sources of sulfur and nitrogen deposition by using a source-oriented community multiscale air quality (CMAQ) model for the entire WCRZ and its constituent national nature reserves in 2015. Results indicate that for sulfur (75%) and nitrogen (70%), the majority of the WCRZ area had annual total deposition fluxes higher than their critical loads. In addition, the annual volume-weighted mean (VWM) total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) wet deposition concentrations in almost the entire WCRZ exceeded the standard for total nitrogen of surface water in protected areas (0.2 mg N L−1). This exceedance is detrimental for the headwater watersheds that have precipitation as their sole water source. In each of the national nature reserves (NNRs), the average annual total deposition fluxes ranged between ~12–38 (sulfur) and ~ 15–38 kg S(N) ha−1 a−1 (nitrogen). About 40–100% (sulfur) and 5–85% (nitrogen) of the areas have annual total fluxes higher than the corresponding critical loads. Furthermore, the average VWM TIN concentration of wet deposition in each WCRZ NNR is higher than 0.2 mg N L−1. Therefore, sulfur and nitrogen deposition likely pose severe risks to some important natural ecosystems in the WCRZ. Based on the source apportionment results, to reduce sulfur and nitrogen deposition in the WCRZ, both SCB and non-SCB emissions should be controlled. In addition, the agricultural NH 3 emissions and the industrial and power plant SO 2 and NO x emissions should be reduced by larger extents than that of other sectors. This study provides a basis for future atmospheric and ecological observations in the WCRZ. [Display omitted] • Average annual deposition flux of sulfur (S) was 29.6 kg S ha−1 a−1 in the WCRZ. • Average annual deposition flux of nitrogen (N) was 33.0 kg N ha−1 a−1 in the WCRZ. • S and N deposition fluxes exceeded the critical loads in >70% of the WCRZ area. • S and N deposition likely pose severe risks to the WCRZ national nature reserves. • Both SCB and non-SCB emissions should be controled to reduce S and N depositon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]