South-north Pattern Research Articles

Between decolonization and recolonization: investigating Chinese doctoral students in Malaysia as a case of global South-South student mobility.

International student mobility has traditionally witnessed a global South-North pattern. In recent years, a shift has occurred as the appeal of alternative geographies waxes, with Malaysia being an exemplar of inbound student mobility destination. To facilitate a deep probe of the under-researched global South-South student mobility, this study utilized a qualitative method to delve into 10 Chinese doctoral students' emic perceptions of their sojourn in Malaysia. Guided by a theoretical framework incorporating decolonization and recolonization, this study unpacks how these sociohistorical forces penetrate into and shape the students' preparation and navigation of a doctoral sojourn. Findings of the study reveal that while taking advantage of the Southern niche to yield commensurate benefits, thereby delegitimizing the Western supremacy, the students' make-do mentality and self-subjugating resistance inadvertently reinforce the Western dominance. Besides, these macro effects generate interlocking and conflicting affective consequences, instilling simultaneously positivity and inclusivity, inferiority, and anxiety. Altogether, decolonization and recolonization are concretely registered at the emotional level and bear a broader social significance. This article concludes with an alert and a call to address covert yet compelling inequalities in international student mobility.

Geographical Patterns of Genetic Variation in Locoto Chile (Capsicum pubescens) in the Americas Inferred by Genome-Wide Data Analysis.

The locoto chile (Capsicum pubescens) is a regionally important food crop grown and marketed throughout the mid-highlands of South andCentral America, but little is known about its evolution and the diversity it harbours. An initial scan of genetic diversity and structure across its cultivation range was conducted, the first one using a genomic approach. The RAD-sequencing methodology was applied to a sampling of C. pubescens germplasm consisting of 67 accessions from different American countries, covering its range of distribution/cultivation on the continent. The RAD-seq SNP data obtained clustered the accessions into three major groups, with a high degree of admixture/reticulation among them. Moderate but significant differentiation and geographic structuration were found, depicting a south-north pattern in the distribution of genetic variation. The highest levels of diversity were found among central-western Bolivian individuals, while the lowest was found across Central America-Mexican germplasm. This study provides new genome-wide supported insights into the diversity and differentiation of C. pubescens, as well as a starting point for more efficient use of its genetic variation and germplasm conservation efforts. The findings also contribute to understanding the evolutionary history of C. pubescens, but further investigation is needed to disentangle its origin and diversification under domestication.

Middle-Late Miocene paleoenvironmental evolution and its implications for hominoid distribution in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau

The discovery of hominoids dated to the Middle–Late Miocene in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau (SE TP) has attracted widespread attention and highlighted the significance of the SE TP as an important refuge for hominoids. However, research on the living environment of hominoids in the region has primarily focused on the Late Miocene, and there are solely few earlier records on earlier migrations. A recently investigated sedimentary sequence within the Xiaolongtan Basin in the SE TP, which contains two hominoid-bearing levels dated respectively to 12.5 Ma and 11.7 Ma, provides a unique window to characterize and understand the living environment that attracted hominoids to the region. The clay mineral, geochemical and sedimentary analyses of the sequence, characterized by the highest kaolinite content and chemical weathering intensity and the coeval occurrence of thick lignite layers during ∼ 12.6–11.6 Ma, suggest that the climate when hominoids occupied the area was hot with higher humidity compared to the preceding and succeeding intervals. A spatiotemporal analysis of the hominoid distribution in the SE TP and the adjacent Indo-China Peninsula indicates a north–south–north pattern of movement, with their ages of ∼ 13–12.5 Ma, ∼11 to 8–7 Ma, and after ∼ 8–7 Ma. These movements accord roughly with the timing of the advance and retreat of the South Asian monsoon (SAM). We therefore infer that, against the overall cooling climatic trend of the Middle–Late Miocene, the increased precipitation and flourishing vegetation promoted by the SAM expansion, was the principal factor that attracted the hominoids to the region. Overall, our results provide new insights into the relationship between the paleoenvironment and hominoid migration/settlement.

Social Exclusion and Convergence in the EU: An Assessment of the Europe 2020 Strategy

Economic convergence has long been a declared objective of the EU and considered the fundamental mechanism for achieving socioeconomic cohesion. The recent economic crisis had an uneven impact across EU countries and brought a halt to the process of economic and social convergence. In response to this situation, the Europe 2020 strategy, launched in 2010, aimed to deliver social and territorial cohesion in the Member States. In this paper we evaluate the poverty and social exclusion pillar of the Europe 2020 strategy by analysing whether it has promoted convergence across the EU countries in the indicators devised to capture risk of poverty, severe material deprivation, and the number of persons living in households with very low work intensity. Our results for all three rates indicate that convergence occurs in heterogeneous clubs that do not follow a geographic east‒west or south‒north pattern. Convergence within each club, especially for the severe deprivation rate, takes place by means of a catching-up process, with Eastern European levels converging on the Western levels. Finally, not only is there club convergence, but there is no tendency for the clubs to convergence. Poverty and social cohesion indicators show a multi-speed Europe, casting doubt on the sustainability of the overall convergence process in the EU.

Comparison of range-wide chloroplast microsatellite and needle trait variation patterns in Pinus mugo Turra (dwarf mountain pine)

In this study, range-wide genetic variation was analysed in 553 Pinus mugo Turra (dwarf mountain pine) individuals from 21 locations using 11 chloroplast microsatellites. Our main goal was to assess the spatial distribution of neutral genetic variation. We also used data from a previous study on the morphological variation of needles from 18 stands of P. mugo. In total, 22 needle characteristics were reanalysed and compared to microsatellite data to describe the distribution of morphological variation in the context of neutral genetic variation. We hypothesised that the chloroplast microsatellite and needle trait variation patterns would not entirely overlap. The results indicate the recent divergence of P. mugo populations derived from a formerly larger distribution. We identified 4 genetic and 3 morphological clusters whose spatial distribution overlapped only to some extent. The distribution of genetic variation showed a south-north pattern with signs of admixture in the Alps and Carpathians. Two south-westernmost stands from Italy were evidently isolated from the others. In contrast, morphological variation tended to display a west-east pattern. A separate group based on needle traits was formed mostly by eastern stands and was not observed by microsatellite analysis. In addition, a few needle characteristics significantly correlated with longitude and climate variables. These findings suggest that eastern populations of P. mugo may be of different origin and/or that some needle characteristics may be adaptively important in these locations. The potential roles of past demographic events, phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation in shaping the patterns of genetic and morphological variation in P. mugo are discussed.

The Internationalization of African Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): A South-North Pattern

Despite the growing internationalization of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from Africa, related research remains limited. Adopting a qualitative approach, this study investigates three SMEs in the African coffee subsector that internationalized rapidly beyond the continent. The case studies, based on interview and secondary information, shed light on the antecedents, timing, strategies, modes and consequences of the SMEs’ South-North internationalization. The cases also generate understanding of how various elements of SMEs’ foreign expansion compare with those of previously studied firms. Our analysis reveals that an understanding of SME internationalization is attainable by integrating multiple theoretical foundations (i.e., the Uppsala model, Linkage-Leverage-Learning framework, and Network theory). We develop testable propositions and conclude by providing managerial and policy implications, highlighting limitations, and suggesting directions for future research.

Mating system patterns of natural populations of Pinus koraiensis along its post-glacial colonization route in northeastern China.

To understand the genetic mechanisms underlying the endangerment of Pinus koraiensis, we studied the mating system of 49 families of this species in 3 natural populations along its post-glacial colonization route across ~1500 km in northeastern China using the chloroplast simple sequence repeat technique. We analyzed 11 polymorphic loci with clear and repeating bands, and we calculated the multi-locus outcrossing rate (tm), single-locus outcrossing rate, inbreeding index, and fixation index (F). Intra-population variation was not observed, but a large inter-population variation was observed in the outcrossing rate, and the tm increased from 0.767 (the south population) to 0.962 (the north population) along the post-glacial colonization route. The tm values within a population did not change with time over 2 consecutive years. The F values for the 3 populations were <0, which indicates an excess of heterozygotes. The mean effective number of alleles, Shannon diversity index, and Nei's genetic diversity index did not show a south-north pattern. The north population had the highest outcrossing rate but the lowest genetic diversity. The average genetic differentiation of P. koraiensis populations was 0.1251, which was within the average range of woody plants with outcrossing and wind pollination. This study suggests that the current endangerment of P. koraiensis is not related to its genetic structure; perhaps it is mainly caused by man-made and natural disturbances such as deforestation and fire. Therefore, reducing disturbances and enhancing habitats, rather than the genetic aspects, play more important roles in the long-term protection of P. koraiensis.

Phylogeography of the Vipera ursinii complex (Viperidae): mitochondrial markers reveal an east–west disjunction in the Palaearctic region

AbstractAim The aim of this study was to elucidate the phylogeographical pattern of taxa composing the Vipera ursinii complex, for which the taxonomic status and the dating of splitting events have been the subject of much debate. The objectives were to delimit potential refugia and to date splitting events in order to suggest a scenario that explains the diversification of this species complex.Location Western Europe to Central Asia.Methods Sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4) genes were analysed for 125 individuals from 46 locations throughout the distribution range of the complex. The phylogeographical structure was investigated using Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods. Molecular dating was performed using three calibration points to estimate the timing of diversification.Results Eighty‐nine haplotypes were observed from the concatenation of the two genes. Phylogenetic inferences supported two main groups, referred to in this study as the ‘ursinii clade’ and the ‘renardi clade’, within which several subclades were identified. Samples from Greece (Vipera ursinii graeca) represented the first split within the V. ursinii complex. In addition, three main periods of diversification were revealed, mainly during the Pleistocene (2.4–2.0 Ma, 1.4 Ma and 1.0–0.6 Ma).Main conclusions The present distribution of the V. ursinii complex seems to have been shaped by Quaternary climatic fluctuations, and the Balkan, Caucasus and Carpathian regions are identified in this study as probable refugia. Our results support a south–north pattern of colonization, in contrast to the north–south colonization previously proposed for this complex. The biogeographical history of the V. ursinii complex corroborates other biogeographical studies that have revealed an east–west disjunction (situated near the Black Sea) within a species complex distributed throughout the Palaearctic region.

Spatial and temporal density dependence regulates the condition of central Baltic Sea clupeids: compelling evidence using an extensive international acoustic survey

AbstractFor the first time an international acoustic survey dataset covering three decades was used to investigate the factors shaping the spatial and temporal patterns in the condition of sprat and herring in the Baltic Proper. Generalized additive models showed that the spatial and temporal fluctuations in sprat density have been the main drivers of the spatio‐temporal changes of both sprat and herring condition, evidencing intra‐ and inter‐specific density dependence mediated by the size and distribution of the sprat population. Salinity was also an important predictor of herring condition, whereas temperature explained only a minor part of sprat model deviance. Herring density was an additional albeit weak significant predictor for herring condition, evidencing also intra‐specific density dependence within the herring population. For both species, condition was high and similar in all areas of the Baltic Proper until the early 1990s, coincident with low sprat densities. Afterwards, a drop in condition occurred and a clear south–north pattern emerged. The drop in condition after the early 1990s was stronger in the northern areas, where sprat population increased the most. We suggest that the increase in sprat density in the northern areas, and the consequent spatial differentiation in clupeid condition, have been triggered by the almost total disappearance of the predator cod from the northern Baltic Proper. This study provides a step forward in understanding clupeid condition in the Baltic Sea, presenting evidence that density‐dependent mechanisms also operate at the spatial scale within stock units. This stresses the importance of spatio‐temporal considerations in the management of exploited fish.

Liangzhu Culture and Taosi Culture: formation of the southnorth pattern of Chinese history

Liangzhu Culture and Taosi Culture: formation of the southnorth pattern of Chinese history

Ecological factors influencing the spatial pattern of Canada lynx relative to its southern range edge in Alberta, Canada

We examined the spatial pattern of Canada lynx ( Lynx canadensis Kerr, 1792) relative to its southern range edge at the boreal plains – prairie ecotone in Alberta, Canada. Relative to the original distribution of boreal forest in our study area, lynx range seems to have contracted up to 22%. In 100 km2 sampling areas, lynx occupancy rate increased 1.93 times every 100 km farther (north) from the range edge that we sampled. An information–theoretic approach was used to evaluate 31 models to see which environmental factors were the best predictors of this spatial pattern. Lynx were strongly correlated with track counts of their primary prey, the snowshoe hare ( Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777), but this did not explain the observed increase in occupancy farther north. Rather, lynx occupancy was lower in areas with higher road densities and this effect was magnified in areas where coyote ( Canis latrans Say, 1823) activity was highest. The inclusion of these effects rendered the south–north pattern no longer significant. The rapid pace of road building and associated development in Alberta’s boreal forest seems to be reducing habitat quality for Canada lynx, particularly at the southern edge of its range. This may be leading to range contractions for lynx in Alberta, much like has happened elsewhere in North America.