Western Gansu Research Articles

Evaluation of the environmental factors influencing the quality of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus based on HPLC and the Maxent model

BackgroundIn recent years, global climate change in tandem with increased human activity has resulted in habitat degradation or the migration of rare medicinal plants, potentially impacting the quality of medicinal herbs. Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus is a valuable bulk medicinal material in Northwest China. As the demand for this medicinal herb continues to increase in both domestic and international markets, ensuring the sustainable development of high-quality Astragali Radix is important. In this study, the maximum entropy (Maxent) model was applied, thereby incorporating 136 distribution records, along with 39 environmental factors of A. membranaceus var. mongholicus, to assess the quality zonation and potential distribution of this species in China under climate change.ResultsThe results showed that the elevation, annual mean temperature, precipitation of wettest month, solar radiation in June, and mean temperature of warmest quarter were the critical environmental factors influencing the accumulation of astragaloside IV and Astragalus polysaccharide in A. membranaceus var. mongholicus. Among the twelve main environmental variables, annual mean temperature, elevation, precipitation of the wettest month, and solar radiation in November were the four most important factors influencing the distribution of A. membranaceus var. mongholicus. In addition, ecological niche modelling revealed that highly suitable habitats were mainly located in central and western Gansu, eastern Qinghai, northern Shaanxi, southern Ningxia, central Inner Mongolia, central Shanxi, and northern Hebei. However, the future projections under climate change suggested a contraction of these suitable areas, shifting towards northeastern high-latitude and high-elevation mountains.ConclusionsThe findings provide essential insights for developing adaptive strategies for A. membranaceus var. mongholicus cultivation in response to climate change and can inform future research on this species. By considering the identified environmental factors and the potential impacts of the predicted climate changes, we can visualize the regional distribution of high-quality Radix Astragali and develop conservation strategies to protect and restore its suitable habitats.

Spatio-Temporal Variation and Climatic Driving Factors of Vegetation Coverage in the Yellow River Basin from 2001 to 2020 Based on kNDVI

The Yellow River Basin (YRB) is a fundamental ecological barrier in China and is one of the regions where the ecological environment is relatively fragile. Studying the spatio-temporal variations in vegetation coverage in the YRB and their driving factors through a long-time-series vegetation dataset is of great significance to eco-environmental construction and sustainable development in the YRB. In this study, we sought to characterize the spatio-temporal variation in vegetation coverage and its climatic driving factors in the YRB from 2001 to 2020 by constructing a new kernel normalized difference vegetation index (kNDVI) dataset based on MOD13 A1 V6 data from the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. Using Theil–Sen median trend analysis, the Mann–Kendall test, and the Hurst exponent, we investigated the spatio-temporal variation characteristics and future development trends of the vegetation coverage. The climatic driving factors of vegetation coverage in the YRB were obtained via partial correlation analysis and complex correlation analysis of the associations between kNDVI and both temperature and precipitation. The results reveal the following: The spatial distribution pattern of kNDVI in the YRB showed that vegetation coverage was high in the southeast and low in the northwest. Vegetation coverage fluctuated from 2001 to 2020, with a main significant trend of increasing growth at a rate of 0.0995/5a. The response of vegetation to climatic factors was strong in the YRB, with a stronger response to precipitation than to temperature. Additionally, the main driving factors of vegetation coverage in the YRB were found to be non-climatic factors, which were mainly distributed in Henan, southern Shaanxi, Shanxi, western Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and eastern Gansu. The areas driven by climatic factors were mainly distributed in northern Shaanxi, Shandong, Qinghai, western Gansu, northeastern Inner Mongolia, and Sichuan. Our findings have implications for ecosystem restoration and sustainable development in the YRB.

Spatiotemporal variation of irrigation water requirements for grain crops under climate change in Northwest China.

Clarifying the spatiotemporal variation of crop irrigation water requirement (IWR) under the background of climate change is an essential basis for water resource management, determining the irrigation quota and adjusting the planting structure. Using 61years of climate data from 205 stations in Northwest China, this study investigated the spatiotemporal variations of climatic factors and IWR during the growth period of five main grain crops (spring wheat, winter wheat, spring maize, summer maize, and rice) and explored the dominant climatic driving factors of IWR variation. Results showed that (1) the IWR of grain crops showed distinct differences. Rice was the highest water consumption crop (mean of 753.78mm), and summer maize was the lowest (mean of 452.90mm). (2) The variation trends and average values of IWR of different grain crops have spatial heterogeneity across Northwest China. For most crops, high values and increasing trends of IWR were mainly located in eastern Xinjiang, western Gansu, and western Inner Mongolia. (3) Tmax (maximum temperature), Tmin (minimum temperature), and Peff (effective precipitation) showed an increasing trend during the growth period of each grain crop, while U10 (wind speed at 10m height), SD (solar radiation), and RH (relative humidity) presented decreasing trends. (4) SD, Tmax, and U10 promoted the increase of grain crops' IWR, while Peff and RH inhibited it. The impacts of climatic factors on the grain crop IWR differed among different regions. Peff was the most influential factor to the IWR of all grain crops in most areas. Therefore, under the premise of a significant increase in T and uncertain precipitation mode in the future, it is urgent to take effective water-saving measures according to the irrigation needs of the region. To cope with the adverse impact of climate change on the sustainable development of agriculture in the northwest dry area, to ensure regional and national food security.

Herbaceous eudicot Fairlingtonia from the Lower Cretaceous of Jiuquan Basin, Northwest China and its radiation in Laurasia

AbstractEudicots exhibit diverse life forms and occupy a wide variety of habitats in the modern terrestrial ecosystems, and the diversification began during the Early Cretaceous; however, few Early Cretaceous fossils are preserved as multiorgan whole plants that can provide sufficient morphological characters for detailed phylogenetic assessment. Here, Fairlingtonia microgyna sp. nov. is reported from the upper Lower Cretaceous of Zhonggou Formation, Hanxia Section, Yumen City, western Gansu Province, Northwest China. The specimen is exceptionally preserved as multiorgan whole plant fossil with fibrous adventitious roots, simple and deeply dissected leaves, solitary and dehiscent capsular fruits attached to the creeping stems. As such, it was interpreted as a herbaceous eudicot. Phylogenetic analyses support a placement within the Papaveraceae, most likely in Papaveroideae, but there are obvious differences in morphological characteristics, which cannot confirm the systematic position within the Papaveraceae. Fossil records of Fairlingtonia from contemporaneous deposits (late Aptian to early Albian) in Northwest China and eastern North America provide direct evidence of the geographical radiation of Fairlingtonia on Laurasia. And the morphological characters of F. microgyna, including creeping leafy branches, fibrous adventitious roots, small and deeply dissected leaves as well as small capsular fruits with tiny seeds probably indicate that it was a colonizer of lake‐shore environments under wet and bright conditions and possessed fast‐growing and rapid propagation habitats, which allowed it to expand its geographic range with both sexual and asexual reproduction.

Analysis of potential distribution of Spodoptera frugiperda in western China

• Over 60% of the areas in western China are suitable distribution areas of Spodoptera frugiperda . • More than 20% of the areas in western China are high suitable distribution area for Spodoptera frugiperda. • Greenhouses may raise the risk of Spodoptera frugiperda infestations in western China. Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a newly invaded pest that breaks out fast and severely, causes a serious threat to the national security of food production in China. In this study, the MaxEnt model was used to predict the potentially suitable distribution area of S. frugiperda in western China. The potential distribution of S. frugiperda was predicted using meteorological factors from the correlation analysis. According to the result, a satisfactory AUC value in the MaxEnt model indicates that the prediction model has good accuracy, which is sufficient for predicting the suitable distribution areas of S. frugiperda in western China. The prediction results show that the potential distribution risk of S. frugiperda is high in western Gansu, eastern Qinghai, Shaanxi, most regions of Ningxia, and part regions of Tibetan, and the most suitable areas for S. frugiperda in Xinjiang are Hami, Ili, Urumqi, Hotan and Aksu, and more than 60% of western China are suitable distribution areas for S. frugiperda . Western China is one of the main wheat and corn producing areas in China. Clarifying the potential geographical distribution of S. frugiperda in western China is essential for early warning as well as prevention and control.

Directional wind energy assessment of China based on nonparametric copula models

The joint probabilistic density functions (JPDF) of wind speed and direction are important prerequisites for directional wind energy assessment (DWEA). Based on the beta boundary kernel and the optimal bandwidth algorithm in the R programs, a nonparametric copula model (NP-copula) for the JPDF of wind vector data is proposed for DWEA in China. Eight parametric models, including five parametric copula models, two angle-linear (AL) models, and the anisotropic Gaussian model, are introduced for comparison. The three-year daily-average wind vector forecast data of mainland China (total 6019 nodes) is adopted for comparisons at the regional scale. The comprehensive metric value reaches 4.9669 (full score 5), indicating that the NP-copula model has the superior performance in fitting JPDF of wind vector data. Subsequently, the DWEA for China, including the estimations of direction-related wind power density (WPD) and wind turbine power output (WTPO), is carried out using the proposed NP-copula model. The estimated values of WPD and WTPO have good consistency with the reference values, indicating that the DWEA based on the NP-copula model is reliable. It is found that the regions with the most abundant wind resources are concentrated at the southeast coastal region, some western provinces, and the central and eastern regions of Inner Mongolia. The average values of WPD and WTPO could reach (or exceed) 240 and 5 GWh, respectively. Besides the average values, the direction-related WPD and WTPO are also identified based on the NP-copula model. For example, the wind resources at the southeast coastal region are concentrated at the S and SW directions. For the southern Xinjiang and western Gansu provinces, wind resources with SW and W directions are dominant. These results might be useful for the wind farm site selection, as well as the design and condition monitoring of wind turbine systems in China.

The spatial-temporal patterns of heatwave hazard impacts on wheat in northern China under extreme climate scenarios

Revealing the future spatial-temporal patterns of heatwave impacts on crops due to global climate change is of great scientific significance for climate change-related agricultural hazards prevention. However, the prediction of future wheat heatwave considering the planting distribution, growth period of wheat, as well as heatwave frequencies, days, and intensities remain poorly understood. In this paper, using predicted meteorological data of the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) scenario from 2011 to 2099 as well as a set of indicators that include heatwave days, frequencies and effective accumulative high temperatures, a comprehensive evaluation was performed to characterize the spatial-temporal variability of the heatwave hazard impacts on wheat in northern China under extreme climate scenarios. The results indicate that heatwaves across the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, Xinjiang, western Gansu and the agro-pastoral ecotone are most frequent in the long-term. Heatwaves show significant increasing trends with regard to future occurrence frequency, days and intensities. The heatwave hazard on the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, Northeast China, and the agro-pastoral ecotone shows a rapid growth trend, and there is a clear transition from relatively low heatwave hazard to a higher hazard. We argue that the continuous increase in heatwaves may pose a great threat to wheat production in northern China.

Spatiotemporal Variation Characteristics of Vegetative PUE in China from 2000 to 2015

Vegetative precipitation-use efficiency (PUE) is a key indicator for evaluating the dynamic response of vegetation productivity to the spatiotemporal variation in precipitation. It is also an important indicator for reflecting the relationship between the water and carbon cycles in a vegetation ecosystem. This paper uses data from MODIS Net Primary Production (NPP) and China’s spatial interpolation data for precipitation from 2000 to 2015 to calculate the annual value, multiyear mean value, interannual standard deviation, and interannual linear trend of Chinese terrestrial vegetative PUE over the past 16 years. Based on seven major administrative regions, eleven vegetation types, and four climate zones, we analyzed the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of China’s vegetative PUE. The research results are shown as follows: (1) China’s vegetative PUE shows obvious spatial variation characteristics, and it is relatively stable interannually, with an overall slight increasing trend, especially in Northwest and Southwest China. The vegetative PUE is higher, and its stability is declined in Xinjiang, western Gansu, and the southern Tibetan valley. The vegetative PUE is lower, and its stability is increased in northeastern Tibet and southwestern Qinghai. An increasing trend in vegetative PUE is obvious at the edge of the Tarim Basin, in western Gansu, the southern Tibetan valley, and northwestern Yunnan. (2) There is a significant difference in the PUEs among different vegetation types. The average PUE of Broadleaf Forest is the highest, and the average PUE of Alpine Vegetation is the lowest. The stability of the PUE of Mixed Coniferous and Broadleaf Forest is declined, and the stability of the PUE of Alpine Vegetation is increased. The increasing speed of the PUE of Grass-forb Community is the fastest, and the decreasing speed of the PUE of Swamp is the fastest. (3) There is a significant difference in the PUEs among different vegetation types in the same climate zone, the difference in vegetative PUE in arid and semiarid regions is mainly affected by precipitation, and the difference in vegetative PUE in humid and semihumid regions is mainly affected by soil factors. The PUEs of the same vegetation type are significantly different among climate zones. The average PUE of Cultural Vegetation has the largest difference, the stability of the PUE of Steppe has the largest difference, and the increasing speed of the PUE of Swamp has the largest difference.

From First-Person to Third-person Narrative, and then to Hakka Ballad: From “Tang Xuan shouji” (Tang Xuan’s Manuscript Notes) To “Tang Xuan” To “Tang Xian ji” (The Story of Tang Xian)

From First-Person to Third-person Narrative, and then to Hakka Ballad: From “Tang Xuan shouji” (Tang Xuan’s Manuscript Notes) To “Tang Xuan” To “Tang Xian ji” (The Story of Tang Xian) Wilt L. Idema (bio) Wilt L. Idema Harvard University Wilt L. Idema Wilt L. Idema (b. 1944) obtained his Ph.D. from Leiden University in 1974. He taught at Leiden University (1970–1999) and Harvard University (2000–2013). His research has mostly focused on traditional Chinese vernacular literature. He has published widely on early Chinese drama (with Stephen H. West) and on Chinese women’s literature (with Beata Grant). In recent years he also has completed several volumes of translations of traditional Chinese song narrative and prosimetric literature. His most recent publications include The Resurrected Skeleton: From Zhuangzi to Lu Xun (New York: Columbia University Press, 2015); Passion, Poverty, and Travel: Traditional Hakka Songs and Ballads (Hackensack: World Century, 2015); The Metamorphosis of Tianxian pei: Local Opera under the Revolution (1949–1956) (Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 2015); The Immortal Maiden Equal to Heaven and Other Precious Scrolls from Western Gansu (Amherst, NY: Cambria Press, 2015); and Records of the Three Kingdoms in Plain Language (with Stephen H. West; Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 2016). Correspondence to: Wilt L. Idema, Harvard University, Leiden, The Netherlands. Email: idema@fas.harvard.edu. Footnotes 1. Li Fang 李昉 comp., Taiping guangji 太 平廣 記 (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1961), juan 332, pp. 2635–38. 2. See Li Jianguo 李劍國, Tang Wudai zhiguai chuanqi xulu 唐五代志怪傳奇敘錄 (Notes on anomaly tales and chuanqi stories of the Tang and Five dynasties; Tianjin: Nankai daxue, 1993), pp. 156–57 (on “Tang Xuan” and its circulation) and 489–93 (on Tongyou ji), and idem, “Tangdai chuanqi jiaodu zhaji (er)” 唐代傳奇校讀札記 (二) (Notes on the collation of Tang dynasty chuanqi tales [number 2]), Wenxue yichan 文學遺產 (Literary heritage) 2015.5: 41 (on “Tang Xuan”). Although Li actually uses “Tang Xuan shouji” as the name of his entry on “Tang Xuan” in his book, he admits “the original title was not that, it is already not possible to know” (fei yuanti rushi, ti yi bu ke zhi 非原題如是, 題已不可知). 3. A detailed English-language summary of the tale is provided by Daniel Hsieh in his Love and Women in Early Chinese Fiction (Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 2008), pp. 189–91. Hsieh treats the story as an example of conjugal love surviving even after death. 4. These particular daowang shi 悼 亡 詩 (poems lamenting the departed) have been treated in discussions of this genre during the Tang. See Hu Xu 胡旭, Daowang shi shi 悼亡詩史 (Shanghai: Dongfang chuban she, 2010), pp. 95–97; Shu Hongxia 舒紅霞 and Gao Haiyang 高海洋, “‘Duchou taoli jie, bu gong yequan kai’: Tangdai daowangshi de shikong miaoxie” 獨愁桃李節, 不共夜泉開: 唐代悼亡詩的時空描寫 (Saddened on my own that in the season of peach and plum,/ I am unable to bloom with you in the other world [this couplet actually comes from the first of Tang Xuan’s two poems to his dead wife]: The description of time and space in poetic laments for the departed), Bianjiang jingji yu wenhua 邊疆經濟與文化 (The economy and literature of the borders) 2012.11: 50–51. 5. Chen Ruoshui 陳弱水, “Cong “Tang Xuan” kan Tangdai shizu shenghuo yu xintai de jige fangxiang” 從唐晅看唐代士族生活與心態的幾個方向 (Looking at several tendencies in Tang dynasty gentry life and mentality from “Tang Xuan”), Xin shixue 新史學 (New historiography) 10.2 (June 1996): 1–27. 6. This translation was first published as Anonymous, “Tale of Tang Xian,” Wilt L. Idema, tr., Taiwan Literature: English Translation Series 31/32 (2013): 225–44. A slightly revised version was included in Wilt L. Idema, Passion, Poverty, and Travel: Traditional Hakka Songs and Ballads (Hackensack, NJ: World Century, 2015), pp. 109–26. 7. “Xian” and “Xuan” are easily interchanged in Southern dialects. For instance, the male protagonists in versions of the legend of the White Snake is known both as Xu Xuan 許宣 and Xu Xian 許仙. 8. Anonymous, “Tale of Tang Xian,” p. 242. 9. Qiu Chunmei, Taiwan Kejia shuochang wenxue “zhuanzai” yanjiu, p. 276. Copyright © 2018 The Permanent Conference on Chinese Oral and Performing Literature, Inc.

Incubation strategies of the Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) in relation to ambient temperature and time of day

BackgroundThe behavior of cranes reflects many of their survival strategies, but little has been known of the incubation strategies of cranes, in which both parents share incubation duties, in response to cold temperatures in alpine environments. The lack of information may restrict the effective conservation of the threatened Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis), a biparental bird nesting in high elevation wetlands.MethodsWe directly observed and used infrared video cameras from 2014 to 2015 to study the incubation behavior and quantitatively measured the frequency and details of egg turning behavior in the Black-necked Crane at the Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve in western Gansu Province, China.ResultsAt lower ambient temperatures in the morning, crane parents spent more time on the nest with less recess frequency and prolonged on-bout duration, while at higher temperatures around noon, the parents had more frequent recesses from incubation and shorter periods between nest exchanges. They adjusted the amount of time incubating by varying the recess frequency and the length of on-bout duration. Mean nest attendance and egg turning frequency of females were significantly higher than those of the males. The nest attendance and on-bout duration of females showed a significantly negative relationship with those of males. The two parents responded differently to the change of temperature. Females spent more time on the nest at lower morning temperatures, while males increased their time on the nest at higher temperatures after noon. Higher incubation recess frequency and egg turning frequency were observed at noon, probably because parents spent more time foraging, taking advantage of the lower egg cooling rate.ConclusionBoth Black-necked Crane parents in the alpine environment adjusted their behavior in response to the thermal requirements of eggs and the weather conditions experienced. Our findings demonstrate that parents of this species incubated in different but complementary ways and efficiently enhanced egg care in a dynamic environment, so as to maximize benefits from the warm portion of the day and the intense solar radiation while minimizing the cost of rewarming eggs and the risks of cooling eggs.

The Immortal Maiden Equal to Heaven and Other Precious Scrolls from Western Gansu

Wilt Idema is well-known to readers of CHINOPERL—or should be—for his dedication to translating fiction and verse intended for popular audiences. When students of traditional Chinese culture finall...

The Immortal Maiden Equal to Heaven and Other Precious Scrolls from Western Gansu

The Immortal Maiden Equal to Heaven and Other Precious Scrolls from Western Gansu

Idema, Wilt L., translated and introduced, The Immortal Maiden Equal to Heaven and Other Precious Scrolls from Western Gansu

Idema, Wilt L., translated and introduced, The Immortal Maiden Equal to Heaven and Other Precious Scrolls from Western Gansu

The Immortal Maiden Equal to Heaven and Other Precious Scrolls from Western Gansu by Wilt L. Idema

The Immortal Maiden Equal to Heaven and Other Precious Scrolls from Western Gansu by Wilt L. Idema

Climatic suitability of spring maize planted in the "sickle bend" area of China and regulation suggestion

The "sickle bend" area is a typical dry farming and excellent livestock development area, with fragile ecological environment. It includes 13 provinces (autonomous regions) in the north and the southwest of China. The climate suitability and the climatic potential productivity of spring maize from 1981 to 2010 in this area were quantitatively assessed. The daily data from 650 meteorological stations and grid data (1 km×1 km) in the "sickle bend" area from 1981 to 2010, and recognized indicators of agricultural meteorology were used in this study. The agro-ecological zoning mo-del (AEZ) which was currently very popular in estimating crop climatic potential productivity internationally was also applied, as well as land use classification information monitoring from satellite remote sensing. Then, based on biological characteristics of spring maize and agricultural climate resources, scientific countermeasures on reasonably adjusting agricultural production structure in subsuitable and unsuitable areas were proposed. The results showed that: 1) the climatic potential productivity of spring maize in the northern growing areas showed the "big-medium-smaller-small" distribution pattern from the east to the west from 1981 to 2010. However, the climatic potential productivity of spring maize in the southern growing areas had no significant distribution law, fluctuating between "smaller" and " medium " in general. 2) It presented the "most suitable-suitable-subsuitable-unsuitable" distribution pattern from the southeast to the northwest in the northern maize growing region of the "sickle bend" area on the whole from 1981 to 2010. In contrast, the southern planting area showed the "unsuitable-subsuitable-suitable-most suitable" distribution pattern from the southeast to the northwest. The most suitable and suitable planting areas of spring maize were mainly located in the most areas of Northeast China and North China, and the southeastern areas of Northwest China. The subsuitable or unsuitable regions mainly included Inner Mongolia, northern Xinjiang, western Gansu and Guangxi. 3) The most suitable planting area of spring maize was the largest (47%), followed by subsuitable area (23%), unsuitable area (17%) and suitable area (13%). 4) According to the analysis of climatic conditions, we proposed to mainly decrease the spring maize planting in the subsuitable and unsuitable areas. These subsuitable and unsuitable regions were low climatic potential productivity areas, including the arid windstorm region of Northwest, the cold area of Northeast, agro-pastoral area and the rocky desertification region of Southwest.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of TOMS-based dust aerosol optical depth in northern China during 1978–2005

Using the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) earth satellites, the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) as indicated by AOD Index (AI) for the period 1978–2005 is analyzed for northern China. The spatial distribution of annual mean AI has the largest values in the desert regions of northwestern China, such as southern Xinjiang Taklimakan Basin, western Gansu and Qinghai’s Qaidam Basin. Large values are found in western Inner Mongolia, the Jogger Basin, and north of the Loess Plateau, as well as in the North China and Northeast China Plains. In Northern China, the AI of spring and summer is larger than in other seasons. The large AI values in spring register the most extensive coverage, but the AI values in regions affected by the Asian monsoon experience a significant decrease during the summer season. The lowest AI values generally occur in autumn in North and Northeast China, but they appear in winter in the northwestern arid region. Overall, the analysis results using TOMS AI data well reflect the spatiotemporal characteristics of dust aerosol as reported previously based on the dust weather observation data, with greater consistency seen in northwestern arid and semi-arid regions. It is also realized that the TOMS AI data are potentially useful for estimating atmospheric mineral aerosol deposition flux in northern China in order to better understand the formation and evolution of China loess in the Quaternary.

A Fuzzy Linear Optimization Investigation for Cropping Patterns and Virtual Water Transfers under Water Scarcity in Gansu Province, Northern China

Water scarcity is occurring worldwide due to factors including climate change, population increases, and economic activity. The situation is most severe in arid areas. Based on a water supply stress index and virtual water for production, a fuzzy linear programming model is used to provide a set of solutions that contain a range of possible values rather than a specific optimal solution. The model is used to investigate cropping patterns that can obtain acceptable stress levels on local water resources for both current and future climate scenarios. Results in Gansu Province indicate that existing cropping patterns are causing extreme stress on local water resources, especially in eastern Gansu, and the stress will continue in the future if cropping patterns are not adjusted. The optimization model indicates that a considerable amount of water used is not necessarily needed, and deficits of virtual water demands can be covered by virtual water transfers. Optimal cropping patterns show that in the current scenario, total cropping areas in eastern Gansu should be reduced by up to 55% to attain acceptable water stress, and 24.2 and 22.5% for western Gansu and mid Gansu, respectively. The enormous cropping reduction in certain crops and the relatively larger decreases of cropping areas in the eastern region are indicated as a direction, to improve the balance between irrigation and municipal water needs. Virtual water transfer analysis shows that mid Gansu can be a major export region, while eastern Gansu will require large amounts of virtual water imports.

Hazards on Dujiangyan-Wenchuan Highways Induced by Catastrophic Debris Flows on July 10 2013 and Prevention

After the Wenchuan Earthquake on May 12 2008, the highways from Dujiangyan to Wenchuan, a crucial passage from Chengdu to Sichuan Western Plateau and Gansu province, are always seriously endangered by landslides, debris flows and their following hazards. Hundreds of debris flows from watersheds, gullies and slopes on July 10 2013 produced fatal hazards and destruction on the Highway G213 and the Express Highway from Yingxiu to Wenchuan. The debris flows are characterized by numerous-occurrence, large flux (645~2238m3/s) and large magnitude (5~126×104m3) as well as the hazard chain process which is composed of debris flow, dammed lake and outburst flood. The highways were seriously destructed and blocked in 16 sites, which were induced by 6 collapsed bridges, 3 submerged bridges, 3 buried tunnel entrances, 1 site collapsed highway base and 7 sites buried highway base or bridges, and the traffic was completely interrupted. Based on analyzing the destruction modes of highways, it was found that the large-scale and potential debris flows and the irrational location of some sections, vulnerable protection measures and low resistant capability of highways against debris flows were responsible for huge highway destructions. Considering the active debris flows in the future at least 5~10 years, it was strongly suggested that potential debris flow identification, integrated management of disastrous watershed, dangerous road line altering, increasing and strengthening protection constructions at dangerous section and improving highway reconstruction standard should be carried out for highway protection and traffic security.

Structure and affinities of Athrotaxites yumenensis sp. nov. (Cupressaceae) from the Lower Cretaceous of northwestern China

Compressions of leafy twigs, pollen cones and seed cones of Athrotaxites yumenensis C. Dong et B.N. Sun sp. nov. (Cupressaceae) are abundant in certain layers of the Lower Cretaceous Zhonggou Formation in western Gansu Province, northwestern China. The leafy branches are stiff and ascending. The leaves are scale-like, spirally arranged and closely appressed to the stem. The seed cones are located terminally, globular, with 8–11 helically arranged bract-scale complexes. The bracts are intimately fused with, and more massive than, the seed-bearing portion, and each scale has two seeds. The seeds are oval, 0.9–1.1 mm long and 1 mm wide with two wings derived from the seed coat. A single pollen cone occurs at the ends of the ordinary branches with 10–16 microsporophylls. The microsporophylls are wedge-shaped and spirally arranged. Terminal microsporophylls fall away from the cone axis after pollen dispersal. The pollen sacs are ovate and produced more than 20 pollen grains per sac. The pollen grains are spherical, lack air bladders and have small germinal papilla and pores. Compared to the extant Tasmanian genus Athrotaxis in morphological, structural and cuticular features of leafy shoots, as well as seed cones and pollen cones, the study fossil consistently shares many characteristics with the extant genus, especially the extant species Athrotaxis cupressoides, but differs from it in other aspects; thus, it has been placed in a new genus. The similar characteristics, however, suggest that the fossil has the closest affinity with the extant Athrotaxis cupressoides. A detailed comparison of leaf morphology and the macro- and microstructure of the pollen and seed cones with related fossil species of Athrotaxis and Athrotaxis-like species reveals that the present fossil is a new species. Additionally, the occurrence of the fossil in the Zhonggou Formation and its similar characteristics with another fossil species, Athrotaxites berryi, suggests that Athrotaxites yumenensis sp. nov. might be an intermediate between Athrotaxites berryi and the extant Athrotaxis and that the new species is more closely aligned with extant Athrotaxis than with Athrotaxites berryi.

Continuous in vitro cultivation of a recently identified Babesia that infects small ruminants in China

Babesia sp. Xinjiang was isolated from a splenectomised sheep infested by Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Hylomma anatolicum anatolicum, collected from sheep and cattle in Xinjiang province. It was considered to be a novel ovine Babesia species on the basis of its morphology, pathogenicity, vector tick species and alignments of 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) and internal transcribed spacers (ITS) gene sequences. Continuous in vitro cultures of the ovine parasite were established using infected sheep blood. In RPMI 1640 medium with 7.5% sheep red blood cells (RBCs) maintained in an incubator at 37°C and 5% CO2, the percentage of parasitized erythrocytes (PPE) peaked at 10% in 24- and 6-well plates. It increased to 20–50% with the same culture medium but with 2.5% RBC in 75cm2 flasks. Two clonal lines of Babesia sp. Xinjiang were screened using the limiting dilution method. Growth characteristics of these lines in vitro were measured by a microtiter-based spectrophotometric method and from the PPE. The generation time in sheep erythrocytes was between 15.20h and 16.27h. Furthermore, the host range of parasite was identified with in vitro culture and in vivo infection. Erythrocytes of sheep, cattle, sika deer and humans could be invaded into by lines in vitro, but the parasites could not propagate in human erythrocytes. The parasites could not enter erythrocytes from goats in vitro. However, in vivo, only sheep could be infected by lines. Finally, a Babesia sp. Xinjiang-like parasite (which shared 99.5% identity with the original strain of Babesia sp. Xinjiang) was isolated using this in vitro culture system from 1 of 19 sheep blood samples collected from western Gansu province, China.