Human Population Numbers as a Function of Food Supply

Human population growth has typically been seen as the primary causative factor of other ecologically destructive phenomena. Current human disease epidemics are explored as a function of population size. That human population growth is itself a phenomenon with clearly identifiable ecological/biological causes has been overlooked. Here, human population growth is discussed as being subject to the same dynamic processes as the population growth of other species. Contrary to the widely held belief that food production must be increased to feed the growing population, experimental and correlational data indicate that human population growth varies as a function of food availability. By increasing food production for humans, at the expense of other species, the biologically determined effect has been, and continues to be, an increase in the human population. Understanding the relationship between food increases and population increases is proposed as a necessary first step in addressing this global problem. Resistance to this perspective is briefly discussed in terms of cultural bias in science.     

Increase in Skull Size of Red Fox (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vulpes vulpes</Emphasis>) in the Second Half of the XX Century in Northeastern Europe

Based on the skulls of red fox collected in northeastern Europe for 20 years, we obtained new data on directed temporal variation. The increase in skull size is closely related to an increase in the mean annual temperature, i.e., global warming. It was found for the first time that some skull traits increase at different rates, both within and between structural population groups. The phenomenon of increasing skull size with increases in the mean air temperature contradicts Bergmann’s rule. The causes of such increase are especially important for an understanding the adaptive role of processes in populations resulting from climate changes.     

Impacts of Suburbanization on Urban Eco-environment of Xi’an in China

Suburbanization in large cities is an important phenomenon in the process of urbanization development in China in recent decades,which plays a very important role in promoting city development,whereas some side effects on the eco-environment appeared at the same time.This paper,taking Xi’an City in China as a case study site,analyzed the features of population suburbanization and industry suburbanization and pointed out the impacts of suburbanization on urban eco-environment.Based on the research,suggestions of countermeasures for urban planning and municipal management of Xi’an City in protecting urban eco-environment and conserving natural ecology were put forward in the end.     

Expansion and Change of Rural Settlements in Traditional Agricultural Regions： Based on Village Investigation in Pingdu County

The rural settlements accounted for a great proportion of overall building land in China, but it still expanded in recent years along with urbanization and gradually decreasing rural population. To explore the reason for this phenomenon, an analysis has been made based on the investigation in a traditional agricultural region. This study found that socioeconomic factors, including the scale of families and its quantity, the improvement of rural public infrastructure, the change of population and the pressure of arable land, have effects on the expansion. The view on land tenure which has shaped in farmers minds in the long haul makes them dispose their houses cautiously, and this was the main cause of the fact that one household own more than one plot. In addition, the limitations of rural land institution are unconducive to inspiriting the transfer of farmers＇ building land and redevelopment of the idle housing land.     

Functional patterns of life activities of rodent populations in the winter season

The results of 37-year continuous monitoring of basic rodent population parameters (the example of bank vole) are reviewed and generalized using the functional-ontogenetic approach. The role of the environment in synchronizing changes in certain biological indices is demonstrated. A detailed analysis is made of the pattern of change in population parameters during overwintering, including minimization of most biological parameters in this period and its adaptive significance. It is shown that successful winter survival largely depends on the functional status of animals (the type of ontogeny) and also on photoregulation. Consideration is given to the phenomenon of winter breeding and its types in murine rodents. A scheme is presented that describes the integrated (generalized), unspecific adaptive reaction of the population in response to irregular, extreme impacts of natural factors and some (short-term) anthropogenic impacts.     

Impacts of Suburbanization on Urban Eco-environment of Xi’an in China

Abstract

Suburbanization in large cities is an important phenomenon in the process of urbanization development in China in recent decades, which plays a very important role in promoting city development, whereas some side effects on the eco-environment appeared at the same time. This paper, taking Xi’an City in China as a case study site, analyzed the features of population suburbanization and industry suburbanization and pointed out the impacts of suburbanization on urban eco-environment. Based on the research, suggestions of countermeasures for urban planning and municipal management of Xi’an City in protecting urban eco-environment and conserving natural ecology were put forward in the end.     

Calculation and decomposition of regional household energy consumption in China: based on perspectives of urbanization and residents’ consumption

Demographic urbanization caused great changes in scale of residents’ consumption and residents’ lifestyle and then impacted changes of regional household energy consumption. This paper expanded Logarithmic Mean Decomposition Index method through introducing variables of urbanization and residential consumption into the model. It also analyzed the influences of six factors as energy structure, energy intensity, population scale, urbanization, residential consumption, and consumption inhibit on regional household energy consumption. Results showed that in 2003–2012, impact of urbanization on regional household energy consumption of Chinese three areas was significantly higher than population size. The “population gathered in eastern region” phenomenon caused eastern region getting the largest population scale effect. Driving force of residential consumption on regional household energy consumption was much higher than the other five effects. Due to the comparative advantage of residential consumption compared with government consumption, investment, and net export, the decrease of consumption ratio promoted the growth of regional household energy consumption. Energy intensity in Chinese three regions kept reducing in 2003–2012. The progress of energy utilization technology slowed the growth of regional household energy consumption, and energy intensity effect was most significant in the central region.     

Population crash: prospects for famine in the twenty-first century

For centuries famine arose as a seemingly endless series of acute, regional and unanticipated events; it has transformed into a phenomenon, global in scale and continuous in nature. Half the world’s human population perpetually suffers some form of malnourishment, from either a scarcity of calories, protein or micronutrients or from a combination of these. Sheer population size has rendered the scale of suffering unprecedented. Perpetual famine has emerged during an era of abundant and relatively inexpensive soil, water and energy resources, improving crop yields, and a benign climate. However, the twentieth century trends of resource degradation, diminishing growth in crop yields and a warming atmosphere will likely continue, latently and perhaps synergistically impacting agricultural production, and therefore, threatening food security in the twenty-first century. Assuming some proportional relationship between food security and these resources, famine is here projected to greatly increase in the coming decades, severely impacting billions of people.     

The Method of Morphophysiological Indicators and Functional-Ontogenetic Approach to Solving Ecological Problems (Based on the Example of Splenomegaly in Rodents)

The productivity of the combined use of the method of morphophysiological indicators (MMPI) and functional-ontogenetic approach in population studies is shown based on the example of analysis of the phenomenon of splenomegaly (SM) in rodents. A solution of the problem of analysis of spleen with a giant variation range is proposed, namely, to analyze the spleen index separately for normal spleen and spleen with SM. It is shown that there is no morphophysiological peculiarity in individuals with different functional statuses in the studied states. It is established that SM does not significantly influence the processes of animal vital activity. The maximum proportion of animals with SM was recorded in reproducing groups, which is due to a high intensity of metabolic processes. It is proved that SM is infectious in the study area. Feral herd infection agents are identified and the mechanism of SM development is considered. The criteria for the correspondence of organs to morphophysiological indicators, as well as the use of spleen as an ecological indicator, are substantiated. All the obtained materials suggest the adaptation of the studied bank vole population to a long-term effect of the infectious factor, which was historically formed in the process of the long-term coevolution of the parasite-host system.

     

基于DMSP/OLS数据的江苏省城镇人口空间分异研究

人口空间分异研究是区域协调发展的基础,便捷准确地获取城镇人口全局和局域的空间信息,对于合理制定区域人口、经济和社会发展政策具有重要意义。在DMSP/OLS(夜间灯光)数据和人口数据之间的定量关联基础上,模拟出格网尺度上江苏省2012年人口密度,采用人口集中指数、空间变差函数识别人口分布的空间格局并探讨区别于行政单元尺度的人口格局形成机理。区域层面,江苏省人口空间分异呈现苏北地区"低密度点状"分布,苏南、苏中为"高密度面状"分布并存格局。城镇层面,江苏省人口空间分布结构具有4种类型,H-H型地区人口各向差异性最强,网格单元内随机变异最小;H-L型人口各向差异性最小,网格单元内随机变异较大;L-L型人口轴向均质化特征明显,网格单元随机变异较小;L-H型空间各向差异性较小,网格单元的随机变异最大。结果表明,基于DMSP/OLS夜间灯光数据反演而得到的人口格网模型具有巨大潜力,结合变差函数进行拟合分析可定量地刻画城镇内部人口分布的空间异质性特征。     

Prediction of primary energy demand in China based on AGAEDE optimal model

In this article,we present an application of Adaptive Genetic Algorithm Energy Demand Estimation(AGAEDE) optimal model to improve the efficiency of energy demand prediction.The coefficients of the two forms of the model(both linear and quadratic) are optimized by AGA using factors,such as GDP,population,urbanization rate,and RD inputs together with energy consumption structure,that affect demand.Since the spurious regression phenomenon occurs for a wide range of time series analysis in econometrics,we also discuss this problem for the current artificial intelligence model.The simulation results show that the proposed model is more accurate and reliable compared with other existing methods and the China's energy demand will be 5.23 billion TCE in 2020 according to the average results of the AGAEDE optimal model.Further discussion illustrates that there will be great pressure for China to fulfill the planned goal of controlling energy demand set in the National Energy Demand Project(2014—2020).     

长江经济带三大城市群城镇化与生态环境时空耦合特征

城市群作为多要素集聚空间,以城镇化与生态环境交互关系为代表的"人-地"耦合特征与规律有待深入探讨。立足于"人-地耦合"视角并构建指标体系,综合测度长江经济带三大城市群城镇化与生态环境耦合关系,并进行协调类型划分与主控因素的分析。研究发现:(1)城市群整体城镇化与生态环境耦合协调度达到0.38,空间依赖性较强,且高低聚类程度较高;(2)三大城市群城镇化与生态环境耦合关系存在阶段性差异,空间不均衡性较为显著;(3)城镇化与生态环境耦合关系的"协调型"特征具有多种类型,城镇化滞后型协调现象较为普遍,同时存在"弱势型"协调问题;(4)城市群整体城镇化与生态环境耦合关系主控因素在十年间由经济城镇化转为人口城镇化;长三角、长江中游和成渝三大城市群分别受到人口集聚、建设投资与工业污染的主导影响。     

长江经济带城镇化协同演化时空格局研究

在"一带一路"战略背景下,推动长江经济带发展是中国一项重大区域发展战略,全面把握其城镇化发展规律对于统筹谋划整个区域经济发展具有重要意义。选取2000~2013年长江经济带城镇常住人口、城镇建成区面积、二三产业增加值作为城镇化扩张指标,通过构建耦合协调模型,对其上中下游地区的人口城镇化、空间城镇化、产业城镇化耦合协调时空演化格局进行系统研究。研究表明:在时间维度上,长江经济带各地区城镇化耦合度整体呈上升趋势,但地区间耦合协调性差异特征依然存在,其上游城镇化耦合协调度波动最剧烈。长江经济带各地区"人口-空间"城镇化耦合协调度普遍滞后于"空间-产业"城镇化耦合协调度,空间城镇化快于人口城镇化过程,人口城镇化、空间城镇化、产业城镇化的协调性有待优化。在空间维度上,长江经济带各地区的"人口-产业"城镇化、"人口-空间"城镇化和"空间-产业"城镇化耦合协调性存在空间分异现象,总体呈东高西低态势。     

Economic analysis of effects on cultivated land following China's entry to the WTO

Inspired by the phenomenon of heavy reduction in the area of cultivated land following the entry of Korea and Japan to the WTO,countries with a large population and inadequate amount of cultivated land similar to China,this paper raises the problem of the potential effects on cultivated land in China following its entry to the WTO.The paper attempts analysis,using economic principles,of the effects of Chinese WTO membership on cultivated land from four aspects;tariff concessions,quota increment,comparative advantage,and the substitution principle.And the conclusion is mat China's entry to WTO may lead to a reduction in cultivated land.Finally,some countermeasures are proposed to resolve the problem.     

Chronological Dynamics of the Distribution of Wing Venation Anomalies in Intrapopulation Groups ofCalopteryx splendens Harr. Damselflies

Long-term dynamics of the numbers of complete (normal) veins, venation anomalies, and linear wing parameters were analyzed in male Calopteryx splendens Harr. damselflies from neighboring population groups. Correlation analysis showed that some anomalies may appear additionally to complete veins, whereas other anomalies are formed instead of them. The damselflies from the generations of even years proved to have significantly greater numbers of anomalies. A probable cause of this phenomenon was a sharp increase in the background radiation level in the summer of 1986, after the Chernobyl accident, which could lead to serious hereditary disturbances manifested in a series of generations. The results of the study show that the formation of wing venation anomalies in damselflies is a stochastic process, which is enhanced under the effect of both environmental and genetic stress. These anomalies may be regarded as markers characterizing the degree of stability of ontogenetic processes in the population, which essentially reflect specific genotypic traits of individual organisms. Analysis of wing venation anomalies appears to be a more precise instrument for assessing developmental stability than estimation of the levels of fluctuating asymmetry and general phenotypic variance.     

Anthrax in Yamal: An ecological view on traditional reindeer husbandry

The critical situation with traditional reindeer husbandry in the Yamal district of the Yamalo- Nenets Autonomous Area, indicated by an anthrax epizootic, is analyzed from an ecological viewpoint. The phenomenon of epizootic is regarded as an ecosystemic homeostatic mechanism operating to prevent excess population growth and maintain ecosystem integrity. The shutdown of this mechanism by means of vaccination, with the proportion of reindeer removed from slaughter remaining low, has resulted in an increased grazing load of rangelands and their consequent severe degradation. These events have been aggravated due to change in the type of ownership in reindeer husbandry during the reforms of the 1990s. The ecological situation is classified as critical, posing a real hazard to this particular ethnic form of economy. It is concluded that the period of extensive/expansive development of Yamal reindeer husbandry has come to an end. Sociopsychological attitudes of the Nenets, acquired when biological resources were abundant, contradict with the principles of ecosystem existence and functioning in the period of resource depletion. The maintenance of reindeer husbandry in the traditional form requires increasing material, labor, and financial investments, but positive results are unlikely to be obtained because of ecological constraints.     

Reproductive isolation and disruptive selection as factors of genetic divergence between Pinus sylvestris L. populations

Generalizations are made on the basis of results obtained in the course of long-term, stationary quantitative studies on phenogenetic divergence of P. sylvestris populations growing in an upland bog and the adjacent dry land area in the pre-forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia. Contrasting differences between the two edaphoecotopes and almost complete phenological reproductive isolation of populations from year to year are demonstrated. It has been found that root morphogenesis in the F ₁ progeny of pine from the bog population grown under uniform ecological conditions in the dry land area is characterized by elimination of the vertical phenotype, with the alternative lateral phenotype type being dominant in 7- to 22-year seedlings. Significant allozyme differentiation and distinct chorological boundary between the dry-land and bog populations have been revealed. The hypothesis of their genetic divergence in the Holocene is proposed, with this phenomenon being explained by the cumulative effect of disruptive selection and strict reproductive isolation in two contrasting environments.     

无锡就业人口时空格局演变之测度

就业变动与产业发展之间存在着不可分割的天然联系，研究无锡就业人口时空格局演变不仅可以间接揭示区域产业发展和布局状况，也可为引导人口和产业协调布局提供依据。为此，选择无锡为研究区域，应用1985~2010年统计年鉴数据与普查数据，通过空间基尼系数和空间自相关等方法，从整体和局部两个层次，梳理就业人口时空格局的演变过程并总结特征。结果表明：（1）就业人口总量增长、具有圈层结构和集聚特性，并表现出郊区化趋势；（2）第二产业就业人口郊区化特征明显，由集聚变为分散。轻工业、劳动密集型行业和高污染行业就业人口向城市北部移动，重工业、技术密集型行业和低污染行业就业人口向城市南部变动；（3）第三产业就业人口一方面总体表现为集聚态势，另一方面，表现为由中心向四周逐渐缓慢扩散的特征     

Effect of deep freezing of lakes on food supply in habitats of waterbirds

The phenomenon of bottom substrate exposure in deeply freezing lakes during the melting of ice in spring is described. It leads to the formation in the lake of a large temporary biotope—a combination of shoals and exposed portions of the silty bed—with a high trophic capacity for ducks, shorebirds, gulls, etc. The lake in such a state is a rich foraging area for nesting and migrating bird populations. This phenomenon, which is widespread in the Central Yakutian plain, is an ecological manifestation of cryoarid conditions developing in the plains due to extreme climate continentality.