Consistency of Distributional Boundaries between Species and Language —— Evidence from the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and Southwestern Mandarin

Consistency of Distributional Boundaries between Species and Language —— Evidence from the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and Southwestern Mandarin | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 9 January 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Consistency of Distributional Boundaries between Species and Language —— Evidence from the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and Southwestern Mandarin Authors : Shang Gao 0009-0007-2699-1278 [email protected] and Yiming Gao Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.173639058.85757021/v1 263 views 102 downloads Contents Abstract Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract This study examines the spatial congruence between the distribution of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and the prevalence of Southwestern Mandarin in China. Findings show a significant overlap, particularly along the northern boundary, influenced by environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and vegetation. Bamboo, crucial for panda survival, also plays a central role in the cultural practices of Southwestern Mandarin-speaking communities. This highlights the interplay between ecological and cultural aspects. The study suggests integrating linguistic data into conservation planning to enhance giant panda conservation efforts and extends the concept of sympatric distribution to languages, emphasizing the need for a broader exploration of species-language relationships. Title: Consistency of Distributional Boundaries between Species and Language —— Evidence from the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and Southwestern Mandarin Authors: Shang Gao 1 *†, Yiming Gao 2 † Affiliations: 1 College of Ecology, Lanzhou University; Lanzhou, 730000, China. 2 College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University; Harbin, 150040, China.*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] †These authors contributed equally to the study. Main Text: Emerging research reveals significant spatial congruence between biological and linguistic diversity, hinting at an underlying functional link shaped by environmental factors and historical contingencies. This has profound implications for the development of conservation strategies[1-2]. Ecological factors such as temperature, humidity, topography, altitude and vegetation influence the richness of species and languages at community and system levels[3-5]. For a particular species or language, these limiting factors determine their distribution boundaries.The giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ), as a flagship species in global conservation, is a key focus of conservation biology, and research on their habitat has received considerable attention. Recent studies have found that nearly 96% of giant panda habitats overlap with those of other mammals, such as takin ( Budorcas taxicolor ), Asiatic black bear ( Ursus thibetanus ), wild boar ( Sus scrofa ), and domestic cattle ( Bos taurus )[6-7]. Building on this ecological overlap, it is noteworthy to explore whether the distribution of the giant panda correlates with the prevalence of a particular language within these regions. We found that the distribution of giant pandas also highly overlaps with that of the Southwestern Mandarin, especially the consistency of its northern boundary.According to the most recent census, The 4th National Survey Report on Giant Panda in China, the number of extant wild giant pandas is 1,864, distributed across Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces, involving 49 districts and counties. Sichuan Province hosts the majority of the wild giant panda population, constituting 74.4%, while Shaanxi and Gansu provinces account for 18.5% and 7.1%, respectively[8]. Sichuan Province is located in southwestern China, and the language spoken in most areas of the province is Southwestern Mandarin, except for Tibetan, Yi, and Qiang, which are spoken by ethnic minorities in the western part of the province. In Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces, Zhongyuan Mandarin and Lan-Yin Mandarin are dominant in most areas[9-10]. But in the districts and counties where pandas are found in these two provinces, the prevailing language is still Southwestern Mandarin, or a hybrid of Southwestern Mandarin. Our analysis of the latest census data reveals that within the 43 counties where Southwestern Mandarin is predominant, a significant 1,587 giant pandas reside, constituting 85.14% of the panda population in these areas. There is increasing evidence from dialectological studies that the local dialects of Taibai, Yangxian, and Zhouzhi in Shaanxi Province, and Diebu and Zhouqu in Gansu Province are characterized by varying degrees of Southwestern Mandarin in their phonology, lexicology, and syntax.When hypothesizing about the drivers of distributional consistency, environmental factors are considered the primary determinants of boundaries. Existing evidence indicates that environmental factors, such as temperature, humidity, topography, elevation, and vegetation, which have been previously discussed for their significant constraints on species distribution and dispersal, also play a crucial role in shaping linguistic characteristics [11-12]. Notably, bamboo serves as a pivotal link between giant pandas and the Southwestern Mandarin. The survival of pandas is inextricably linked to bamboo, and similarly, the people of Sichuan, who speak Southwestern Mandarin, harbor a profound emotional and cultural reverence for bamboo. Historically, bamboo has been utilized for its multifunctionality in clothing, food, shelter, and transportation. On a spiritual level, the people of Sichuan exhibit a strong bamboo worship consciousness, evident in countless poetic works. The convergence of ecological and cultural aspects around bamboo illustrates the complex interplay between the natural environment and human societies, emphasizing the need for integrated conservation strategies that consider both biological and cultural dimensions.Harnessing insights from the observed distributional congruence, we advocate for the integration of linguistic data into conservation planning. This approach could refine the delineation of future field census work areas, potentially enhancing the efficacy of giant panda conservation efforts. The concept of sympatric distribution, traditionally applied to species, can be extended to languages. Furthermore, language distribution and spread may be more tangible and closely linked to the physical environment than previously recognized. Future research will delve into more detailed quantitative analyses and focus on a broader range of species to reveal the universal relationships between species distribution and language distribution. References and Notes [1]. Moore, J. L., Manne, L., Brooks, T., Burgess, N. D., Davies, R., Rahbek, C., … & Balmford, A. (2002). The distribution of cultural and biological diversity in Africa. Proceedings of the royal society of London. Series B: Biological sciences, 269(1501), 1645-1653. [2]. Turvey, S. T., & Pettorelli, N. (2014). Spatial congruence in language and species richness but not threat in the world’s top linguistic hotspot. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281(1796), 20141644. [3]. Hawkins, B. A., Field, R., Cornell, H. V., Currie, D. J., Guégan, J. F., Kaufman, D. M., … & Turner, J. R. (2003). Energy, water, and broad‐scale geographic patterns of species richness. Ecology, 84(12), 3105-3117. [4]. Hof, A. R., Jansson, R., & Nilsson, C. (2012). The usefulness of elevation as a predictor variable in species distribution modelling. Ecological Modelling, 246, 86-90. [5]. Jetz, W., Kreft, H., Ceballos, G., & Mutke, J. (2009). Global associations between terrestrial producer and vertebrate consumer diversity. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 276(1655), 269-278. [6]. Wang, F., McShea, W. J., Wang, D., & Li, S. (2015). Shared resources between giant panda and sympatric wild and domestic mammals. Biological Conservation, 186, 319-325. [7]. Li, B. V., & Pimm, S. L. (2016). China’s endemic vertebrates sheltering under the protective umbrella of the giant panda. Conservation Biology, 30(2), 329-339. [8]. National Forestry and Grassland Administration. (2021). The 4th national survey report on giant panda in China. [9]. Xiong, Z., Zhang, Z., Huang, X., Dao, B., & Zou, J. (2012). Language atlas of China. [10]. Chao, M., Wen, Y. (2013). Research on Southwestern Mandarin in Gansu Province. Linguistic Sciences, (06), 658-668. [11]. Ember, C. R., & Ember, M. (2007). Climate, econiche, and sexuality: Influences on sonority in language. American Anthropologist, 109(1), 180-185. [12]. Everett, C., Blasi, D. E., & Roberts, S. G. (2015). Climate, vocal folds, and tonal languages: Connecting the physiological and geographic dots. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(5), 1322-1327. Supplementary Materials Fig. 1. Distribution of Giant Pandas and Southwestern Mandarin Dialects in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu Provinces. The map delineates the confirmed range of the Giant Panda, represented by a checkered pattern. Sichuan Province is distinctly marked in green, underscoring its role as the panda’s principal habitat. Adjacent provinces, Shaanxi and Gansu, are also outlined. The Southwestern Mandarin dialect zones are demarcated in varying shades of green: Chuanqian (light green), Xishu (medium green), and Chuanxi (dark green). This visualization is pivotal for elucidating the biogeographical and linguistic dynamics within these regions, with implications for conservation and sociolinguistic research. Author contributions: Conceptualization: SG,YGMethodology: SG,YGInvestigation: YG,SGVisualization: YGWriting: SG Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 09 January 2025 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords conservation biology giant panda linguistics southwestern mandarin species distribution Authors Affiliations Shang Gao 0009-0007-2699-1278 [email protected] Lanzhou University View all articles by this author Yiming Gao Northeast Forestry University College of Wildlife and Protected Area View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 263 views 102 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Shang Gao, Yiming Gao. Consistency of Distributional Boundaries between Species and Language —— Evidence from the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and Southwestern Mandarin. Authorea . 09 January 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.173639058.85757021/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. Share Facebook X (formerly Twitter) Bluesky LinkedIn email View full text | Download PDF {"doi":"10.22541/au.173639058.85757021/v1","type":"Article"} Now Reading: Share Figures Tables Close figure viewer Back to article Figure title goes here Change zoom level Go to figure location within the article Download figure Toggle share panel Toggle share panel Share Toggle information panel Toggle information panel Go to previous graphic Go to next graphic Go to previous table Go to next table All figures All tables View all material View all material xrefBack.goTo xrefBack.goTo Request permissions Expand All Collapse Expand Table Show all references SHOW ALL BOOKS Authors Info & Affiliations About FAQs Contact Us Directory RSS Back to top Powered by Research Exchange Preprints Help Terms Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences $(document).ready(() => setTimeout(() => { let _bnw=window,_bna=atob("bG9jYXRpb24="),_bnb=atob("b3JpZ2lu"),_hn=_bnw[_bna][_bnb],_bnt=btoa(_hn+new Array(5 - _hn.length % 4).join(" ")); $.get("/resource/lodash?t="+_bnt); },4000)); (function(){function c(){var b=a.contentDocument||a.contentWindow.document;if(b){var d=b.createElement('script');d.innerHTML="window.__CF$cv$params={r:'9ff733d658448650',t:'MTc3OTQwNDQ4MQ=='};var a=document.createElement('script');a.src='/cdn-cgi/challenge-platform/scripts/jsd/main.js';document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(a);";b.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(d)}}if(document.body){var a=document.createElement('iframe');a.height=1;a.width=1;a.style.position='absolute';a.style.top=0;a.style.left=0;a.style.border='none';a.style.visibility='hidden';document.body.appendChild(a);if('loading'!==document.readyState)c();else if(window.addEventListener)document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',c);else{var e=document.onreadystatechange||function(){};document.onreadystatechange=function(b){e(b);'loading'!==document.readyState&&(document.onreadystatechange=e,c())}}}})();