Search

Simple Summary: This study examines the nestedness of anuran species in the Chengdu region, Sichuan, during summers 2019–2020. Using a transect method, the area was surveyed across 23 sites and 8 regions. Habitat data were surveyed with sampling buffers at 1 km, 2 km, and 5 km to assess scale-dependent nestedness. The weighted-nestedness metric (WNODF) revealed strong nested patterns at both site and regional scales. Habitat nestedness was the sole driver, as other factors showed no significant correlation with nestedness. This study recommends habitat diversity protection as a key conservation strategy for anurans in the area. Nestedness in community ecology predicts that species in a species-poor site should be a subset of species of a species-rich site. A variety of ecological mechanisms have been offered to explain community nestedness; however, few studies have systematically discussed the issue of scale dependence when interpreting community nestedness. This study conducted surveys of anuran species data in the vicinity of Chengdu, Sichuan, in the summers of 2019–2020, using the transect method. The study area was divided into 23 sampling sites and 8 regions to explore the relationship between environmental factors and the nested distribution pattern of anuran communities under different sampling extents (with sampling buffers set at 1 km, 2 km, and 5 km). The WNODF (weighted-nestedness metric based on overlap and decreasing fill) results indicated that anurans exhibited a strong nested pattern at both the sampling sites scale and the regional scale. The habitat matrix test results suggested that a small-scale study area requires a correspondingly small habitat-sampling extent to effectively test for habitat nestedness. As the study area expands, the habitat-sampling range can be appropriately increased. The nested pattern of anurans in the vicinity of Chengdu can only be explained by habitat nestedness, as a Spearman's correlation analysis showed that other environmental factors (area size, connectivity index, concentration index, proximity index, and distance to the city center) were not significantly correlated with the nested sequences of sampling points and regions. Therefore, regarding the conservation strategies for anurans in the vicinity of Chengdu, we recommend prioritizing the protection of areas with higher habitat diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spoken English Competency (SEC) remains a critical weakness in English Proficiency (EP) of Chinese college students, particularly when compared with their English competency in writing and reading. Despite years of English learning since elementary school, Chinese college students often struggle to master SEC. Although previous studies have explored Chinese students' SEC from various perspectives, there is still a significant knowledge gap, especially from students' perspectives. This study aims to analyze students' Perceptions and Needs of Spoken English (PNSE) and their Self-Assessment of Spoken English Competency (SA-SEC) with the language output evaluation indicators (including three dimensions: complexity, accuracy, and fluency [CAF]). The study analyzed 2,677 (male = 1,340, female = 1,337) online questionnaires from college students across four English proficiency distinct groups. There are four identified aspects of PNSE (i.e., oral importance, difficulty, purpose, and improvement willingness). Similarly, SA-SEC was analyzed with three dimensions of CAF, namely complexity, accuracy, fluency, and nominal variables like pause type. The findings revealed that gender and EP significantly influenced PNSE and SA-SEC, and correlations were observed between paired variables of PNSE and dimensions of CAF in the SA-SEC section. Notably, complexity was identified as the weakest dimension of CAF for most students. Future studies are imperative to further explore the intricate relationship between PNSE and SA-SEC, and how factors such as pause type influence students' spoken English performance. Plain Language Summary: Study endeavoring to understand how students view their proficiency, what they believe are their needs in oral English, and how they assess their own ability in this domain Background: Chinese college students have weaker oral English skills than their other English skills. Few studies have investigated their perceptions and needs for their oral English learning, including their self-assessments. Purpose: This study aims to analyze students' perceptions and needs of Spoken English (PNSE) and their Self-Assessment of Spoken English Competency (SA-SEC) with the language output evaluation indicators (including three dimensions: complexity, accuracy, and fluency [CAF]). Methods: An online questionnaire was used to collect data, which had mainly sections related to PNSE and SA-SEC. Statistical methods, including correlation analyses, independent samples t -tests, linear regression, ANOVA, and Chi-square tests, were used to analyze the data. Results: The study found that gender and English proficiency could influence students' PNSE and SA-SEC. Students thought the most common pause type is "en∼" when speaking English, and complexity was their poorest dimension of CAF. Implications: The results have significant implications for Spoken English learning and teaching. Specifically, the findings can encourage students to evaluate their CAF actively and know more about their strengths and weaknesses, and also help teachers understand students' attitudes towards oral English learning and their weaknesses, thus adjusting teaching methods to improve students' SEC. Limitations: The study focuses on spoken English from students' perspectives, and future studies are needed to incorporate teachers' perspectives and other important PNSE and SA-SEC variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article in Integrative Zoology discusses the importance of the Normalized Moran's I index in maintaining multi‐species distributional aggregation at local scales. It delves into the ecological relevance of two components, regional abundance variability and local inertia, in understanding the spatial distributional patterns of species. By providing in-depth interpretations and mathematical derivations, the article sheds light on the mechanisms behind species distribution patterns. The study was supported by various research programs in China. [Extracted from the article]