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OPEN
Received: 23 August 2016 Accepted: 20 March 2017 Published: xx xx xxxx
Habitat Variability and Ethnic Diversity in Northern Tibetan Plateau Xin Jia1, Harry F. Lee2, Mengchun Cui1, Chao Liu3, Lin Zeng1, Ricci P. H. Yue2, Yang Zhao1 & Huayu Lu1 There are 56 officially-recognized ethnic groups in China. However, the distinct geographic patterns of various ethnic groups in relation to the physical environment in China have rarely been investigated. Based on the geo-referenced physical environmental parameters of 455 Han, Tu, Hui, Salar, Mongolian, and Tibetan communities in Qinghai, we found that the communities could be statistically demarcated by temperature and aridity threshold according to their ethnicity, implying that the geographic distribution of each ethnic group is mediated by the physical environment. We also observed that the habitat of each ethnic group is ecologically compatible with current subsistence strategies. Tibetans settle in cold and humid high-altitude regions owing to the cultivation of highland barley and the breeding of yak, dzo, Tibetan sheep and Tibetan goat. Mongolians survive by animal husbandry in cold and dry grassland areas. Han and Tu people settle in the Huangshui River Valley, which offers relatively humid climate and flat land for agriculture. Hui and Salar people occupy the Yellow River Valley with its relatively arid environment and grassland vegetation suitable for animal breeding. Our findings offer a new perspective in explaining the geographic patterns and the varieties of ethnic groups in China and elsewhere. Cultural diversity is one of the key areas of interest in anthropological research. Scholars often ask why diversification occurs and how the subsequent diversity is maintained1. China is home to 56 officially-recognized ethnic groups, and scholarly studies primarily focus on the differences among various ethnic groups and on their diverse origins2, 3, cultural development4–6, or genetic make-ups7–9. However, the geographic distribution of various ethnic groups in relation to the physical environment has rarely been systematically investigated. Given that ethnic groups in China exhibit strong geographic patterns, it is of interest to determine whether the patterns are accidental or attributable to physical environmental factors. We seek to investigate this topic in this study, as the associated findings may offer a new perspective in explaining the distribution and the variety of ethnic groups in China and elsewhere. The environment of the Tibetan Plateau, with its high altitude, low temperatures, and lower availability of oxygen, makes it an arduous place for human habitation. While the Tibetan Plateau shares 20.03% of China’s territory, only 0.65% of the country’s population is settled there10. The first arrival of humans at the Tibetan Plateau can be traced back to 21,000 years ago11, and humans only settled permanently on the northern Tibetan Plateau after 8,000 cal. yr BP12, 13. A large number of humans migrated to the higher parts of the Tibetan Plateau along the Yellow River14, 15, a move that was probably facilitated by barley planting and sheep breeding15–17. Tea was introduced to the Tibetan Plateau through the Silk Road around 1,800 cal. yr BP18. Along with the communication and integration between the Tibetans and others around the Tibetan Plateau, diverse ethnic groups gradually formed during the Yuan-Ming-Qing Dynasties (AD1271–1911)19, including the Han, Tibetan, Mongolian, Hui, Salar, and Tu. Qinghai (89°35′–103°04′E, 31°9′–39°19′N, 1,650–6,860 m a.s.l.) is located in northwestern China and the northern part of the Tibetan Plateau. It covers an approximate area of 722,300 km2 (Fig. 1a). The region also overlaps with the northwestern fringe of the Asian Summer Monsoon, and hence, features a transitional zone between semi-humid and arid climates, with mean annual precipitation and evaporation ranged between 15.5–732.6 mm 1
School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210023, China. Department of Geography, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China. 3School of Foreign Languages, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210096, China. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to X.J. (email: [email protected]) 2
Scientific Reports | 7: 918 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-01008-8
1
www.nature.com/scientificreports/
Figure 1. Distribution of the communities of major ethnic groups in Qinghai. (a) Map of Qinghai; (b) Map of Hehuang Region. The maps were generated in ArcGIS version 10.1 (www.esri.com/software/arcgis). The topographic information was obtained from the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with a resolution of 90 m × 90 m, which was downloaded from the Consortium for Spatial Information (CGIAR-CSI) (http://srtm. csi.cgiar.org/).
and 1,096.4–3,008.0 mm, respectively. Owing to the high altitude of the Tibetan Plateau, glacier meltwater nourishes the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Mekong River (called Lancang River in China). Numerous lakes, such as Qinghai Lake, Nam Co, and Siling Co, scatter around the southern and eastern Tibetan Plateau. They receive water from the abundant rainfall which is collected in some depressions. Aridity gradually increases from the northwest to the southeast in Qinghai. Qaidam Basin is the driest place in Qinghai. The huge elevation differences in the Tibetan Plateau (1,950–8,844 m a.s.l.) result in deep temperature gradients. The mean annual temperature is ranged between −5.1–8.3 °C, and the coldest spots appear in mountainous area. Subject to local climatic conditions, meadow, marsh, and grassland dominate in eastern Qinghai, while widely dispersed deserts occur in the Qaidam Basin in the northwest. In addition, farmland vegetation is distributed along the
Scientific Reports | 7: 918 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-01008-8
2
www.nature.com/scientificreports/
Figure 2. Density distribution of the communities of major ethnic groups in Qinghai. (a) Tibetan; (b) Mongolian; (c) Hui; (d) Salar; (e) Han; (f) Tu. The maps were generated in ArcGIS version 10.1 (www.esri.com/ software/arcgis).
banks of the Hehuang Region in the northeast. Subject to the unique geographic setting of Qinghai, the huge habitat diversity there is unique among all the regions in China. As per China’s Sixth Census in 2010, there are 55 ethnic groups distributed unevenly in Qinghai. In the present study, we based on 455 communities of the six most heavily represented ethnic groups in Qinghai, including the Han, Tibetan, Hui, Tu, Salar, and Mongolian groups, to investigate the possible connection between ethnic groups’ distribution and physical environmental factors. These are also the only ethnic groups in Qinghai that have population over 10,000. Our classification of ethnic groups was based on their dominant population stated in chronographs.
Results
The density maps of the communities of each of the major ethnic groups reveal some notable patterns about their geographic concentration (Fig. 2). Tibetan communities are mostly concentrated in Huangnan, as well as Hainan and Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefectures in the Yellow River Basin, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the Yangtze headwater region, and the eastern margin of Haixi Mongolian-Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in eastern Qaidam Basin (Fig. 2a). The distribution of Mongolian communities is dispersed, and small clusters are found in Henan Mongol Autonomous County, southern Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and the headwater of the Yellow River (Fig. 2b). Clusters of Hui communities are found in the Yellow River (Hualong Hui and Minhe Hui-Tu Autonomous Counties) and the Huangshui River (Datong Hui-Tu Autonomous County) Basins (Fig. 2c). Salar communities are distributed only in Xunhua Salar Autonomous County in the Yellow River Basin (Fig. 2d). Han communities concentrate around Xining City in the Huangshui River Basin (Fig. 2e). Tu communities locate in the Guanting Basin (within the Yellow River Basin), Datong Hui-Tu and Huzhu Tu Autonomous Counties (within the Huangshui River Basin) (Fig. 2f). Scientific Reports | 7: 918 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-01008-8
3
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Figure 3. Box diagrams of the attitude of the communities of major ethnic groups in various regions in Qinghai. (a) The whole of Qinghai; (b) Hehuang Region; (c) Yellow River Valley; (d) Huangshui River Valley. The diagrams were drawn in Adobe Illustrator version CS6 (http://www.adobe.com/).
Ethnic group Han
Tu
Hui
Salar
Mongolian
Tibetan
F
dfa
df b
Mean annual temperature
4.93
4.98
5.66
7.77
2.25
1.95
43.58*
5
449
Mean annual aridity threshold
7.20
3.51
4.24
4.10
16.46
4.04
5.42*
5
449
No. of communities
163
11
42
6
20
213
Qinghai
Qinghai without Qaidam Basin Mean annual temperature
5.02
4.98
5.66
7.77
1.52
1.97
42.79*
5
420
Mean annual aridity threshold
4.04
3.51
4.24
4.10
4.17
3.98
0.29
5
420
No. of communities
146
11
42
6
14
207
Table 1. One-way ANOVA of the mean annual temperature and mean annual aridity threshold of the communities of major ethnic groups in Qinghai. aDegree of freedom (between groups). bDegree of freedom (within groups). *Via One-way ANOVA analysis, significant at 0.05 level (P
OPEN
Received: 23 August 2016 Accepted: 20 March 2017 Published: xx xx xxxx
Habitat Variability and Ethnic Diversity in Northern Tibetan Plateau Xin Jia1, Harry F. Lee2, Mengchun Cui1, Chao Liu3, Lin Zeng1, Ricci P. H. Yue2, Yang Zhao1 & Huayu Lu1 There are 56 officially-recognized ethnic groups in China. However, the distinct geographic patterns of various ethnic groups in relation to the physical environment in China have rarely been investigated. Based on the geo-referenced physical environmental parameters of 455 Han, Tu, Hui, Salar, Mongolian, and Tibetan communities in Qinghai, we found that the communities could be statistically demarcated by temperature and aridity threshold according to their ethnicity, implying that the geographic distribution of each ethnic group is mediated by the physical environment. We also observed that the habitat of each ethnic group is ecologically compatible with current subsistence strategies. Tibetans settle in cold and humid high-altitude regions owing to the cultivation of highland barley and the breeding of yak, dzo, Tibetan sheep and Tibetan goat. Mongolians survive by animal husbandry in cold and dry grassland areas. Han and Tu people settle in the Huangshui River Valley, which offers relatively humid climate and flat land for agriculture. Hui and Salar people occupy the Yellow River Valley with its relatively arid environment and grassland vegetation suitable for animal breeding. Our findings offer a new perspective in explaining the geographic patterns and the varieties of ethnic groups in China and elsewhere. Cultural diversity is one of the key areas of interest in anthropological research. Scholars often ask why diversification occurs and how the subsequent diversity is maintained1. China is home to 56 officially-recognized ethnic groups, and scholarly studies primarily focus on the differences among various ethnic groups and on their diverse origins2, 3, cultural development4–6, or genetic make-ups7–9. However, the geographic distribution of various ethnic groups in relation to the physical environment has rarely been systematically investigated. Given that ethnic groups in China exhibit strong geographic patterns, it is of interest to determine whether the patterns are accidental or attributable to physical environmental factors. We seek to investigate this topic in this study, as the associated findings may offer a new perspective in explaining the distribution and the variety of ethnic groups in China and elsewhere. The environment of the Tibetan Plateau, with its high altitude, low temperatures, and lower availability of oxygen, makes it an arduous place for human habitation. While the Tibetan Plateau shares 20.03% of China’s territory, only 0.65% of the country’s population is settled there10. The first arrival of humans at the Tibetan Plateau can be traced back to 21,000 years ago11, and humans only settled permanently on the northern Tibetan Plateau after 8,000 cal. yr BP12, 13. A large number of humans migrated to the higher parts of the Tibetan Plateau along the Yellow River14, 15, a move that was probably facilitated by barley planting and sheep breeding15–17. Tea was introduced to the Tibetan Plateau through the Silk Road around 1,800 cal. yr BP18. Along with the communication and integration between the Tibetans and others around the Tibetan Plateau, diverse ethnic groups gradually formed during the Yuan-Ming-Qing Dynasties (AD1271–1911)19, including the Han, Tibetan, Mongolian, Hui, Salar, and Tu. Qinghai (89°35′–103°04′E, 31°9′–39°19′N, 1,650–6,860 m a.s.l.) is located in northwestern China and the northern part of the Tibetan Plateau. It covers an approximate area of 722,300 km2 (Fig. 1a). The region also overlaps with the northwestern fringe of the Asian Summer Monsoon, and hence, features a transitional zone between semi-humid and arid climates, with mean annual precipitation and evaporation ranged between 15.5–732.6 mm 1
School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210023, China. Department of Geography, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China. 3School of Foreign Languages, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210096, China. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to X.J. (email: [email protected]) 2
Scientific Reports | 7: 918 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-01008-8
1
www.nature.com/scientificreports/
Figure 1. Distribution of the communities of major ethnic groups in Qinghai. (a) Map of Qinghai; (b) Map of Hehuang Region. The maps were generated in ArcGIS version 10.1 (www.esri.com/software/arcgis). The topographic information was obtained from the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with a resolution of 90 m × 90 m, which was downloaded from the Consortium for Spatial Information (CGIAR-CSI) (http://srtm. csi.cgiar.org/).
and 1,096.4–3,008.0 mm, respectively. Owing to the high altitude of the Tibetan Plateau, glacier meltwater nourishes the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Mekong River (called Lancang River in China). Numerous lakes, such as Qinghai Lake, Nam Co, and Siling Co, scatter around the southern and eastern Tibetan Plateau. They receive water from the abundant rainfall which is collected in some depressions. Aridity gradually increases from the northwest to the southeast in Qinghai. Qaidam Basin is the driest place in Qinghai. The huge elevation differences in the Tibetan Plateau (1,950–8,844 m a.s.l.) result in deep temperature gradients. The mean annual temperature is ranged between −5.1–8.3 °C, and the coldest spots appear in mountainous area. Subject to local climatic conditions, meadow, marsh, and grassland dominate in eastern Qinghai, while widely dispersed deserts occur in the Qaidam Basin in the northwest. In addition, farmland vegetation is distributed along the
Scientific Reports | 7: 918 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-01008-8
2
www.nature.com/scientificreports/
Figure 2. Density distribution of the communities of major ethnic groups in Qinghai. (a) Tibetan; (b) Mongolian; (c) Hui; (d) Salar; (e) Han; (f) Tu. The maps were generated in ArcGIS version 10.1 (www.esri.com/ software/arcgis).
banks of the Hehuang Region in the northeast. Subject to the unique geographic setting of Qinghai, the huge habitat diversity there is unique among all the regions in China. As per China’s Sixth Census in 2010, there are 55 ethnic groups distributed unevenly in Qinghai. In the present study, we based on 455 communities of the six most heavily represented ethnic groups in Qinghai, including the Han, Tibetan, Hui, Tu, Salar, and Mongolian groups, to investigate the possible connection between ethnic groups’ distribution and physical environmental factors. These are also the only ethnic groups in Qinghai that have population over 10,000. Our classification of ethnic groups was based on their dominant population stated in chronographs.
Results
The density maps of the communities of each of the major ethnic groups reveal some notable patterns about their geographic concentration (Fig. 2). Tibetan communities are mostly concentrated in Huangnan, as well as Hainan and Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefectures in the Yellow River Basin, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the Yangtze headwater region, and the eastern margin of Haixi Mongolian-Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in eastern Qaidam Basin (Fig. 2a). The distribution of Mongolian communities is dispersed, and small clusters are found in Henan Mongol Autonomous County, southern Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and the headwater of the Yellow River (Fig. 2b). Clusters of Hui communities are found in the Yellow River (Hualong Hui and Minhe Hui-Tu Autonomous Counties) and the Huangshui River (Datong Hui-Tu Autonomous County) Basins (Fig. 2c). Salar communities are distributed only in Xunhua Salar Autonomous County in the Yellow River Basin (Fig. 2d). Han communities concentrate around Xining City in the Huangshui River Basin (Fig. 2e). Tu communities locate in the Guanting Basin (within the Yellow River Basin), Datong Hui-Tu and Huzhu Tu Autonomous Counties (within the Huangshui River Basin) (Fig. 2f). Scientific Reports | 7: 918 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-01008-8
3
www.nature.com/scientificreports/
Figure 3. Box diagrams of the attitude of the communities of major ethnic groups in various regions in Qinghai. (a) The whole of Qinghai; (b) Hehuang Region; (c) Yellow River Valley; (d) Huangshui River Valley. The diagrams were drawn in Adobe Illustrator version CS6 (http://www.adobe.com/).
Ethnic group Han
Tu
Hui
Salar
Mongolian
Tibetan
F
dfa
df b
Mean annual temperature
4.93
4.98
5.66
7.77
2.25
1.95
43.58*
5
449
Mean annual aridity threshold
7.20
3.51
4.24
4.10
16.46
4.04
5.42*
5
449
No. of communities
163
11
42
6
20
213
Qinghai
Qinghai without Qaidam Basin Mean annual temperature
5.02
4.98
5.66
7.77
1.52
1.97
42.79*
5
420
Mean annual aridity threshold
4.04
3.51
4.24
4.10
4.17
3.98
0.29
5
420
No. of communities
146
11
42
6
14
207
Table 1. One-way ANOVA of the mean annual temperature and mean annual aridity threshold of the communities of major ethnic groups in Qinghai. aDegree of freedom (between groups). bDegree of freedom (within groups). *Via One-way ANOVA analysis, significant at 0.05 level (P
