Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29118138›Full record

ArticleProceedings. Biological sciences2017

Macroecological factors shape local-scale spatial patterns in agriculturalist settlements.

Tingting Tao, Sebastián Abades, Shuqing Teng, Zheng Y X Huang, Luís Reino, Bin J W Chen, Yong Zhang, Chi Xu, Jens-Christian Svenning

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Proceedings. Biological sciences, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. System-Specific Complex Interactions Shape Soil Organic Carbon Distribution in Coastal Salt Marshes.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Tingting TaoSchool of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
Sebastián AbadesGEMA Center for Genomics, Ecology & Environment, Universidad Mayor, Camino La Pirámide 5750, Huechuraba, Chile.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5704-4037
Shuqing TengSection for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
Zheng Y X HuangCollege of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China.
Luís ReinoCIBIO/InBIO, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Campus Agrário de Vairão, University of Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9768-1097
Bin J W ChenCollege of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
Yong ZhangCollege of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
Chi XuSchool of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China xuchi@nju.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1841-9032
Jens-Christian SvenningSection for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3415-0862

Funding

European Research Council 310886
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Macro-scale patterns of human systems ranging from population distribution to linguistic diversity have attracted recent attention, giving rise to the suggestion that macroecological rules shape the assembly of human societies. However, in which aspects the geography of our own species is shaped by macroecological factors remains poorly understood. Here, we provide a first demonstration that macroecological factors shape strong local-scale spatial patterns in human settlement systems, through an analysis of spatial patterns in agriculturalist settlements in eastern mainland China based on high-resolution Google Earth images. We used spatial point pattern analysis to show that settlement spatial patterns are characterized by over-dispersion at fine spatial scales (0.05-1.4 km), consistent with territory segregation, and clumping at coarser spatial scales beyond the over-dispersion signals, indicating territorial clustering. Statistical modelling shows that, at macroscales, potential evapotranspiration and topographic heterogeneity have negative effects on territory size, but positive effects on territorial clustering. These relationships are in line with predictions from territory theory for hunter-gatherers as well as for many animal species. Our results help to disentangle the complex interactions between intrinsic spatial processes in agriculturalist societies and external forcing by macroecological factors. While one may speculate that humans can escape ecological constraints because of unique abilities for environmental modification and globalized resource transportation, our work highlights that universal macroecological principles still shape the geography of current human agricultural societies.

Indexed as

AgricultureEcosystemPopulation DynamicsChinaHumansModels, StatisticalSpatial Analysisenergyhuman macroecologypoint patternscaleterritorytopography

Identifiers

PMID29118138
PMCPMC5698655

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.