A new species of Cucubalus is described based on two fossil seeds recovered from the upper Pliocene Sanying Formation in northwestern Yunnan Province, southwestern China. The seeds are characterized by a reniform to circular outline in shape, and sinuous and discontinuous rugulae made of rod-like elements radiating from the hilum region to the dorsal margin. The combination of these characteristics shows their close resemblance to the extant genus Cucubalus in the Caryophyllaceae. A morphological principal coordinates (PCO) analysis further supports the assignment to this genus. Cucubalus is a monotypic genus today, but the late Pliocene fossil seeds have been described as a new species, Cucubalus prebaccifer Huang, Liu et Zhou, sp. nov. This newly documented Cucubalus fossil, representing the first fossil record of this genus, implies that the genus has existed in northwestern Yunnan, southwestern China, at least since the late Pliocene. It provides important information on the past biodiversity and biogeography of both the genus Cucubalus and the fossil-scant family Caryophyllaceae.

In Europe, fossil fruits and seeds of Rhodoleia (Hamamelidaceae) have been described from the Upper Cretaceous to the Miocene, whereas no fossil record of Rhodoleia has been reported in Asia, where the modern species occur. Herein, 21 fossil leaves identified as Rhodoleia tengchongensis sp. nov. are described from the Upper Pliocene of Tengchong County, Yunnan Province, Southwest China. The fossils exhibit elliptic lamina with entire margins, simple brochidodromous major secondary veins, mixed percurrent intercostal tertiary veins, and looped exterior tertiaries. The leaf cuticle is characterized by pentagonal or hexagonal cells, stellate multicellular trichomes, and paracytic stomata. The combination of leaf architecture and cuticular characteristics suggests that the fossil leaves should be classified into the genus Rhodoleia. The fossil distributions indicate that the genus Rhodoleia might originate from Central Europe, and that migrated to Asia prior to the Late Pliocene. Additionally, insect damage is investigated, and different types of damage, such as hole feeding, margin feeding, surface feeding, and galling, are observed on the thirteen fossil leaves. Based on the damage frequencies for the fossil and extant leaves, the specific feeding behavior of insects on Rhodoleia trees appears to have been established as early as the Late Pliocene. The high occurrence of Rhodoleia insect herbivory may attract the insect-foraging birds, thereby increasing the probability of pollination.

A polypodiaceous fern, Drynaria callispora sp. nov., is described from the upper Pliocene Sanying Formation in western Yunnan Province, southwestern China. This species with well-preserved pinnae and in situ spores is the first convincing Drynaria fossil record. Detailed morphological investigation reveals that D. callispora is characterized by 1) pinnatifid fronds with entire-margined pinnae having straight or zigzag secondary veins; 2) finer venation showing void quadrangular areoles, but occasionally with one unbranched veinlet; 3) one row of circular sori on each side of the strong primary vein; and 4) in situ spores with verrucate exospores elliptical in polar view and bean-shaped in equatorial view. A morphological comparison shows that D. callispora is significantly different from all the fossil species previously identified as drynarioids. A phylogenetic analysis of D. callispora supports that the fossil is closely related to D. sinica Diels and D. mollis Bedd., two extant species distributing in the Himalayas. The discovery of the new fern indicates that the genus Drynaria became diversified in its modern distribution region no later than the late Pliocene and had retained a similar ecology to that of many modern drynarioid ferns ever since.

La modernisation et l’intensification agricoles sont depuis plusieurs années des priorités pour le développement économique de la Chine. Dans les provinces où les activités agricoles représentent une part importante des activités économiques des ménages, tel que le Yunnan, le développement agricole demeure un enjeu central au développement socioéconomique. Considérant le contexte actuel de crise climatique, de plus en plus d’attention et d’efforts sont consentis au développement de cultures durables ayant un impact écologique limité. Dans la présente étude, j’analyse l’impact de l’implantation du projet de modernisation agricole de Kubo dans le comté de Honghe sur les modes de vie des communautés touchées. Mon cadre conceptuel met l’accent sur l’approche des modes de vie ainsi que la perspective intersectionnelle. Les données collectées dans le cadre d’entretiens qualitatifs individuels et de groupe démontrent que les impacts diffèrent entre la population de travailleurs.ses (Population A) et les gens issus des communautés qui ont cédé les droits d’exploitation de leurs terres (Population B). Mon analyse se concentre sur l’influence du projet sur les ‘capitaux’ auxquels les populations ont accès, tels que définis dans l’approche des modes de vie ainsi que sur les impacts différentiés selon le genre, dans une perspective intersectionnelle. L’analyse est présentée de manière comparative entre les Populations A et B et aborde la résilience des modes de vie ainsi que les relations de genre. Il ressort de cette étude que l’impact le plus notable de l’arrivée de Kubo est l’augmentation globale des revenus des communautés touchées. Cependant, une analyse plus détaillée permet de noter qu’il existe des écarts à plusieurs niveaux entre les deux populations et entre les genres.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Earth Sciences / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

L'évolution de la société entraîne une rapide progression du tourisme dans la société. La Chine, pendant les dernières années de croissance économique rapide, a vu son tourisme se développer avec vigueur. Avec l'augmentation de la qualité de la population et l'accumulation des expériences de voyage, une partie des voyageurs veulent se distinguer du touriste de masse ; le voyage auto-organisé, entant qu'un différent mode de tourisme, devient un favori parmi les pratiques touristiques des voyageurs. De plus, les lieux comme le Yunnan de la Chine ayant des paysages naturels et abritant des cultures originaires deviennent les destinations privilégiées du voyage auto-organisé. Cette étude a pour objet de rendre compte du voyage auto-organisé en Chine. Les analyses des enquêtes de questionnaires et d'entretiens avec les voyageurs auto-organisés rencontrés dans le Yunnan, ont permis de bien comprendre les agents du voyage auto-organisé, les procédures de la réalisation du voyage auto-organisé et la condition du développement du voyage auto-organisé en Chine. En outre, les analyses des entretiens avec les autochtones dans le Yunnan, ont permis de mieux connaître les influences du voyage autoorganisé sur les destinations de la Chine. En définitive, cette étude pourra contribuer à l'enrichissement des connaissances de ce qu'est le tourisme en Chine, avec une réflexion sur le tourisme anthropologique et le tourisme durable.

In this thesis, I take Yunnan and Heilongjiang as a sample to discuss the border trade in China. I find that there are obvious difference between southern and northern border trade because of the demand and supply of natural resource, the industrial structure, the structure of import and export, the step of economic growth of the neighbor countries, as well as the open policy and the foreign relationship among those countries.

Injection drug users (IDUs) account for an estimated 44% of people living with HIV/AIDS in China and are the major driving force behind the expanding epidemic. Developing effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence interventions in the Chinese IDU population is a major challenge. In conjunction with ART scale-up in Yunnan province, our goal was to gather patient perspectives on ART and ideas for feasible adherence support. Between December 2005 and March 2006, eight focus groups with a total of 55 HIV positive IDUs were conducted at three sites in Yunnan to ascertain ART knowledge, barriers to adherence, and acceptable adherence support methods. Focus groups included ART experienced and naïve participants, and HIV positive IDUs in methadone maintenance clinics. Discussions were audiotaped, notes were transcribed and coded for analyses. All participants were former or current IDUs and 31 were from the rural countryside (59.6%), and 19 (36.5%) resided in a small city. ART was viewed positively but the principal barriers for urban IDUs were stigma and discrimination, while geography was the main problem for rural IDUs. Major themes were stratified between four components: knowledge, motivation, cues to action, and access to care. Adherence tools that were spontaneously endorsed included watches, pill boxes, and diaries. Directly observed therapy (DOT) within methadone programs was acceptable but community-based DOT would need to address stigma issues in urban areas. Two separate HIV epidemics exist within IDUs in China, stratified between small-city urban and rural populations. No single model for adherence will work and interventions must be broad-based. This study provides an expanded conceptual framework for ART adherence in the HIV positive IDU population, which includes the unique barriers posed by the ecological context surrounding this doubly-discriminated population.