Identifying and optimizing ecological spatial patterns based on the bird distribution in the Yellow River Basin, China

The relationship between ecosystem functions and air pollutants based on spatial distribution patterns of forest and grassland: A case study of the Mongolian Plateau

Revealing how spatial distribution patterns of forest and grassland affect ecosystem functions (EF) and hence control air pollutant (AP) concentrations is a key precondition for the development of ecological spatial layouts. However, there are not enough large-scale studies analyzing this interaction. Firstly, this study is based on the topological properties of forest and grass spatial distribution patterns to establish the relationship between EF and AP. The EAsim (Vegetation patterns-Ecosystem function - Air pollutant Simulation) model was then constructed to simulate the effects of changes in spatial distribution patterns of forest and grass on EF and AP concentration. The results showed that the spatial distribution of the forest and grassland on the Mongolian Plateau (MP) exhibited four basic patterns. Among them, the Core-Linked Ring pattern (CLR) accounted for the highest proportion of 40.74% and showed the highest stability. When all the spatial distribution patterns of forest and grass in the region are in CLR pattern, the water use efficiency of vegetation in the region will be increased by 39.60%, the wind and sand control function will be enhanced by 7.74%, while the concentration of AP will be reduced by 22.21%. The study confirms that by adjusting the distribution pattern of forest and grassland sources, the EF can be effectively enhanced and the concentration of AP can be reduced. This finding may provide a strategy for the enhancement of EF and management of AP in arid and semi-arid regions.

Strategic analysis of avian conservation within key areas and key species - A case study of Baiyangdian, China

Global climate change and extensive human activities are causing rapid transformations in natural ecosystems, leading to the rapid loss of suitable habitats for wildlife, which urgently requires measures to protect global biodiversity. In the past decade, China has invested heavily in ecological restoration, but current projects often do not prioritize biodiversity conservation. Therefore, developing systematic conservation strategies and using quantitative methods to identify conservation key areas and key species within a regional scale is of great importance for current ecological restoration. In this study, we focused on avian species, using an Ensemble Species Distribution Model to identify bird distribution hotspots and accordingly proposed conservation key areas in Baiyangdian. Additionally, the AHP-EWM-TOPSIS method and ENMTools were utilized to select flagship bird species with strong umbrella effects and to determine conservation key species. The results indicate that the Fuhe wetland, southwest of ZaoZaDian, central and northern of ShaoCheDian, northwest of Beitian Village and Datian Village, northern of XiaoBaiYangDian, and the Xiaoyihe wetland should be designated as the birdconservation key areas. The key birds should include Aythya baeri, Ardea alba, Phasianus colchicus, Falco tinnunculus, Upupa epops and Paradoxornis heudei, with higher priority given to A. baeri, A. alba, P. colchicus and F. tinnunculus. This study aims to provide a systematic framework for identifying conservation key areas and key species, facilitating the efficient use of public funding by local governments, and providing scientific guidance for conserving the bird diversity of Baiyangdian.

Construction and optimization of ecological corridors in coastal cities based on the perspective of "structure-function"

The contradiction between the demand of urban economic development and ecological environmental protection is becoming more and more prominent, and the reasonable construction of ecological corridors is of great significance for the protection of urban ecosystems. Taking Changle District of Fuzhou coastal city as an example, this study proposes an ecological source identification method from the perspective of "structure-function" by combining Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) and Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) methods, and constructs and optimizes ecological corridors by means of the model of Minimum Cumulative Resistance (MCR) and Circuit Theory. The results show that: (1) a total of 20 ecological sources were extracted based on MSPA-RSEI; (2) a total of 31 ecological corridors were extracted based on Linkage Mapper, including 8 Level 1 corridors, 13 Level 2 corridors, and 10 Level 3 corridors; (3) the Pinch Point and Barrier Mapper software was utilized to identify 6.01 km2 and 2.59 km2, respectively, as Level 1 "pinch points" and barrier points within the study area. The land use types of these areas were as follows: The majority of "pinch points" were forested (60.72%), while the majority of barrier points were composed of construction land (55.27%), bare land (17.27%), and cultivated land (13.90%). (4) the optimal width of the corridor was determined by using the buffer zone method and gradient analysis: 30 m for the Level 1 corridor, 60 m for the Level 2 and Level 3 corridors, and the average current density before and after the construction of the eco-corridor was increased from 0.1881 to 0.4992. The results of the study can provide a reference for the decision-making of the ecological construction of the Changle District and the coastal urban areas of eastern China.

Land Use and Climate Change Accelerate the Loss of Habitat and Ecological Corridor to Reeves's Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) in China

Human activity and climate change are widely considered to be primarily responsible for the extinction of Galliformes birds. Due to a decline in population, the Reeves's pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii), a member of the Galliformes family, was recently elevated to first-class national protected status in China. However, determining the causal factors of their extinction and carrying out protection measures appear to be challenging owing to a lack of long-term data with high spatial and temporal resolutions. Here, based on a national field survey, we used habitat suitability models and integrated data on geographical environment, road development, land use, and climate change to predict the potential changes in the distribution and connectivity of the habitat of Reeves's pheasant from 1995 to 2050. Furthermore, ecological corridors were identified using the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model. The prioritized areas for habitat restoration were determined by integrating the importance indices of ecological sources and corridors. Our results indicated that both land use and climate change were linked to the increased habitat loss for the Reeves's pheasant. In more recent decades, road construction and land use changes have been linked to a rise in habitat loss, and future climate change has been predicted to cause the habitat to become even more fragmented and lose 89.58% of its total area. The ecological corridor for Reeves's pheasant will continue to decline by 88.55%. To counteract the negative effects of human activity and climate change on the survivorship of Reeves's pheasant, we recommend taking immediate actions, including bolstering cooperation among provincial governments, restoring habitats, and creating ecological corridors among important habitats.

The relationship between structure and ecosystem services of forest and grassland based on pattern analysis method: A case study of the Mongolian Plateau

Global warming has led to severe land desertification on the Mongolian plateau. It puts great environmental pressure on vegetation communities. This pressure leads to fragmentation of land use and landscape patterns, thus triggering changes in the spatial distribution patterns of vegetation. The spatial distribution pattern of vegetation is crucial for the performance of its ecosystem services. However, there is not enough research on the relationship between large-scale spatial distribution patterns of vegetation and ecosystem services. Therefore, this study is to construct an ecological spatial network on the Mongolian Plateau based on landscape ecology and complex network theory. Combining pattern analysis methods to analyze the network, we obtained the spatial and temporal trends of forest and grass spatial distribution patterns from 2000 to 2100, and explored the relationship between the topological properties of source patches and ecosystem services in different patterns. It was found that there are four basic patterns of spatial distribution of forest and grass in the Mongolian Plateau. The Core-Linked Ring pattern accounts for 40.74 % and exhibits the highest stability. Under the SSP5-RCP8.5 scenario, source patches are reduced by 22.76 % in 2100. Topological indicators of source patches showed significant correlations with ecosystem services. For example, the CUE of grassland patches in the Centralized Star pattern was positively correlated with betweeness centrality. The most significant improvement in WUE after optimization is 19.90 % compared to pre-optimization. The conclusion of the study shows that the spatial distribution pattern of vegetation can be used to enhance the stability of ecological spatial network and improve ecosystem services at a larger scale. It can provide a certain reference for the study of spatial patterns of vegetation distribution in arid and semi-arid areas.

Identification of ecological security patterns of alpine wetland grasslands based on landscape ecological risks: A study in Zoigê County

Climate change and human activities have increased ecological risks and degraded ecosystem functions in alpine wetland grassland regions, where ecological security remains largely unexplored. The construction of ecological security patterns (ESP) can help to synchronize regional ecological security and sustainable development and provide ideas to address these challenges. This article determines the current ESP of Zoigê County, China, by analyzing the spatial and temporal characteristics of landscape ecological risk (LER) and generating an ecological network by combining the InVEST model, the landscape connectivity index, and the circuit theory model. Management zoning and targeted conservation recommendations are proposed. The results indicate that the region has significant spatial heterogeneity in IER. Ecological risk exposure is increasing, with high values mainly concentrated in the central part of the region. Meanwhile, ecological protection areas were identified, which included 2578.44 km2 of ecological sources, 71 key ecological corridors, 25 potential ecological corridors, 4 river ecological corridors, 66 pinch points, and 58 barriers. This study provides a valuable reference for the ecological development of Zoigê County, as well as insights into the formation of ESP in other alpine wetland grassland regions.

Multi-objective ecological restoration priority in China: Cost-benefit optimization in different ecological performance regimes based on planetary boundaries

In the context of the "United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration", optimizing spatiotemporal arrangements for ecological restoration is an important approach to enhancing overall socioecological benefits for sustainable development. However, against the background of ecological degradation caused by the human use of most natural resources at levels that have approached or exceeded the safe and sustainable boundaries of ecosystems, it is key to explain how to optimize ecological restoration by classified management and optimal total benefits. In response to these issues, we combined spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics at the national scale in China to construct five ecological performance regimes defined by indicators that use planetary boundaries and ecological pressures which served as the basis for prioritizing ecological restoration areas and implementing zoning control. By integrating habitat conservation, biodiversity, water supply, and restoration cost constraints, seven ecological restoration scenarios were simulated to optimize the spatial layout of ecological restoration projects (ERPs). The results indicated that the provinces with unsustainable freshwater use, climate change, and land use accounted for more than 25%, 66.7%, and 25%, respectively, of the total area. Only 30% of the provinces experienced a decrease in environmental pressure. Based on the ecological performance regimes, ERP sites spanning the past 20 years were identified, and more than 50% of the priority areas were clustered in regime areas with increased ecological stress. As the restoration area targets doubled (40%) from the baseline (20%), a multi-objective scenario presents a trade-off between expanded ERPs in areas with highly beneficial effects and minimal restoration costs. In conclusion, a reasonable classification and management regime is the basis for targeted restoration. Coordinating multiple objectives and costs in ecological restoration is the key to maximizing socio-ecological benefits. Our study offered new perspectives on systematic and sustainable planning for ecological restoration.