Microtopography-induced hydrological heterogeneity promotes the co-assembly of vascular plant and biocrust communities, providing synergistic protective functions for the Great Wall.

The Great Wall in China, constructed from rammed earth, faces threats from natural erosion. Vascular plants and biocrusts have enhanced the stability of the Great Wall through various mechanisms; however, understanding of the colonization processes of vascular plants and biocrusts on the wall, as well as their protective mechanisms, remains limited. This study investigated the vascular plant communities, biocrusts, soil moisture content, soil properties, aggregate mechanical stability, aggregate water stability, and soil erodibility factors across seven fine-scale microtopographies of the Great Wall (lower, middle, and upper zones on the east and west faces, as well as the wall crest).

Molecular-level insights of microplastic-derived soluble organic matter and heavy metal interactions in different environmental occurrences through EEM-PARAFAC and FT-ICR MS.

The interactions between microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter (MPs-DOM) and heavy metals (Cu, Pb, and Cd) regulate the complex environmental transport behavior of pollutants in terrestrial and aquatic environments. In this study, fluorescence excited emission matrix spectroscopy combined with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) and electrospray ionization coupled Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI FT-ICR MS) were employed to investigate the complexation mechanism of MPs-DOM with heavy metals, as well as the effects of different environmental occurrences of MPs-DOM on the transport behaviors of heavy metals in saturated porous medium. The findings demonstrated that MPs-DOM, particularly humic-like substances containing aromatic structures and various oxygen functional groups, could form stable complexes with heavy metals.

Soil quality indicator-based land productivity modelling for agricultural sustainability.

Rapid population expansion has made food security a global concern for humanity, necessitating a sustainable assessment of natural resources. Well evaluated and managed soil is one of the most significant resources that can assist close the gap between supply and demand for food to attain food security. A precise assessment of land productivity (LP) is essential for sustainable land use management.

Carbon sink potential and the cost of afforestation in northwest China when accounting for ecosystem service value.

The cost effectiveness of mitigating climate change through afforestation needs to be evaluated for regions with a fragile environment and vulnerable ecosystems. This study develops an integrated geographic-economic-ecological framework to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of afforestation for carbon sequestration in Northwest China. It employs a spatial model of natural factors and a bioeconomic optimization model to identify marginal lands suitable for afforestation.

Elevated CO Shifts Photosynthetic Constraint from Stomatal to Biochemical Limitations During Induction in and .

The relative impacts of biochemical and stomatal limitations on photosynthesis during photosynthetic induction have been well studied for diverse plants under ambient CO concentration (). However, a knowledge gap remains regarding how the various photosynthetic components limit duction efficiency under elevated CO. In this study, we experimentally investigated the influence of elevated CO (from 400 to 800 μmol mol) on photosynthetic induction dynamics and its associated limitation components in two broadleaved tree species, and .

Unraveling the drivers of optimal stomatal behavior in global C plants: A carbon isotope perspective.

Understanding the drivers of stomatal behavior is critical for modeling terrestrial carbon cycle and water balance. The unified stomatal optimization (USO) model provides a mechanistic linkage between stomatal conductance (g) and photosynthesis (A), with its slope parameter (g) inversely related to intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE), providing a key proxy to characterize the differences in iWUE and stomatal behavior. While many studies have identified multiple environmental factors influencing g, the potential role of evolutionary history in shaping g remains incompletely understood.

Soil moisture determines effects of climates and soil properties on nitrogen cycling: Examination of arid and humid soils.

While soil moisture has a significant effect on nitrogen (N) cycling, how it influences the dependence of this important biological process on environmental factors is unknown. Specifically, it is unclear how the relationships of net N mineralization (N) and soil moisture vary with soil properties and climates. In turn, how the relationships of N vs.

Enhanced NSGA-II algorithm based on novel hybrid crossover operator to optimise water supply and ecology of Fenhe reservoir operation.

Reservoir-operation optimisation is a crucial aspect of water-resource development and sustainable water process management. This study addresses bi-objective optimisation problems by proposing a novel crossover evolution operator, known as the hybrid simulated binary and improved arithmetic crossover (SBAX) operator, based on the simulated binary cross (SBX) and arithmetic crossover operators, and applies it to the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithms-II (NSGA-II) algorithm to improve the algorithm. In particular, the arithmetic crossover operator can obtain an optimal solution more precisely within the solution space, whereas the SBX operator can explore a broader range of potential high-quality solutions.

A framework of ecological security patterns in arid and semi-arid regions considering differences socioeconomic scenarios in ecological risk: Case of Loess Plateau, China.

Understanding the establishment of ecological security patterns in arid and semi-arid regions is critical for global ecological risk prevention, control, and sustainable development. Nonetheless, there remains a relative deficiency in ecological risk assessment and construction of Ecological Security Patterns (ESP) in these areas, along with insufficient verification regarding the changes in ecological security patterns under diverse scenarios. This study employs Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) to identify ecological sources and utilizes circuit theory alongside Minimum Cumulative Resistance (MCR) to delineate ecological corridors.

Have human activities been accurately evaluated in sediment yield changes in the middle reaches of the Yellow River?

The middle reaches of the Yellow River (MRYR) in China are some of the most severely eroded areas in the world. Knowledge of the changes in sediment yield in the MRYR is of great significance for understanding the impact of human activities on soil erosion and sediment transport. Using data from the MRYR and 13 sub-basins, this study aims to evaluate the actual contributions of human activities to sediment yields and to examine whether the widely used Mann-Kendall test has underestimated this contribution.

[Impacts of freeze-thaw process on soil microbial nutrient limitation in slope farmlands of the Chinese Mollisol region].

Understanding the impacts of freeze-thaw action on soil microbial nutrient limitation can provide important support for sustainable utilization of black soil resources. We analyzed the impacts of freeze-thaw action on soil microbial nutrient limitation on a slope farmland located in a typical thick Mollisol region of Keshan County, Heilongjiang Province. We examined the responses of soil microbial nutrient limitation to soil erosion rates through measuring soil nutrient, soil microbial biomass, and soil enzyme activities before and after freeze-thaw under natural conditions, and estimated the soil erosion rates by Cs tracing technology.

Optimizing soil remediation with multi-functional L-PH hydrogel: Enhancing water retention and heavy metal stabilization in farmland soil.

Agricultural soils face severe challenges, including water scarcity and heavy metal contamination. Optimizing soil remediation efficiency while minimizing inputs is essential. This study assessed the water retention and heavy metal adsorption properties of L-PH hydrogel through aqueous experiments.

Effects of Vegetation Restoration Type on Soil Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Associated Microbial Regulation on the Loess Plateau.

Investigating responses of soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to vegetation restoration is important for global warming mitigation. On the Loess Plateau, a wide range of vegetation restoration strategies have been implemented to control land degradation. However, the thorough quantification of soil GHG emissions triggered by different modes of vegetation restoration is insufficient.

Microbial functional genes play crucial roles in enhancing soil nutrient availability of halophyte rhizospheres in salinized grasslands.

Land degradation due to salinization threatens ecosystem health. Phytoremediation, facilitated by functional microorganisms, has gained attention for improving saline-alkali soils. However, the relationship between the functional potential of rhizosphere microbes involved in multi-element cycling and soil nutrient pools remain unclear.

Vegetation Dynamics and Recovery Potential in Arid and Semi-Arid Northwest China.

The arid and semi-arid regions of northwest China are characterized by sparse vegetation and fragile ecosystems, making them highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change and human activities. Based on observed meteorological data, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Lund-Potsdam-Jena dynamic global vegetation model (LPJ), a vegetation recovery potential model, and the MK trend test method, this study investigated the spatiotemporal distribution of vegetation recovery potential in northwest China and its relationship with global warming and increasing precipitation. The results indicated that vegetation in northwest China significantly increased, with greening closely related to trends in warming and wetting during 1982-2019.

Microplastics in China's surface water systems: Distribution, driving forces and ecological risk.

Comprehensively understanding the distribution, driving forces and ecological risk of microplastics (MPs) in China's surface water systems is crucial for future prevention and control of MPs pollution, particularly in the context of regional differences. Nevertheless, traditionally localized investigation and the limited MPs data availability hinder more comprehensive estimation of MPs pollution in surface water systems of China. This study presents a robust dataset, which consists of 14285 samples from 32 provincial districts, describing the MPs pollution characteristics using a data mining method combined with a machine learning model.

Soil Organic Carbon Increases With Decreasing Microbial Carbon Use Efficiency During Vegetation Restoration.

Microbial carbon (C) use efficiency (CUE) describes the proportion of organic C used by microorganisms for anabolic processes, which increases with soil organic C (SOC) content on a global scale. However, it is unclear whether a similar relationship exists during natural vegetation restoration in terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we investigated the patterns of CUE along a 160-year vegetation restoration chronosequence (from farmland to climax forest) estimated by stoichiometric modeling; additionally, we examined the relationship between CUE and SOC content and combined these results with a meta-analysis.

Exploring the multifaceted reason for deficits in soil water within different soil layers in China's drylands.

Soil water regulates the hydrological cycle and provides the water required for vegetation growth in drylands. However, existing studies have rarely investigated the reason for changes in soil water within different layers and compared differences in the contribution of driving factors from spatial and inter-annual perspectives. This study analyzed the dynamics of soil water content (SWC) at shallow (0-28 cm), intermediate (28-100 cm), and deep (100-289 cm) layers.

Understanding the impact of introduction of on community functional structure and moisture regulation in the Loess Plateau, China, using a trait-based approach.

Depending on specific environmental conditions, plantations can have a positive or negative impact on ecosystem function. Numerous studies have demonstrated that plantations on the Loess Plateau has decreased the water levels in this area, increasing the risks of water resource security. Understanding the ecosystem function of the plantations is thought to be critical to vegetation restoration in the Loess Plateau.

Exploring the natural-socioeconomic driving and response mechanisms of ecosystem services interactions to optimize ecosystem management: A case study in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin.

Revealing the complex interactions between ecosystem services (ESs) and their underlying mechanisms is a prerequisite for formulating sustainable ecological management strategies. However, few studies have conducted a comprehensive analysis of the driving and response mechanisms of ESs interactions. Therefore, this study established an integrated framework to first quantify the interactions between ESs, then identify their dominant natural-socioeconomic drivers, explore their spatial non-stationary responses, and ultimately propose corresponding strategies to optimize ecosystem management.

The soil microclimate and microbial characteristics jointly drive the response of vegetation productivity to changes in snow cover - A global meta-analysis.

Recent climate warming has greatly shaped snow-cover patterns globally. Variances in snow cover are expected to affect soil microclimate and microorganisms, which may cause vegetation productivity to vary. However, exactly how snow cover influences the productivity of terrestrial vegetation remains unclear.

Purification of harvested rainwater using gravity-driven ceramic membrane: A visualization study combining Micro-CT and COMSOL simulations.

Rainwater harvesting is a viable solution for providing clean water in regions where conventional water sources are scarce or contaminated. However, the harvested rainwater often contains microorganisms, suspended particles, and other impurities that must be removed before consumption. Gravity-driven ceramic membranes (GDCMs) are an efficient choice for purifying harvested rainwater due to their energy-saving properties.