Optimization of Urban Ecological Network Based on MSPA-MCR Model: A Case Study of Jingzhou City

As a key carrier supporting urban ecological health and living environment quality,urban ecological network is a key focus of current urban green space research.Jingzhou City of Hubei Province is taken as the research object.Relying on GIS technology platform,MSPA method is used to analyze the landscape pattern of Jingzhou City.On this basis,the landscape connectivity evaluation method is used to accurately identify and extract the source areas with important ecological value in Jingzhou City.Then,the normalization method and weighting method are combined to create a resistance factor evaluation system to construct the resistance surface.Based on the MCR model,the ecological network of Jingzhou City is successfully constructed,and targeted spatial optimization strategies and development suggestions are proposed.

Influence of ecological function protection zone on the water conservation in Gansu-Qinghai Contiguous Region of the upper Yellow River

The implementation of Ecological Function Protection Zone(EFPZ)policy is significant for the ecological restoration and conservation of soil and water in the territory space.This manuscript analyzed and quantified the impact of EFPZ on the regional water conservation function,based on land use data from 2005,2008,2010,2015 and 2020,by conducting a counterfactual simulation along with the GeoSOS-FLUS model and the InVEST model.The results demonstrate that the delineation of EFPZ can significantly influence the water conservation.(1)From 2010 to 2020,as the EFPZ was implemented,the water conservation in the study area was increasing year by year,with a growth rate of 0.03×10^(8) m^(3)∙a^(-1).On the other hand,the simulated water conservation capacity without the implementation of EFPZ decreased year by year,with a decrease rate of 0.01×10^(8) m^(3)∙a^(-1).(2)The EFPZ accounts for only 23%of the total area,but the contribution rate of water conservation reaches 80%.The actual values of water conservation and average water yield per unit pixel in the EFPZ show an increasing trend both internally and externally,while the counterfactual simulation values exhibit a decreasing trend.(3)The water conservation is much higher within the EFPZ than without EFPZ.The implementation of EFPZ has a significant effect on the improvement of the water conservation capacity in Maqu EFPZ and Yellow River Source EFPZ.The protection effectiveness should be enhanced in Qilian Mountain EFPZ and afforestation activities need to be carefully considered in Loess Plateau EFPZ.

Influencing Factors and Prediction of Risk of Returning to Ecological Poverty in Liupan Mountain Region,China

China has resolved its overall regional poverty in 2020 by attaining moderate societal prosperity.The country has entered a new development stage designed to achieve its second centenary goal.However,ecological fragility and risk susceptibility have increased the risk of returning to ecological poverty.In this paper,the Liupan Mountain Region of China was used as a case study,and the counties were used as the scale to reveal the spatiotempora differentiation and influcing factors of the risk of returning to poverty in study area.The indicator data for returning to ecological poverty from 2011-2020 were collected and summarized in three dimensions:ecological,economic and social.The autoregressive integrated moving average model(ARIMA)time series and exponential smoothing method(ES)were used to predict the multidimensional indicators of returning to ecological poverty for 61 counties(districts)in the Liupan Mountain Region for 2021-2030.The back propagation neural network(BPNN)and geographic information system(GIS)were used to generate the spatial distribution and time variation for the index of the risk of returning to ecological poverty(RREP index).The results show that 1)ecological factors were the main factors in the risk of returning to ecological poverty in Liupan Mountain Region.2)The RREP index for the 61 counties(districts)exhibited a downward trend from 2021-2030.The RREP index declined more in medium-and high-risk areas than in low-risk areas.From 2021 to 2025,the RREP index exhibited a slight downward trend.From 2026 to2030,the RREP index was expected to decline faster,especially from 2029-2030.3)Based on the RREP index,it can be roughly divided into three types,namely,the high-risk areas,the medium-risk areas,and the low-risk areas.The natural resource conditions in lowrisk areas of returning to ecological poverty,were better than those in medium-and high-risk areas.

Optimization of water-urban-agricultural-ecological land use pattern:A case study of Guanzhong Basin in the southern Loess Plateau of Shaanxi Province,China

Extensive land use will cause many environmental problems.It is an urgent task to improve land use efficiency and optimize land use patterns.In recent years,due to the flow decrease,the Guanzhong Basin in Shaanxi Province is confronted with the problem of insufficient water resources reserve.Based on the Coupled Ground-Water and Surface-Water Flow Model(GSFLOW),this paper evaluates the response of water resources in the basin to changes in land use patterns,optimizes the land use pattern,improves the ecological and economic benefits,and the efficiency of various spatial development,providing a reference for ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.The research shows that the land use pattern in the Guanzhong Basin should be further optimized.Under the condition of considering ecological and economic development,the percentage change of the optimum area of farmland,forest,grassland,water area,and urban area compared with the current land use area ratio is+2.3,+2.4,-6.1,+0.2,and+1.6,respectively.The economic and ecological value of land increases by14.1%and 3.1%,respectively,and the number of water resources can increase by 2.5%.

Changes of coastline and tidal flat and its implication for ecological protection under human activities: Take China’s Bohai Bay as an example

The change processes and trends of shoreline and tidal flat forced by human activities are essential issues for the sustainability of coastal area,which is also of great significance for understanding coastal ecological environment changes and even global changes.Based on field measurements,combined with Linear Regression(LR)model and Inverse Distance Weighing(IDW)method,this paper presents detailed analysis on the change history and trend of the shoreline and tidal flat in Bohai Bay.The shoreline faces a high erosion chance under the action of natural factors,while the tidal flat faces a different erosion and deposition patterns in Bohai Bay due to the impact of human activities.The implication of change rule for ecological protection and recovery is also discussed.Measures should be taken to protect the coastal ecological environment.The models used in this paper show a high correlation coefficient between observed and modeling data,which means that this method can be used to predict the changing trend of shoreline and tidal flat.The research results of present study can provide scientific supports for future coastal protection and management.

Ecological Niche Modelling Reveals the Peculiarities of Ecological Disjunction Between Two Sympatric Racerunners in Kazakhstan:Eremias lineolata(Nikolsky,1897)and Eremias scripta(Strauch,1867)

The ecological-niche models for two sympatric species,Eremias lineolata(Nikolsky,1897)and Eremias scripta(Strauch,1867),reveal evidence of spatial and temporal disjunction in the actual niches of both species.Eremias lineolata demonstrates a wide range of adaptations and,at the same time,has a greater need for winter precipitation and minimal temperature than E.scripta.Possible explanations for the thermal diversity of both species are provided.Thermal variables(monthly temperatures,monthly solar radiation,etc.)are traditionally important for ectotherm animals.Interestingly,as many as half of the key variables in both species are related to different aspects of environmental water balance(precipitation,air humidity,vapor pressure).There are several ways in which moisture may impact the lizard’s life cycle.Soil humidity is related to soil temperature and may be important during winter hibernation.In summer,soil humidity may support successful embryogenesis.Precipitation during the warm months is a key factor in maintaining the moisture content of the soil.In winter,snow cover provides a better thermal balance of the soil’s top layers where winter shelters are housed.Ecological niche modeling(ENM)is an interdisciplinary approach combining the geographical,climatic,ecological,and biological aspects of the wellbeing of species.This interdisciplinary approach lifts biological studies onto a new,integrative level,providing a comprehensive view on species biology and answering the questions that might not be answered if the traditional methods for studying animals were used alone.

Calculation and Evaluation of Ecological Flow of Hydropower Station Based on Fuzzy Evaluation Model

The reasonable determination of ecological flow is of great significance for the efforts to promote the transformation of water ecological environmental protection from pollution management to synergistic management of water resources,water ecology and water environment,and to promote them in an integrated manner.This paper analyzed and calculated the ecological flow process of the Bangsha River diversion power station using the minimum ecological flow method,the annual spreading method,the improved annual spreading method,the NGPRP method,and the month-by-month frequency method,and evaluated the reasonableness of the process and results of the ecological flow calculations by using the fuzzy evaluation model established.The study showed that the minimum ecological flow rate determined by improving the coupling of the spreading method and the NGPRP method was the best,and the suitable ecological flow rate determined by the month-by-month frequency method was the best;the minimum ecological flow rate of the Bangsha River diversion power station was at 0.43-4.21 m 3/s,and the suitable ecological flow rate was at 0.56-4.94 m 3/s,and the trend of its change showed the trend of first increasing and then decreasing,and the trend of change from January to July showed the trend of first increasing and then decreasing.Its trend of change showed an increasing and then decreasing trend,from January to July showed a gradually increasing trend,from August to December showed a gradually decreasing trend.It aimed to provide a theoretical basis for the reasonable determination of the ecological flow of the river hydropower station.

3D Model Construction and Ecological Environment Investigation on a Regional Scale Using UAV Remote Sensing

The acquisition of digital regional-scale information and ecological environmental data has high requirements for structural texture,spatial res-olution,and multiple parameter categories,which is challenging to achieve using satellite remote sensing.Considering the convenient,facilitative,and flexible characteristics of UAV(unmanned air vehicle)remote sensing tech-nology,this study selects a campus as a typical research area and uses the Pegasus D2000 equipped with a D-MSPC2000 multi-spectral camera and a CAM3000 aerial camera to acquire oblique images and multi-spectral data.Using professional software,including Context Capture,ENVI,and ArcGIS,a 3D(three-dimensional)campus model,a digital orthophoto map,and multi-spectral remote sensing map drawing are realized,and the geometric accuracy of typical feature selection is evaluated.Based on a quantitative remote sensing model,the campus ecological environment assessment is performed from the perspectives of vegetation and water body.The results presented in this study could be of great significance to the scientific management and sustainable development of regional natural resources.

Prediction of the environmental fate and aquatic ecological impact of nitrobenzene in the Songhua River using the modified AQUATOX model

An accidental discharge of nitrobenzene happened in November 2005 in the Songhua River,China.The AQUATOX model was modified and adapted to simulate the time-dependent nitrobenzene distribution in this multimedia aquatic system and its potential ecological impacts.Nitrobenzene concentrations in flowing water,sediment,and biota were predicted.Based on the initial concentrations of nitrobenzene observed in the field during the accidental discharge,that is,0.167-1.47 mg/L at different river segments, the predic...

Analysis of Major Driving Forces of Ecological Footprint Based on the STRIPAT Model and RR Method:A Case of Sichuan Province,Southwest China

The Ecological Footprint(EF) equation provides useful accounting to analyze the relationship between human activities and the environment.Knowledge of the specific forces driving EF is not fully understood but the STIRPAT model provides a simple framework for decomposing the impact of human activities on environment.We applied the EF model in Sichuan Province,China to assess the impact of human activities.The per capita EF increased by 2 fold in the 14 years between 1995 and 2008,but ecological capacity decreased in the same period,suggesting that the biologically productive area of Sichuan Province is inadequate to sustain human activities.According to the refined STIRPAT model,the hypothesized driving forces of EF include population size(P),GDP per capita(A1),quadratic term of GDP per capita(A2),percentage of GDP from industry(T1) and urbanization rate(T2).However,the multi-collinearity among these drivers could be a substantial problem which may reveal negative effect in the final results.Application of the Ridge Regression(RR) method to fit the STIRPAT model had the advantage of being able to avoid the collinearity among independent variables.The results showed that population is the principal driving force of EF variation in Sichuan Province and that urbanization and industrialization also have a positive association with the EF.Analysis of affluence elasticity(EEA) showed that the relationship betweenEF and economic growth was not curvilinear,suggesting that variation of EF does not follow an Environmental Kuznets Curve relative to economic growth in Sichuan Province.

Exergy and ecological modelling of lake environment

The thermodynamic theories and ecological theories can be integrated effectively by exergy(biogeochemical energy of the system) to study the environmental problems of the lakes and reservoirs. In this paper, the applications of exergy in the ecological modelling of lake environment were reviewed. Results showed that exergy can be used as a goal function to estimate the parameters of the ecological model for lakes and reservoirs and to develop the structural dynamic models accounting for the changes in lake ecosystems, and as an ecological indicators for the development and evolution of lake ecosystems.

Evolution of biogeographic disjunction between eastern Asia and North America in Chamaecyparis:Insights from ecological niche models

The disjunct distribution of plants between eastern Asia(EA) and North America(NA) is one of the most well-known biogeographic patterns. However, the formation and historical process of this pattern have been long debated. Chamaecyparis is a good model to test previous hypotheses about the formation of this disjunct pattern as it contains six species disjunctly distributed in EA, western North America(WNA)and eastern North America(ENA). In this study, we applied ecological niche models to test the formation of the disjunct pattern of Chamaecyparis. The model calibrated with the EA species was able to predict the distribution of eastern NA species well, but not the western NA species. Furthermore, the eastern Asian species were shown to have higher niche overlap with the eastern North American species. The EA species were also shown to share more similar habitats with ENA species than with WNA species in the genus. Chamaecyparis species in WNA experienced a significant niche shift compared with congeneric species. Chamaecyparis had a low number of suitable regions in Europe and the middle and western NA during the Last Glacial Maximum(LGM) period, and became extinct in the former region whereas it retains residual distribution in the latter. The extirpations in western NA and Europe in response to the late Neogene and Quaternary climatic cooling and the more similar habitats between ENA and EA ultimately shaped the current intercontinental disjunct distribution of Chamaecyparis. Both current hypotheses may be also jointly applied to explain more eastern Asian and eastern North American disjunctions observed today.

Evaluation on Urban Land Ecological Security Based on the PSR Model and Matter-Element Analysis: A Case Study of Zhuhai, Guangdong, China

As one of the Special Economic Zones since the reform and opening up, Zhuhai has developed during the past 30 years. Its economic development, industrial structure and ecological environment have undergone great changes. Research on changes in Zhuhai’s land ecological security is of great significance. Using relevant data from 2007-2012, this study established a land ecological security assessment system based on the PSR conceptual framework model. The system contained 18 indicators from 3 aspects according to the concrete features of Zhuhai. Then we used the matterelement analysis and the improved entropy weight to analyze and evaluate the land ecological security of Zhuhai. The results showed that: from 2007 to 2012, the levels of the land ecological security of Zhuhai were “secure”, and the value increased year by year;as the land ecological security response value increased, Zhuhai was capable of solving land ecosystem problems. However, it should be noted that the structure of land ecosystem in Zhuhai has not formed and that rapid expansion of construction land has caused the shortage of cultivated land and other issues. Measures should be taken to control the construction area, improve land intensive utilization and improve the land ecological security.

Predicting the potential geographic distribution of Bactrocera bryoniae and Bactrocera neohumeralis(Diptera: Tephritidae) in China using MaxEnt ecological niche modeling

Bactrocera bryoniae and Bactrocera neohumeralis are highly destructive and major biosecurity/quarantine pests of fruit and vegetable in the tropical and subtropical regions in the South Pacific and Australia.Although these pests have not established in China,precautions must be taken due to their highly destructive nature.Thus,we predicted the potential geographic distribution of B.bryoniae and B.neohumeralis across the world and in particular China by ecological niche modeling of the Maximum Entropy(Max Ent)model with the occurrence records of these two species.Bactrocera bryoniae and B.neohumeralis exhibit similar potential geographic distribution ranges across the world and in China,and each species was predicted to be able to distribute to over 20%of the globe.Globally,the potential geographic distribution ranges for these two fruit fly species included southern Asia,the central and the southeast coast of Africa,southern North America,northern and central South America,and Australia.While within China,most of the southern Yangtze River area was found suitable for these species.Notably,southern China was considered to have the highest risk of B.bryoniae and B.neohumeralis invasions.Our study identifies the regions at high risk for potential establishment of B.bryoniae and B.neohumeralis in the world and in particular China,and informs the development of inspection and biosecurity/quarantine measures to prevent and control their invasions.

A numerical model study on multi-species harmful algal blooms coupled with background ecological fields

Based on systematized physical, chemical, and biological modules, a multi-species harmful algal bloom （HAB） model coupled with background ecological fields was established. This model schematically embod-ied that HAB causative algal species and the background ecological system, quantified as total biomass, were significantly different in terms of the chemical and biological processes during a HAB while the inter-action between the two was present. The model also included a competition and interaction mechanism between the HAB algal species or populations. The Droop equation was optimized by considering tempera-ture, salinity, and suspended material impact factors in the parameterization of algal growth rate with the nutrient threshold. Two HAB processes in the springs of 2004 and 2005 were simulated using this model. Both simulation results showed consistent trends with corresponding HAB processes observed in the East China Sea, which indicated the rationality of the model. This study made certain progress in modeling HABs, which has great application potential for HAB diagnosis, prediction, and prevention.

Ecological Security Assessment in County Area Based on P-S-R Model——A Case Study of Ningwu County,Shanxi Province

To further understand the status quo and change tendency of ecological security in county area, we took the example of Ningwu County, the headstream of Fenhe River, confronting serious eco-environment problem and considerable human impacts. Taking Ningwu as the study area and using variation coefficient method to determine the weights of the indices, we built ecological security pattern based on Pressure-State-Response （P-S-R） Model of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The ecological security status was evaluated by calculating eco-security index （ESI） with socio-economic statistical data of Ningwu during 2001 -2010. The results showed that the situation of eco-security had been improved from heavy alarm to relative safety during 2001 -2010. It reflected that the ecological economic system in Ningwu County tended to be relaxed constantly after experienced a sharp conflict between ecological environment and economic growth. The ecological safety awareness was growing, however, by force of the objective requirements of population growth and economic development, the situation of ecological security was still unstable.

Improved ecological development model for lower Yellow River floodplain,China

In this study,a model for the development of the wide floodplain in the lower Yellow River Basin,in China was developed.This model includes flood control schemes using grading criteria,enables sediment deposition in partitioned zones,and allows free exchange between channel runoff and sediment.The wide floodplain located between the main channel and levees is divided into three typical regions:the tender,low,and high floodplains.Different ecological models should be applied when these floodplains are constructed.This paper describes the associated research ideas and methodology,and clarifies several key issues,including sediment prediction and regulation,land planning,land use,and a multi-dimensional framework of safeguard measures for industries on the lower Yellow River floodplain.A refined ecological development model is proposed for the lower Yellow River floodplain,and future work on ecological and sustainable development of the lower floodplain is suggested.To establish a comprehensive system integrating runoff and sediment resource regulation in the Yellow River Basin,future work should focus on runoff and sediment exchange mechanisms in the wandering lower reaches.Furthermore,it is necessary to improve theories on floodplain planning and ecological construction,and these theories should be integrated with the research findings on land development across the lower Yellow River floodplain.©2020 Hohai University.Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Ecological Security Evaluation Algorithm for Resource-Exhausted Cities Based on the PSR Model

Today,resource depletion threatens a number of resource-based cities in China.The ecological security problem caused by the long-term exploitation of natural resources is a key issue to be solved in the development of resource-exhausted cities.Using 23 indicators,this study evaluated the ecological security status and development trends of 21 resource-exhausted cities in China from 2011 to 2017.The results showed that from 2011 to 2015,the overall ecological security of this type of city was low,with over 60%of the cities at an unsafe level.However,ecological security improved rapidly after 2016,and by 2017,all of the cities had reached the critical safety level.The top 10 indicators of ecological security included industrial sulfur dioxide emissions,water supply,agricultural fertilizer application,and forest coverage.These 10 indicators’cumulative contribution to ecological security was 48.3%;among them,reducing industrial sulfur dioxide emissions contributed the most at 5.7%.These findings can help governments better understand the ecological security status of resource-exhausted cities,and it can provide a reference for the allocation of funds and other resources to improve the ecological safety of these cities.

Dynamic Evaluation of Land Ecological Security in Anhui Province Based on PSR Model

Based on PSR framework method, the land ecological security evaluation index system of 16 cities of Anhui Province was constructed. The land ecological security value of subsystem in Anhui Province from 2000 to 2011 was calculated using the index weight which was determined by the entropy weight method, and land ecological security trend from 2012 to 2017 was forecasted using GM （1,1） model. The results indicated that, the land ecological security index in Anhui Province from 2000 to 2017 was rising on the whole, with the average value increasing from 0.442 in 2000 to 0.450 in 2017, and there was a huge difference among cities; at the same time, the state index and response index of each subsystem of land ecological security also rose. GM （ 1, 1 ） model had high simulation precision and was able to predict the land ecological security level and the de- velopment trend of each subsystem of Anhui Province from 2012 to 2017. The main factors that influenced the land ecological security of Anhui Prov- ince included per capita farmland area, population density, natural growth rate of population, urbanization level, soil coordination degree, agricultur- al mechanization degree, and the area proportion of nature reserve, which are the focus of land ecological security regulation in the future.

Model identification with BPNN on restrictive ecological factors of SRB for sulfate-reduction

The model of back-propagation neural network (BPNN) was presented to demonstrate the effect of restrictive ecological factors, COD/SO 4 2- ratio, pH value, alkalinity (ALK) and SO 4 2- loading rate (Ns), on sulfate reduction of Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (SRB) in an acidogenic sulfate reducing reactor supplied with molasses as sole organic carbon source and sodium sulfate as electron acceptor. The compare of experimental results and computer simulation was also discussed. It was shown that the method of BPNN had a powerful ability to analyze the ecological characteristic of acidogenic sulfate reducing ecosystem quantitatively.