Landscape Architecture Planning and Design Based on Landscape Ecology Theory:A Case Study of Waterfront Landscape Planning and Design of Dapo Town

With the rapid development of urbanization,landscape architecture has become an indispensable component of daily life.In order to achieve better landscape effects and protect the ecological environment,landscape ecology theory can be integrated into landscape planning to carry out disciplinary crossing and integration research between landscape ecology and landscape architecture.In this study,based on the basic theories of landscape ecology,the waterfront landscape of Dapo Town was designed,with the aim to achieve ecological balance in planning,showcase biodiversity,and create a harmonious landscape ecological environment which can benefit both nature and people.This design combined artificial and natural elements while improving the natural environment,which promoted a harmonious relationship between humans and nature,thus enriching the spatial organization of the city,and playing a role in regulating the urban environment and climate.

Research hotspots and trends of groundwater and ecology studies:Based on a bibliometric approach

Groundwater,as a critical component of the hydrological cycle,is essential for sustainable ecosystem development.To clarify the current status of domestic and overseas research,and to identify hotspots,frontier and future trends of groundwater and ecology research,this study utilizes bibliometric methods and CiteSpace software to examine relevant published articles in the Web of Science(WOS)and CNKI databases from 1978 to 2022.Specifically,this study analyzes(1)the annual number of published papers;(2)research institutions;(3)keywords;and(4)evolution of research hotspots.The findings reveal that the United States,China,and Germany are the top three countries in groundwater and ecology research.International research hotspots mainly focus on microbial ecology,climate change,groundwater-surface water interactions in the hyporheic zone,biodiversity,and submarine groundwater discharge,while domestic research hotspots mainly focus on ecological water conveyance,ecological flow,groundwater development and utilization,groundwater pollution,and groundwater and ecological protection.Both domestic and international research hotspots exhibit interdisciplinary features with diverse research objects and assessment methods.Future research in this area is expected to focus on topics such as contamination,groundwater quality,framework,mechanism,spatial distribution,and dissolved organic matter.Additionally,the study of ecological recharge,ecological flow,ecological protection,water intake and use will continue to be the hot topics domestically.

A long way to go:impacts of urbanization on migrants’livelihoods and rural ecology in less industrialized regions

Urbanization,often coupled with industrialization,is generally considered as a boost for improving livelihood as well as alleviating ecological pressures of the rural areas.However,this experience needs to be tested in less industrialized areas,particularly where the urbanization is driven by non-economic factors such as urban public services and relevant government policies rather than employment opportunities.Taking two villages on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as examples,through the field investigation by using semi-structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews,and statistical data analysis,we explored the impacts of urbanization on migrants’livelihoods and the ecological conditions of their original village rangeland.We found that the disposable income and savings of emigrant households were less than the stay households,which might be correlated to the limited employment due to the lagged industrialization in the local township,and the mismatch between their traditional labor skills and the demands of urban services.Their home-village rangeland overuse was not alleviated since the increasing grazing pressure caused by the stay households,though the emigrant households intended to decrease the number of livestock on their home pasture.We concluded that the urbanization misaligned with local industrialization may fail to improve migrant livelihoods and local ecological conditions in less industrialized areas.Our research supplements the previous urbanization theory by highlighting the non-industrialization driven urbanization,and is particularly pertinent for the transitional countries worldwide.

Protection and Restoration of Soil and Water Ecology to Achieve Harmonious Coexistence between Human and Nature

At present,the ecological environment crisis of global concern,such as climate warming and biodiversity loss,the fundamental reason is the change and destruction of the earth's soil and water ecology.Therefore,protecting and restoring the authenticity,diversity,cleanliness and integrity of soil and water ecology,we should coordinate and deal with the relationship between human beings and soil and water ecology,and realize the harmonious coexistence between human beings and nature from the three aspects of protecting natural soil and water ecology,protecting and restoring natural soil and water ecology,building and regenerating artificial soil and water ecology.

Small Lexicon on Ecology (for Those Interested in Cities)

Some notions about ecology show that if there is not a corpus there is an interesting and pertinent debate.We quote:on the environment itself,negative commons,mistake of the isolated system,dealing with the symptoms and not the causes(the tragedy of the horizons),and on the Opinion,Great Reversal,laws of opinion,greenwashing,and the return of enclave economy.The cities are concerned by the two different stakes,adaptation and mitigation.Also,the question is posed of the places where ecological awareness can appear.

Ecological Analysis of Leontice L. Species Distributed in the Navoi Region, Kyzyl-Kum Desert (Uzbekistan)

Leontice L. is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Berberidaceae family. Our research was conducted in Navoi region. The article presents an ecological analysis of Leontice L. species in the Navoi region. The genus Leontice grows mainly in mountainous areas and some are distributed in arid climates. According to the information that 2 species have been identified in Navoi region, these species are plants with flavanoids healing properties. Leontice species have been used in traditional medicine since ancient times in ethnobotany. The presence of this species was discovered during the research and Leontice has identified numerous unique compounds, such as alkaloids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, with potential medicinal properties such as anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antiviral effects. According to ecological analysis, the Leontice genus thrives on stony, gravelly, and fine-grained mountain slopes and ridges, foothills, mountains, rocks, colorful rock outcrops, rocky slopes, and sandy, clay, and gravel deserts.

Ecological problems and ecological restoration zoning of the Aral Sea

The Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake in the world but it has shrunk dramatically as a result of irrational human activities, triggering the "Aral Sea ecological crisis". The ecological problems of the Aral Sea have attracted widespread attention, and the alleviation of the Aral Sea ecological crisis has reached a consensus among the five Central Asian countries(Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan). In the past decades, many ecological management measures have been implemented for the ecological restoration of the Aral Sea. However, due to the lack of regional planning and zoning, the results are not ideal. In this study, we mapped the ecological zoning of the Aral Sea from the perspective of ecological restoration based on soil type, soil salinity, surface water, groundwater table, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI), land cover, and aerosol optical depth(AOD) data. Soil salinization and salt dust are the most prominent ecological problems in the Aral Sea. We divided the Aral Sea into 7 first-level ecological restoration subregions(North Aral Sea catchment area in the downstream of the Syr Darya River(Subregion Ⅰ);artificial flood overflow area in the downstream of the Aral Sea(Subregion Ⅱ);physical/chemical remediation area of the salt dust source area in the eastern part of the South Aral Sea(Subregion Ⅲ);physical/chemical remediation area of severe salinization in the central part of the South Aral Sea(Subregion Ⅳ);existing water surface and potential restoration area of the South Aral Sea(Subregion Ⅴ);Aral Sea vegetation natural recovery area(Subregion Ⅵ);and vegetation planting area with slight salinization in the South Aral Sea(Subregion Ⅶ)) and 14 second-level ecological restoration subregions according to the ecological zoning principles. Implementable measures are proposed for each ecological restoration subregion. For Subregion Ⅰ and Subregion Ⅱ with lower elevations, artificial flooding should be carried out to restore the surface of the Aral Sea. Subregion Ⅲ and Subregion Ⅳ have severe salinization, making it difficult for vegetation to grow. In these subregions, it is recommended to cover and pave the areas with green biomatrix coverings and environmentally sustainable bonding materials. In Subregion Ⅴ located in the central and western parts of the South Aral Sea, surface water recharge should be increased to ensure that this subregion can maintain normal water levels. In Subregion Ⅵ and Subregion Ⅶ where natural conditions are suitable for vegetation growth, measures such as afforestation and buffer zones should be implemented to protect vegetation. This study could provide a reference basis for future comprehensive ecological management and restoration of the Aral Sea.

Characterization of Wastewater in School Environments for an Ecological Treatment Solution: A Case Study of Ndiebene Gandiol 1 School

The study conducted at Ndiebene Gandiol 1 school in Senegal has unveiled serious environmental and public health challenges. The wastewater analysis revealed high levels of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and fecal coliforms, signaling potential risks to the well-being of students and staff. This situation mirrors a wider issue in rural educational settings, where inadequate sanitation persists. Intensive wastewater treatment options are known for their effectiveness against high pollutant loads but are resource-intensive in both energy and cost. Conversely, extensive treatment systems, while requiring more land, provide a sustainable alternative by harnessing natural processes for pollutant removal. The research suggests a hybrid treatment approach could serve the school’s needs, balancing the robust capabilities of intensive methods with the ecological benefits of extensive systems. Such a solution would need to be tailored to the specific environmental, financial, and logistical context of the school, based on comprehensive feasibility studies and stakeholder engagement. This study’s findings underscore the urgency of addressing sanitation in schools, as it is intrinsically linked to the health and academic success of students. Quick, effective, and long-term strategies are vital to secure a healthier and more prosperous future for the youth. With proper implementation, the school can transform its sanitation facilities, setting a precedent for rural educational institutions in Senegal and similar contexts globally.

Ecological network analysis reveals complex responses of tree species life stage interactions to stand variables

Tree interactions are essential for the structure,dynamics,and function of forest ecosystems,but variations in the architecture of life-stage interaction networks(LSINs)across forests is unclear.Here,we constructed 16 LSINs in the mountainous forests of northwest Hebei,China based on crown overlap from four mixed forests with two dominant tree species.Our results show that LSINs decrease the complexity of stand densities and basal areas due to the interaction cluster differentiation.In addition,we found that mature trees and saplings play different roles,the first acting as“hub”life stages with high connectivity and the second,as“bridges”controlling information flow with high centrality.Across the forests,life stages with higher importance showed better parameter stability within LSINs.These results reveal that the structure of tree interactions among life stages is highly related to stand variables.Our efforts contribute to the understanding of LSIN complexity and provide a basis for further research on tree interactions in complex forest communities.

Utilization of recycled solid waste as ecological reclamation materials based on plant growth experiments and soil quality analysis

During the highway construction,a large number of spoil areas will be generated while a large amount of waste slag and soil could not be rationally utilized.Besides,the vegetation recovery is slow in the spoil areas due to the soil depletion.Aiming at recycling the solid waste,the sieved engineering waste slag with local red clay and corn straw biochar was supplied to solve the problem of insufficient nutrients in engineering waste slag and soil.In addition,planting experiments of alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.)and Amorpha fruticosa L.combined with physical and chemical experiments were carried out to prove the feasibility of the novel improved substrate for the reclamation of spoil areas.The results show that the substrate's improvement effect is mainly affected by the soil to slag ratio and the biochar content.The improvement effect of soil matrix in highway spoil area decreases with the increase of the waste slag content,especially when the soil-slag ratio is less than 3,and the promotion of plants is limited.On the contrary,the improvement effect is proportional to the biochar content(3%-8%).But it is noted that the Cu and Pb in the soil will exceed the clean limit corresponding to the Nemero soil pollution index level when the biochar content is 8%.Therefore,it is recommended that the soil-slag ratio should be≥3,and the biochar content should reach 3%-5%.This research provides experimental basis and technical support for utilizing solid waste resources in the reclamation of highway spoil areas.

Landscape ecological risk assessment and its driving factors in the Weihe River basin,China

Weihe River basin is of great significance to analyze the changes of land use pattern and landscape ecological risk and to improve the ecological basis of regional development.Based on land use data of the Weihe River basin in 2000,2010,and 2020,with the support of Aeronautical Reconnaissance Coverage Geographic Information System(ArcGIS),GeoDa,and other technologies,this study analyzed the spatial-temporal characteristics and driving factors of land use pattern and landscape ecological risk.Results showed that land use structure of the Weihe River basin has changed significantly,with the decrease of cropland and the increase of forest land and construction land.In the past 20 a,cropland has decreased by 7347.70 km2,and cropland was mainly converted into forest land,grassland,and construction land.The fragmentation and dispersion of ecological landscape pattern in the Weihe River basin were improved,and land use pattern became more concentrated.Meanwhile,landscape ecological risk of the Weihe River basin has been improved.Severe landscape ecological risk area decreased by 19,177.87 km2,high landscape ecological risk area decreased by 3904.35 km2,and moderate and low landscape ecological risk areas continued to increase.It is worth noting that landscape ecological risks in the upper reaches of the Weihe River basin are still relatively serious,especially in the contiguous areas of high ecological risk,such as Tianshui,Pingliang,Dingxi areas and some areas of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.Landscape ecological risk showed obvious spatial dependence,and high ecological risk area was concentrated.Among the driving factors,population density,precipitation,normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI),and their interactions are the most important factors affecting the landscape ecological risk of the Weihe River basin.The findings significantly contribute to our understanding of the ecological dynamics in the Weihe River basin,providing crucial insights for sustainable management in the region.

Research on the Construction of a“New Ecology”of University Catering

With the goal of establishing morality and nurturing people,university catering is thought to be one of the key components in the construction of“double first class”universities,which supports and leads the reform of education modernization.In this study,the common problems in the university catering were analyzed,and research was done through questionnaires and interviews.This study takes Beijing colleges and universities as the research object to understand the needs of students and teachers and aims to build a“new ecology”of university catering,and vigorously promote the construction of green campuses.

Effects of Enclosure on Grassland Ecological and Economic Benefits in Northern China

Grasslands in northern China serve the country as both an ecological barrier and a livestock production base.There,installing enclosures has been becoming the major grassland restoration measure adopted by many local governments.However,the effects of restoration on both ecological and production benefits of grassland remain unclear for implemented grassland restoration policies.Therefore,a representative rangeland in northern China,the Maodeng pasture in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was selected as the study area,and remote sensing monitoring analyses were carried out to quantify the ecological benefits and economic benefits from 2015 to 2021.The results showed that:1) in terms of ecological benefits,the grassland area with a grassland coverage rate of more than 60% accounts for 32.3% of the regional area,and 86.4% of its grassland grew significantly better than the same period in2015,showing a significant improvement in grassland growth.Using the average amount of carbon per unit area as the ecological benefit evaluation index,it increased by 27.1% to 32.48Tg C/yr from 2015 to 2021.2) In terms of economic benefits,both theoretical grass production and livestock carrying capacity increased from 2015 to 2021.Compared to 2015,the theoretical grass production in 2021 increased by 24.8% to 71 900 t.The livestock carrying capacity reached 52 100 sheep units in 2021,nearly 11 000 sheep units more than that in 2015.During the study period,multiple economic indicators(on a per capita basis of permanent residents) for the pastoral area of Xilinhot City to which the Maodeng pasture belongs,have grown steadily.Per capita total income rose from 29 630 yuan(RMB) in2015 to 62 859 yuan(RMB) in 2021.Relying on grassland resources to develop the pastoral ecology also broadens the potential economic development space.Overall,the establishment of the reserve and the experiment of implanting an enclosure policy have had a significant and positive impact on Maodeng pasture’s development from both an ecological and economic perspective.With the support of scientific evidence,enclosure policy can be extended to more than 110 000 km~2 of grasslands in northern China with similar precipitation and temperature conditions,enhancing the productive and ecological potential of grasslands.The above research results will contribute to the scientific formulation of grassland pasture quality improvement plans in northern China.

First national standard for river ecological safety assessment comes out

China has always been upholding the harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and protecting eco-environment at home and abroad. Therefore, the first national standard for river ecological safety assessment, GB/T 43474-2023, Technical guidelines for river ecological security assessment, was recently released, which will come into effect on April 1, 2024.

Spatiotemporal Evolution of Ecological Quality in Alpine Freshwater Lake Nature Reserves in the Past 20 Years

The Caohai Nature Reserve is one of the three major plateau freshwater lakes in China.Since the 1950s,human activities such as land reclamation and population relocation have greatly damaged Caohai.A rapid evaluation of the spatiotemporal evolution trend of the ecological quality of the Caohai Nature Reserve is significant for the maintenance and construction of the ecosystem in this area.The research is based on the Google Earth Engine(GEE)remote sensing cloud computing platform.Landsat TM/OLI images from May to October in five time periods:2000-2002,2004-2006,2009-2011,2014-2016,and 2019-2021 were obtained to reconstruct the optimal cloud image set by averaging the images in each time period.By constructing four ecological indicators:Greenness(NDVI),Wetness(Wet),Hotness(LST),and Dryness(NDBSI),and using Principal Component Analysis(PCA)method to obtain the Remote Sensing Ecological Index(RSEI)for the corresponding years,the spatiotemporal variation of ecological quality in the Caohai Nature Reserve over 20 years was analyzed.The results indicate:①the mean value of RSEI increased from 0.460 in 2000-2002 to 0.772 in 2019-2021,a 67.83%increase,indicating a significant improvement in the ecological quality of the reserve over the 20 years;②from the perspective of functional zoning of the Caohai Nature Reserve,the ecological quality of the core area showed a degrading trend,while the ecological quality of the buffer zone and experimental zone significantly improved;③with the implementation of ecological restoration projects,the ecological quality of the reserve gradually recovered and improved from 2014 to 2021.The trend of RSEI value changes is well correlated with human interventions,indicating that the PCA-based RSEI model can be effectively used for ecological quality assessment in lake areas.

Spatiotemporal Evolution of Ecological Quality in Typical Karst Ecologically Fragile Areas Based on Remote Sensing Ecological Indexes

Fast and effective remote sensing monitoring is an important means for analyzing the spatio-temporal changes in ecological quality in fragile karst regions.This study focuses on Guanling Autonomous County,a national-level demonstration county for comprehensive desertification control.Based on Landsat TM/OLI remote sensing image data from 2005,2010,2015,and 2020,remote sensing ecological indices were used to analyze the spatio-temporal changes in ecological quality in Guanling Autonomous County from 2005 to 2020.The results show that:①the variance contribution rates of the first principal component for the four periods were 66.31%,71.59%,63.18%,and 75.24%,indicating that PC1 integrated most of the characteristics of the four indices,making the RSEI suitable for evaluating ecological quality in karst mountain areas;②the remote sensing ecological index grades have been increasing year by year,with an overall trend of improving ecological quality.The area of higher-grade ecological quality has increased spatially,while fragmented patches have gradually decreased,becoming more concentrated in the low-altitude areas in the northwest and east,and there is a trend of expansion towards higher-altitude areas;③the ecological environment quality in most areas has improved,with the improvement in RSEI spatio-temporal variation becoming more noticeable with increasing slope.Areas of higher-grade quality appeared in 2010,and the range of higher-grade quality expanded with increasing slope.

Reflections on the Cultural Ecology of University Classrooms in the Perspective of Postmodernism

The cultural ecology of university classroom has been influenced by postmodernism and has shown complex and variable characteristics.Specifically speaking,it tends to be both conflicting and interactive in terms of subject relations in the classroom,fragmented and diversified in terms of classroom teaching,and redundant and dynamic in terms of classroom assessment.In order to further harmonize and develop the cultural ecology of university classrooms,it is necessary to expand the space for communication and interaction between teachers and students,improve the overall professional quality of faculty members,and perfect the management and assessment system for university teachers and students.

The coordinated evolution of ecological environment,public service,and tourism economy along the Silk Road Economic Belt,using the Dual-Carbon Targets

Carbon peak and carbon neutrality(dual-carbon)are important targets for the international response to climate change.The Silk Road Economic Belt is a strategic resource region and is important for future ecological environment and tourism development.Based on the“dual-carbon”targets,the Single index quantification,Multiple index synthesis,and Poly-criteria integration evaluation model were used in this study to measure the coordinated development index of the ecological environment,public service,and tourism economy along the Silk Road Economic Belt and to analyze its spatial and temporal evolution.Further,it explores the dynamic evolution and development trend of the three systems using the Kernel Density and Grey Markov Prediction Model.The results show that the coordinated development index along this region needs to be improved during the study period.Furthermore,the coordinated development index of the Southwest region is relatively higher than that of the Northwest region.From the development trend of the three systems,all of them develop in a stable manner;however,the tourism economy system is easily affected by external disturbances.The coordinated development index of the three systems changes dynamically and tends to be in a good state of coordination.There is a certain spatial and temporal heterogeneity.The gravity center of the coordinated development index has been in the Southwest region.During the forecast period,the coordinated development index along this region will improve significantly,while insufficient and unbalanced development will continue.

Research Progress on Distribution,Sources and Ecological Effects of Phthalate in Soil

Phthalate esters(PAEs)are widely used as main plasticizers in plastic products,agricultural regulators,toys,and other fields.This paper reviewed the research progress on the distribution,sources,and ecological effects of PAEs.The effects of PAEs on soil microorganisms,animals,plants and soil properties were explored in sequence,providing effective theoretical basis for future research on PAEs.

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.