Structural patterns of land types and optimal allocation of land use in Qinling Mountains

The case study based on Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi Province of China, in virtue of the information from TM image, classifies the land types and analyzes their spatial and temporal differential law, and puts forward three structural patterns of land types in mountainous areas, namely, spatial, quantitative and qualitative structures of mountainous land types. Furthermore, it has been noticed that the analysis of structural patterns can disclose the heterogeneity and orderliness of combination of land types, which can lay the theoretic foundation for comprehensively recognizing ecological characteristics and succession law of structure and function of land types. After the all-around comparative analysis, an optimal allocation of land use in Qinling Mountains has been put forward according to the principle of sustainable development and landscape ecology, which can lay the scientific foundation in practice for the structural adjustment and distribution optimization from the macro level to micro level.

Land use change and its driving factors in the ecological function area:A case study in the Hedong Region of the Gansu Province,China

Land use and cover change(LUCC)is important for the provision of ecosystem services.An increasing number of recent studies link LUCC processes to ecosystem services and human well-being at different scales recently.However,the dynamic of land use and its drivers receive insufficient attention within ecological function areas,particularly in quantifying the dynamic roles of climate change and human activities on land use based on a long time series.This study utilizes geospatial analysis and geographical detectors to examine the temporal dynamics of land use patterns and their underlying drivers in the Hedong Region of the Gansu Province from 1990 to 2020.Results indicated that grassland,cropland,and forestland collectively accounted for approximately 99% of the total land area.Cropland initially increased and then decreased after 2000,while grassland decreased with fluctuations.In contrast,forestland and construction land were continuously expanded,with net growth areas of 6235.2 and 455.9 km^(2),respectively.From 1990 to 2020,cropland was converted to grassland,and both of them were converted to forestland as a whole.The expansion of construction land primarily originated from cropland.From 2000 to 2005,land use experienced intensified temporal dynamics and a shift of relatively active zones from the central to the southeastern region.Grain yield,economic factors,and precipitation were the major factors accounting for most land use changes.Climatic impacts on land use changes were stronger before 1995,succeeded by the impact of animal husbandry during 1995-2000,followed by the impacts of grain production and gross domestic product(GDP)after 2000.Moreover,agricultural and pastoral activities,coupled with climate change,exhibited stronger enhancement effects after 2000 through their interaction with population and economic factors.These patterns closely correlated with ecological restoration projects in China since 1999.This study implies the importance of synergy between human activity and climate change for optimizing land use via ecological patterns in the ecological function area.

Elevation and Land Use Types Have Significant Impacts on Spatial Variability of Soil Organic Matter Content in Hani Terraced Field of Yuanyang County,China

Soil organic matter （SOM） content is one of the most important indicators of the sustainability of soil. To maintain sustainable soil utilization and management in fragile Hani terraced field, it is meaningful to investigate the effects of topography and land use type on SOM content. Descriptive statistics and geostatistics were used to analyze the data and the kriging method was applied to map the spatial patterns of SOM content. The results showed that the mean SOM content was 32.76 g/kg, with a variation coefficient of 40%. The SOM content was affected by elevation and land use type. As the increase of elevation, the SOM content in Hani terraced field also increased obviously. The SOM content in tea garden, which is almost at high elevation, was the highest in all six land use types, and the SOM content decreased in a following sequence： tea garden 〉 paddy field 〉 corn field 〉 banana garden 〉 cassava field 〉 sugarcane field. In addition, at the same elevation, the paddy field had the highest SOM content compared with other land use types. All these results demonstrate that paddy field is the most efficient and suitable land use type for SOM conservation at high, middle or low elevations in the fragile Hani terraced field. In order to protect soil quality and maintain the sustainable agricultural development, it is necessary to maintain or even to enlarge the area of paddy field in Yuanyang county, Yunnan Province, China.

Soil Physical Properties of Different Land Use Types in Loess Hilly Region

[Objectives]To explore the impact of land use changes on physical properties of soil in loess hilly region.[Methods]The methods of field sampling and indoor analysis were adopted.Farmland in a small watershed in the middle of the Loess Plateau,grassland that had been abandoned for 7 years,grassland that had been abandoned for 30 years,jujube orchard and ditch were sampled,and the particle composition(clay,silt and sand)and moisture changes of the soil in the top 0-100 cm were studied.[Results]In the small watershed,the top 0-100 cm of the soil was composed of 14%clay,70%silt and 16%sand.The contents of clay,silt and sand in the grassland that had been abandoned for 30 years varied greatly,while varied little in the land of other use types.The soil moisture content of grassland that had been abandoned for 30 years,jujube orchard,grassland that had been abandoned for 7 years,farmland and ditch increased with the increase of depth,with means of 10.29%,11.66%,10.08%,11.43%and 11.34%,respectively.[Conclusions]This study provides a theoretical basis for the growth of crops of different land use types in the loess hilly region.

Efficiency Assessment of Land Use Types in Tan Binh Commune,Dak Doa District,Gia Lai Province,Vietnam

Land resource depletion causes a range of consequences,such as threats to food security,increasing poverty,and social unrest.Therefore,reasonable and effective land use has become a crucial issue of the nation and localities nationwide.Research results in Tan Binh commune,Dak Doa district,Gia Lai Province in Vietnam showed that long-term industrial and agricultural land occupies most of the commune's agroforestry land.The study also had shown that there are six common land use types(LUTs)in the commune.In particular,the LUT of pepper cultivation had the highest economic benefit,whereas the LUT of coffee brought the highest social benefit.However,the LUT of chayote was the highest in overall benefits with Ect of 0.93;thus,this LUT should be widely applied throughout Tan Binh commune.The research results were a crucial scientific basis for proposing a group of suitable plants to local natural conditions to bring effective and sustainable efficiency in land-use types.

Sustainable land-use patterns for arid lands: A case study in the northern slope areas of the Tianshan Mountains

Sustainable land use patterns are ecological and economic prerequisites of regional sustainable development. This is especially true for arid lands, where the environment is wholly fragile thanks to extremely limited precipitation, and where human activities have greatly transformed natural desert system by clearing natural vegetation, expanding oases and even building dams on inland rivers. However, the current studies on land use patterns are still characterized by field investigations and case studies, with almost no solid scientific basis. This paper holds that land types and their combination patterns are the principal basis for designing sustainable land use patterns, and that GIS and RS-based large-scale land type mapping and the study of their spatial combination structures should be coordinated with the demand of social development. The existing environmental problems induced by irrational land use mostly result from their deviation from the natural properties of land types. Taking the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains （NSTM） as an example and considering land type patterns as the basis of land use patterns, this paper improves the vertical oa- sis-and-mid-mountain two-belts development model and the sustainable mountain land use model for arid lands put forward in recent years; and in terms of oases patterns, it outlines oasis development models, including intensive land use pattern in alluvial-diluvial fans, moderate agricultural development pattern in alluvial plains, and ecological land use pattern in river-end oases.

Changes in soil carbon stocks and related soil properties along a 50-year grassland-to-cropland conversion chronosequence in an agro-pastoral ecotone of Inner Mongolia,China

Land use change significantly influences soil properties. There is little information available on the long-term effects of post-reclamation from grassland to cropland on soil properties. We compared soil carbon （C） and nitrogen （N） storage and related soil properties in a 50-year cultivation chronosequence of grassland in the agro-pastoral ecotone of Inner Mongolia. Field surveys on land use changes during the period of 1955-2002 were conducted to build a chronosequence of cropland of different ages since the conversion from grassland. The results showed that soil C and N storage, soil texture, and soil nutrient contents varied with land use types and cropland ages （P〈0.01）. In the 0-30 cm soil layer, the soil organic carbon （SOC） density was significantly lower in the crop- lands （3.28 kg C/m2 for C50 soil） than in the grasslands （6.32 kg C/m2）. After 5, 10, 15, 20, 35, and 50 years of crop planting （years since the onset of cultivation）, the SOC losses were 17%, 12%, 19%, 47%, 46%, and 48%, respec- tively, compared with the grasslands. The soil total nitrogen （TN） density of the grasslands was 65 g N/m2, and TN density of the cropland soil was 35 g N/m2 after 50 years of crop planting. Both the SOC and TN densities could be quantitatively determined by a negative exponential function of cropland age （P〈0.0001, R2=0.8528; P〈0.0001, R2=0.9637）. The dissolved organic carbon （DOC） content, pH value were decreased; and the soil bulk density and soil available potassium （AK） content, clay content, and sand content were increased since the conversion of grassland into cropland during the 50-year period. Our results show soil nutrients were higher in grassland than in cropland. The conversion of grasslands to croplands induced a loss of soil C storage and changes of related soil properties. The reclamation time of cultivated soil （cropland age） had significant effects on soil properties in the study area.

Response of ecosystem service value to land use/cover change in the northern slope economic belt of the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, China

Land use/cover change(LUCC)is becoming more and more frequent and extensive as a result of human activities,and is expected to have a major impact on human welfare by altering ecosystem service value(ESV).In this study,we utilized remote sensing images and statistical data to explore the spatial-temporal changes of land use/cover types and ESV in the northern slope economic belt of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,China from 1975 to 2018.During the study period,LUCC in the study region varied significantly.Except grassland and unused land,all the other land use/cover types(cultivated land,forestland,waterbody,and construction land)increased in areas.From 1975 to 2018,the spatial-temporal variations in ESV were also pronounced.The total ESV decreased by 4.00×10^(8) CNY,which was primarily due to the reductions in the areas of grassland and unused land.Waterbody had a much higher ESV than the other land use/cover types.Ultimately,understanding the impact of LUCC on ESV and the interactions among ESV of different land use/cover types will help improve existing land use policies and provide scientific basis for developing new conservation strategies for ecologically fragile areas.

Effects of the Land Use Change on Ecosystem Service Value Based on RS & GIS

Assessing the effect of land use change on ecosystem service value(ESV) can provide reference for sustainable land use and ecological environment protection. The land use information was extracted and analyzed based on Landsat TM images in Shuangliu County, Sichuan Province from 1992 to 2008, following remote sensing(RS) and GIS. The ESV of the land use change in study area was evaluated by adopting the service value method within Chinese terrestrial ecosystem. The results showed that:(1) the area of paddy field and forest land reduced in the 16 years, total area of construction land expanded fast on the basis of occupying paddy field and forest land.(2) The regional ESV increased by 4,508.859×104 RMB, but there is different change trend at different times, such as the ESV fell by 10.59% in 1992–2000, increased by 16.024% in 2000–2008.(3) The conversion from forest land and cultivated land to construction land caused a decline and negative flow in ESV, the total value was 2,197.233×104 RMB and 5,317.460×104 RMB.(4) All land use types showed that change of the ESV coefficient was less elastic, the relative sensitivity: forest land > cultivated land > water area. In terms of variability of ESV, water area change had greater influence on the change of ESV in the study area, and cultivated land and forest land had relatively smaller impact.

Multidimensional diversity of bird communities across spatial variation of land cover in Zoige on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Background:Spatial variation of land cover can result in the changes of community similarities and biotic homog-enization,whereby the increasing similarity would reduce the adaptive capacity of biotic assemblages to further disturbance,and degenerate ecosystem services they offer.However,it remains scarce to integrate multidimensional diversity for unveiling how variations in land cover may influence the patterns and processes of biotic homogeniza-tion in the Anthropocene.In this study,we examined how spatial variation of land cover could alter taxonomic,phy-logenetic and functional homogenization of bird communities simultaneously in a compound ecosystem of Zoige Marsh on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.Acting as the largest alpine marsh and peatland in the world,Zoige Marsh has undergone great changes in the land cover pattern due to climate change and anthropogenic activities.Methods:We conducted transect surveys for bird communities over six years(2014‒2019)during breeding sea-sons in four main land cover types(meadow,woodland,village and marsh),representing the spatial variation of land covers in the study area.We compared multidimensional diversity(taxonomic,phylogenetic and functional diver-sity)among land covers to assess the effects of spatial variation in land cover type on bird communities,particularly whether this variation has homogenized biotic communities.Results:Bird communities during breeding seasons were different and complementary in the four land covers.Taxonomic,phylogenetic and functional similarities were significantly lower in meadow than in the other three types,i.e.woodland,village and marsh.However,when we controlled for the effects of taxonomic similarities,the pattern of phylogenetic similarities almost reversed,with the highest standardized effect size(SES)phylogenetic similarity in meadow;and we found no significant difference in SES functional similarity among land covers.Conclusions:Our results suggest that spatial variation of land cover can play a crucial role in regulating multiple dimensions of bird diversity in Zoige Marsh.The findings indicate that taxonomic,phylogenetic and functional homogenization of bird communities may differently response to the variation of land covers.It thus highlights not only the relative roles of different land covers in maintaining biodiversity and community structures of birds,but also the urgency of retarding ecosystem degradations on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Differences of Soil Nutrient Contents under Different Land Use Patterns in Niyang River Basin

[Objectives]This study was conducted to investigate the variation characteristics of soil nutrient contents under different land use patterns in the middle and upper reaches of the Niyang River in Tibet.[Methods]With the cultivated land,grass land and forest land in the middle and upper reaches of the Niyang River as the research objects,216 soil samples were collected in layers(0-10,10-20,20-30 cm)by the standard sampling method,and the soil total nitrogen,alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen,total potassium,available potassium,total phosphorus,available phosphorus and organic matter were determined.[Results]The contents of soil organic matter,total nitrogen and alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen in the middle and upper reaches of Niyang River in Tibet ranked as forest land>grass land>cultivated land,and there were significant differences between the three(P<0.05).The total potassium contents of grass land and forest land were not much different,and the contents of available potassium exhibited an order of forest land>grass land>cultivated land.The distribution of soil total nutrients and available nutrients under different land use patterns showed a certain degree of surface aggregation.The contents of total nutrients and available nutrients in the soil at the 0-10 cm depth were significantly higher than those at 10-20 and 20-30 cm,and there were significant differences between the three(P<0.05).The average content of alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen was the largest in forest soil and the smallest in cultivated land under the three land use patterns in the study area.The average content of soil available phosphorus in cultivated land(19.47 mg/kg)was significantly higher than those in grass land(5.73 mg/kg)and forest land(5.19 mg/kg).The above results indicate that long-term vegetation restoration can improve the soil quality of the middle and upper reaches of the Niyang River.[Conclusions]The results of this study research provide basic support for improving the soil effect in the area.

The Heterogeneity and Its Influencing Factors of Soil Nutrients in Peak-Cluster Depression Areas of Karst Region

By selecting a typical peak-cluster depression area of karst region in Southwest China, we evaluated the effect of land use types and topographic factors on soil nutrients. Grid and line sampling methods were used to sample soil in depression and slope lands respectively, and classical statistical tools were applied to analyze the spatial variability character of soil organic carbon （SOC）, total nitrogen （TN）, total phosphorus （TP）, total potassium （TK）, available nitrogen （AN）, available phosphorus （AP）, available potassium （AK）, pH, and C/N. It was found that land use type was the dominant factor that effected the spatial heterogeneity of SOC, TN, TP, TK, AN, and AP. The content of SOC, TN, and AN decreased with the increase of land use intensity. Due to high fertilizer input, TP and AP in tillage fields were higher than those in the other land use types. TK had no obvious change trend among various land use types. Topographic factors had a significant effect on SOC, TN, TP, AN, AP, AK, and pH. Habitat factor was the dominant factor that effected AK. Altitude factor was the dominant factor for pH. However, all of these factors had no significant effect on C/N. Tillage practice had important effect on soil nutrients loss and soil degradation in the fragile karst ecosystem, and the input of organic manure should be increased in this region.

Spatio-temporal variations of vegetation carbon use efficiency and potential driving meteorological factors in the Yangtze River Basin

Understanding of the vegetation dynamics is essential for addressing the potential threats of terrestrial ecosystem.In recent years,the vegetation coverage of the Yangtze River Basin(YRB)has increased significantly,yet the spatio-temporal variations and potential driving meteorological factors of carbon use efficiency(CUE)under the context of global warming are still not clear.In this study,MODIS-based public-domain data during 2000–2015 was used to analyze these aspects in the YRB,a large river basin with powerful ecological functions in China.Spatio-temporal variations of CUE in different sub-basins and land cover types were investigated and the correlations with potential driving meteorological factors were examined.Results revealed that CUE in the YRB had strong spatiotemporal variability and varied remarkably in different land cover types.For the whole YRB,the average CUE of vegetated land was 0.519,while the long-term change trend of CUE was obscure.Along the rising altitude,CUE generally showed an increasing trend until the altitude of 3900 m and then followed by a decreasing trend.CUE of grasslands was generally higher than that of croplands,and then forest lands.The inter-annual variation of CUE in the YRB is likely to be driven by precipitation as a strong positive partial correlation between the inter-annual variability of CUE and precipitation was observed in most of sub-basins and land cover types in the YRB.The influence of temperature and relative humidity is also outstanding in certain regions and land cover types.Our findings are useful from the view point of carbon cycle and reasonable land cover management under the context of global warming.

Relationships of ozone formation sensitivity with precursors emissions,meteorology and land use types,in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,China

Due to the influences of precursors emissions,meteorology,geography and other factors,ozone formation sensitivity(OFS)is generally spatially and temporally heterogeneous.This study characterized detailed spatial and temporal variations of OFS in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area(GBA)from 2012 to 2016 based on OMI satellite data,and analyzed the relationships of OFS with precursors emissions,meteorology and land use types(LUTs).From 2012 to 2016,the OFS tended to be NOx-limited in GBA,with the value of FNR(HCHO/NO 2)increasing from 2.04 to 2.22.According to the total annual emission statistics of precursors,NOx emissions decreased by 33.1%and VOCs emissions increased by 35.2%from 2012 to 2016,directly resulting in OFS tending to be NO x-limited.The Grey Relation Analysis results show that total column water(TCW),surface net solar radiation(SSR),air temperature at 2 m(T2)and surface pressure(SP)are the top four meteorological factors with the greatest influences on OFS.There are significant positive correlations between FNR and T2,SSR,TCW,and significant negative correlations between FNR and SP.In GBA,the OFS tends to be NO x-limited regime in wet season(higher T2,SSR,TCW and lower SP)and VOCs-limited regime in dry season(lower T2,SSR,TCW and higher SP).The FNR displays obvious gradient variations on different LUTs,with the highest in“Rural areas”,second in“Suburban areas”and lowest in“Urban areas”.

Urban surface heat fluxes infrared remote sensing inversion and their relationship with land use types

Using ASTER （Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer） infrared remote sensing data we inversed the parameters of urban surface heat fluxes applying the PCACA model and theoretical position algorithm, and then we analyzed the influence of different land use types on the surface heat fluxes and energy balance. In this study Kumagaya, a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, was selected as the experimental area. The result shows that the PCACA model is feasible for the surface heat fluxes estimation in urban areas because this model requires less parameters in the procedure of heat fluxes estimation in urban areas with complicated surface structure and can decrease the uncertainty. And we found that different land-use types have indicated the height heterogeneity on the surface heat fluxes significantly. The magnitudes of Bowen ratio in descending order are industrial, residential, transportation, institutional, dry farmland, green space, and water body. Under the same meteorological condition, there are distinct characteristics and regional differences in Bowen ratios among different surface covers, indicating higher sensible heat flux and lower latent heat flux in the urban construction land, while lower sensible heat flux and higher latent heat flux in the vegetation-covered area, the outskirt of the urban area. The increase of urban impervious surface area caused by the urban sprawl can enlarge the sensible heat flux and the Bowen ratio, so that it causes the increasing of urban surface temperature and air tem- perature, which is the mechanism of the so-called heat island effect.

Impacts of land use and salinization on soil inorganic and organic carbon in the middle-lower Yellow River Delta

Soil inorganic carbon(SIC)is an important reservoir of carbon(C)in arid,semi-arid,and semi-humid regions.However,knowledge is incomplete on the dynamics of SIC and its relationship with soil organic C(SOC)under different land use types in the semi-humid region,particularly in coastal zones impacted by soil salinization.We collected 170 soil samples from 34 profiles across various land use types(maize-wheat,cotton,paddy,and reed)in the middle-lower Yellow River Delta(YRD),China.We measured soil pH,electrical conductivity(EC),water-soluble salts,and SOC and SIC contents.Our results showed significant differences in both SOC and SIC among land use types.The dry cropland(maize-wheat and cotton)soils had significantly higher SOC and SIC densities(4.71 and 15.46 kg C m^(-2),respectively)than the paddy soils(3.28 and 14.09 kg C m^(-2),respectively)in the 0–100 cm layer.Compared with paddy soils,reed soils contained significantly higher SOC(4.68 kg C m^(-2))and similar SIC(15.02 kg C m^(-2))densities.There was a significant positive correlation between SOC and SIC densities over a 0–100 cm soil depth in dry cropland soils,but a negative relationship in the paddy soils.On average,SOC and SIC densities under maize-wheat cropping were 15%and 4%lower,respectively,in the salt-affected soils in the middle-lower YRD than the upper YRD.This study indicated that land use types had great influences on both SOC and SIC and their relationship,and salinization had adverse effect on soil C storage in the YRD.

Mapping essential urban land use categories(EULUC)using geospatial big data:Progress,challenges,and opportunities

Urban land use information that reflects socio-economic functions and human activities is critically essential for urban planning,land-scape design,environmental management,health promotion,and biodiversity conservation.Land-use maps outlining the distribution,pattern,and composition of essential urban land use categories(EULUC)have facilitated a wide spectrum of applications and further triggered new opportunities in urban studies.New and improved Earth observations,algorithms,and advanced products for extracting thematic urban information,in association with emer-ging social sensing big data and auxiliary crowdsourcing datasets,all together offer great potentials to mapping fine-resolution EULUC from regional to global scales.Here we review the advances of EULUC mapping research and practices in terms of their data,methods,and applications.Based on the historical retrospect,we summarize the challenges and limitations of current EULUC studies regarding sample collection,mixed land use problem,data and model generalization,and large-scale mapping efforts.Finally,we propose and discuss future opportunities,including cross-scale mapping,optimal integration of multi-source features,global sam-ple libraries from crowdsourcing approaches,advanced machine learning and ensembled classification strategy,open portals for data visualization and sharing,multi-temporal mapping of EULUC change,and implications in urban environmental studies,to facil-itate multi-scale fine-resolution EULUC mapping research.

GIS approach for assessment of land suitability for different land use alternatives in semi arid environment in Jordan:Case study(Al Gadeer Alabyad-Mafraq)

The semi arid lands of Jordan are fragile and severely degraded due to low rainfall and mismanagement of natural resources.As human demands increase,sustaining the productivity of land becomes more and more important.Land suitability evaluation can contribute towards better land management;mitigation of land degradation;and designing land use pattern that prevents environmental problems through segregation of competing land uses.Suitability analysis allows identifying the main limiting factors for the agricultural production and enables decision makers to develop crop managements able to increase the land productivity.The purpose of this study was to develop a Geographic Information System(GIS)based approach for land use suitability assessment in order to assist land managers to identify areas with physical limitations for different land use alternatives based on research criteria developed by FAO and modified by stakeholders.This study was conducted using various data and maps incorporated within(GIS)in order to derive potential suitability for different Land Utilization Types(LUTs).Land suitability mapping was developed using an innovative approach that integrates soil and climatic data for land suitability assessment.Suitability maps for each land use were developed to show the suitability classes and display the spatial representation of soils suitable for agriculture.The output of suitability analyses provided not only the type of land use for which the land was suitable,but also information about the type of limitation(s)facing the utilization of the land.Optimum land use alternatives(scenarios)were formulated to improve and optimize the agricultural production in the study area.

Assembly process and source tracking of microbial communities in sediments of Dongting Lake

●Soil erosion resulted in homogenization of bacterial communities in the watershed.●Microbial community heterogeneity among erosion sites made soil tracing possible.●Assembly process results showed that the tracking results can achieve high precision.●Dryland was the main source of sediment deposition based on the result of FEAST.Sediment source tracing can accurately provide a theoretical basis for controlling soil erosion effectively,by identifying the most serious types of land use.Traditional sediment tracing methods are based on physical,chemical,biological,and composite fingerprinting,which have not included microbes.As high-throughput sequencing becomes more prevalent,microorganisms can provide more information than what we think.Thus,whether the microorganism can also be used as a special fingerprint factor for sediment source identification during soil erosion,we have tested it by using microbial source tracking tool FEAST to quantify the microbe contribution from five types of eroded land(including dryland,urban,paddy field,forest and grassland)to the depositional areas(Niubitan)in the Yuanjiang basin.The source microbial community in the erosive area was heterogeneous,and assembly process analysis further demonstrated that the source tracking results could reach higher accuracy.The results of FEAST showed that dryland(35.50%),urban(17.21%),paddy field(8.14%),and forest(1.07%)were the major contributors to Niubitan.Our results follow the general soil erosion rules and prove its validity.Taken together,a new perspective is provided by these results for tracing sediment sources in erosion-sedimentary systems.

The calculation of equivalence factor for ecological footprints in China： a methodological note

The Ecological Footprint （EF）, a physical indicator to measure the extent of humanity＇s use of natural resources, has gained much attention since it was first used by Wackemagel and Rees in 1996. In order to appraise land area types with different levels of productiv- ity, they introduced the concept of an equivalence factor. This relates to the average primary biomass productivities of different types of land （i.e. arable land, pasture, forest, water/fishery, built-up land and fossil energy land） to the regional average primary biomass productivity of all land types in a given year. Hence, the equivalence factor is an important parameter in the EF model and it directly affects the reliability of all results. Thus, this article calculates equivalence factors on the national and provincial levels in China based on Net Primary Production （NPP） from MODIS 1 km data in 2008. Firstly, based on the Light Utility Efficiency and CASA model, the NPP of different biologically productive lands of China and of different provinces was calculated. Secondly, China＇s equivalence factor for 6 land area types was calculated based on NPP： arable land and built-up land has an equivalence factor of 1.71, forest and fossil energy land has a factor of 1.41, pasture has a factor of 0.44 and water/fishery 0.35; Finally, the equivalence factor of 6 land area types in different provinces was also calculated. The NPP of each ecosystem type varies along with the equivalence factor in different provinces. However, the ranking of the equivalence factors in different provinces remain the same, with that of arable land being the largest, and the water/fishery being the smallest.