Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Matthew J. Hill, Ian Thornhill, Scott D. Tiegs, Ana Castro-Castellon, J. Salvador Hernandez-Aviles, Arantza Daw, Victor Hugo Salinas-Camarillo, Sarah Hobbs
Summary: Organic-matter decomposition is a crucial process in freshwater ecosystems, affecting food web dynamics and the global carbon cycle. However, research on this process in small standing waterbodies such as ponds is lacking. This study compares organic-matter decomposition in urban pond and stream habitats, revealing different decomposition rates and complex responses. Understanding these processes at a multi-habitat scale is important for freshwater assessment and conservation.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Chengju Shan, Zengchuan Dong, Debao Lu, Cundong Xu, Hui Wang, Zhe Ling, Qing Liu
Summary: The study developed a river health assessment method based on fuzzy optimization theory, establishing a system of indices by investigating eight river characteristics to accurately assess river health status. The method covers different health states of river ecosystems and can systematically and comprehensively evaluate river health.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Elizabeth C. Lowe, Rochelle Steven, Rebecca L. Morris, Kirsten M. Parris, Axton C. Aguiar, Cameron E. Webb, Ana B. Bugnot, Katherine A. Dafforn, Rod M. Connolly, Mariana Mayer Pinto
Summary: This study highlights the synergies and trade-offs among ecosystem services provided by terrestrial, freshwater, and marine realms in urban environments. It offers a framework for collaborative research and management to improve current practices and achieve strategic allocation of resources, protection of urban natural resources, and improved environmental regulation with broad public support.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jamal Hussain, Kui Zhou, Faqir Muhammad, Danish Khan, Anwar Khan, Najabat Ali, Rizwan Akhtar
Summary: The study found that political stability, rule of law, regulatory quality, and corruption control are significant factors influencing renewable energy investments in BRI countries, and this influence seems to depend on the level of trade openness.
Review
Geography
Elia Apostolopoulou, Han Cheng, Jonathan Silver, Alan Wiig
Summary: In recent years, the research on China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has expanded, focusing on its impact on global urban transformation. This paper reviews the literature since 2013, examining the relationship between the BRI and urban-scale processes. It suggests that the urban dimension is crucial to understanding the scope and impacts of the BRI, as it is influencing patterns of urbanization and socioeconomic contestation worldwide.
Article
Geography
Nick R. Smith
Summary: This article explores the urban dimensions of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in relation to the dialectical movement between global infrastructural expansion and urban intensification in the country's western regions. It traces the origins of the BRI to a state-led effort to urbanize the western interior, particularly in the provincial-level municipality of Chongqing. The article highlights the importance of infrastructural linkages to the Eurasian continent in accelerating urban expansion and positioning Chongqing as an emerging global city.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Kashif Imdad, Mehebub Sahana, Joe Ravetz, Gopala Areendran, Ouseen Gautam, Sudha Dwivedi, Archana Chaudhary, Haroon Sajjad
Summary: Wetlands are important ecosystems that provide habitat for wildlife, recharge groundwater, moderate climate, control flooding, and support human livelihoods. However, rapid urbanization and industrialization have led to the degradation of wetlands, especially in urban and peri-urban areas. This study assessed the health of wetland ecosystems in Lucknow district, India, using remote sensing data and a Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model. The results showed that wetland health has significantly deteriorated in peri-urban areas due to human activities. The study recommended community participation and involvement of local authorities in conservation and management efforts.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rares-Mihata Popa, Dan-Marius Mustata, Ioana Ionel, Ramon-Mihai Balogh
Summary: The objective of this research is to analyze metal elements and airborne particulate matter concentrations in dust samples from two different areas. The study found higher Si concentrations in dust samples from the road verge area, while Pb was only detected in samples from the road verge. The airborne particulate matter concentrations were significantly higher in the road verge compared to the garden area.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Xiaoyan Li, Gulinaer Suoerdahan, Zhenyu Shi, Zihan Xing, Yongxing Ren, Ran Yang
Summary: Rapid urbanization in Changchun, China since 2000 has significantly impacted ecosystem services, with habitat suitability and crop yield showing stronger service capacities. Developed urban areas have lower average ES values compared to developing urban areas, and interactions between different services are complex. Urbanization index has a negative correlation with ESs, suggesting the need for sustainable urban planning to mitigate ES loss.
Article
Environmental Studies
Kun Wang, Xiao Ouyang, Qingyun He, Xiang Zhu
Summary: The negative impacts of urban land expansion on ecosystem services have been confirmed by many studies, but there has been a lack of research on the impacts of urban expansion on ecosystems from an efficiency perspective. This study aims to explore the evolutionary characteristics of urban land expansion efficiency (ULEE) and its impact on ecosystem services (ESs). The results show that ULEE has a positive influence on ESs, and the influence mediators include land use structure, land use pattern, and land use quality. The study also finds that ULEE of urban agglomerations has exhibited a downward trend from 2006-2020, and there are noticeable spatial differences. Additionally, a positive correlation is found between ULEE and the ESV of the urban agglomerations.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yanan Wang, Qing Chang, Peilei Fan, Xiaoxiao Shi
Summary: Urban greenspaces can promote health behaviors by providing ecosystem services, with cultural services being the most important mediating factor. Among the different properties of urban greenspace, green elements, especially tree canopy shaded ground, contribute the most to health behaviors, followed by facilities and grey elements. It is suggested to integrate facilities and grey elements with green elements in urban greenspace design and arrangement to enhance multiple ecosystem services.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Enrique G. de la Riva, Werner Ulrich, Peter Batary, Julia Baudry, Lea Beaumelle, Roman Bucher, Andrea Cerevkova, Maria R. Felipe-Lucia, Robert Galle, Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot, Ewa Rembialkowska, Adrien Rusch, Verena Seufert, Dara Stanley, Klaus Birkhofer
Summary: Agricultural intensification has contributed to global food security and well-being, but it has also led to negative impacts on species diversity and ecosystem functioning. This review proposes a conceptual framework to understand the relationship between functional diversity and human well-being, highlighting the need for further research on this topic.
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jin Gao, Zhiqi Peng, Haoming Zang, Yinchang Wang, Ning Ding, Siwen He, Thibault Datry, Beixin Wang
Summary: Land-use change, particularly urbanisation, has led to a significant decline in both species and functional diversity worldwide. However, the mechanism behind the impact of species loss on functional diversity remains unclear. This study aims to elucidate this mechanism by examining the association between species sensitivity and functional uniqueness, as well as their related functional traits. The findings suggest that urbanisation has a remarkable effect on the taxonomic and functional diversity of macroinvertebrates, and the decline in functional diversity is influenced by the sensitivity and functional uniqueness of species.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhenjie Liao, Lijuan Zhang
Summary: Prediction of urban ecological risk is crucial due to the negative impacts it has on people's lives and the environment, and it has become increasingly complex and challenging as China's economy grows rapidly. In this study, a model for evaluating urban ecological resilience was developed and applied to assess the spatial-temporal changes of resilience in Guangzhou from 2000 to 2020. It was found that the southwestern region of the city had lower resilience and higher density of pollutant discharge enterprises, indicating a lower ability to prevent and resolve environmental risks.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Development Studies
Muhammad Abdul Kamal, Assad Ullah, Fiza Qureshi, Jiajia Zheng, Manzoor Ahamd
Summary: This study reveals that China's Foreign Direct Investment has a negative impact on environmental quality in Belt and Road Initiative countries, supporting the pollution haven hypothesis. Additionally, the interaction effect between China's FDI and institutional quality indicators shows that strong institutions can enhance environmental quality through attracting FDI. The study also identifies threshold levels of institutional quality where China's FDI can reduce carbon emissions, supporting both the pollution haven and pollution halo hypotheses. The importance of institutional reform for sustainable development is emphasized, given the prioritize of FDI-led growth strategies in most economies.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yongcui Lan, Jinliang Wang, Qianwei Liu, Fang Liu, Lanfang Liu, Jie Li, Mengjia Luo
Summary: This study focuses on the five major plateau lake basins in central Yunnan, China, and constructs an ecological security pattern using the source-resistance surface-corridor-pinch point framework. The study simulates land use/cover change in the region and identifies early warning regions where future urban expansion poses a threat to current ecological source areas and corridors.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Pingping Huang, Feng Zhao, Bailing Zhou, Kuidong Xu
Summary: This study investigates the distribution of benthic microeukaryotes in the China Seas and finds that they can stride over the ecological barrier of 32 degrees N. The study also highlights the significant influence of depth, temperature, and latitude on communities in the China Seas.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Federico Morelli, Yanina Benedetti, Jesse Stanford, Leszek Jerzak, Piotr Tryjanowski, Paolo Perna, Riccardo Santolini
Summary: Species distribution models (SDMs) are numerical tools used for predicting species' spatial distribution. This study found that ecological characteristics, such as habitat specialization, play a role in improving the accuracy of SDMs.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xiaoxuan Wu, Hang Liu, Wei Liu
Summary: Global climate change, urbanization, and economic development have increased the need for sustainable human development, urban ecological governance, and low-carbon energy transformation. This study analyzes the green ecological transition in Chengdu based on panel data from 2010 to 2020, exploring its spatiotemporal evolution and key factors. The results show an overall upward trend in Chengdu's green ecological development and positive spatial autocorrelation in certain districts.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Castaldi Simona, Formicola Nicola, Mastrocicco Micol, Morales Rodriguez Carmen, Morelli Raffaella, Prodorutti Daniele, Vannini Andrea, Zanzotti Roberto
Summary: Sustainable agricultural practices are increasingly important for global and national environmental policies and economy. This study compared the sustainability of grape production under integrated and organic management using multiple indicators. The results showed that organic management was more beneficial for most environmental aspects of the agroecosystem compared to integrated management, without affecting grape yield.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Gaia Vaglio Laurin, Alexander Cotrina-Sanchez, Luca Belelli-Marchesini, Enrico Tomelleri, Giovanna Battipaglia, Claudia Cocozza, Francesco Niccoli, Jerzy Piotr Kabala, Damiano Gianelle, Loris Vescovo, Luca Da Ros, Riccardo Valentini
Summary: Phenology monitoring is important for understanding forest functioning and climate impacts. This research compares the phenological behavior of European beech forests using Tree-Talker (TT+) and Sentinel 2 satellite data. The study finds differences in the information derived by the two sensor types, particularly in terms of season length, phenology changepoints, and leaf period variability. TT+ with its higher temporal resolution demonstrates precision in capturing the phenological changepoints, especially when satellite image availability is limited.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Huanhuan Pan, Ziqiang Du, Zhitao Wu, Hong Zhang, Keming Ma
Summary: The land use and cover changes resulting from coal mining activities and ecological restoration have had a significant impact on ecosystem services in mining areas. This study investigates the relationship between ecosystem services and land use intensity in coal mining areas, emphasizing the importance of understanding this interdependence for balanced human-land system development. The research examines the evolving relationship across different reclamation stages in Shanxi, China, using a coupling coordination degree model. The findings suggest the need for timely and judicious reclamation of coalfields, considering the land's bearing capacity.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jingjuan He, Yijun Shi, Lihua Xu, Zhangwei Lu, Mao Feng
Summary: This study examines the spatial interplay between changes in the blue-green spatial distribution and modifications in land surface temperature grades in Shanghai. The findings reveal that the transformation of the blue-green spatial pattern differs between different sectors of the city, and the impact on the thermal environment varies spatially.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yi Xu, Di Zhang, Junqiang Lin, Qidong Peng, Xiaohui Lei, Tiantian Jin, Jia Wang, Ruifang Yuan
Summary: This study analyzed the response relationship between phytoplankton growth and water environmental parameters in the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China using long-term monitoring data and machine learning models. The results revealed the differences between monitoring sites and identified the key parameters that affect phytoplankton growth.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)