High Ecological Quality Research Articles

Spatial and temporal effects of heat waves on the diversity of European stream invertebrate communities

The frequency and magnitude of extreme events, such as heat waves, are predicted to increase with climate change. However, assessments of the response of biological communities to heat waves are often inconclusive. We aimed to assess the responses in abundance, taxonomic and functional diversity indices of stream invertebrate communities to heat waves using long-term monitoring data collected across Europe. We quantified the heat waves' magnitude, analyzed the spatial (i.e., long-term mean) and temporal (anomaly around the long-term mean) components of variation in the magnitude of heat waves, and their interaction with anthropogenic stressors (ecological quality and land cover). For the spatial component of variation, we found a negative association of the community indices to the increasing magnitude of heat waves. Sites undergoing heat waves of higher magnitude showed fewer species and lower trait diversity compared with sites experiencing lower magnitude heat waves. However, we could not detect an immediate temporal response of the communities to heat waves (i.e., the temporal component). Furthermore, we found that the effects of heat waves interacted with the ecological quality of the streams and their surrounding land cover. Diversity declined with increasing heat waves' magnitude in streams with higher ecological quality or surrounded by forest, which may be due to a higher proportion of sensitive species in the community. Heat waves' impacts on diversity were also exacerbated by increasing urban cover. The interaction between heat waves' magnitude and anthropogenic stressors suggests that the effects of extreme events can compromise the recovery of communities. Further, the predicted increase in heat waves will likely have long-term effects on stream invertebrate communities that are currently undetected.

Evaluation of the ecological quality of the macroalgal communities along the Algerian coast (Algeria, Mediterranean Sea)

The assessment and preservation of the marine environment, particularly coastal ecosystems, has emerged as a global priority. In this study, the rocky bottom quality (CFR) index, which is based on macroalgae composition and abundance, was used to assess the ecological quality of coastal waters at six sites along the Algerian coast that represent a wide range of anthropogenic pressures. The sensitivity of the CFR index to the anthropogenic pressure index (MALUSI) was also assessed. Multivariate analyses (DCA, nMDS, cluster, SIMPER, and PCA) were used to assess the variability of macroalgal community structure. The CFR index calculated for this study was compared to the EEI-c and CARLIT indices. The CFR index classified the study sites based on ecological quality: good to high quality in the western sites (Ténès, Kouali1, and Kouali2) and moderate quality in the central sites (Fontaine, Fort de l’eau, and Surcouf). The findings indicate that the CFR and MALUSI indices are highly correlated. The abundance and composition of macroalgal communities are useful indicators of rocky shore quality, as demonstrated by structural analyses of characteristic macroalgae and opportunistic species. The competitive characteristic macroalgae of the Cystoseira sensu lato species were found to be associated with sites of good and high ecological quality. Stress-tolerant characteristic macroalgae (Pachymeniopsis lanceolata, Ellisolandia elongata, and Halopteris scoparia) and opportunistic ruderal species (Ulva rigida, Ulva lactuca, and Ulva linza) were found in sites with moderate ecological quality. The CFR index was compared with the EEI-c and CARLIT indices, and it can be noted that the three indices use different spatial scales, biological levels and species classifications. Therefore, CFR, EEI-c, and CARLIT indices are useful tools for assessing the quality of coastal waters.

Gomphonemavancampianum sp. nov. (Gomphonemataceae, Bacillariophyceae), a new large Gomphonema species from Europe.

During a French biomonitoring survey of the lakes in the region Rhône-Méditerranée-Corse, a large, unknown Gomphonema taxon was observed in a lake in the vicinity of the City of Lyon (Département du Rhône, France), that could not be identified using the currently available literature. Detailed light and scanning electron microscopy investigations revealed the presence of two types of valves, one bearing a thick marginal crest and valves lacking the crest. Following comparison with similar, mostly tropical Gomphonema species, the unknown taxon is described as new: Gomphonemavancampianum sp. nov. Discriminating features of the new species include the peculiar valve shape resembling a Chinese spoon, the broad upper valve part with acuminate tip, the presence of shallow depressions in the axial area, distinctly punctate striae and the occasional presence of the marginal crest. The new species was observed in several samples collected in an oligo- to mesotrophic, calcium-carbonate rich lake with a high ecological quality.

Gomphonema beaugerianum, a new Gomphonema species (Bacillariophyta) found in a historic William Smith sample from the Auvergne (France)

A large, unknown Gomphonema taxon belonging to the G. truncatum group was observed in a historic sample collected by William Smith during his 1854 excursion in the Auvergne (France). The unknown species presented sufficient differences with all known taxa in the truncatum-capitatum group to warrant further morphological investigations. Detailed light and scanning electron microscopy investigations in comparison with all published literature revealed that the unknown species had a unique combination of morphological (uniseriate striae, lack of well-develop headpole) and morphometric (large valve width) features. Therefore, the species is described as new: Gomphonema beaugerianum sp. nov. The new species was observed in Lac de Guéry, an oligotrophic, almost circumneutral lake in the Auvergne with a high ecological quality.

Has green finance policy promoted ecologically sustainable development under the constraints of government environmental attention?

This study aimed to reveal how China's green finance reform and innovation demonstration zone policy affects ecologically sustainable development under the constraints of government environmental attention. Employing multi-period DID (Difference-in-Difference) and DDD (Difference-in-Difference-in-Difference) as the base model, the study tested the mechanism of the policy's effect on ecologically sustainable development, using panel data from 277 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2020. Endogeneity tests including Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS), counterfactual tests, and other robustness checks, were employed to enhance the study's validity. The research findings are as follows: (1) The policy effectively promotes ecologically sustainable development, and this conclusion remained valid even after conducting several robustness tests. (2) The more pronounced the government's emphasis on environmental preservation, the greater its efficacy in fostering ecologically sustainable development. (3) The stimulating effect of the policy on ecologically sustainable development is more pronounced in cities with higher ecological quality and a larger population. This study not only offers new analytical perspectives for comprehensively investigating the green finance policy but also emphasizes that enhanced policy outcomes hinge on the implementation of green financial reforms and innovations tailored to local conditions. Additionally, it provides valuable policy insights for optimizing the government's role in fostering ecologically sustainable development. (e.g., optimizing the governmental role in fostering ecologically sustainable development, enhancing both the scope and intensity of green finance policy, and harnessing the synergies between green finance policy and environmental protection policy).

Macroinvertebrate communities reveal regional asymmetries in riverine ecosystems along a gradient of water availability in hydrologically distinct years

Climate change has been increasing the frequency and severity of drought periods. There is a need to understand how this water scarcity affects aquatic communities. The main aim of this work was to compare the macroinvertebrate communities and their bioindicator value (ecological status sensu the Water Framework Directive) in three Regions [northeast (N), central (C) and south (S)] of Portugal along a water availability and climate gradient, in two consecutive years that reflect hydrologically distinct scenarios (2018 versus 2019). The period prior to sampling (summer and autumn 2017) was extremely dry and hot, whereas climatic fluctuations in 2018–2019 (when the sampling occurred) were closer to the norm. A total of 28 sampling sites were surveyed in streams of Regions where water scarcity is differentially constitutive. The results showed a consistent environmental and ecological gradient in both years, despite the background differences. A coinciding mineralization, temperature, riparian cover and water availability gradient clearly separated Regions C (wettest) and S (driest), with Region N occupying an intermediate position. Region C had overall higher ecological quality (prevalence of sensitive organisms) in both years. Despite our a priori expectations that 2018 would represent a much more stressful condition, with larger differences across Regions (because of their constitutive background), the data suggest that macroinvertebrate communities may be resilient or adapted, to some degree, to hydrological fluctuations. Signs of more favourable conditions in 2019 were also observed (general improvement in ecological status). Studies across hydrological and climatic gradients (in time and space) are particularly important where water availability is becoming more challenging.

Towards a functional understanding of rehabilitated urban road verge grasslands: Effects of planting year, site conditions, and landscape factors

Urbanization causes ecosystem degradation and losses of biodiversity. Still, urban landscapes favor organisms, depending on how well they fit the anthropogenic conditions. Creating urban green spaces of high ecological quality, such as pollinator-friendly road verges, promotes biodiversity in cities. We sowed a seed mixture consisting of 26 native plant species with diverse functional traits in 46 road verge patches along four urban roads in Munich (South Germany) in 2019/20 and monitored in 2020/21. Control were pre-existing turfgrass patches with conventional management. We assessed species richness, Shannon diversity, and Pielou's evenness, whereas functional composition was evaluated via functional richness, evenness, and divergence, based on 13 plant traits. To study urbanization effects on species and functional composition, we analyzed soil characteristics and tree shading at the local level, as well as distance to city center, imperviousness, and edge density at the landscape level. We used linear models and ordination analysis to assess treatment, local and landscape effects, and the influence of planting year on taxonomic and functional composition. Rehabilitation treatment explained most differences in species and functional composition. Species richness was lower in the city center and at sites with high soil organic matter; Pielou's evenness increased with soil pH. Trait composition differed between rehabilitated and control patches, and varied according to planting year. Soil bulk density negatively affected functional richness for all traits combined, and edge density reduced functional evenness of establishment traits. We conclude that urban filtering, in combination with planting year, shapes species and trait composition of rehabilitated road verges. Hence, local and landscape-level trait–environment interactions affect the assembly of road verge grasslands. Finally, our findings suggest that establishment traits have a pivotal role in the development of rehabilitated road verges, while the predictability of rehabilitation outcomes may be hindered even when seeding specifically designed seed mixtures.

Exploring the impact of changing landscape patterns on ecological quality in different cities: A comparative study among three megacities in eastern and western China

The landscape pattern emerges from the intricate interplay among natural, biological, and social elements, profoundly influencing the quality of the regional ecological environment. By comparing the spatial and temporal driving mechanisms of landscape pattern changes on ecological environment quality across various cities, we can gain valuable insights into charting sustainable development paths for cities in the future. The results show that: (1) From 1990 to 2020, the mean RSEI values for Kunming and Nanjing exhibited a certain degree of increase, suggesting an improvement in ecological quality over time. Conversely, Guangzhou displayed relatively high and stable ecological quality throughout the studied period. (2) The CA-Markov results reveal minimal variations in the ecological quality of Kunming by 2035. Conversely, Nanjing experiences a decline in ecological quality, while Guangzhou demonstrates commendable achievements in ecological development, with an area accounting for moderate or higher ecological grades reaching 71.13%. (3) During the 30 years, the polarization of the three cities intensified and gradually formed a polycentric and clustered urban form. Among them, Nanjing and Guangzhou showed a fragmented landscape pattern, while the landscape diversity of Kunming is decreasing. (4) In terms of landscape pattern changes, Nanjing and Guangzhou showed a fragmented landscape pattern and increased landscape heterogeneity, but the degree of fragmentation and the rate of urban expansion in Guangzhou have been mitigated. In contrast, the spatial distribution of landscape patches in Kunming is becoming more clustered and the landscape diversity is decreasing. (5) The results of MGWR show that improving the landscape diversity, landscape patch aggregation and connectivity is beneficial to improving ecological quality. Overall, this study provides valuable insights and serves as a relevant reference for optimizing urban spatial structure in China and other developing countries' cities, aiming to foster sustainable and ecologically conscious urban development.

Landscape Pattern Changes and Climate Response in Nagqu Hangcuo National Wetland Park in the Tibetan Plateau

Wetlands are vital ecosystems in the Tibetan Plateau that play a crucial role in water conservation, flood storage, and biodiversity maintenance. They are sensitive to climate change and typically have high ecological and environmental quality levels due to minimal human disturbance. This study aimed to quantify landscape pattern changes within the Nagqu Hangcuo National Wetland Park (NNWP) and identify the impact of climate on wetland change. Using remote sensing data from six periods (1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015), dynamic change analysis, landscape pattern analysis, and correlation analysis were employed to determine the evolutionary features of the wetland landscape and explore their relationship with climatic factors. The results showed that the total wetland area increased from 15.11 km2 in 1990 to 15.23 km2 in 2015. The meadow area increased the most among landscape types, primarily converted from swamps. Over 25 years, the fragmentation of the NNWP’s landscape increased while diversity decreased and its shape became more complex. Meadows were more sensitive to climatic factors than other landscape types, with correlation coefficients between wetland separation and sunshine duration being more significant than other climatic factors. Therefore, it is imperative to monitor landscape pattern changes and the effects of climate change to better protect wetland parks through long-term planning, suitable mechanisms, and advanced technology.

Analysis of Ecological Environment Quality and Its Driving Factors in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region of China

This study aims to explore the evolution of the pattern of ecological environment quality and its driving factors in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region, providing a basis for developing regional ecological protection policies. Based on remote sensing image data, the study developed a remote-sensing eco-environmental index (REI) from two dimensions, namely ecological quality and environmental quality, and evaluated the spatiotemporal changes of the eco-environment quality in the BTH region from 2000 to 2020. The main factors affecting the eco-environment quality and the changing trend of the eco-environment quality were subsequently analyzed using the geographic detector model and the GM1.1 model. The results show that the eco-environmental quality of the BTH region shows a fluctuating downward trend and distinct regional differences during the study period. The Yanshan Mountain in the north and the Taihang Mountain in the west have high ecological quality, while the Zhangjiakou area in the northwestern part of Hebei Province and the urban center in the southeastern part of Hebei Province suffer low ecological quality. Natural factors played a dominant role in influencing eco-environmental factors, but the proportion of economic and social factors increased over time. It is predicted that the number of counties in the region with poor eco-environmental factors will increase significantly. Therefore, the comprehensive assessment of regional ecological quality can be effectively achieved based on REI, thus providing a reference for the green and high-quality development of the regional social economy.

Detecting low fragmented sites surrounding European protected areas – Implications for expansion of the Natura 2000 network

EU member states have set an ambitious goal of establishing additional protected areas (PAs) preserving 30 % of terrestrial land by 2030, specifying that additions should be of high ecological quality. A targeted selection of existing PA expansions into surroundings marginally fragmented by human infrastructure, may be an efficacious strategy to secure high ecological quality by maximizing PA area, accommodating species movement, and boosting climate change resilience. We used high-resolution data on effective mesh density, a metric measuring landscape fragmentation, in the vicinity of Natura 2000 PAs (N2k) to assess their potential for expansion. Our results show that contrary to most of Central Europe, mountainous and remote territories exhibit the lowest degree of fragmentation in N2k surroundings. Fragmentation in N2k surroundings is highly correlated with national population density, while economic wealth, measured by GDP per capita, plays a minor role. To address the long-standing dilemma of where scarce economic resources in nature conservation do the most-good, we conducted a country-level comparison between fragmentation in N2k surroundings and national expenditures on nature conservation relative to N2k area. Our results show a vast incongruity in resource availability for nature conservation among EU countries. Eastern European states, especially Romania, host underfunded N2k PAs while holding the highest potential for expanding N2k PAs into low fragmented lands. If protecting low fragmented lands is accepted as an efficacious strategy to meet EU biodiversity targets our results could be used to formulate pragmatic conservation decisions, while also ensuring high ecological quality of PA additions under climate change.

Analysis of the Spatial Relationship between Ecosystem Regulation Services and Rural Tourism

In the context of China's implementation of the rural revitalization strategy and establishment of a mechanism to realize the value of ecological products, rural tourism as an eco-friendly industry promotes regional social and economic development with high-quality natural and ecological conditions in rural areas and is one of the key patterns to realize regional green development. Existing studies in the field focus on the spatial relationship between rural tourism and traditional factors such as economy, population, and transportation and ignore to some extent the relationship between ecosystem services and rural tourism. However, from the perspective of distribution, rural tourism is popular mainly in areas with high ecological quality, so it can be inferred that there is a relationship between ecosystem services and rural tourism. Therefore, this paper targets the key problem-the spatial relationship between ecosystem regulation services and rural tourism, taking rural tourist spots in six districts and counties in the Wuling Mountains in southeastern Chongqing as the subjects, and using the geo-econometric analysis method and geographic detector model to analyze the spatial-driving and development-support roles of ecosystem services on rural tourism. The results show that: (1) the nearest neighbor index of the distribution of rural tourist spots in the regions of study is 0.28, showing a significant clustering trend as a whole; (2) there are obviously high-value areas among the six types of ecosystem regulation services, which are mainly distributed in forest ecosystems; (3) the driving effects of dual factors are more significant, and the combined driving effects of climate regulation and anion supply services are the most significant, with the q value of these driving effects being 0.1962; (4) from the perspective of the supply-demand relationship of industrial development, ecosystem services play an important role in supporting the development of rural tourism. Based on these results, it is proposed in this paper that, in the next step, a comprehensive analysis of the impact of ecosystem regulation services should be conducted during the special planning of rural tourism and the rational layout of industries should be guided on the premise of compliance with space-use control, as well as economical and intensive land use, to support the scientific formulation of regional rural tourism development strategies with new ideas based on basic analysis and better realize the value of ecological products and boost rural revitalization.

Macroinvertebrate community structure and ecological status in Portuguese streams across climatic and water scarcity gradients

Climatic and hydrological variation is of utmost importance in regions of the globe facing water scarcity and river intermittency (e.g. areas under Mediterranean influence). The main aim of this study was to compare the macroinvertebrate community structure and its bioindicator value (i.e. waterbody ecological status) in streams from three Portuguese regions (Regions C, N and S), representing distinct climatic features and water availability scenarios. Results showed that, overall, sampling sites differed in their climatic, hydromorphological and physical and chemical features, and environmental (abiotic) and ecological (community dissimilarities) gradients among regions were clearly identified. Sites from Regions C (wettest) and S (driest) represented non-overlapping clusters of samples, both in terms of their environmental context and ecological (dis)similarity; sites from Region N occupied an intermediate position, and their macroinvertebrate community was highly variable locally. This coincided with overall higher ecological quality and uniformity in Region C, whereas Regions N and S were more heterogeneous and generally presented lower ecological quality. Our data showed that climate (and associated water scarcity) is coupled with other environmental drivers of the macroinvertebrate community structure, highlighting a shared influence of the three environmental components (climatic, hydromorphological, and physical and chemical) in the modulation of macroinvertebrate communities.

Land use and environmental quality in Ireland over two decades of contrasting agricultural trends

Global awareness and scrutiny of food production systems, including competition for land between agriculture and nature-based solutions to climate change, has increased immensely recently. In Ireland, around 70% of land area is used for agriculture, mostly pasture-based livestock production. Cattle numbers began to decline in the late 1990s, as milk productivity per cow increased along with the European Union policy of intensification implemented in 1998. Phasing out of the EU milk quota system from 2011 onwards initiated an increase in dairy cow numbers, which rose by 46% by 2020. This development has reversed environmental progress. This study outlines the impact of contrasting policies that have contributed to abatement and intensification of greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from Ireland’s agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) sector, along with impacts on water quality effects. Ireland achieved most environmental targets during the 2000s. However, between 2010 and 2019, agricultural greenhouse gas emissions increased by 12% and annual ammonia emission ceilings exceeded the national limit in seven of those years. Around 6% of rivers lost their good or high ecological water quality status. These developments jeopardise compliance with contemporary environmental targets, such as achieving a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by 2030, and AFOLU climate neutrality by 2050. Achieving environmental quality targets will necessitate far-reaching and immediate development of policy for the land use sector beyond the implementation of currently proposed mitigation measures.

Multi-Scenario Simulations of Land Use and Habitat Quality Based on a PLUS-InVEST Model: A Case Study of Baoding, China

Habitat quality and ecosystem service value (ESV) are important foundations for sustainable development. Baoding, as the strategic hinterland of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei, is of great significance to regional ecological conservation and sustainable urban development. Based on land-use data from 2000 to 2020, the land-use scenarios of natural development (ND), water protection (WP), forest rehabilitation (FR), and cultivated land protection (CP) in 2030 were predicted by the PLUS model and adopt the InVEST model and equivalent ESV table to assess ecological sustainability. The results show that: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the construction land in Baoding has increased by 812 km2, and the cultivated land and forest land decreased by 708 km2 and 154 km2. Habitat quality is obviously deteriorating in 4.66% of the city. (2) Under different scenarios, the order of habitat quality is CP > FR > WP > ND. The habitat quality under each scenario is dominated by medium habitat quality. (3) Under different scenarios, the order of ESV is FR > CP> WP > ND. The fluctuation of forest land and cultivated land scale is affecting the ESV. (4) CP and FR will form a land-use pattern that has “high ecological quality and value”, which better balances the economic development and ecological protection of Baoding. This research study will provide a reference for the effective allocation of land resources and will guide the formulation of urban land space planning policy in Baoding.

The importance of ecological quality of public green and blue spaces for subjective well-being

Background and aim There is now considerable evidence that the natural environment provides health and well-being benefits in urban environments. However, little is understood about the role of ecological quality in maximising well-being gains. Methods We examine the relationship between the accessibility of public natural spaces of high ecological quality and two measures of subjective well-being for adults, using the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), a large, longitudinal panel dataset. We then compare this relationship with that found with all Public Open Spaces, regardless of their ecological quality. We use the designation of Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) as an objective indication of high-quality green- or bluespace, and life satisfaction and mental distress as measures of well-being. We use the Areas of Deficiency dataset from Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC (GiGL) to identify residential areas with more than a 1 km walk from a SINC, based on actual walking routes from known access points. Results Postcode-level analysis using regression modelling reveals that living beyond a 1 km walk of a SINC decreases an individual’s life satisfaction by 0.117 points on a scale of 1 to 7. No relationship is found for mental distress. We also do not find any significant relationship between either well-being measure and all Public Open Spaces. Conclusions These findings suggest that the ecological quality of publicly accessible open spaces is important for the well-being of residents in Greater London and highlights the need for improving the provision of, and access to, high-quality green- and bluespaces in urban areas. Keywords Biodiversity; Greenspace; Bluespace; Well-being; BHPS

The importance of ecological quality of public green and blue spaces for subjective well-being

There is now considerable evidence that the natural environment provides health and well-being benefits in urban environments. However, little is understood about the role of ecological quality in maximising well-being gains. We examine the relationship between the accessibility of public natural spaces of high ecological quality and two measures of subjective well-being for adults, using the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), a large, longitudinal panel dataset. We then compare this relationship with that found with all Public Open Spaces, regardless of their ecological quality. We use the designation of Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) as an objective indication of high-quality green- or bluespace, and life satisfaction and mental distress as measures of well-being. We use the Areas of Deficiency dataset from Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC (GiGL) to identify residential areas with more than a 1 km walk from a SINC, based on actual walking routes from known access points. Postcode-level analysis using regression modelling reveals that living beyond a 1 km walk of a SINC decreases an individual’s life satisfaction by 0.117 points on a scale of 1 to 7. No relationship is found for mental distress. We also do not find any significant relationship between either well-being measure and all Public Open Spaces. These findings suggest that the ecological quality of publicly accessible open spaces is important for the well-being of residents in Greater London and highlights the need for improving the provision of high-quality green- and bluespaces in urban areas.

Taxonomic and functional nematode diversity in Maldivian coral degradation zones: patterns across reef typologies and depths.

The intensification of dredging and infilling activities in lagoons and on coral reefs are common practices in the Maldivian archipelago, and these activities alter the biodiversity of the bioconstructors and the functioning of the ecosystem. The alteration of environmental factors can also affect inconspicuous fauna, such as free-living nematodes. The implications of a reduction in biodiversity may transcend decreased taxonomic diversity, resulting in changes in functional diversity and redundancy; however, how the environmental conditions and human pressure affects the functionality of nematodes in Maldivian coral degradation zones (CDZs) remain poorly understood. In this paper, we examined changes in the taxonomic and functional diversity and the functional redundancy in nematode communities regarding the geographic location (atolls with various levels of human pressure), the exposure and topography of the reef (lagoon and ocean), the slope of the reef, and the depth. The functional diversity and redundancy were evaluated by considering two main biological traits of nematodes: i) the trophic strategy, and ii) the life strategy. The extremely high number of nematode genera observed in the Maldives is supported by the high complexity of the carbonate sediments. The reef exposure and depth were the most relevant environmental factors that influenced the taxonomic and functional diversity. The functional diversity, according to the trophic strategies, mirrored the taxonomic diversity because the adaptive plasticity of nematode buccal cavity structures is closely associated with the high biodiversity of the phylum. The high abundance of k-strategists in ocean reefs may indicate a higher ecological quality when compared to lagoon reefs; however, the absence of significant differences in life strategy functional diversity and functional redundancy indicates that a recovery process is underway. Analyses of nematode communities should be combined with standard investigations of reef bioconstructors during monitoring activities to assess the vulnerability of CDZ systems to future disturbances and facilitate the adoption of the most appropriate preventative actions.

Simulation of Land-Use Spatiotemporal Changes under Ecological Quality Constraints: The Case of the Wuhan Urban Agglomeration Area, China, over 2020–2030

Human activities coupled with land-use change pose a threat to the regional ecological environment. Therefore, it is essential to determine the future land-use structure and spatial layout for ecological protection and sustainable development. Land use simulations based on traditional scenarios do not fully consider ecological protection, leading to urban sprawl. Timely and dynamic monitoring of ecological status and change is vital to managing and protecting urban ecology and sustainable development. Remote sensing indices, including greenness, humidity, dryness, and heat, are calculated annually. This method compensates for data loss and difficulty in stitching remote sensing ecological indices over large-scale areas and long time-series. Herein, a framework is developed by integrating the four above-mentioned indices for a rapid, large-scale prediction of land use/cover that incorporates the protection of high ecological quality zone (HEQZ) land. The Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform is used to build a comprehensive HEQZ map of the Wuhan Urban Agglomeration Area (WUAA). Two scenarios are considered: Ecological protection (EP) based on HEQZ and natural growth (NG) without spatial ecological constraints. Land use/cover in the WUAA is predicted over 2020–2030, using the patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) model. The results show that: (1) the HEQZ area covers 21,456 km2, accounting for 24% of the WUAA, and is mainly distributed in the Xianning, Huangshi, and Xiantao regions. Construction land has the highest growth rate (5.2%) under the NG scenario. The cropland area decreases by 3.2%, followed by woodlands (0.62%). (2) By delineating the HEQZ, woodlands, rivers, lakes, and wetlands are well protected; construction land displays a downward trend based on the EP scenario with the HEQZ, and the simulated construction land in 2030 is located outside the HEQZ. (3) Image processing based on GEE cloud computing can ameliorate the difficulties of remote sensing data (i.e., missing data, cloudiness, chromatic aberration, and time inconsistency). The results of this study can provide essential scientific guidance for territorial spatial planning under the premise of ecological security.

Environmental drivers and sources of stream oxygen consumption in an agricultural lake catchment

The combination of ongoing climate change and the historical loss of streams and wetland areas have presented new ecological challenges. These challenges became evident during a massive fish kill in Lake Fil, Denmark, in August 2018. We know that high amounts of labile organic matter entered the lake after a particularly heavy rainfall that followed a long period of heat and drought. Bacteria decomposed the organic matter, resulting in a quickly deoxygenated lake and an extensive fish kill. However, we do not know whether there is spatial variation in the amount of transportable labile matter across the catchment area. Identifying catchment ‘hotspots’ that sustain particularly high oxygen consumption rates will help managers to pursue interventions that can promote a high ecological quality of Lake Fil and its catchment. The method we developed to identify hotspots can be used by practitioners everywhere to prepare for and mitigate events similar to the 2018 disaster at Lake Fil. To identify hotspots in the stream network that feeds into Lake Fil, we measured oxygen consumption rates and environmental variables at 13 sites on five occasions. We found that oxygen consumption rates varied 2–16-fold between sites and 2–13-fold between sampling days. Oxygen consumption rates were positively related to the concentration of tryptophan-like material and ammonium but negatively related to the complexity of humic substances. Together, these variables accounted for 65% of the variation in the oxygen consumption rate across sub-catchments. High levels of tryptophan-like material and dissolved nutrients derive from intensive agricultural land use in the catchment. However, all oxygen consumption rates measured in this paper were apparently lower than those during the fish kill of August 2018, when the catchment fed higher concentrations of labile organic matter into the lake. The risk of anoxic water and fish kills can be mitigated by reducing and dispersing the input of labile organic matter following shifting periods of drought and heavy rain, which can be done by creating wetlands in the stream network or by implementing biogas facilities, thereby reducing pulses of organic matter and nutrients entering the stream.