Landscape Change Research Articles

Comparative Phylogeography of Two Specialist Rodents in Forest Fragments in Kenya

The fragmented forests of the Kenya highlands, known for their exceptional species richness and endemism, are among the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots. However, detailed studies on the fauna of these ecosystems—especially specialist species that depend on moist forests, which are particularly threatened by habitat fragmentation—are still limited. In this study, we used mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b and the displacement loop) and a nuclear marker (retinol-binding protein 3) to investigate genetic and morphological diversity, phylogenetic associations, historical divergence, population dynamics, and phylogeographic patterns in two rodent species—the soft-furred mouse (Praomys jacksoni) and the African wood mouse (Hylomyscus endorobae)—across Kenya’s forest landscapes. We found a complex genetic structure, with P. jacksoni exhibiting greater genetic diversity than H. endorobae. The Mt. Kenya P. jacksoni populations are significantly genetically different from those in southwestern forests (Mau Forest, Kakamega Forest, and Loita Hills). In contrast, H. endorobae presented no observable biogeographic structuring across its range. The genetic diversity and geographic structuring patterns highlighted selectively strong effects of forest fragmentation and differing species’ ecological and evolutionary responses to these landscape changes. Our findings further underscore the need for expanded sampling across Kenya’s highland forests to better understand species’ changing diversity and distribution patterns in response to the impacts of human-mediated habitat changes. These insights are critical for informing conservation strategies to preserve biodiversity better in this globally important region.

How Can Curators in Today's Art World Help Emerging Chinese Artists to Increase the Commercial Value of Their Artworks?

The changing landscape of the art world drives consumer preferences, and emerging trends in art and technology. While the art world is constantly evolving, there are many emerging artists, but very few of them have made it to the top. One of the challenges that hinder the emerging artist community is finding buyers for their artworks and connecting with galleries, fairs and exhibitions to increase their commercial value of the artworks. Although the Asian market has grown and gained real recognition compared to previous decades, it is surprising that China’s emerging artists are still struggling to sell their works in the industry. In this study, I aim to explore how curators play a role in dealing with these challenges. The research question is: how can curators help China’s emerging artists create commercial value of their artworks in today's art world? This research finds, it has been found that curators can use brand ecology theory to help emerging artists solve this dilemma, providing them with services throughout their career development lifecycle, including curators play an important role in connecting artists with consumers, and branding artists and their works, by diverse methods.They include publishing the artist's creative process and artworks on different social media, designing compelling stories, helping emerging artists analyze art market trends and consumer behavior, collaborating with commercial galleries to incubate emerging artists, participating in art space exhibitions, collaborating with famous brands to launch co-branded products, and designing and selling peripheral merchandise of the artwork.

Landscape Histories and the Search for Early Settlements along Louisiana's Bayous

Abstract Historical changes from shifting land use, the natural meandering of waterways, and the aftereffects of erosion complicate modern environments and obfuscate precontact landscapes. Although archaeologists can create stratified sampling models or employ systematic surveys, traditional field methodologies are often not suitable for site discovery, thereby limiting knowledge of ancient cultural landscapes. Many water systems in southern Louisiana, and in many parts of the world, have been covered or concealed in backswamps by natural geomorphological processes, development, or environmental degradation. Investigation standards that do not account for these changes will not be effective at identifying archaeological sites in such transformed landscapes. Discoveries made during ongoing archaeological research in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, provide examples of what can be missed and offer solutions through changes in archaeological field methods. This article advocates for a mixed-methodology approach, drawing from historical research and shallow geophysics to look at landforms and landscape changes. Strictly following state survey guidelines can muddle the archaeological record, particularly in places subject to significant landscape change from historical land-use alteration. By applying these approaches, we offer a way to reconstruct ancient landscapes and landforms that are culturally significant but often missed given the nature of modern environmental conditions.

Lacustrine Wetlands Landscape Simulation and Multi-Scenario Prediction Based on the Patch-Generating Land-Use Simulation Model: A Case Study on Shengjin Lake Reserve, China

Landscape simulation and prediction are crucial for understanding the dynamic evolution and future trends of wetlands. However, only a few existing studies have focused on the applicability and limitations of commonly used land-use/cover change (LUCC) simulation models in lake wetland landscapes. Taking Shengjin Lake Reserve in China as the study area, we firstly analyzed landscape variations during 2010–2020 using multisource remote sensing images. Then, the patch-generating land-use simulation (PLUS) model was employed to simulate wetland landscapes in 2020, the accuracy and limitation of which in simulating lacustrine wetlands were also explored. Lastly, the changing trends of wetland landscapes in 2030 under different development scenarios were predicted. The results show that the landscape of Shengjin Lake Reserve has changed significantly during 2010–2020, with increases in mudflats, reservoirs/ponds, woodlands, and built-up land, and there has been decreases in lakes, grass beaches, and croplands. The PLUS model demonstrated an ideal simulation accuracy for Shengjin Lake Reserve, with the overall accuracy exceeding 80%, kappa coefficient greater than 0.75, and figure of merit (FOM) coefficient of 0.35, indicating that the model can capture the dynamic changes in wetland landscapes accurately. The simulation accuracy can be effectively improved with the adjacent initial year, shorter time interval, and the primary driver factors. Under the natural development scenario, the number of patches in the Shengjin Lake Reserve increased sharply, and landscape fragmentation intensified. Under the urban development scenario, the expansion of built-up land increased, and the average patch area increased. In the ecological protection scenario, the Shannon diversity index and Shannon evenness index of the landscape improved significantly, and the natural wetlands such as grass beaches and lakes can be protected effectively. Our study confirms the applicability of the PLUS model in simulating and predicting lacustrine wetlands landscapes, and the conclusions provide a scientific basis for formulating reasonable development strategies to realize wetland resource conservation and management.

Spatiotemporal Differentiation of Land Ecological Security and Optimization Based on GeoSOS-FLUS Model: A Case Study of the Yellow River Delta in China Toward Sustainability

Land ecological security (LES) is a crucial issue pertaining to the sustainability of landscapes or land systems. Nevertheless, previous studies largely neglected the impacts of landscape structure on LES. This study, taking the Yellow River Delta (YRD) as the case area, analyzed the spatiotemporal differentiation patterns of regional LES in 19 counties (cities and districts) from 2000 to 2020 through the application of landscape metrics and employed GeoSOS-FLUS to forecast the landscape structure and corresponding land ecological security in 2030 under four different scenarios to advance sustainability. The results show that, first, landscape fragmentation and irregularity are decreasing, while aggregation and connectivity are increasing. The primary landscape change involves the transition from farmland to developed areas. Second, the LES index is rising. In 2020, about 73.68% of the research units reached level IV, while most were at level III. Third, it is projected that by 2030, the LES index will rise under all scenarios, exhibiting an eastward-declining gradient in its geographic distribution, with higher values prevailing in the eastern regions and gradually tapering off towards the west. It is expected that in the business-as-usual scenario, the proportion of LES reaching level V will be the highest. This study not only reveals the impact mechanism of the landscape structure on land ecological security but also provides an important basis for formulating scientific and rational land use planning and management strategies from the perspectives of sustainable land governance and sustainable land use.

Travelling Thai Surrogate Mothers: Required and Restricted Mobility in Transnational Surrogacy

ABSTRACT In response to the changing landscape of transnational surrogacy, the industry has introduced flexible business models requiring women to move within and across borders to act as surrogate mothers. However, knowledge about their experiences remain vague, particularly concerning women traveling abroad under illegal conditions. Building upon interviews with Thai surrogate mothers, I demonstrate how their im/mobility reveals critical insights into labor conditions and power relations and is formed within the global reproductive industry as well as the specific national context. I also argue that the women’s im/mobility and flexibility are central when making themselves bioavailable for the global surrogacy market.

Agricultural irrigation development in Castilla y León (Spain): driving forces and outcomes for landscape and sustainability in the 21st century

ContextAgriculture relies on irrigation in many parts of the world, and the need for irrigation is increasing due to rising demands for agricultural products and climate change-induced alterations in rainfall patterns. However, irrigated agriculture has been found to damage ecosystems and threaten landscape sustainability.ObjectivesAgainst this background, there has been a recent development towards large-scale irrigation in Spain. The aim of this study is to understand this development at the landscape level and its impact in the context of landscape sustainability.MethodsWe focused on two study sites in Castilla y León using a mixed-methods approach. We studied driving forces, landscape changes, and sustainability outcomes through document analysis, interviews, and aerial photograph analysis.ResultsThe development of a landscape-level underground pipe network took place at one study site and is planned for the second study site. Interviewees perceived institutional and social driving forces as particularly influential and technological driving forces as less influential. Political and economic driving forces were often interlinked. The irrigation development tied to land consolidation led to landscape changes, such as the removal of trees and increases in field size. Thus, in terms of environmental sustainability, trade-offs were found, while social sustainability outcomes were mainly positive. The impact on farmers’ economic security varied.ConclusionsFor further landscape-level irrigation developments, we recommend integrating preserving seminatural habitats and the structural diversity of the agricultural landscape in planning processes. We also recommend a shift towards more water efficient crops, evapotranspiration management, and a new funding scheme for farmers to offset rising electricity costs.

Environmental aspects of remote sensing for the classification of asbestos industry impact on the landscape changes in Cyprus

Abstract. The Industrial Revolution led to the commercial exploitation of asbestos in Cyprus. Cyprus has the second largest asbestos deposits in Europe, after Italy. Even though most of the extracted asbestos was exported, Cyprus had two operational asbestos manufacturing plants. Production increased steadily until 1980, with mining activities ending in 1988. These activities have left a significant mark on the environment. The key example of post-asbestos landscape in Cyprus is the opencast mine at Amiandos in the Limassol District, where large amounts of asbestos were mined. This has had a considerable impact on the natural environment and land use including the disposal of asbestos residues and asbestos-cement waste. Temporal analysis of land use changes from 1963 to 2014 reveals shifts in exploitation areas and vegetation cover. Though challenges persist, including asbestos-containing waste, efforts to restore vegetation in the mine area are evident. The evolution from sparse and undeveloped vegetation to a lush and diverse ecosystem is important for restoring ecological balance and restoring habitats for local fauna and flora. This research provides critical insights into the historical context, environmental impacts, and remediation efforts related to asbestos mining in Cyprus.

Global Trade Tensions: Analyzing the WTO Legality of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and Strategic Responses

With the profound changes in the global economic landscape and the increasing proximity of the United States and China in terms of power contrasts, the hegemonic anxiety of the U.S. has been increasing, leading to the adoption of a series of protection measures in the field of trade. Among them, the Inflation Reduction Act, as an important part of the U.S. trade protectionist policy, its implementation has not only aggravated the tension in international trade, but also violated the relevant rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This paper elaborates the specific content of the Act and its impact on international trade, especially its large-scale subsidy policy in the field of green energy and its potential impact on the global supply chain. Subsequently, this paper analyzes in depth the illegality of the Act under the WTO framework from the perspective of prohibited subsidies and non-discriminatory principles, and argues with specific cases. Finally, this paper puts forward China's response strategy, aiming to provide theoretical support and practical guidance for China in dealing with U.S. trade protectionist policies. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the nature and impact of the U.S. trade protectionism policy, to provide theoretical support for China to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests in global trade, and to provide useful reflections and insights for China to promote trade liberalization and facilitation, strengthen international cooperation, and jointly respond to challenges in the context of global economic integration.

A Great Leap Forward: Changing Landscape of Shadow Energy-Maritime Economy Off the Coast of Nigeria

The Atlantic coast of Nigeria, especially the Niger Delta corridor is a dynamic energy-maritime space. The region witnesses a trend in continuous evolution, propelled by the intersection of the upper world and underworld economic activities, with several individual and institutional actors at its core. The underworld end of the socio-economic spectrum on which this coastal region of Nigeria is anchored is known for its robustness and has attracted significant scholarly attention. In furtherance of scholarly interrogation of the region’s informal economy, this paper critically analyses the pervasiveness, entrenchment, and dynamics of shadow energy activities in the Niger Delta. Primarily, in a theoretical construction, the study discusses trends, patterns, and overlaps in the transition of energy-maritime shadow activities in the region. The study adopts a qualitative research method; combining primary data with a synthesis of the extant literature on the region’s shadow economy and the involvement of organised crime in the region’s energy-maritime landscape. The objective of the study flows from the fact of a great leap forward in shadow economy in the region through different social realities- grievance, greed, illegality, and organised crime. The paper develops a hybrid theory of crime; enterprise-value chain as an analytical archetype to explain the latest stage in the evolution of the underworld, shadow energy-maritime activities off the coast of Nigeria.

Space-for-time substitutions exaggerate urban bird-habitat ecological relationships.

North American bird abundance has declined by 29% over the last 50 years. These continental population dynamics interact with local landscape changes to affect local bird diversity. Mitigating local declines in cities is particularly significant because (a) such declines greatly impact human-bird relationships since most people live in cities and (b) cities provide levers to create bird-friendly habitat, such as managing yards and gardens, street trees, and urban parks. Yet, the potential for cities to modify habitats to mitigate broader bird declines remains unclear. Studies have been stymied by the difficulty of assembling mutidecadal habitat-bird population datasets. Instead, studies have substituted space for time (e.g. used habitat associations across space at one time point to project future species abundance due to changing land use), but this method may fail amidst nonstationary environments of the Anthropocene. Here, we test the validity of space-for-time substitutions for explaining changes in bird abundance in a North American city over the past two decades by examining the degree to which these changes are explainable by changes in local landcover at multiple spatial scales. Specifically, we use longitudinal urban bird surveys of Metro Vancouver, BC, Canada from 1997 and 2020; deep learning models of remote sensing data to classify contemporaneous landcover; out-of-sample prediction and boosted regression trees to identify multiple spatial scales of landcover that best explained bird abundance (i.e. optimal scale of effect for each species by each habitat); and Bayesian multispecies abundance models in Stan to determine relationships between changes in landcover and bird abundance. We found that total bird abundance declined by 26% over the last two decades. Landcover measured at both 50 m and optimal scales explained spatial variation in bird abundance, but only landcover at the optimal scale explained temporal changes, and only partially. These results suggest that space-for-time substitutions overemphasize habitat-bird ecological relationships, urban habitats only partially determine bird abundance, and measuring habitat at the appropriate scale is important for capturing the most relevant changes in landscapes.

Are Neutrality Targets Alone Sufficient for Protecting Nature? Learning From Land Cover Change and Land Degradation Neutrality Targets in Mauritius

ABSTRACTLand degradation contributes to loss of land productivity, climate change, and biodiversity loss worldwide, making the monitoring of land cover change a fundamental component of sustainable land use planning. To facilitate this task, international research organizations publish increasingly high‐quality global land cover data, yet those are still proving too imprecise at the scale of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as Mauritius. Though rapidly developing, Mauritius does not have a locally produced land cover map which is consistently updated and made available to the public in the scope of participatory planning processes. This study sought to bridge this gap by revising a 2010 land cover map of Mauritius island and producing a new map for 2020, which can serve as a basis for future updates through a consistent methodology that combines photointerpretation and semi‐automated classification from various datasets. These maps enabled the observation of key changes in the island's landscape, which are consistent with socio‐economic events, namely the decline of agricultural coverage (12.7%) due to the phasing out of preferential trade agreements for sugar, and the expansion of real estate (14.3% increase in built area) following new investment promotion policies. Considering the small size and high population density of the island, as is the case for SIDS, these developments and the Land Degradation Neutrality Targets of Mauritius bring the feasibility of area‐based land degradation neutrality into question and call for the analysis of land and ecosystem conditions through additional indicators.

Endophytic Bacillus velezensis GsB01 controls Gleditsia sinensis wilt by secreting antifungal metabolites and modulates symbiotic microbiota within trees.

Identifying effective biological control agents against fungal pathogens and determining their mechanisms of action are important in the control of plant diseases. In this study, we isolated an endophytic bacterial strain, GsB01, from the branches of asymptomatic Gleditsia sinensis. Multi-locus sequence analysis identified the strain as Bacillus velezensis. GsB01 exhibited significant antifungal activity against Thyronectria austroamericana, the causative agent of G. sinensis wilt. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry identified four consistently present antimicrobial compounds in GsB01 metabolite fractions with high antifungal activity: macrolactin A, bacillaene A, surfactin, and iturin. GsB01's active metabolite fractions altered the metabolic profiles of T. austroamericana, disrupting seven pathways, including arginine biosynthesis, nucleotide metabolism, purine metabolism, and the pentose phosphate pathway. Furthermore, absolute quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis suggested that GsB01 may increase the abundance of endophytic bacteria in G. sinensis. The 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing revealed changes in the endophytic landscape in stems and roots following GsB01 introduction, particularly with significant variation in the dominant bacterial genera within the stems. The study highlights GsB01's potential against plant wilt and suggests that its antifungal activity is achieved by secreting antifungal metabolites. The study also recorded changes in the symbiotic microbiota within trees that had been infected with a pathogenic fungus and subsequently treated with an endophytic antagonistic bacterial strain. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Pre-service teachers’ technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK): their readiness for online instruction

ABSTRACT Rapid changes and greater complexities bring new difficulties and place new expectations on our educational system. Teacher education programs must adapt to these changes and train pre-service teachers in various learning modalities. This study determined the readiness of pre-service teachers to teach online based on their technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) when they are grouped based on their profile. Through proportional random sampling, 400 third-year pre-service teachers were surveyed using comparative research. No significant difference in the readiness of pre-service teachers to online instruction based on their TPACK when grouped according to their sex and specialization. However, it was found that the respondents when grouped according to their specialization were different in terms of their Technological Knowledge and Technological Content Knowledge. This study suggests that as the era of technological changes emerged, the abilities of preservice teachers must be highly targeted to cope with dramatic changes in the educational landscape.

Energy landscape of conformational changes for a single unmodified protein

Resolving the free energy landscapes that govern protein biophysics has been obscured by ensemble averaging. While the folding dynamics of single proteins have been observed using fluorescent labels and/or tethers, a simpler and more direct measurement of the conformational changes would not require modifications to the protein. We use nanoaperture optical tweezers to resolve the energy landscape of a single unmodified protein, Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA), and quantify changes in the three-state conformation dynamics with temperature. A Markov model with Kramers’ theory transition rates is used to model the dynamics, showing good agreement with the observed state transitions. This first look at the intrinsic energy landscape of proteins provides a transformative tool for protein biophysics and may be applied broadly, including mapping out the energy landscape of particularly challenging intrinsically disordered proteins.

Evidence of repeated zoonotic pathogen spillover events at ecological boundaries

Anthropogenic modifications to the landscape have altered several ecological processes worldwide, creating new ecological boundaries at the human/wildlife interface. Outbreaks of zoonotic pathogens often occur at these ecological boundaries, but the mechanisms behind new emergences remain drastically understudied. Here, we test for the influence of two types of ecosystem boundaries on spillover risk: (1) biotic transition zones such as species range edges and transitions between ecoregions and (2) land use transition zones where wild landscapes occur in close proximity to heavily impacted areas of high human population density. Using ebolavirus as a model system and an ensemble machine learning modeling framework, we investigated the role of likely reservoir (bats) and accidental host (primates) range edges and patterns of land use (defined using SEDAC categories) on past spillover events. Our results show that overlapping species range edges and heightened habitat diversity increase ebolavirus outbreaks risk. Moreover, we show that gradual transition zones, represent by high proportion of rangelands, acts as a buffer to reduces outbreak risks. With increasing landscape changes worldwide, we provide novel ecological and evolutionary insights into our understanding of zoonotic pathogen emergence and highlight the risk of aggressively developing ecological boundaries.

Palaeosols and surfaces: what fossil soils tell us about the representation of time in some sedimentary successions

Soils and hence palaeosols develop at geomorphic surfaces comprising landscapes. As most develop they reorganize the substrate to create texturally and chemically defined units (horizons) parallel to the land surfaces and some of these horizons become lithified resembling beds. Palaeosols, in many cases do not represent hiatuses but developed during deposition and represent condensation not lost time. The degree of pedogenic reorganization can be used to estimate the temporal significance of the length of soil formation but soils are commonly polygenetic and have not followed a simple, time-related developmental pathway. The complexity of soil development is illustrated with reference to the late Silurian-early Devonian polyphase alluvial palaeosols from South Wales which provide an example of how dynamic changes in sedimentation and erosion have occurred without changes in soil processes. The significance of these polyphase palaeosol profiles is reviewed in the broader context of mid Palaeozoic landscape changes.

Mapping schistosomiasis risk landscapes and implications for disease control: A case study for low endemic areas in the Middle Paranapanema river basin, São Paulo, Brazil.

Schistosomiasis, a chronic parasitic disease, remains a public health issue in tropical and subtropical regions, especially in low and moderate-income countries lacking assured access to safe water and proper sanitation. A national prevalence survey carried out by the Brazilian Ministry of Health from 2011 to 2015 found a decrease in human infection rates to 1%, with 19 out of 26 states still classified as endemic areas. There is a risk of schistosomiasis reemerging as a public health concern in low-endemic regions. This study proposes an integrated landscape-based approach to aid surveillance and control strategies for schistosomiasis in low-endemic areas. In the Middle Paranapanema river basin, specific landscapes linked to schistosomiasis were identified using a comprehensive methodology. This approach merged remote sensing, environmental, socioeconomic, epidemiological, and malacological data. A team of experts identified ten distinct landscape categories associated with varying levels of schistosomiasis transmission potential. These categories were used to train a supervised classification machine learning algorithm, resulting in a 92.5% overall accuracy and a 6.5% classification error. Evaluation revealed that 74.6% of collected snails from water collections in five key municipalities within the basin belonged to landscape types with higher potential for S. mansoni infection. Landscape connectivity metrics were also analysed. This study highlights the role of integrated landscape-based analyses in informing strategies for eliminating schistosomiasis. The methodology has produced new schistosomiasis risk maps covering the entire basin. The region's low endemicity can be partly explained by the limited connectivity among grouped landscape-units more prone to triggering schistosomiasis transmission. Nevertheless, changes in social, economic, and environmental landscapes, especially those linked to the rising pace of incomplete urbanization processes in the region, have the potential to increase risk of schistosomiasis transmission. This study will help target interventions to bring the region closer to schistosomiasis elimination.

Beyond the 9-to-5: Unravelling the Pros and Cons of Moonlighting in Today’s Job Market

In current years, moonlighting, defined as the practice of performing multiple tasks simultaneously, has gained prominence as an integral part of the evolving business environment. The first section explains the meaning and theoretical basis of moonlight. We explore its historical background, legal implications, and impact on employee well-being through established research. The second section focuses on our research methodology, highlighting the data selection criteria included in this study, which are carefully detailed. Strong research practices ensure the accuracy of our findings. The third category classifies motivations for moonlight behaviour. From economic incentives to personal preferences, we explore why individuals choose to balance multiple roles. The fourth section includes sector-specific research that sheds light on broad moonlighting across sectors. We explore how moonlight and gig economy trends align with traditional employment models. The relationship between moonlighting and organizational commitment is explored in Section V. We examine whether moonlighting affects loyalty, participation, and performance in an employee’s primary job. Our paper concludes by summarizing the main takeaways and proposing avenues for future research. Moonlighting is a multifaceted phenomenon, and understanding its implications is critical for employees and employers alike. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on career mobility, and provides insights for policy makers, HR professionals, and scholars alike. As organizations adapt to the changing landscape, acknowledging and addressing moonlighting practices becomes essential for sustainable workforce management.

Innovative Leadership: Driving Change in Today's Corporate Landscape

Innovative Leadership: Driving Change in Today's Corporate Landscape