Ecological Engineering最新文献

Remote sensing technology and machine learning algorithms are used for quick and accurate land use monitoring in mining areas, enabling ecological environment monitoring and scientific evaluation. The study focuses on Dawukougou in Helan Mountain. The GF-2 remote sensing image is used with object-oriented classification and machine learning to classify land use in two high-resolution remote sensing images before and after ecological restoration of abandoned mines. Statistical analysis is done on the change in ground object area in the research area. The results show that the area of vegetation, bare land and mining area has changed greatly after ecological restoration in the study area. The area of the mining area changed from 34.64 km² to 8.7 km², a decrease of 25.94 km². The bare land area changed from 231.12 km² to 255.71 km², an increase of 24.19 km²; the vegetation area increased from 5.19 km² to 6.49 km², an increase of 1.84 km². After ecological restoration, there is a clear spatial correspondence between the bare land and the area with increased vegetation and the area with reduced mining area. The reason why the vegetation area increased slightly and the bare land area increased significantly after ecological restoration in the study area is that the local natural geographical conditions are harsh and the ecological restoration project is completed soon. The research results can provide reference for the ecological environment monitoring and ecological restoration effect evaluation of abandoned mines, and provide technical support for the ecological stability and social and economic sustainable development of mining areas.

Shrubs play are a fundamental component within rangeland habitats that affects many of the nutrient cycle processes and soil quality indicators. Insufficient attention has been paid to the investigation of the impact of semi-arid mountainous shrub lands on soil quality indices. In order to address these knowledge gaps, we investigated the impact of various shrub species (i.e., Carpinus orientalis Miller., Crataegus microphylla C. Koch., Berberis integerrima Bunge., Prunus spinosa L. and Rhamnus pallasii Fisch. and C. A. Mey), which are native in the northern Hemisphere (i.e. in Asia, Europe, North America and North Africa), on soil litter and soil properties. In order to carry out this research, litter (organic layer) and soil (0-10 cm depth) samples were collected from a surface area of 30 × 30 cm under the canopy of 15 individuals from each of the mentioned shrub species. A total of 75 litter samples and 75 soil samples were collected and analyzed for different features. According to results, Carpinus cover had higher litter quality, soil fertility and enzyme activities. Over time, the mineralization of soil C has increased with soil under Carpinus showing the highest mineralization. Compared to the autumn season, N mineralization was higher in summer season. The properties of fine roots (i.e. biomass, P, K, Ca and Mg), as well as the properties of coarse roots (i.e. biomass, Ca and Mg) are significantly influenced by the presence of shrubs. The changes of fine root C and N, coarse root C, N, P and K were not significant among shrub species. Based on hot spots output, the soil quality indicators decreased in order of Carpinus > Crataegus > Berberis > Prunus > Rhamnus. Our finding showed that soil quality indicators change patchy under different shrub species in a semi-arid landscape.

An effective strategy for the safe utilization of Cd-contaminated soil involves the cultivation of crop varieties with low Cd accumulation in conjunction with a hyperaccumulator such as Hylotelephium spectabile. In this study, the peach cultivar ‘Lvhuajiu’ was intercropped with two ecological types of H. spectabile, ‘Liaoning (LN)’ and ‘Hebei (HB)’, to explore plant Cd uptake and rhizosphere soil properties. The results revealed that under pot intercropping conditions, the roots of the ‘Lvhuajiu’ peach tree engaged in nutrient competition, which increased biomass production. A maximum of 68.02% reduction in Cd content was observed in peach tree roots under open intercropping with H. spectabile LN. H. spectabile absorbed more available Cd under intercropping, and LN had a higher Cd absorption capacity than HB. The removal efficiency under restrictive intercropping (0.34%–0.50%) was slightly lower than that under open intercropping (0.62%–0.67%). Intercropping systems were highly abundant in Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacterodietes, and Actinobacteria, which are essential for the elimination of Cd and cycling of nutrients. Furthermore, the field experiment showed that peach and H. spectabile intercropping could achieve a 4.11% removal efficiency per year under water-soluble chitosan addition. Besides, Cd concentrations in the peaches under all treatments remained below the national food standard of 0.05 mg·kg⁻¹. In conclusion, intercropping peaches with H. spectabile facilitates the safe utilization of Cd-contaminated soil by modifying rhizospheric soil properties, underscoring its considerable potential for a wide range of applications.

Agriculture is a major driver of land-use change and nutrient leaching worldwide, promoting eutrophication of surface water bodies. A frequent strategy to reduce nutrient external loads is the maintenance or re-establishment of riparian zones. We conducted a year-long, in situ monitoring of surface and subsurface water in three buffer zones (grassland, shrubland, forest) and adjacent croplands around the major water reservoir in Uruguay to assess runoff dynamics and nutrient potential reduction across different precipitation levels. All three buffer zones delayed surface runoff by twofold, yielding lower runoff than croplands. Also, they effectively retained phosphate (P-PO₄) loads in both surface and subsurface runoff but were less effective in reducing their concentrations. The forest achieved the highest surface water P-reduction (80%). The effect was variable for nitrate (N-NO₃), with buffers acting as either nutrient sinks or sources depending on the vegetation and runoff layer. Surface N-NO₃ loads were lower in the buffers, with a maximum reduction in grassland (∼50%), when compared to crops. In the subsurface layer, a reduction was only observed for N-NO₃ concentration in grassland (30%). Surface TP and P-PO₄ loads increased linearly with runoff rate only in the buffers, while both N-NO₃ and ammonium (N-NH₄) loads increased with runoff in both crops and buffers. Our results may indicate that riparian buffers comprised of herbaceous and woody vegetation have high phosphorus and nitrogen reduction rates, emphasizing their potential as nature-based solutions for nutrient mitigation and water storage. Future increased precipitation may, however, challenge buffer effectiveness.

This systematic review article provides a comprehensive overview of the application of nature-based solutions, specifically rain gardens, as compensatory techniques for stormwater management in various locations worldwide. A total of 53 articles, published between 2008 and 2024, were selected to identify the most utilized and advanced approaches regarding the quantitative analysis of bioretention cells for stormwater storage and infiltration. Given that this is a relatively recent topic in the context of urban drainage, with over 65% of the research published in the last five years (2020–2024), an established consensus on best construction practices, ideal materials, and suitable vegetation selection has yet to be reached. The studies are predominantly focused on temperate regions, indicating a pressing need for future investigations, particularly in tropical regions where data availability is limited. The reviewed studies highlight that the performance of rain gardens is intrinsically linked to a variety of parameters, including the confluence ratio, rainfall regime, engineering soil media composition, infiltration rate, internal layer configuration, and vegetation selection. However, despite the lack of consensus on these aspects, the analyses indicate that the implementation of rain gardens can effectively contribute to stormwater retention in urban environments. This finding suggests that, although there are gaps in the detailed understanding of the mechanisms and optimal conditions for maximum performance, there is a solid foundation for the continued use and enhancement of this practice as an effective stormwater management strategy in urban areas.

Carbon sequestration services stemming from ecosystems facilitate the absorption of CO₂ and mitigation of greenhouse effects. Thus, investigating the spatiotemporal changes of carbon sequestration services and their response patterns to human activities is essential in relation to achieving the strategic carbon peak and carbon neutrality (“double carbon”) goal in a region. In this study, the spatiotemporal carbon sequestration patterns in the upper reaches of the Yellow River from 1985 to 2020 were assessed based on measured sample points and spatial modeling combined with multi-source remote sensing data. Specifically, the impacts of human activities on the carbon sequestration services in the area were quantitatively analyzed. The results showed that, for the past 35 years, carbon sequestration in the upper reaches of the Yellow River ranged from 80.09 Tg to 98.48 Tg, with lower levels in the northeast and southwest, and higher ones in the northwest and southeast. From 1985 to 1998, carbon sequestration in the upper reaches of the Yellow River was mainly affected by the natural climate and showed a fluctuating upward trend. From 1998 to 2001, carbon sequestration declined sharply due to the influence of human activities and the natural climate, whereas it showed a significant increasing trend from 2001 to 2020, affected by the combined effects of ecological engineering and climate change. In 1998–2001, the degree of human influence was −5.92% to approximately −11.68%, and from 2001 to 2020, it was approximately 2.32% to 6.78%. This study shows that while human social development can negatively affect the carbon sequestration services of ecosystems, ecological engineering can accelerate its recovery, recovery trends and recovery endpoints are constrained by natural factors.

Organic pollution of the environment is a serious issue that affects the planet's soil, water, and air, posing a significant threat to ecosystems and living organisms. Bioremediation has emerged as a promising solution for organic soil pollution due to its low cost and simplicity. This review delves into the mechanism of bioremediation, focuses on using microorganisms in the process, and examines different technologies utilized. Additionally, the potential of genetic engineering to enhance the effectiveness of bioremediation was highlighted. Overall, it emphasizes the significance of bioremediation as a solution to organic soil pollution and provides an overview of the different approaches and technologies available. The innovation of this review is to deal with the remediation of organic soil contamination by microorganisms when introducing phytoremediation, genetic engineering methods, and technologies applied in bioremediation. The aim and the novelty are to conferan understanding and resolution for the scientific community of this global concern, which affects practically every aspect of life: agronomy, health, the environment, and the world economy. Climate change, industrialization, and population increase will make bioremediation critical and crucial in the upcoming century. The difference between this work and others is that it provides the reader with a complete tool for understanding all aspects and mechanisms of bioremediation.

There is large-scale deep soil desiccation in the Loess Plateau due to excessive vegetation rehabilitation over the years. It is the key to soil desiccation in the Loess Plateau in response to the lingering concern about the role of plant reintroduced and water restoration in areas with deep soil desiccation. However, not much studies have been done to address this deepening concern. To that end, large field soil columns were used to simulate dry soil and measure dynamic soil water changes in the 0–10 m soil layer under different mulching treatments. The results showed that under severe desiccation of deep soil layer, reintroduced plants relied on local rainfall for normal growth. Here, a new soil water balance emerged in the dry soil layer due to the different water uses of the reintroduced plants. Generally, deep-rooted perennial plants induced severe soil desiccation. Surface mulching treatments strongly influenced soil water restoration, with restoration rates of 23.5 cm/season for stone mulching, 23.5 cm/season for tree branch mulching, 38.8 cm/season for cloth mulching and 30.6 cm/season for white plastic film mulching. The findings of the study are critical for sustainable ecological construction especially as it relates to soil water restoration in Hilly Loess China.

Phosphorus (P) losses from drained agricultural fields are a major cause of eutrophication. In this study, we evaluated the performance of three types of phosphorus sorbing materials (PSMs), including P polymer sorbent pellets, designer biochar pellets, and iron shavings materials, in removing dissolved P at both laboratory and field scales. The laboratory experiments revealed the following order of P removal efficiency with initial P concentrations of 1 mg L⁻¹ and 50 mg L⁻¹: designer biochar > P polymer sorbent > iron shavings. Based on the laboratory results, the designer biochar and P polymer sorbent were considered promising PSMs, especially the designer biochar achieved excellent P removal efficiency (>90%). On the contrary, subsequent field-scale applications demonstrated another story. Field results indicated that the designer biochar pellets could reduce up to 37% dissolved P from the drainage systems during a three-month period. Unfortunately, we encountered difficulties gathering data regarding the efficacy of P polymer sorbent pellets for P removal since the pellets disintegrating into small particles and being partially washed out through the drainage pipes. This failure case shows the importance of long-term field-scale validation monitoring and improving the toughness of materials under complex changes. Overall, our study has shown the discrepancy between laboratory and field evaluation, highlighting the critical needs to refine the laboratory evaluation methods and narrow the gaps between laboratory -scale research and field-scale application.

Inadequate shoreline management might be detrimental to semiaquatic ground-dwelling taxa that utilize shorelines for migrations, basking and nesting sites. Although turtles are often associated with shorelines, limited knowledge of their climbing abilities hinders adequate management of these habitats. In this study we tested the climbing abilities of adult Emys orbicularis (N = 60) to explore the effect which artificial shorelines could have on their dispersal and habitat use. Over 90% of turtles were able to successfully climb a 36° slope. At steeper inclinations, female climbing success drastically dropped. Furthermore, climbing steeper inclinations is more time and energy consuming and might limit habitat use. Our results suggest that body size is the limiting factor of turtle climbing ability, regardless of sex. However, larger and less agile female turtles are especially susceptible to steep shorelines, since their fitness directly depends on their ability to reach favourable nesting sites. Based on our results, we suggest that slopes of artificial shorelines in European pond turtle habitats should not exceed 36° angles. Additionally, the shoreline surface should be textured (e.g. with grooves). Further studies should focus on locomotor abilities of other semiaquatic, ground-dwelling taxa (e.g. newts, toads, turtles), particularly as they pertain to obstacles around their reproductive centres.