The carbon storage capacity of the Mongolian Plateau (MP) is easily ignored compared to other ecological services, due to its vast steppes and diverse arid and semi‐arid landscapes. However, the impact of Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) changes on carbon storage (CS) remains unclear, limiting climate‐adaptive land policies. This research combined with the PLUS and InVEST models to assess the dynamic characteristics of LULC and CS in the MP from 2000 to 2030, and introduced the elastic coefficient to quantify the CS changes caused by LULC change. These findings indicate that the CS in the MP were 21.45 Pg, 21.51 Pg, 21.70 Pg and 21.82 Pg in 2000, 2010, 2020 and 2030 respectively. Among various LULC types, grassland CS made up approximately half of the total CS during 2000–2020, yet degradation causes a carbon loss of 10.43 Tg. The largest reduction in CS mainly stems from the reduction of forest, leading to a loss of 35.57 Tg. Conversely, the land restoration by the conversion of barren land to grassland led to the greatest increase in CS, with a growth of 291.15 Tg. It reveals that the LULC dynamic changes on the MP caused carbon loss was marginally less than the carbon increase, and the capacity of the regional carbon sink can be effectively increased through land restoration measures, such as reforestation, returning grazing to grassland and desertification control.
{"title":"Effects of Land Use/Land Cover Changes on Carbon Storage in Terres‐Trial Ecosystems of the Mongolian Plateau","authors":"Yating Shao, Juanle Wang, Yujun Liu, Zengrang Xu, Davaadorj Davaasuren, Faith Ka Shun Chan, Ochir Altansukh","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70342","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70342","url":null,"abstract":"The carbon storage capacity of the Mongolian Plateau (MP) is easily ignored compared to other ecological services, due to its vast steppes and diverse arid and semi‐arid landscapes. However, the impact of Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) changes on carbon storage (CS) remains unclear, limiting climate‐adaptive land policies. This research combined with the PLUS and InVEST models to assess the dynamic characteristics of LULC and CS in the MP from 2000 to 2030, and introduced the elastic coefficient to quantify the CS changes caused by LULC change. These findings indicate that the CS in the MP were 21.45 Pg, 21.51 Pg, 21.70 Pg and 21.82 Pg in 2000, 2010, 2020 and 2030 respectively. Among various LULC types, grassland CS made up approximately half of the total CS during 2000–2020, yet degradation causes a carbon loss of 10.43 Tg. The largest reduction in CS mainly stems from the reduction of forest, leading to a loss of 35.57 Tg. Conversely, the land restoration by the conversion of barren land to grassland led to the greatest increase in CS, with a growth of 291.15 Tg. It reveals that the LULC dynamic changes on the MP caused carbon loss was marginally less than the carbon increase, and the capacity of the regional carbon sink can be effectively increased through land restoration measures, such as reforestation, returning grazing to grassland and desertification control.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"55 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145608977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Li Ma, Guochun Li, Wenquan Niu, Yadan Du, Kadambot H. M. Siddique
Partial substitution of chemical fertilizers with organic alternatives can reduce reliance on synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilizers, yet its comprehensive effects on soil quality, productivity, and environmental sustainability remain unclear. A winter wheat–summer maize rotation experiment was conducted to investigate variations in soil properties, crop productivity, N uptake, N 2 O emission, and N cycle functional genes under sufficient N (NF), N reduction (RN), N reduction combined with low (RNM1) and high (RNM2) amounts of organic fertilizer treatment. Compared with RN, NF, RNM1, and RNM2 markedly improved soil quality index (SQI) (59.29%–243.19%), productivity (5.06%–79.42%), crop N uptake (5.05%–32.04%), and N 2 O emissions (2.29%–109.45%). These benefits were primarily driven by increases in soil organic carbon, available phosphorus and N, dissolved organic carbon, and microbial biomass carbon and N, which enhanced SQI and promoted crop performance. RNM1 and RNM2 markedly reduced annual N 2 O emissions by 17.98%–51.16% and 13.69%–23.93%, respectively, compared with NF. This mitigation was associated with lower soil available N, reduced abundances of nitrification and denitrification genes ( amoA , amoB , amoC , narG , narH , norB ), and higher nosZ abundance, which promotes N 2 O reduction to N 2 . Synthesizing current and prior results suggests that reducing synthetic N by less than 45% while applying organic fertilizer can maintain productivity without increasing emissions. Among all treatments, RNM1 emerged as the most balanced strategy, simultaneously enhancing N uptake, soil quality, and yield while mitigating N 2 O emissions. Although yield gains under organic fertilizer treatment were comparable to NF, the additional environmental benefits highlight the need for further research to optimize organic–inorganic fertilizer ratios and application rates to maximize agronomic and ecological outcomes.
{"title":"Nitrogen Reduction Combined With Organic Fertilizer: Key Practices to Enhance Soil Quality and Crop Productivity While Mitigating N 2 O Emissions","authors":"Li Ma, Guochun Li, Wenquan Niu, Yadan Du, Kadambot H. M. Siddique","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70282","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70282","url":null,"abstract":"Partial substitution of chemical fertilizers with organic alternatives can reduce reliance on synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilizers, yet its comprehensive effects on soil quality, productivity, and environmental sustainability remain unclear. A winter wheat–summer maize rotation experiment was conducted to investigate variations in soil properties, crop productivity, N uptake, N <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> O emission, and N cycle functional genes under sufficient N (NF), N reduction (RN), N reduction combined with low (RNM1) and high (RNM2) amounts of organic fertilizer treatment. Compared with RN, NF, RNM1, and RNM2 markedly improved soil quality index (SQI) (59.29%–243.19%), productivity (5.06%–79.42%), crop N uptake (5.05%–32.04%), and N <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> O emissions (2.29%–109.45%). These benefits were primarily driven by increases in soil organic carbon, available phosphorus and N, dissolved organic carbon, and microbial biomass carbon and N, which enhanced SQI and promoted crop performance. RNM1 and RNM2 markedly reduced annual N <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> O emissions by 17.98%–51.16% and 13.69%–23.93%, respectively, compared with NF. This mitigation was associated with lower soil available N, reduced abundances of nitrification and denitrification genes ( <jats:italic>amoA</jats:italic> , <jats:italic>amoB</jats:italic> , <jats:italic>amoC</jats:italic> , <jats:italic>narG</jats:italic> , <jats:italic>narH</jats:italic> , <jats:italic>norB</jats:italic> ), and higher <jats:italic>nosZ</jats:italic> abundance, which promotes N <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> O reduction to N <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> . Synthesizing current and prior results suggests that reducing synthetic N by less than 45% while applying organic fertilizer can maintain productivity without increasing emissions. Among all treatments, RNM1 emerged as the most balanced strategy, simultaneously enhancing N uptake, soil quality, and yield while mitigating N <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> O emissions. Although yield gains under organic fertilizer treatment were comparable to NF, the additional environmental benefits highlight the need for further research to optimize organic–inorganic fertilizer ratios and application rates to maximize agronomic and ecological outcomes.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"96 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145598560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hamra Tariq, Ruiying Shi, Xinwei Shi, Weitao Liu, Aurang Zeb, Sheharyar Khan, Hifza Iqbal, Abdul Mateen Baig
Microplastics (MPs) and co‐contaminants in soil have emerged as pressing environmental concerns due to their persistence and interactive effects. This review synthesizes current knowledge on their sources, occurrence, interactions, and combined ecological impacts. MPs enter soils through agricultural inputs, atmospheric deposition, and littering, and act as vectors for heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and persistent organic pollutants, thereby modifying their mobility, bioavailability, and toxicity. However, the nature of these interactions and their potential biological effects remain insufficiently understood. These processes are influenced by MPs properties and soil physicochemical conditions, often leading to altered microbial community structures, impaired soil fauna, and reduced plant health. Mitigation approaches such as phytoremediation, microbial bioremediation, and biochar application show potential, but uncertainties remain regarding their long‐term efficacy under realistic field conditions. Addressing these gaps through integrated and long‐term studies is crucial for developing sustainable strategies to manage MPs‐co‐contaminant pollution in soils.
土壤中的微塑料（MPs）和共污染物由于其持久性和相互作用而成为紧迫的环境问题。本文综述了目前关于它们的来源、发生、相互作用和综合生态影响的知识。MPs通过农业投入、大气沉降和废弃物进入土壤，并作为重金属、药物和持久性有机污染物的载体，从而改变其流动性、生物利用度和毒性。然而，这些相互作用的性质及其潜在的生物学效应仍然没有得到充分的了解。这些过程受MPs特性和土壤理化条件的影响，往往导致微生物群落结构改变，土壤动物受损，植物健康下降。诸如植物修复、微生物生物修复和生物炭应用等缓解方法显示出潜力，但它们在实际现场条件下的长期效果仍然存在不确定性。通过综合和长期的研究来解决这些差距对于制定可持续战略来管理土壤中MPs - co -污染物污染至关重要。
{"title":"Microplastics and Co‐Contaminants in Soil: A Review of Combined Ecological Impact and Emerging Remediation Strategies","authors":"Hamra Tariq, Ruiying Shi, Xinwei Shi, Weitao Liu, Aurang Zeb, Sheharyar Khan, Hifza Iqbal, Abdul Mateen Baig","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70327","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70327","url":null,"abstract":"Microplastics (MPs) and co‐contaminants in soil have emerged as pressing environmental concerns due to their persistence and interactive effects. This review synthesizes current knowledge on their sources, occurrence, interactions, and combined ecological impacts. MPs enter soils through agricultural inputs, atmospheric deposition, and littering, and act as vectors for heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and persistent organic pollutants, thereby modifying their mobility, bioavailability, and toxicity. However, the nature of these interactions and their potential biological effects remain insufficiently understood. These processes are influenced by MPs properties and soil physicochemical conditions, often leading to altered microbial community structures, impaired soil fauna, and reduced plant health. Mitigation approaches such as phytoremediation, microbial bioremediation, and biochar application show potential, but uncertainties remain regarding their long‐term efficacy under realistic field conditions. Addressing these gaps through integrated and long‐term studies is crucial for developing sustainable strategies to manage MPs‐co‐contaminant pollution in soils.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"200 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145598562","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Road construction in alpine regions generates extensive bare cut slopes, which aggravates soil erosion and leads to substantial loss of soil organic carbon (SOC). Slope aspect modifies hydrothermal conditions, making it a critical regulator of SOC dynamics; however, it is unclear how it affects the physical protection of SOC within various soil aggregates in engineered cut slopes. In this study, we investigated the distribution and drivers of soil‐aggregate‐associated SOC across four slope aspects [south‐, west‐, east‐, and north‐facing (SFS, WFS, EFS, and NFS, respectively)] in the alpine region of Southwest China. Wet sieving for aggregate separation and partial least squares path model (PLS‐PM) for causal inference demonstrated that SOC content and stock in both bulk soil and aggregate fractions systematically varied with slope aspect type, generally following the order NFS > EFS > WFS > SFS. Small macroaggregates (SMA) and microaggregates (MIA) were identified as the dominant SOC reservoirs. Their combined dominance was the most pronounced in SFS, WFS, and EFS. PLS‐PM revealed that slope aspect type did not directly influence aggregate‐associated SOC but indirectly influenced it by affecting soil water content, total nitrogen, and soil organic matter (R 2 = 0.84). These factors governed the composition of soil aggregates and the SOC amount associated with them, which ultimately served as the most direct and decisive controls on total SOC dynamics (R 2 = 0.99). Our findings demonstrated that the stabilization of carbon in SMA and MIA is the central mechanism underlying slope‐aspect‐driven SOC sequestration patterns in these systems. This mechanistic insight offered a scientific basis for designing aspect‐specific restoration strategies to enhance carbon storage and soil quality in engineering and road construction projects in alpine regions.
{"title":"Slope Aspect Influences the Organic Carbon Content and Stock in Soil Aggregates of Cut Slopes in the Alpine Region of Southwest China","authors":"Shenghao Ai, Mei Chen, Meihua Sheng, Xiaoyan Ai","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70322","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70322","url":null,"abstract":"Road construction in alpine regions generates extensive bare cut slopes, which aggravates soil erosion and leads to substantial loss of soil organic carbon (SOC). Slope aspect modifies hydrothermal conditions, making it a critical regulator of SOC dynamics; however, it is unclear how it affects the physical protection of SOC within various soil aggregates in engineered cut slopes. In this study, we investigated the distribution and drivers of soil‐aggregate‐associated SOC across four slope aspects [south‐, west‐, east‐, and north‐facing (SFS, WFS, EFS, and NFS, respectively)] in the alpine region of Southwest China. Wet sieving for aggregate separation and partial least squares path model (PLS‐PM) for causal inference demonstrated that SOC content and stock in both bulk soil and aggregate fractions systematically varied with slope aspect type, generally following the order NFS > EFS > WFS > SFS. Small macroaggregates (SMA) and microaggregates (MIA) were identified as the dominant SOC reservoirs. Their combined dominance was the most pronounced in SFS, WFS, and EFS. PLS‐PM revealed that slope aspect type did not directly influence aggregate‐associated SOC but indirectly influenced it by affecting soil water content, total nitrogen, and soil organic matter (R <jats:sup>2</jats:sup> = 0.84). These factors governed the composition of soil aggregates and the SOC amount associated with them, which ultimately served as the most direct and decisive controls on total SOC dynamics (R <jats:sup>2</jats:sup> = 0.99). Our findings demonstrated that the stabilization of carbon in SMA and MIA is the central mechanism underlying slope‐aspect‐driven SOC sequestration patterns in these systems. This mechanistic insight offered a scientific basis for designing aspect‐specific restoration strategies to enhance carbon storage and soil quality in engineering and road construction projects in alpine regions.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"172 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145598995","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Soils in the Jin‐Shaan‐Meng region are prone to erosion and poor water retention, restricting agricultural productivity. Despite the known benefits of soil amendments like Pisha sandstone and biochar, their combined effects on sandy soil properties remain underexplored, particularly under constant mechanical stress conditions. We conducted a controlled indoor incubation with combinations of five Pisha sandstone ratios (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%) and three biochar application rates (0%, 2%, 4%) under constant mechanical stress, measuring bulk density, shear strength, hydraulic conductivity, water retention, and X‐ray micro‐computed tomography (X‐ray micro‐CT) derived soil structure. The results indicate that both amendment materials significantly increased soil compressibility, as evidenced by decreased bulk density driven by Pisha sandstone's silt‐clay fractions optimizing soil particle arrangement, and biochar's low particle density plus porous structure buffering particle compression under constant mechanical stress. However, no significant difference in bulk density was observed between the 2% and 4% biochar treatments. Soil erodibility, assessed through shear strength and aggregate size distribution, was generally increased with biochar alone but substantially reduced at 25%–50% Pisha sandstone content combined with 4% biochar, caused by their synergistic interaction: biochar acts as a “cementing agent” and Pisha sandstone provides skeletal support to enhance inter‐particle occlusion. X‐ray micro‐CT analysis revealed improved pore structure with the incorporation of biochar and Pisha sandstone by increasing pore connectivity and micropore abundance. Soil water retention was markedly enhanced at the 4% biochar rate, underscoring the critical role of biochar in improving the physical properties of sandy soil.
{"title":"Effect of Pisha Sandstone and Biochar on Improving the Physical Properties of a Sandy Soil Under Constant Mechanical Stress","authors":"Xiao Yu, Lidong Ren, Xiaoxu Jia, Yuhao Dong, Mingbin Huang","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70329","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70329","url":null,"abstract":"Soils in the Jin‐Shaan‐Meng region are prone to erosion and poor water retention, restricting agricultural productivity. Despite the known benefits of soil amendments like Pisha sandstone and biochar, their combined effects on sandy soil properties remain underexplored, particularly under constant mechanical stress conditions. We conducted a controlled indoor incubation with combinations of five Pisha sandstone ratios (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%) and three biochar application rates (0%, 2%, 4%) under constant mechanical stress, measuring bulk density, shear strength, hydraulic conductivity, water retention, and X‐ray micro‐computed tomography (X‐ray micro‐CT) derived soil structure. The results indicate that both amendment materials significantly increased soil compressibility, as evidenced by decreased bulk density driven by Pisha sandstone's silt‐clay fractions optimizing soil particle arrangement, and biochar's low particle density plus porous structure buffering particle compression under constant mechanical stress. However, no significant difference in bulk density was observed between the 2% and 4% biochar treatments. Soil erodibility, assessed through shear strength and aggregate size distribution, was generally increased with biochar alone but substantially reduced at 25%–50% Pisha sandstone content combined with 4% biochar, caused by their synergistic interaction: biochar acts as a “cementing agent” and Pisha sandstone provides skeletal support to enhance inter‐particle occlusion. X‐ray micro‐CT analysis revealed improved pore structure with the incorporation of biochar and Pisha sandstone by increasing pore connectivity and micropore abundance. Soil water retention was markedly enhanced at the 4% biochar rate, underscoring the critical role of biochar in improving the physical properties of sandy soil.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"72 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145598561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Efforts to reverse dryland degradation and desertification promote the transformation of rangelands to forestations. Biological soil crusts (biocrusts), a structural and functional component of drylands, have been primarily studied in rangelands, and seldom in other land‐use types. The fate of biocrusts following tree afforestation remains unclear, limiting the understanding of the impacts of plantations on soil biota and functioning. In a grazed steppe with pine forestations, both land‐use types were compared evaluating the influence of vegetation features and a regional precipitation gradient on biocrust community structure. The contribution of biocrusts to small‐scale heterogeneity in soil properties (moisture, nutrients, carbon, and pH) within the forestations was also quantified. Biocrusts covered 16.5% of the forestation ground surface, a value one order of magnitude higher than in the natural vegetation (2.1%). Differences in species relative abundance suggested that biocrusts under pines represented an earlier succession stage compared to those in the natural vegetation. The precipitation gradient significantly modulated biocrust development in both land‐use types. Within the forestations, biocrust cover was favored in partially opened canopy patches, with a relatively thin litter layer. Biocrusts had no significant effect on soil properties, which were mostly enhanced in deep needle‐litter layer patches, and were modulated by the regional precipitation gradient. Our results provide novel evidence suggesting that pine forestations act as reservoirs and effective restoration agents for biocrusts in long‐term grazed landscapes. Management practices of land‐use mosaics should aim to enhance biocrusts in the forestations, as these actions could contribute to preserving dryland biodiversity and integrity.
{"title":"Landscape Transformation of Degraded Shrublands to Pine Forestations Increases Biological Soil Crust Cover and Creates Small‐Scale Soil Heterogeneity","authors":"Irene A. Garibotti, Agustina C. Cottet","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70335","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70335","url":null,"abstract":"Efforts to reverse dryland degradation and desertification promote the transformation of rangelands to forestations. Biological soil crusts (biocrusts), a structural and functional component of drylands, have been primarily studied in rangelands, and seldom in other land‐use types. The fate of biocrusts following tree afforestation remains unclear, limiting the understanding of the impacts of plantations on soil biota and functioning. In a grazed steppe with pine forestations, both land‐use types were compared evaluating the influence of vegetation features and a regional precipitation gradient on biocrust community structure. The contribution of biocrusts to small‐scale heterogeneity in soil properties (moisture, nutrients, carbon, and pH) within the forestations was also quantified. Biocrusts covered 16.5% of the forestation ground surface, a value one order of magnitude higher than in the natural vegetation (2.1%). Differences in species relative abundance suggested that biocrusts under pines represented an earlier succession stage compared to those in the natural vegetation. The precipitation gradient significantly modulated biocrust development in both land‐use types. Within the forestations, biocrust cover was favored in partially opened canopy patches, with a relatively thin litter layer. Biocrusts had no significant effect on soil properties, which were mostly enhanced in deep needle‐litter layer patches, and were modulated by the regional precipitation gradient. Our results provide novel evidence suggesting that pine forestations act as reservoirs and effective restoration agents for biocrusts in long‐term grazed landscapes. Management practices of land‐use mosaics should aim to enhance biocrusts in the forestations, as these actions could contribute to preserving dryland biodiversity and integrity.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145598996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Landslides are complex geological hazards driven by the interaction of multiple factors, exhibiting significant spatial heterogeneity. Although machine learning has made notable progress in landslide susceptibility prediction, most models still rely on expert knowledge or fixed rules for feature discretization, limiting their adaptability across scales and spatial expressiveness. To address the aforementioned issues, this study introduces the optimal parameters‐based geographical detector (OPGD) to determine the optimal classification intervals for environmental factors, which are then coupled with six machine learning models, including logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), Naive Bayes (NB), K‐nearest neighbors (KNN), and multilayer perceptron (MLP) to predict landslide susceptibility in the Guanyinyan hydropower station reservoir area. Additionally, the Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) is employed to further identify the key driving factors and their nonlinear response characteristics. The results show that (1) the optimal classification of 15 factors into 7–9 categories yields the highest spatial heterogeneity explanatory power, significantly improving the representation of landslide spatial patterns; (2) RF and SVM models outperform others, with training AUC values above 0.90 and high‐risk zones covering 24.87% and 23.21% of the study area, respectively; (3) normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), human footprint index (HFI), distance to waters (DTWs), and elevation (ELE) emerge as the dominant drivers. NDVI is negatively associated with landslide risk, while HFI, DTW, and ELE show positive associations, revealing a compound mechanism shaped by topographic, ecological, and anthropogenic interactions. The framework developed in this study balances the objectivity of factor representation, the stability of model prediction, and the interpretability of the underlying mechanisms, effectively supporting spatial identification of landslide risks in similar regions.
{"title":"Landslide Susceptibility Prediction and Driving Force Analysis Integrating Machine Learning and Spatial Factor Optimization: A Case Study in the Guanyinyan Hydropower Station Reservoir Area","authors":"Jinlin Lai, Shi Qi","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70331","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70331","url":null,"abstract":"Landslides are complex geological hazards driven by the interaction of multiple factors, exhibiting significant spatial heterogeneity. Although machine learning has made notable progress in landslide susceptibility prediction, most models still rely on expert knowledge or fixed rules for feature discretization, limiting their adaptability across scales and spatial expressiveness. To address the aforementioned issues, this study introduces the optimal parameters‐based geographical detector (OPGD) to determine the optimal classification intervals for environmental factors, which are then coupled with six machine learning models, including logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), Naive Bayes (NB), K‐nearest neighbors (KNN), and multilayer perceptron (MLP) to predict landslide susceptibility in the Guanyinyan hydropower station reservoir area. Additionally, the Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) is employed to further identify the key driving factors and their nonlinear response characteristics. The results show that (1) the optimal classification of 15 factors into 7–9 categories yields the highest spatial heterogeneity explanatory power, significantly improving the representation of landslide spatial patterns; (2) RF and SVM models outperform others, with training AUC values above 0.90 and high‐risk zones covering 24.87% and 23.21% of the study area, respectively; (3) normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), human footprint index (HFI), distance to waters (DTWs), and elevation (ELE) emerge as the dominant drivers. NDVI is negatively associated with landslide risk, while HFI, DTW, and ELE show positive associations, revealing a compound mechanism shaped by topographic, ecological, and anthropogenic interactions. The framework developed in this study balances the objectivity of factor representation, the stability of model prediction, and the interpretability of the underlying mechanisms, effectively supporting spatial identification of landslide risks in similar regions.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"52 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145592999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yanfei Sun, Zongrui Lai, Shurong Zhou, Nora Fung‐Yee Tam, Haichao Zhou, Fred Wang‐Fat Lee, Steven Jing‐Liang Xu, Min Pan, Faizah Amer Altihani, Tao Lang
Archipelagos in extreme climates offer ideal systems for studying species adaptations to harsh environments. Previously, properties of island soil microbial communities such as structures, diversities, and functions were under the main attentions. Nevertheless, how island edaphic properties shape endophytic bacterial assemblages in native shrubs and how these bacterial communities differentiate across neighboring islands remain poorly understood. In this study, we used high‐throughput amplicon sequencing to investigate root endophytic bacterial communities in three dominant shrub species ( Scaevola taccada , Guettarda speciosa , and Tournefortia argentea ) across six islands of the South China Sea. Results revealed that host species and soil chemical composition such as organic carbon, nitrate nitrogen, and available phosphorus were the mutual factors shaping the structures of the bacterial communities. G. speciosa and T. argentea exhibited a higher α‐diversity index than S. taccada . The bacterial phyla Proteobacteria and Actinobacteriota were dominant in all three shrubs. The distance between islands showed a negative effect on Bray–Curtis similarity of the endophytic bacterial communities in G. speciosa and T. argentea roots. Importantly, deterministic processes (82.53%–91.63%), particularly homogeneous selection, governed community assembly. The β‐nearest taxon index trends differed between S. taccada (decreasing with distance) and G. speciosa (increasing with distance). The co‐occurrence networks indicated greater stability in S. taccada bacterial communities than in other host species. These findings advance the understanding of how host plants, island edaphic factors, and spatial distances influence root‐associated microbiome characteristics, offering insights for predicting shrub–microbe interactions under future biogeographical changes and guiding the conservation of fragile island ecosystems.
{"title":"Soil Nutrients and Host Filtering Jointly Shape Distinct Endophytic Bacterial Assemblages in Tropical Island Shrubs Across the South China Sea","authors":"Yanfei Sun, Zongrui Lai, Shurong Zhou, Nora Fung‐Yee Tam, Haichao Zhou, Fred Wang‐Fat Lee, Steven Jing‐Liang Xu, Min Pan, Faizah Amer Altihani, Tao Lang","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70284","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70284","url":null,"abstract":"Archipelagos in extreme climates offer ideal systems for studying species adaptations to harsh environments. Previously, properties of island soil microbial communities such as structures, diversities, and functions were under the main attentions. Nevertheless, how island edaphic properties shape endophytic bacterial assemblages in native shrubs and how these bacterial communities differentiate across neighboring islands remain poorly understood. In this study, we used high‐throughput amplicon sequencing to investigate root endophytic bacterial communities in three dominant shrub species ( <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>Scaevola taccada</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> , <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>Guettarda speciosa</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> , and <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>Tournefortia argentea</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> ) across six islands of the South China Sea. Results revealed that host species and soil chemical composition such as organic carbon, nitrate nitrogen, and available phosphorus were the mutual factors shaping the structures of the bacterial communities. <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>G. speciosa</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> and <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>T. argentea</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> exhibited a higher α‐diversity index than <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>S. taccada</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> . The bacterial phyla Proteobacteria and Actinobacteriota were dominant in all three shrubs. The distance between islands showed a negative effect on Bray–Curtis similarity of the endophytic bacterial communities in <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>G. speciosa</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> and <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>T. argentea</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> roots. Importantly, deterministic processes (82.53%–91.63%), particularly homogeneous selection, governed community assembly. The β‐nearest taxon index trends differed between <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>S. taccada</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> (decreasing with distance) and <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>G. speciosa</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> (increasing with distance). The co‐occurrence networks indicated greater stability in <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>S. taccada</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> bacterial communities than in other host species. These findings advance the understanding of how host plants, island edaphic factors, and spatial distances influence root‐associated microbiome characteristics, offering insights for predicting shrub–microbe interactions under future biogeographical changes and guiding the conservation of fragile island ecosystems.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"163 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145594096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Erika Gómez‐Pineda, Jovanka Špirić, Diego R. Pérez‐Salicrup, M. Isabel Ramírez
Bark beetles are small insects that inhabit the bark of trees. When their population increases excessively, they can weaken the trees and cause their death. In México, federal regulations obligate forest landowners to carry out sanitary logging to control bark beetle outbreaks in adherence to official procedures. The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is located on the border of two states that show a clear contrast in the incidence of reported outbreaks. During 2009–2021, the Michoacán side accounted for an incidence rate of 41 outbreaks/km 2 of forest, while in the Estado de México side, it was 1.5 outbreaks/km 2 . That difference cannot be attributed solely to climate and physiographic conditions. The objective of this work was to identify the technical and administrative procedures followed by local and governmental actors in both states to carry out sanitary logging. We conducted 21 semi‐structured interviews, transcribed and coded using MAXQDA, for an interpretative qualitative analysis. We found that the contrast is mainly contingent on the criteria used to define an active outbreak that necessitates sanitation. In Michoacán, a single tree with bark beetles is enough to get a sanitary logging notification, which authorizes the timber extraction that is then executed by a sawmill. In the Estado de México, an active outbreak is a group of three or more infested trees, and sanitary logging is executed by the forest landowners. These discrepancies highlight legal inadequacies in the management of bark beetles. It is imperative to develop more comprehensive strategies for forest health management, rather than relying solely on sanitary logging, which could be influenced by interests beyond those of conservation.
{"title":"Sanitary Logging in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve: One Problem, One Legislation but Different Criteria and Different Treatments","authors":"Erika Gómez‐Pineda, Jovanka Špirić, Diego R. Pérez‐Salicrup, M. Isabel Ramírez","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70276","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70276","url":null,"abstract":"Bark beetles are small insects that inhabit the bark of trees. When their population increases excessively, they can weaken the trees and cause their death. In México, federal regulations obligate forest landowners to carry out sanitary logging to control bark beetle outbreaks in adherence to official procedures. The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is located on the border of two states that show a clear contrast in the incidence of reported outbreaks. During 2009–2021, the Michoacán side accounted for an incidence rate of 41 outbreaks/km <jats:sup>2</jats:sup> of forest, while in the Estado de México side, it was 1.5 outbreaks/km <jats:sup>2</jats:sup> . That difference cannot be attributed solely to climate and physiographic conditions. The objective of this work was to identify the technical and administrative procedures followed by local and governmental actors in both states to carry out sanitary logging. We conducted 21 semi‐structured interviews, transcribed and coded using MAXQDA, for an interpretative qualitative analysis. We found that the contrast is mainly contingent on the criteria used to define an active outbreak that necessitates sanitation. In Michoacán, a single tree with bark beetles is enough to get a sanitary logging notification, which authorizes the timber extraction that is then executed by a sawmill. In the Estado de México, an active outbreak is a group of three or more infested trees, and sanitary logging is executed by the forest landowners. These discrepancies highlight legal inadequacies in the management of bark beetles. It is imperative to develop more comprehensive strategies for forest health management, rather than relying solely on sanitary logging, which could be influenced by interests beyond those of conservation.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"141 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145594098","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lei Peng, Cai‐Xia Lv, Yong‐Fu Li, Na Li, Hui‐Nan Xin, Meng‐di Chang
Climate change, topographic features, soil components, and hydrological processes in desert regions effectively control vegetation distribution. Identifying key drivers of vegetation dynamics under climate–hydrological changes is crucial for policymaking. This study focused on oasis vegetation in the Taklamakan Desert, China. The study employs Geodetector to analyze the drivers of oasis vegetation change using structural equation modeling. Multi‐year Landsat imagery was used; the relative distribution frequency of surface water was constructed using the water body index and the threshold segmentation method, and meteorological and topographical factors were combined to quantify the effects of potential factors and their interactions on vegetation changes. Surface water frequency and soil properties influenced the spatial distribution of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for Populus euphratica , whereas, for Tamarix chinensis , meteorological factors and soil environmental factors in the middle and deep layers were the main influences. Interactions had a greater impact on NDVI than individual factors; the effects of various drivers on P. euphratica and Tamarix chinensis NDVI were characterized by nonlinear and mutual enhancement effects. Structural equation modeling indicated that hydrological (0.35) and topographical (−0.28) factors affected P. euphratica NDVI; meteorological (0.27) and topographical (−0.18) factors affected the T. chinensis NDVI. These findings elucidate the impact of environmental factors on desert vegetation patterns, offering a scientific basis for the rational development of water conveyance programs, as well as the restoration and development of desert riverbanks.
{"title":"Oasis Vegetation Drivers in the Hinterland of the Taklamakan Desert","authors":"Lei Peng, Cai‐Xia Lv, Yong‐Fu Li, Na Li, Hui‐Nan Xin, Meng‐di Chang","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70314","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70314","url":null,"abstract":"Climate change, topographic features, soil components, and hydrological processes in desert regions effectively control vegetation distribution. Identifying key drivers of vegetation dynamics under climate–hydrological changes is crucial for policymaking. This study focused on oasis vegetation in the Taklamakan Desert, China. The study employs Geodetector to analyze the drivers of oasis vegetation change using structural equation modeling. Multi‐year Landsat imagery was used; the relative distribution frequency of surface water was constructed using the water body index and the threshold segmentation method, and meteorological and topographical factors were combined to quantify the effects of potential factors and their interactions on vegetation changes. Surface water frequency and soil properties influenced the spatial distribution of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for <jats:italic>Populus euphratica</jats:italic> , whereas, for <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>Tamarix chinensis</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> , meteorological factors and soil environmental factors in the middle and deep layers were the main influences. Interactions had a greater impact on NDVI than individual factors; the effects of various drivers on <jats:italic>P. euphratica</jats:italic> and <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>Tamarix chinensis</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> NDVI were characterized by nonlinear and mutual enhancement effects. Structural equation modeling indicated that hydrological (0.35) and topographical (−0.28) factors affected <jats:italic>P. euphratica</jats:italic> NDVI; meteorological (0.27) and topographical (−0.18) factors affected the <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>T. chinensis</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> NDVI. These findings elucidate the impact of environmental factors on desert vegetation patterns, offering a scientific basis for the rational development of water conveyance programs, as well as the restoration and development of desert riverbanks.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145594152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：