Lake ecosystems are vital for sustaining regional ecological security and delivering diverse ecosystem services. However, traditional frameworks often overlook emerging contaminant risks and fail to explicitly link ecological integrity with ecosystem service outcomes. To address this gap, we developed and applied an integrated diagnostic framework that incorporates polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as a representative emerging stressor into a multi-dimensional integrity-based evaluation, explicitly connecting integrity status to service. It encompasses five core dimensions: organism integrity, habitat integrity, material process integrity (including PAHs risk evaluated via the RQ method), hydrological integrity, and ecosystem services. Application of this framework to Dongping Lake: a critical hydraulic node in China's Yellow River Basin, revealed an overall “Healthy” status but with significant spatial heterogeneity and functional degradation. The Northern zone exhibited the poorest ecological performance, primarily attributable to intensive hydrological regulation and elevated PAHs risk, The Central zone showed the best ecological performance, and The Southern zone maintained an intermediate status. Notably, material process integrity was constrained by a “Moderate Risk” level from PAHs, a threat that conventional assessments would likely mask. Network analysis identified four key management leverage points: macrophyte coverage, shoreline development index, dissolved oxygen, and public satisfaction, and quantified a trade-off between water supply provision and ecological integrity. This study provides a transferable and systematic approach for integrating emerging contaminant risks into lake health assessments, offering actionable insights for adaptive management in rapidly developing regions.

Grassland ecosystems play a key role in the global carbon cycle and provide important ecosystem services. However, in grassland ecosystems, rainfall pulses are a key factor driving vegetation productivity and carbon exchange, but the magnitude of their effect is strongly regulated by grazing intensity. This study, focusing on the grazing plots in Xilamuren grassland, Inner Mongolia, investigated the effects of different grazing intensities on soil moisture, vegetation community structure, and ecosystem carbon exchange under the influence of the rainfall process. The study found that MG effectively maintains the stability of both vegetation and soil structure, showing relatively stable carbon sink function across multiple rainfall events. In contrast, while HG increases species richness, it significantly alters vegetation community structure and soil moisture dynamics: deep-layer water response capacity is weakened, carbon flux stability declines, and a clear desynchronization emerges between plant and soil carbon cycling processes. This study elucidates how grazing intensity influences ecosystem carbon-water coupling mechanisms by regulating vegetation structure and soil processes, providing a theoretical and empirical foundation for adaptive management of grassland ecosystems.

Urbanization reshapes interactions among ecosystem services (ES), making it necessary to clarify how urbanization gradients, ecological mechanisms, together with nonlinear driver responses, jointly regulate ES dynamics to support ecological zoning management, especially in mountainous and hilly regions. Focusing on the central-south Shandong hilly region, we delineated developed (E), developing (I), and rural (R) zones through multidimensional clustering, quantified six major ES, and examined their trade-offs, synergies, and nonlinear drivers using Geographically Weighted Regression and XGBoost-SHAP. ES bundles were further identified using a Self-Organizing Map, and a dual-zone framework was established by integrating urban functional zones and ES bundles, with spatially explicit driver threshold characteristics used to support interpretation and management diagnosis. Results reveal a distinct R > I > E gradient in ES supply and increasing spatial heterogeneity toward urban cores. ES interactions shift from synergy-dominated in E to increasingly complex trade-offs in I and R, with water conservation-carbon storage being the most urbanization-sensitive pair. Driver regimes differ across zones: socioeconomic factors dominate in E, natural-anthropogenic interactions in I, and biophysical constraints in R. Key nonlinear thresholds include forest cover >10%, temperature ranging from 14 to 14.7 C-degrees, and precipitation >900 mm. Linking these nonlinear response characteristics with ES bundles and functional zones enables precise identification of sensitive areas, providing a scientifically grounded pathway for differentiated and zone-specific ES management in urbanizing mountainous regions.

Grazing intensity and precipitation jointly regulate soil carbon and nutrient cycling in desert steppes, yet their interactive effects across soil layers remain unclear. This study established four grazing intensity treatments (CK, LG, MG, HG) and monitored soil responses across five natural precipitation events during the 2024 growing season. Soil water content, nutrients, microbial biomass, enzyme activities, and carbon fractions were measured at 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, and 20-40 cm depths, and structural equation modeling was used to explore grazingprecipitation interaction pathways. The main findings are as follows: 1) Under a 22.66 mm precipitation event, surface soil water content increased by 34%-71%, with CK and LG showing the largest increases, while MG exhibited the lowest, indicating that grazing intensity strongly modulates the soil moisture response to precipitation. 2) With increasing soil moisture, microbial biomass phosphorus in the surface layer was significantly negatively correlated with soil water content under LG, MG, and HG treatments (P < 0.05), suggesting that grazing exacerbates precipitation-driven microbial phosphorus limitation. 3) In the surface layer, precipitation promoted POC accumulation indirectly by increasing SWC. POC, in turn, exerted a significant negative effect on MAOC (beta = -0.54, P < 0.001). Heavy grazing significantly enhanced MAOC accumulation: under precipitation events of 39.99 mm and 46.16 mm, MAOC content was significantly higher under HG than under CK across all soil layers (P < 0.05). These findings elucidate how grazing intensity modulates precipitation-driven soil carbon and nutrient dynamics, providing a theoretical basis for sustainable grazing management in desert steppes.

Natural biopolymer-based liquid mulching films (LMF) have received widespread attention, whereas the fragile structure and limited functionality have severely restricted their application. Herein, polydopamine-coated montmorillonite micro/nanoparticles enhanced pectin-based sprayable multifunctional liquid mulching films (P-MMT@PDA LMF) were prepared. Dopamine has abundant active sites, and its self-polymerization onto the surface of MMT improves the compatibility of MMT with pectin chains, facilitates the homogeneous dispersion of MMT@PDA in pectin polymers, and makes them more tightly entangled through hydrogen bonding. Therefore, P-MMT@PDA LMF exhibits better mechanical properties (improved by 64.94 N) and wind erosion resistance (wind speed 30 m/s, >60 min). Moreover, MMT@PDA micro/nanoparticles can fill the voids of pectin chains, thus increasing the densification and complexity of the network structure in LMF, enabling better water retention (improved by 14.67 %) and heat preservation (increased by 3.14 °C). Meanwhile, the photothermal effect of PDA endows P-MMT@PDA LMF with a warming effect (increased by 2.84 °C). Hence, this LMF promote wheat growth and demonstrate good biodegradability. These results suggest that the application of P-MMT@PDA LMF is an effective strategy in the environments of drought and cold, which is expected to provide a green solution for sustainable agricultural development and environmental protection in the future.

Agroforestry is one of the most relevant ways to increase soil organic carbon (SOC). However, current studies have primarily focused on the dynamics of topsoil organic carbon in agroforestry and paid less attention to the different mechanisms of organic carbon accumulation between different soil layers. Thus, this study investigated the characteristics of soil mineral composition, microbial community dynamics, and their respective impacts on organic carbon in the 0–100 cm soil layer within Fraxinus chinensis Roxb plantation (F. chinensis Roxb (F)) and agroforestry system (F. chinensis Roxb and Triticum aestivum L. (T. aestivum L.), FC). The results demonstrated that in upper soil (0–60 cm), compared with F, the FC soil exhibits an increased bacterial α-diversity index, along with a reduction in soil microbial network complexity, with bacterial r-strategists becoming dominant. Ultimately, the particulate organic carbon of FC increased by 24.4% relative to F, resulting in an increasing trend in SOC (P > 0.05). In the lower soil (60–100 cm), the mineral-associated organic carbon and SOC stock of FC decreased by 8.6% and 24.8%, respectively, compared with F. This is because the content of free manganese oxide in the soil of the FC treatment decreased by 14% compared with the F treatment. Concurrently, there was an increase in soil microbial network complexity, with the soil fungi K-strategists holding a dominant position in FC. Our study deeply explored the influence mechanisms of upper soil and lower soil organic carbon, which is of great significance to our in-depth understanding of the carbon cycle process in agroforestry systems.

The degradation of sandy land in Inner Mongolia presents a substantial threat to regional ecological security and the sustainable development of agriculture and animal husbandry. Planting alfalfa serves as a crucial recovery strategy; however, the inadequate capacity to retain water and nutrients impedes this process. The current reliance on a singular microbial remediation method has demonstrated limited effectiveness in addressing the challenges posed by sandy soil. While traditional sand-fixing agents can improve soil nutrients, they lack biological activity. Furthermore, the synergistic mechanisms between these approaches and their ecological impacts within a single season remain poorly understood. This study involved a pot experiment utilizing wind-sand soil as the substrate to evaluate the soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and microbial community structure associated with the stress resistance of alfalfa. The results indicated that the medium concentration of sand-fixing agent (1:75) exhibited optimal water retention performance, thereby creating a conducive growth microenvironment for Trichoderma longibrachiatum and mitigating fluctuations in surface temperature and humidity. The combined treatment significantly improved the alpha diversity of soil microorganisms, thereby improving the stability and stress resistance of the system. Through the synergistic approach of “sand fixation and water retention–nutrient activation–improved stress resistance”, the microenvironment of sandy land was effectively improved, promoting alfalfa growth. This method offers “environmentally friendly and synergistic” technical support for the efficient cultivation and ecological restoration of alfalfa in sandy regions, while also contributing to the high-quality development of grassland animal husbandry.

Ecological restoration plays a crucial role in promoting soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation after opencast coal mining. However, the mechanisms by which restoration measures mediate the formation, recovery, and sequestration of SOC in arid mining areas remain unclear. Here, we investigated plant- and microbial-derived carbon dynamics over an 8-year restoration period under different ecological restoration engineering measures, focusing on mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) fractions. The SOC content increased with restoration duration, with the eco-bar measure showing the highest in situ carbon sequestration, though still lower than that in natural vegetation areas. The three restoration measures (eco-bar, hedge-row, and skeleton slope protection measure) significantly enhanced MAOC (averaging 5.00, 3.77, and 4.39 g kg-1 respectively) and POC (averaging 2.22, 1.87, and 2.23 g kg-1 respectively) concentrations, while increasing the proportion of MAOC and reducing that of POC. Specifically, mine restoration elevated plant-derived inputs, directly influencing POC through lignin phenols and microbial community shifts. In contrast, MAOC accumulation was primarily driven by microbial necromass-mineral interactions. These findings highlight the divergent pathways through which ecological restoration regulates SOC fractions. Overall, our study demonstrates that mine ecological restoration engineering measures contribute significantly to SOC accumulation and highlights their potential in arid mine restoration strategies for carbon sequestration and global climate change mitigation.

This paper proposes a spatiotemporal fusion-based evapotranspiration inversion model (OL-SS) for grassland areas on the GEE platform. The model uses the OL processing strategy, with Landsat imagery being used as fine-resolution images and MCD43A4 imagery as coarse-resolution images, combined with GEE’s spatiotemporal fusion technology to generate 30 m resolution images. It then estimates the daily evapotranspiration of grasslands using the constant evaporation ratio method. The model was validated in the Xilin Gol League, Inner Mongolia, for grassland evapotranspiration inversion during the summer of 2015. The results show the following: 1. the OL-SS model can efficiently generate good spatiotemporal fusion results, but the fusion effect is poorer in some images due to cloud cover; 2. compared with the measured data from flux stations in grassland areas, the evapotranspiration inversion results show a good fit. The model demonstrates strong performance in grassland evapotranspiration monitoring and is suitable for the rapid estimation of daily evapotranspiration in certain grassland regions.

Understanding the interactions of ecosystem services (ES), particularly how they change and shift towards hilly areas in the context of rapid urbanization, and analyzing the differences and driving mechanisms of these interactions at various scales, are fundamental prerequisites for implementing effective multi-scale ES management. This study investigated the dynamic interactions of ES in rapidly urbanizing hilly regions through a multiscale analytical framework. Focusing on central-south Shandong's hilly terrain, we systematically quantified six ES from 2000 to 2020, including habitat quality (HQ), soil retention (SR), water purification (WP), carbon storage (CS), food production (FP), and water conservation (WC). Subsequently, we quantified the spatial and temporal differences in trade-offs/synergies between ES pairs systematically at the grid and town scales with Geographically Weighted Regression. In addition, we used the Geo-detector model and the Self-Organizing Map algorithm to explore the scale-dependent variations in ES determinants and zoning. The results showed that HQ, CS, SR, and WC shared similar distribution patterns, predominantly characterized by synergies, whereas FP and WP exhibited trade-offs with other ES. As the scale transitioned from grid to town, scale-dependent synergies attenuation. Natural drivers were dominant at the grid scale, while anthropogenic indicators contributions at the town scale were 1.3-3.6 times more significant than at the grid scale. The differences in multi-scale zoning were mainly reflected in the finer spatial resolution offered by the grid scale, which allowed for the identification of local ecological functions, while the town scale emphasized broader regional integration and development strategy coordination. Introducing grid scale-based zoning to complement the town scale allowed the unique characteristics of hilly areas to be better highlighted. By bridging the gap between process-level understanding and administrative governance, this work established a replicable model for achieving sustainable development goals in global ecotones facing similar ecological-development tensions.

Understanding the mechanisms of ecosystem services (ESs) interactions and climate zone differences, alongside quantifying key determinants and thresholds, is essential for regional management. However, the absence of tailored strategies often overlooks these climatic variations, hindering effective regional problem-solving. We selected the temperate desert steppe in northern China, which is the transition zone from a semi-arid to arid climate. Then the food and pasture supply (FP), carbon sequestration, biodiversity maintenance, soil retention, wind and sand stabilization, water conservation, water yield, air purification, and entertainment and leisure (EL) were quantitatively assessed. The results indicated that ESs' distribution in the desert steppe exhibited significant climate differences, with the total ESs in the semi-arid zone superior to those in the arid zone. However, the trade-off among ESs in the semi-arid zone was more severe, with more complex and sensitive determinants attributable to anthropogenic disturbance. Moreover, with the increase in urbanization, anthropogenic disturbance was expanding into the arid zone. The strengthening of trade-off effects in the arid zone occurred primarily in most ESs related to FP and EL. The arid zone was affected by natural factors such as the proportion of barren land, temperature, precipitation, and vegetation index, while the semi-arid zone was affected by the landscape pattern index, population density, and GDP. The main determining indicators had an obvious threshold and the negative effect was strengthened beyond the threshold. In the arid zone, the thresholds were the proportion of barren land (69 %), precipitation (138 mm), and NDVI (0.48). In the semi-arid zone, the proportion of barren land was 43 %, NDVI was 0.38, and the largest patch index was 87.4 %. This study provides support for policymakers' decisions in the formulation of ecological control objectives and restoration of the temperate desert steppe ecosystem.

Grazing, one of the most widely used methods in grasslands, involves livestock trampling, foraging, and manure inputs, which influence soil organic carbon fraction content by influencing vegetation community structure, soil nutrients, and enzyme activities, significantly affecting grassland carbon balance. This study investigated the effects of different grazing intensities on vegetation biomass and soil properties. An increase in grazing intensity significantly reduced vegetation biomass, whereas the organic carbon content of plants showed a trend of decreasing and then increasing. Grazing intensity significantly affected soil nutrient and enzyme activity, with effects modulated by soil depth. For example, the TN content in the top soil layer of moderate grazing (MG) and heavy grazing (HG) significantly decreased by 29.99 % and 28.47 %, respectively, compared with CK, and the TN content in the 10-20 cm soil layer of HG significantly decreased by 30.46 % compared with CK. Quick-acting potassium content in the 0-10 and 10-20 cm soil layers of HG significantly increased compared with CK by 42.61 % and 56.90 %, respectively. Light grazing and MG β-cellulase activities were significantly increased by 16.85 % and 11.04 %, respectively, compared with CK. This study explores the regulatory mechanisms of grazing intensity on vegetation - soil systems from multiple dimensions, clarifies the key factors affecting carbon storage and the pathways of carbon transformation, and offers a theoretical basis for managing grazing strategies.

Agroforestry as a planting strategy for restoration, conservation, and climate change mitigation, can alter plant carbon (C) input and microbial-mediated C output, which in turn affects soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation. However, a quantitative analysis of the C sequestration potential of agroforestry at the global scale is lacking. Here, by collecting 561 pairs of observations worldwide, we conducted a meta-analysis to quantify the impact of agroforestry on SOC sequestration as well as soil properties and microorganisms. On average, agroforestry increased SOC by 10.7 %, dissolved organic carbon by 10.2 % and CO2 emissions by 10.2 % compared to other land uses (cropland, forest and uncultivated land). Across all climate zones, SOC of agroforestry increased the most in arid areas (18.7 %). Compared with monoculture, agroforestry has more advantages in terms of microbial biomass, diversity and soil nutrient content. Our findings highlight the response of agroforestry SOC sequestration to different land managements and climate zones.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) has a critical influence on soil productivity and degradation. Meanwhile, ecological restoration is essential to prevent carbon (C) losses and reverse land degradation. In this study, 1374 sets of experimental data from 63 peer-reviewed publications were synthesized to quantitatively elucidate the effects of different restoration measures on soil properties and SOC fractions. The results showed that ecological restoration significantly increased SOC, particulate organic carbon (POC), and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) by 37.48 %, 45.73 %, and 36.42 %, respectively. Interventional restoration measured the sequestered carbon in POC at a rate of 50.7 %, which was 17.1 % higher than that achieved through natural restoration. In the tropics, the effect of ecological restoration on MAOC was not significant. In addition, soil texture, soil depth, and restoration duration were important factors regulating the global SOC response to ecological restoration. In summary, the use of ecological restoration to achieve C recovery represents a site-specific application of both proactive and natural strategies. The meta-analysis advances our understanding of how SOC pools respond to various restoration measures and enhances the prediction of restoration outcomes under climate change scenarios.

Soil is the larger carbon (C) sink in the terrestrial ecosystem. However, in the context of climate change, which can cause extreme weather events and temperature fluctuations, it is unclear how such fluctuations affect the formation, retention, and loss of soil organic carbon (SOC). This study investigated the relationships between soil enzyme activities, priming effect, nutrient limitation, and SOC accumulation under three degrees of temperature fluctuation amplitudes (25 degrees C, 25 degrees C f 10 degrees C and 25 degrees C f 20 degrees C) and three moisture conditions. The results showed that under small-amplitude temperature fluctuations, (3-glucosidase and N-acetyl-(3-glucosaminidase activities increased by 6.88 % and 12.38 %, respectively, and microbial carbon limitation decreased (vector length reduced by 0.09). In contrast, under large-amplitude temperature fluctuations, soil enzyme activities declined significantly, causing microbes to allocate more carbon to maintenance respiration, and after 28 days of soil incubation, SOC decreased by 0.57 g kg-1 on average. The results of structural equation modeling showed that small-amplitude temperature fluctuations promoted soil enzyme activities, increased the soil organic matter priming effect, and lowered soil microbial nutrient limitation, contributing to SOC accumulation. Larger-amplitude temperature fluctuations above a certain range affect enzyme activity and inhibited microbial activity compared to a constant temperature state, resulting in microorganisms using more energy to maintain metabolism, and thus less C allocation for their formation, and less accumulation of their own SOC. These findings offer new insights into how SOC dynamics respond to temperature fluctuations and lay a foundation for future research aimed at refining the understanding of soil feedback mechanisms in climate change.

Polysaccharide-based liquid mulching films (LMFs) exhibit inherent excessive hydrophilicity and loose structure, rendering them incapable of regulating soil moisture transport. To address these issues, this study employed the Pickering emulsion template method to prepare beeswax (BW) solid lipid particles (SLPs), dispersed as hydrophobic domains within the hydrophilic pectin polymer, thereby forming pectin-BW/montmorillonite (P-BW/MMT) LMF with "hydrophilic overall-hydrophobic locally" characteristics. The continuous hydrophilic pectin polymer promoted the infiltration of moisture in arid regions, while the selective exposure of hydrophobic BW SLPs on the LMF surface and its internal filling regulated the moisture infiltration pathways to reduce moisture loss. The surface soil layer stabilized by P-BW/MMT LMF (the consolidated soil layer) showed better wind erosion resistance (wind speed 30 m/s), enhanced water retention (maximum improved of 19.62 %), good heat preservation (maximum increased by 2.33 °C), and promoted lateral migration of moisture in the soil. Ultimately, the consolidated soil layer did not hinder seedling emergence, but promoted the growth of wheat roots and shoots while demonstrating favorable degradability. These results indicate that the P-BW/MMT LMF improves water infiltration and retention behaviors in soil via the hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance strategy, offering a green and sustainable solution for agricultural development in arid regions.

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) promote plant growth by improving soil structure and regulating soil nutrients. However, their effects on soil quality in mining subsidence areas remain poorly understood. The present study aimed to address this research gap by comparing the differences in soil nutrients, enzyme activities, soil quality, and plant growth following treatment with different types of biocrusts (control, diatom, Bacillus megaterium, and diatom-B. megaterium biocrusts) in mining subsidence areas. The results indicated that, compared to control biocrust treatment, individual treatment with diatom biocrust and B. megaterium biocrust significantly enhanced the organic carbon content, total nitrogen content, and invertase activity in the crust layer and increased the soil quality index values to 0.52 and 0.54, respectively. Diatom biocrust treatment was associated with a significant increase in ryegrass root biomass, which be linked to its improvement of soil structure. Ryegrass root biomass increased to 22.69 g, this effect was mediated by secretion of extracellular polymeric substances from the biocrust. In contrast, diatom-B. megaterium biocrust treatment increased crust roughness by 36.6% and improved soil moisture content by 18.7%, thereby further enhancing ryegrass root biomass. However, the diatom-B. megaterium biocrust treatment did not improve the soil quality index, despite increasing root biomass. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of applying biocrusts for soil remediation and plant growth in mining subsidence areas, providing a scientific basis for sustainable management and ecological restoration of degraded soils.

[Objective]In order to explore the changes of vegetation communities under different grazing intensities in grassland,the effects of community characteristics on soil aggregates were analyzed.[Methods]Taking the controlled grazing experimental area of Xilamuren desert steppe as the research object,the characteristics of vegetation community and soil aggregates under light grazing(LG),moderate grazing(MG),heavy grazing(HG),and no grazing(CK)and their relationship were analyzed by field investigation and indoor analysis,and the effects of plant community changes on soil aggregates were revealed.[Results](1)The Shannon-Wiener diversity index(H')and Simpson dominance index(D)of LG were significantly lower than those of other grazing intensities(p＜0.05).The aboveground biomass decreased with the increase of grazing intensity,and the aboveground biomass of HG was significantly lower than that of other grazing intensities(p＜0.05).The underground biomass under different grazing intensities was significantly different,and the underground biomass of different soil layers was the highest in LG.(2)The change trend of mean weight diameter(MWD)and geometric mean diameter(GMD)was consistent with the content of macroaggregates.In 0-5 cm and 5-10 cm soil layers,it increased first,then decreased and then increased with the increase of grazing intensity(LG was the highest and MG was the lowest).(3)Shannon-Wiener diversity index(H'),Pielous evenness index(J'),aboveground biomass,and bulk density were significant factors affecting macroaggregate content,MWD,and GMD(p＜0.05).[Conclusion]Grazing intensity had a negative feedback regulation effect on soil aggregate stability,which mainly caused the change of soil aggregate stability by affecting the changes of vegetation community diversity index(H'and J'),aboveground biomass,and soil bulk density.The results provide theoretical support and a scientific basis for the selection of grazing intensity and ecological restoration in Xilamuren grassland.