To investigate the effects of biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics （PLA-MPs） on soil enzyme activities and metabolomics in wheat rhizosphere， a pot experiment was conducted with a control group （CK）， three abundance levels （0.1， 0.5， and 1 g·kg-1）， and two particle sizes （150 μm and 1 000 μm） of PLA-MPs. The metabolomic analysis of wheat rhizosphere soil was employed by the thermo fisher scientific UHPLC-Q exactive， and the differential metabolites were integrated to screen by the principal component analysis （PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis （OPLS-DA）. The results showed that compared to those under CK， soil urease （S-UE）， acid phosphatase （S-ACP）， and sucrase （S-SC） activities exhibited significant increasing trends （P<0.05） under different PLA-MPs abundances and particle sizes， with particle size demonstrating a more pronounced effect than that of abundance. In contrast， no significant differences were observed in soil dehydrogenase （S-DHA） and catalase （S-CAT） activities. PCA and OPLS-DA of rhizosphere soil metabolites revealed clear distinctions among treatments. Differential metabolites under varying PLA-MPs sizes and abundances predominantly belonged to carboxylic acids and derivatives， prenol lipids， fatty acyls， organooxygen compounds， sterols and derivatives， and glycerophospholipids. Compared to that in CK， the expression levels of differential metabolites varied across treatments. For instance， under the 0.1 g·kg-1 abundance treatment， metabolites such as citral propylene glycol acetal and surfactant maintained relatively high expression levels （0.410 3 and 0.415 3， respectively）， while the top 20 abundance-ranked differential metabolites under the 1 000 μm particle size treatment showed lower relative expression. KEGG pathway analysis of soil differential metabolites indicated both differences and similarities across PLA-MPs sizes and abundances. The CK vs. 150 μm treatment exhibited the highest number of significantly altered metabolic pathways （165）， whereas other treatments showed fewer. Major significantly altered pathways included porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism， caffeine metabolism， and butanoate metabolism. Interactive effects were observed between differential metabolites and enzyme activities； for example， L-arabitol showed significant correlations with S-UE （r = 0.526， correlation coefficient， id.）， S-ACP （r = -0.699）， and S-SC （r = -0.784）， while linoleamide and oleamide exhibited a significant positive correlation （r = 0.777）. This study provides foundational data and theoretical insights for assessing the potential ecological risks of PLA-MPs in soil ecosystems.

Purpose Wetland soils are critical hotspots for biogeochemical cycling mediated by microbial extracellular enzymes, yet they are severely affected by ongoing wetland degradation. However, the patterns of extracellular enzyme activities, the associated microbial metabolic limitation, and their key drivers along wetland degradation gradients remain unclear. Methods We quantified extracellular enzyme activities associated with carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) acquisition, together with plant community attributes and environmental variables, across a wetland degradation gradient in the lower Yellow River wetlands, China, to investigate the response of microbial metabolism to habitat degradation. Results Wetland degradation significantly decreased the activities of C-, N-, and P-acquiring enzymes, and increased enzymatic C:N and C:P ratios. The enzymatic stoichiometry modeling further revealed a coupled C and P limitation for microbial metabolism in degraded wetlands, which intensified along the degradation gradient. These changes were primarily driven by plant community characteristics (e.g., plant density), soil environment (pH and electrical conductivity), and nutrient availability. Structural equation modeling showed that wetland degradation resulted in C and P limitation primarily via altering soil electrical conductivity and nutrient availability. Conclusion Our results suggest that degradation-induced changes in plant community and soil factors jointly drive C and P co‑limitation of microbial metabolism in wetland ecosystems. This understanding highlights the importance of integrating plant–soil interactions and their effects on microbial functions and ecosystem processes in the restoration and management of degraded wetlands.

In this study, ferrous-based denitrification was combined with Feammox (Fe(III) reduction coupled with anaerobic ammonium oxidation) to trigger NH4+ removal through intermittently adding NOx− (NO2− and NO3−) into biogas slurry. The results showed that NOx− oxidized Fe(II), then the generated Fe(III) was reduced to Fe(II) again, resulting in a continuous iron cycling and nitrogen removal. On day 35, the total nitrogen removal efficiencies in the NO2− (67.52

To address the difficulty in predicting the migration trajectories of microplastics in aquatic environments, this study develops a hydrodynamically driven migration model applicable to multiple types of microplastics. Based on hydraulic experiments, hydrodynamic thresholds are established to characterize transitions among drifting, suspension, and sedimentation. The model integrates hydrodynamic forces, gravity, buoyancy, and interparticle interactions, enabling accurate simulation of migration pathways and ultimate destinations. Compared with conventional models, the key innovation lies in incorporating differences in size, shape, and material, allowing differentiated representation and prediction of diverse microplastics. The pollutant accumulation patterns obtained by simulating microplastic migration in the Mulanxi River basin using this model are consistent with actual observational results, further demonstrating the model’s reliability and applicability. Results from the Xianyou Section show that microplastics smaller than 0.5 mm account for 71.62%, dominated by fragmentary and fibrous types. There are significant differences in the migration behaviour of microplastics made from different materials; these differences are primarily attributable to variations in their density and physicochemical properties. Furthermore, transport rates at the downstream end are positively correlated with proximity to pollution sources and the abundance of lightweight microplastics. The total flux reaches 9.37 × 1011 particles, with an overall transport rate of 68.34%. This study enhances the mechanistic understanding and predictive capability of microplastic transport in freshwater systems, providing new theoretical and methodological support for pollution control.

To understand the evolution of vegetation community characteristics and driving forces in different landscape types, the evolvement rule of the growth and diversity characteristics of vegetation communities in different landscape types of the Jili Yellow River Wetland downstream of the Xixia Yuan Dam in the middle reaches of the Yellow River were studied. Through on-site investigation, remote sensing image interpretation, and constructing aboveground biomass inversion model of herbaceous vegetation based on random forest, the growth characteristics and diversity characteristics of vegetation communities in different landscape types were analyzed, and the driving effects of environmental factors on the evolution of vegetation community characteristics in different landscape types were identified. The results showed that the vegetation coverage grade in the study area was mainly high vegetation coverage, followed by relatively high vegetation coverage. The average aboveground biomass of herbaceous vegetation was generally in the low and medium plant zones, and showed a trend of increase-decrease-increase from 2018 to 2023, reaching the maximum and minimum values in 2019 and 2022, respectively, with 331 g·m-2 and 244 g·m-2. The vegetation in the tidal flat wetland showed the characteristics of coexistence of hygrophytes, mesophytes and halophytes. Soil nutrient factors had a significant correlation with the intra-annual characteristics changes of the vegetation communities in tidal flat wetland. While the land use types changes had a significant impact on vegetation coverage, especially in the areas with medium and low vegetation coverage that were more significantly.

Abstract Photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generation represents a green pathway to produce H2O2, but currently its application is significantly limited by the low accumulated H2O2 concentration. Due to the metastable nature of H2O2, an ideal photocatalyst should possess excellent optoelectronic properties for fast H2O2 generation and a suitable surface to prevent H2O2 decomposition by photogenerated charge carriers. In this work, we have developed an efficient photocatalyst based on nitrogen-rich carbon nitride (C3N5). Potassium ion (K+) was applied to modify the electronic structure and surface properties of C3N5 to improve its H2O2 accumulation concentration. It shows that K+ can lower exciton binding energy and extend the lifetime of photogenerated charge carriers. A more stable *OOH intermediate is formed on KC3N5, with the O2 adsorption configuration changed from the Yeager type to the Pauling type on KC3N5. As a result, KC3N5 shows a selectivity of 97.2% for H2O2 generation pathway, achieving a H2O2 production rate of 44.2 mmol h–1 g–1 with an apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 89.3% at 420 nm. More impressively, after 16 h of continuous reaction, the H2O2 concentration reaches 656.8 mM (2.2 wt %), a concentration close to medical-use requirements. The findings provide a strategy for practical photocatalytic H2O2 production by regulating both excitonic properties and O2 adsorption behavior in photocatalysts.

The waste pit-sealing mud urgently needs to be remedied to ensure the sustainable development of sauce-flavored Baijiu. In this study, a pit-sealing mud quality evaluation model based on four physicochemical indicators was established and evaluated using 400 additional independent samples. Across eight mud states, the mean model scores showed close agreement with the corresponding sensory-reference scores (R2 = 0.995). Subsequently, intermittent aeration (2 h at 3.6 L/min, once per week) was applied to induce iron cycle for the remediation of waste pit-sealing mud. The results showed that Fe(II) content decreased after intermittent aeration, and it increased again when aeration ceased and the system entered anoxic conditions. After 31 days, the removal efficiencies of organics and total nitrogen (TN) in the aerated reactors reached 53.0

The migration behavior of microplastics in water is affected by many factors; in particular, the migration mechanism of microplastics in the terrestrial freshwater environment is more complicated than that in the marine environment. In order to understand the migration behavior of microplastics in the freshwater environment, the hydraulic parameter thresholds of different types of microplastics in water were identified based on hydraulic experiments and force analysis methods. The results show that the motion state of microplastics is affected by their own internal factors and external environmental factors, and the flow rate is the key external factor affecting the change of their motion state. In the vertical direction, the higher the density, the rougher the environment, and the closer the shape to the flake, the greater the critical starting flow velocity and the critical resuspension flow velocity. The settling velocities, critical initiation velocities, and critical resuspension velocities of microplastics range from 0.05 to 0.17 m s-1, 0.03 to 0.44 m s-1, and 0.251 to 0.83 m s-1, respectively. Horizontally, the bottom rolling velocities of microplastics vary significantly. These velocities are positively correlated with water flow velocity but are inversely proportional to the density of the microplastics and the roughness of the substrate. By combining experimental data, mathematical expressions for the critical hydraulic parameters of microplastics were derived, showing improved accuracy compared to traditional methods. This paper explores the trajectory of different types of microplastics after entering the water body and analyzes their migration mechanism in the river. The research results have certain theoretical guiding significance for revealing the migration law of microplastics in the freshwater environment.

Knowledge about the variation patterns of plant traits along environmental gradients is valuable for the mechanistic understanding of community assembly and ecosystem functions under environmental changes. In wetlands, aboveground plant traits are commonly studied, however, little is known about the responses of belowground plant traits and their coordination with aboveground traits to environmental changes. Samples of four dominant species and soil were collected from wetland sites of varying degradation along the Yellow River. Key leaf and root traits were measured to determine variations of community functional composition (i.e., community-weighted trait means and functional diversity) and their environmental drivers. Intensified degradation of riparian wetlands shifted community-level leaf and root traits towards more conservative values, characterized by denser leaves and roots (i.e., greater leaf dry matter content and root tissue density) and lower nutrient contents. However, the functional diversity of leaf and root traits did not show a consistent increase or decrease with the degradation of riparian wetlands. Moreover, degradation-induced changes in soil nutrients were the main factors driving leaves and roots within the plant community to become denser and lower in nutrient content toward severely degraded habitats. These results demonstrate that leaf and root traits are coordinated in adapting to changes in wetland habitats, and highlight that filtering mechanisms for plant adaptive traits within the community are trait-specific. This is insightful for understanding the adaptation of wetland plants to environmental change, and could contribute to plant functional restoration of riparian wetlands in disturbed landscapes.

To assess associations among fluoride exposure, the inflammation, and liver and kidney functions, a total of 1646 adults aged ≥ 18 years were recruited in cross-sectional studies conducted in 2017 and 2022 in fluorosis areas. Questionnaire surveys were administered to obtain the demographic information. Urine and blood samples were collected for determinations of urinary fluoride (UF), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin (TBIL), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (SCr), serum uric acid (SUA), and white blood cell (WBC) counts. Linear regressions, generalized linear models, and mediation analyses were employed here. We found that AST, BUN, and SUA increased by 0.589, 0.087, and 4.226 with a 1 mg/L increment of UF, and the SCr showed a negative linear association with UF (β = − 0.790) in all. Similar results were also observed in female. However, we only found the positive linear association between UF and AST/ALT in male. We also detected a significant modification by gender on associations between UF and values of AST, ALT, BUN, and SCr. Besides, participants with higher UF levels had higher counts of monocytes (β = 0.014) and neutrophils (β = 0.147) both in all and in stratified analyses of gender. Associations between AST/ALT, TBIL, SCr, SUA, and counts of WBC were revealed. In addition, there were mediator effects of monocytes and neutrophils in associations between UF and BUN (or SUA). We observed similar results in the age group of 46–64 years with those in all participants. This study observed a statistically significant association between UF and adult levels of AST, SCr, BUN, SUA, as well as monocyte and neutrophil counts, particularly in females. Furthermore, alterations in monocyte and neutrophil counts partially mediate the association between UF and BUN (or SUA). Our findings reveal the effects of fluoride exposure on liver and kidney function and provide clues for analyzing the relevant mechanism from an inflammatory perspective.

This study investigated the effect of volcanic rocks (VR), specifically black volcanic rocks (BVR) and red volcanic rocks (RVR) on anaerobic digestion of dairy wastewater through a long-term semi-continuous influent experiment. Results showed that both BVRs and RVRs could effectively improve the organics removal efficiency and the methane production at different stages. Compared to RVR, BVR demonstrates a better promoting effect on anaerobic digestion, especially under high organic loading conditions. Physicochemical analysis showed that BVR possessed a higher specific surface area (3.68m 2/g) and lower contact angle (43 degrees) compared to RVR (0.13m 2/g and 48 degrees, respectively). These properties are favorable for biofilm formation on the VR surface. Further investigation found that the functional OTUs in BVRs reactor were 6 % higher than RVRs reactor and 18 % higher than control reactor, which indicated the increment of biomass in BVRs reactor. Furthermore, the expression of functional genes and the activity of enzymes related to hydrolysis-acidification and methanogenesis were also further improved in the BVRs reactor. This study is expected to provide an important reference for the engineering application of VRs in anaerobic digestion.

The wandering reach of the Yellow River has long been a pivotal area of research due to its drastic fluctuations in water-sediment dynamics, frequent shifts in the main channel, and complex river regime evolution. Studies on the main-channel morphological evolution in this reach have focused on the analysis of parameters related to the overall oscillation or have only analyzed a certain reach within the wandering reach, with a lack of detailed studies based on the different characteristics of each area. Therefore, taking the Xiaolangdi Reservoir–Gaocun reach as the research area, by constructing a two-dimensional water-sediment dynamic model, the erosion–deposition characteristics of different sub-reaches and the morphological evolution characteristics of key cross-sections were quantified and analyzed. Based on measured hydrological, sediment, and topographic data, the temporal and spatial changes in the bankfull area and fluvial facies coefficient of typical sections before and after the construction of Xiaolangdi Reservoir were analyzed. By interpreting remote sensing images, the spatio-temporal variation characteristics of the migration distance and bending coefficient of different reaches before and after the construction of Xiaolangdi Reservoir were calculated, and the key factors influencing the evolution of river morphology parameters were identified. The results showed that after the Xiaolangdi Reservoir operation, the overall erosion of the Huayuankou–Jiahetan reach is greater than the deposition, and the erosion is more obvious in dry years. The river course direction and control engineering play a significant role in controlling the morphological evolution of the main channel during the process, causing the R2 reach to significantly swing to the north bank and the R3 reach to the south bank. When the sediment transport coefficient values were between 0 and 0.005 kg.s.m−6, water-sediment had a positive effect on shaping and evolving the main-channel morphology. The long-term low-sand discharge of Xiaolangdi Reservoir and the continuous improvement of river regulation projects are the main reasons for the above changes. The results can provide support for controlling the evolution of the main channel and improving river regulation projects.

Microplastics, as a new type of pollutant, have significant effects on the soil ecological environment. In order to investigate the effects of polylactic acid microplastics （PLA-MPs） on the physical and chemical properties of wheat rhizosphere soil and its microbial community structure, three contents （0.1, 0.5, and 1 g·kg-1） and particle sizes （150, 1000, and 4000 μm） were set up for pot experiments. The results showed that the addition of PLA-MPs significantly increased the contents of ammonium nitrogen （NH4+）, nitrate nitrogen （NO3-）, total phosphorus （TP）, and organic matter （OM） in rhizosphere soil and decreased the content of total nitrogen （TN） and pH value. For example, TP increased 19.046% and 21.075% at medium contents （0.5 g·kg-1） and medium particle size （1 000 μm）, respectively. Compared with those of the control group （CK）, the richness and diversity of rhizosphere soil microorganisms were significantly decreased, and the decreases were greatest at high contents （1 g·kg-1） and high particle size （4 000 μm）, respectively. The addition of PLA-MPs significantly increased the relative abundance of Actinobacteriota and Proteobacteria, while decreasing the relative abundance of Firmicutes, Gemmatimonadota, Myxococcota, and Bdellovibrionota. For example, the relative abundance of Actinobacteriota increased by 5.554% and 6.456% at medium contents （0.5 g·kg-1） and low particle size （150 μm）, and the relative abundance of Firmicutes decreased by 2.721% and 3.727% at high contents （1 g·kg-1） and low particle size （150 μm）, respectively. Compared with CK, PLA-MPs with different contents and particle sizes significantly reduced the number of biomarkers, and the reduction of biomarkers under low content （0.1 g·kg-1） and medium particle size （1 000 μm） was the largest. A significant negative correlation was observed between pH and the dominant microorganisms at the phylum level and genus level of the microbial community and a significant positive correlation between NO3- and Bacillus, Firmicutes, and Gemmatimonadota at the P < 0.001 level. The research results can provide certain data and theoretical basis for evaluating the effects of PLA-MPs on the soil microbial environment.

To understand the occurrence characteristics of microplastics in the soil of the Xinxiang section of the Weihe River Basin, the soil samples of different soil types and different soil layers were collected, soil microplastics were identified using the Agilent 8700 laser direct infrared （LDIR） chemical imaging system, and the ecological risks of soil microplastics were assessed using the polymer risk index （H） and pollution load index （PLI）. The results showed that the proportions of polyurethane （PU） and polyethylene （PE） were 17.57% and 15.97%, respectively, in the soil of the Xinxiang section of Weihe River Basin； the particle diameter of microplastics mainly ranged from 20 to 100 μm, and the proportions of 20 to 50 μm and 50 to 100 μm were 76.17% and 15.56%, respectively； and the average abundance of microplastics was （4 629±683） n·kg-1. Significant differences exist in soil microplastic type （P<0.001） and microplastic abundance at different soil depths （P<0.05）. The microplastic particle diameter （P<0.05） at each sampling site and the microplastic abundance at each sampling site decreased with the increase in soil depth. The abundance of PU and PE at sampling sites S7 and S3 was 1 587 n·kg-1 and 960 n·kg-1, respectively. The ecological risk of soil microplastics at each sampling site decreased with the increase in soil depth； the ecological risk of soil microplastics at sampling site S7 was at high risk, sampling site S6 was at low risk, and other sampling sites were at medium risk.

In remote sensing research, vegetation dynamics are often used as indicators of ecosystem conditions, especially in semi-arid areas. The Wei River Basin (WRB) is a semi-arid region in western China prone to climate change and sensitive to the environment. Driven by climate change and human activities, particularly the recent reforestation projects, the environment and landscape of this region have undergone significant changes. However, the quantitative contributions of the driving factors to vegetation dynamics have not yet been well established. Here, we use a first-difference multiple regression model to separate and quantify the impacts of climate change and human activities on normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from 1998 to 2023. The results indicate that: (1) the growing season NDVI has significantly increased (slope = 0.006, R2 = 0.85) during the previous 26 years. (2) The main factor limiting the improvement of NDVI is precipitation, accounting for 67.6% of the area (p < 0.05). (3) During 1998-2023, climate factors accounted for 27.5% of NDVI changes in the Wei River Basin (WRB), with precipitation contributing 63.2% of the climatic influence, making it the primary positive driver of vegetation growth. Meanwhile, anthropogenic factors contributed 72.5%, with ecological restoration projects promoting greening and urban expansion causing degradation. These findings provide a basis for future assessments of vegetation management strategies and ecological restoration policies under climate and anthropogenic pressures in semi-arid basins.

In this study, iron-modified biochar (IMBC), derived from rice straw, was used to activate peroxydisulfate (PDS) for the pretreatment of waste activated sludge (WAS) and the subsequent anaerobic digestion (AD) process. Results exhibited dual synergistic mechanisms: during the pretreatment phase, IMBC acts as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst to activate PDS, significantly enhancing the solubilization and hydrolysis of WAS, thereby improving its biodegradability and during the subsequent anaerobic digestion process, the residual IMBC continues to function as a bioelectrochemical carrier, enhancing electron transfer efficiency, enriching electroactive microorganisms, and stimulating key enzyme activities. Compared with control reactor, the soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) concentrations in IMBC/PDS reactor improved 157.03 % and 103.92 %, respectively. In the subsequent anaerobic digestion process, the residual IMBC continuously enhanced the anaerobic digestion efficiency. The methane production in IMBC/PDS reactor reached 146.33 mL CH4/g VSS, which was 27.48 % higher than control reactor. Further investigation showed that IMBC can enhance the activity of biological enzymes in this system and improves electron transfer efficiency. In addition, the electroactive bacteria (Syntrophomonas and Clostridia bacterium) and methanogens (Methanosarcina and Methanoculleus), reported to participate direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET), were also enriched within the IMBC/PDS reactor, which suggests that DIET process is likely to have been established within the reactor.

Semi-arid watersheds are highly sensitive to external disturbances due to high evaporation rates and uneven precipitation distribution. The mechanisms and responses of aquatic biological integrity to hydrological processes across different spatial scales remain poorly understood. This study focuses on the Wei River Basin, a typical semi-arid watershed in China, identifying three hydrological variability patterns based on daily flow magnitude, coefficient of variation, skewness, and baseflow index. A coupled approach combining Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM) and Piecewise Structural Equation Models (pSEM) was developed to analyze the hydrology-aquatic biological integrity responses in semi-arid watersheds. This approach quantitatively revealed the response mechanisms of hydrological variability on the integrity of phytoplankton and invertebrates in different zones of the Wei River Basin. The results showed that: (1) The spatial differentiation patterns of high variability zones (HIZ), medium variability zones (MIZ), and low variability zone (LIZ) were identified, highlighting strong spatial similarities between hydrological rhythm changes and aquatic biological integrity across the basin. (2) There is a positive correlation between the explanatory power of hydrological variability intensity and aquatic biological integrity indices. The impact pathways differ among hydrological variability zones, with hydrological variability primarily influencing aquatic biological integrity indirectly by regulating water quality and physical habitats (e.g., substrate composition) rather than directly altering runoff processes. (3) In semi-arid watersheds, phytoplankton integrity is more sensitive to hydrological variability and its spatial scale, with limited influence from seasonal random effects, whereas invertebrate integrity is more affected by seasonal random effects. Overall, hydrological variability significantly shapes aquatic ecosystem integrity in semi-arid watersheds through its combined spatial and seasonal effects.

Global urbanization has led to the overexploitation and pollution of groundwater resources, restricting the sustainable construction and development of cities. Groundwater environmental carrying capacity (GW-ECC) refers to the maximum total amount of pollutants that can be accommodated by a given groundwater system within a certain time period and under specified environmental goals. To better understand the changes in GW-ECC in the context of rapid urbanization, this study built a model of the urban GW-ECC driven by multiple factors. Taking the urban area of Zhengzhou as an example, rainfall infiltration and riverside seepage within the urban groundwater system were calculated considering the change in the impervious area over the past 20 years. The Mann–Kendall rank test was used to evaluate the varying trends of the two factors in the urbanization process. Based on this, the change in the GW-ECC in the current year was calculated, and the changes under different regulatory schemes after 10 years was calculated and evaluated. The results showed that the model constructed in this study could accurately simulate an urban groundwater system. With the acceleration of urbanization, the urban groundwater system recharges by precipitation, and rivers tend to decline. The GW-ECC of ammonia nitrogen in Zhengzhou exhibited an overall upward trend. By the end of 2030, the GW-ECC of ammonia nitrogen is expected to reach a maximum of 1964.5 t. Changes in groundwater resources caused by precipitation and extraction were the main factors driving variations in the urban GW-ECC. In areas with mature urbanization, measures such as increasing groundwater recharge and reducing groundwater extraction are more effective in improving the GW-ECC.

The stability mechanisms of ecosystem functions have been a hot topic in ecology. However, in wetland ecosystems, the mechanisms by which biotic and abiotic factors interact to affect ecosystem stability in changing environments remain largely unclear. This study investigated the key factors and underlying mechanisms that regulate the spatial variability of wetland productivity by measuring community productivity, multiple components of biodiversity (i.e., species diversity, community functional composition and diversity), and environmental factors along a well-characterized gradient of wetland degradation in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. The results showed that the spatial variability of productivity in wetlands increased with intensified degradation. The spatial variability of wetland productivity was not related to species richness, but was mainly affected by changes in community functional composition and diversity. Furthermore, degradation-induced changes in soil nutrients drove the spatial variability of productivity to increase with shifts in functional composition towards more conservative traits (i.e., higher leaf dry matter content and root tissue density), and to decrease with higher functional trait diversity. These findings reveal the driving mechanism of spatial variability in wetland productivity under degradation, and suggest that reduced nutrient availability, by altering plant resource strategies, can affect the spatial reliability of key ecosystem functions in wetlands.