Over the last three decades, more than half of the world's large lakes and wetlands have experienced significant shrinkage, primarily due to climate change and extensive water consumption for agriculture and other human needs. The desiccation of lakes leads to severe environmental, economic, and social repercussions. Urmia Lake, located in northwestern Iran and representing a vital natural ecosystem, has experienced a volume reduction of over 90.0%. Our research evaluated diverse water management strategies within the Urmia Lake basin and prospects of inter-basin water transfers. This study focused on strategies to safeguard the environmental water rights of the Urmia Lake by utilizing the modeling and simulating (MODSIM) model. The model simulated changes in the lake's water volume under various scenarios. These included diverting water from incoming rivers, cutting agricultural water use by 40.0%, releasing dam water in non-agricultural seasons, treated wastewater utilization, and inter-basin transfers. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was utilized to analyze the simulation results. Expert opinions with AHP analysis, acted as a multi-criteria decision-making tool to evaluate the simulation and determine the optimal water supply source priority for the Urmia Lake. Our findings underscore the critical importance of reducing agricultural water consumption as the foremost step in preserving the lake. Following this, inter-basin water transfers are suggested, with a detailed consideration of the inherent challenges and limitations faced by the source watersheds. It is imperative to conduct assessments on the impacts of these transfers on the downstream users and the potential environmental risks, advocating for a diplomatic and cooperative approach with adjacent country. This study also aims to forecast the volumes of water that can be transferred under different climatic conditions—drought, normal, and wet years—to inform strategic water management planning for the Urmia Lake. According to our projection, implementing the strategic scenarios outlined could significantly augment the lake's level and volume, potentially by 3.57×10⁹-9.38×10⁹ m³ over the coming 10 a and 3.57×10⁹-10.70×10⁹ m³ in the subsequent 15 a.

Savanna, semi-deserts, and hot deserts characterize the Saharo-Arabian region, which includes Morocco, Mauretania, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Palestine, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, southern Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India. Its neighboring regions, the Sudano-Zambezian region belonging to the Paleotropical Kingdom and the Mediterranean and Irano-Turanian regions included in the Holarctic Kingdom, share a large portion of their flora with the Saharo-Arabian region. Despite the widespread acknowledgment of the region's global importance for plant diversity, an up to date list of the Saharo-Arabian endemics is still unavailable. The available data are frequently insufficient or out of date at both the whole global and the national scales. Therefore, the present study aims at screening and verifying the Saharo-Arabian endemic plants and determining the phytogeographical distribution of these taxa in the Egyptian flora. Hence, a preliminary list of 429 Saharo-Arabian endemic plants in Egypt was compiled from the available literature. Indeed, by excluding the species that were recorded in any countries or regions outside the Saharo-Arabian region based on different literature, database reviews, and websites, the present study has reduced this number to 126 taxa belonging to 87 genera and 37 families. Regarding the national geographic distribution, South Sinai is the richest region with 83 endemic species compared with other eight phytogeographic regions in Egypt, followed by the Isthmic Desert (the middle of Sinai Peninsula, 53 taxa). Sahara regional subzone (SS1) distributes all the 126 endemic species, Arabian regional subzone (SS2) owns 79 taxa, and Nubo-Sindian subzone (SS3) distributes only 14 endemics. Seven groups were recognized at the fourth level of classification as a result of the application of the two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) to the Saharo-Arabian endemic species in Egypt, i.e., I Asphodelus refractus group, II Agathophora alopecuroides var. papillosa group, III Anvillea garcinii group, IV Reseda muricata group, V Agathophora alopecuroides var. alopecuroides group, VI Scrophularia deserti group, and VII Astragalus schimperi group. It's crucial to clearly define the Saharo-Arabian endemics and illustrate an updated verified database of these taxa for a given territory for providing future management plans that support the conservation and sustainable use of these valuable species under current thought-provoking devastating impacts of rapid anthropogenic and climate change in this region.

The presence of invasive plant species poses a substantial ecological impact, thus comprehensive evaluation of their potential range and risk under the influence of climate change is necessary. This study uses maximum entropy (MaxEnt) modeling to forecast the likelihood of Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit invasion in Saudi Arabia under present and future climate change scenarios. Utilizing the MaxEnt modeling, we integrated climatic and soil data to predict habitat suitability for the invasive species. We conducted a detailed analysis of the distribution patterns of the species, using climate variables and ecological factors. We focused on the important influence of temperature seasonality, temperature annual range, and precipitation seasonality. The distribution modeling used robust measures of area under the curve (AUC) and receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curves, to map the invasion extent, which has a high level of accuracy in identifying appropriate habitats. The complex interaction that influenced the invasion of L. leucocephala was highlighted by the environmental parameters using Jackknife test. Presently, the actual geographic area where L. leucocephala was found in Saudi Arabia was considerably smaller than the theoretical maximum range, suggesting that it had the capacity to expand further. The MaxEnt model exhibited excellent prediction accuracy and produced reliable results based on the data from the ROC curve. Precipitation and temperature were the primary factors influencing the potential distribution of L. leucocephala. Currently, an estimated area of 216,342 km² in Saudi Arabia was at a high probability of invasion by L. leucocephala. We investigated the potential for increased invasion hazards in the future due to climate change scenarios (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) 245 and 585). The analysis of key climatic variables, including temperature seasonality and annual range, along with soil properties such as clay composition and nitrogen content, unveiled their substantial influence on the distribution dynamic of L. leucocephala. Our findings indicated a significant expansion of high risk zones. High-risk zones for L. leucocephala invasion in the current climate conditions had notable expansions projected under future climate scenarios, particularly evident in southern Makkah, Al Bahah, Madina, and Asir areas. The results, backed by thorough spatial studies, emphasize the need to reduce the possible ecological impacts of climate change on the spread of L. leucocephala. Moreover, the study provides valuable strategic insights for the management of invasion, highlighting the intricate relationship between climate change, habitat appropriateness, and the risks associated with invasive species. Proactive techniques are suggested to avoid and manage the spread of L. leucocephala, considering its high potential for future spread. This study enhances the overall comprehension of the dynamics of invasive species by combining modeling techniques with ecological knowledge. It also provides valuable information for decision-making to implement efficient conservation and management strategies in response to changing environmental conditions.

In floristic research, the grid mapping method is a crucial and highly effective tool for investigating the flora of specific regions. This methodology aids in the collection of comprehensive data, thereby promoting a thorough understanding of regional plant diversity. This paper presents findings from a grid mapping study conducted in the Surkhan-Sherabad botanical-geographic region (SShBGR), acknowledged as one of the major floristic areas in southwestern Uzbekistan. Using an expansive dataset of 14,317 records comprised of herbarium specimens and field diary entries collected from 1897 to 2023, we evaluated the stages and seasonal dynamics of data accumulation, species richness (SR), and collection density (CD) within 5 km×5 km grid cells. We further examined the taxonomic and life form composition of the region's flora. Our analysis revealed that the grid mapping phase (2021-2023) produced a significantly greater volume of specimens and taxonomic diversity compared with other periods (1897-1940, 1941-1993, and 1994-2020). Field research spanned 206 grid cells during 2021-2023, resulting in 11,883 samples, including 6469 herbarium specimens and 5414 field records. Overall, fieldwork covered 251 of the 253 grid cells within the SShBGR. Notably, the highest species diversity was documented in the B198 grid cell, recording 160 species. In terms of collection density, the E198 grid cell produced 475 samples. Overall, we identified 1053 species distributed across 439 genera and 78 families in the SShBGR. The flora of this region aligned significantly with the dominant families commonly found in the Holarctic, highlighting vital ecological connections. Among our findings, the Asteraceae family was the most polymorphic, with 147 species, followed by the continually stable and diverse Poaceae, Fabaceae, Brassicaceae, and Amaranthaceae. Besides, our analysis revealed a predominance of therophyte life forms, which constituted 52% (552 species) of the total flora. The findings underscore the necessity for continual data collection efforts to further enhance our understanding of the biodiversity in the SShBGR. The results of this study demonstrated that the application of grid-based mapping in floristic studies proves to be an effective tool for assessing biodiversity and identifying key taxonomic groups.

The Hotan Prefecture of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China belongs to arid desert climate, with significant soil salinization issues. The study selected six rivers in Hotan Prefecture (Pishan, Qaraqash, Yurungqash, Celle, Kriya, and Niya rivers) to explore the spatial distribution of soil salinization in this area and its underlying mechanisms. Sampling was conducted along each river's watershed, from the Gobi in the upper reaches, through the anthropogenic impact area in the middle reaches, to the desert area in the lower reaches. Soil physical-chemical indicators, including total soluble salts, pH, K⁺, Na⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, SO₄^2-, Cl^-, CO₃^2-, HCO₃^-, organic matter, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium, were tested, along with the total dissolved solids of surface water and groundwater. The results revealed that the soil water and nutrient contents in anthropogenic impact area were higher than those in Gobi and desert areas, while the pH and total soluble salts were lower than those in Gobi and desert areas. The ions in the soil of the study area were primarily Cl^-, SO₄^2-, K⁺, and Na⁺, and the ion concentration of soil salt were positively correlated with surface water and groundwater. Overall, the study area exhibited low soil water content, low clay content, infertile soil, and high soil salinization, dominated by weak to moderate chloride-sulfate types. Compared with Gobi and desert areas, the soil in anthropogenic impact area had higher soil water content, lower pH, lower soluble salts, and higher nutrients, indicating that human farming activities help mitigate salinization. These findings have practical implications for guiding the scientific prevention and control of soil salinization in the arid areas and for promoting sustainable agricultural development.

Agriophyllum squarrosum (L.) Moq., commonly known as sandrice, is an annual medicinal plant prevalent in the dunes across China's deserts. A garden trial revealed that flavonoid content varies among sandrice ecotypes due to long-term local adaptation to water variability. To investigate how sandrice responds to drought stress through the molecular metabolic regulation of flavonoids, we employed transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses during a 9-d ambient drought stress, examining three ecotypes along a precipitation gradient. The three ecotypes located in Dengkou (DK) County, Dulan (DL) County, and Aerxiang (AEX) village of northern China, which had 137, 263, and 485 mm precipitation, respectively. Soil moisture content was 4.04% after drought stress, causing seedlings of the three sandrice ecotypes to display collapsed structures, yellowing leaves, wilting, and curling. Among these, DL exhibited superior drought tolerance, in which plant height increase (PHI) and leaf area (LA) were significantly higher than those of DK and AEX. Flavonoid-targeted metabolomics identified that rutin, isoquercitrin, and astragalin constituted over 95.00% of the 15 flavonoid metabolites detected. A total of 12 differentially accumulated flavonoids (DAFs) were found, with rutin being the most abundant (1231.57-2859.34 ng/100 mg fresh weight (FW)), showing a gradual increase along the precipitation gradient. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 14 common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with flavonoid synthesis among the three ecotypes. Integrative analysis of DEGs and DAFs indicated that sandrice adapts to drought stress by activating different flavonoid synthesis pathways. In DK, the dihydrokaempferol-dihydroquercetin pathway, regulated by flavonoid 3'-monooxygenase (CYP75B1), likely enhances drought adaptation. In AEX, transcriptional repression by O-methylatransferase (OMT) shifts the metabolic flux from the quercetin-isorhamnetin pathway to the quercetin-isoquercetin-rutin pathway in response to drought. DL, the most drought- tolerant ecotype, appears to activate the naringenin-apigenin-luteolin route and employs a unique flavonoid accumulation pattern in response to drought stress. Our data reveal that flavonoid synthesis in sandrice is fine-tuned among ecotypes to cope with drought, offering valuable germplasm resources and evaluation methods for sandrice acclimation and providing insights into drought response in non-model plants.

Vegetation plays a major role in soil protection against erosion effects, and studies have also highlighted its importance in retaining sediments from roadside slopes. Yet, hydro-sedimentological studies under natural precipitation conditions are still scarce in semi-arid areas due to difficulties in monitoring the few and very concentrated precipitation events. Quantifying sediment connectivity and yield at watershed scale, often highly impacted by the erosion of unpaved roads, is necessary for management plans. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of native vegetation on roadside slope segments in Caatinga biome in retaining sediments and conserving the soil in a semi-arid area of Brazil. Surface runoff, sediment concentration, and yield measurements were measured from 34 natural precipitation events in four years on two slopes with and without vegetation. The runoff coefficients of the plot with no vegetation varied from 3.0% to 58.0%, while in the vegetated plot, they showed variation from 1.0% to 21.0%. The annual specific sediment yield ranged from 4.6 to 138.7 kg/(hm²•a) for the vegetated plot and from 34.9 to 608.5 kg/(hm²•a) for the unvegetated one. These results indicate a 4 to 12 times higher soil loss on the unvegetated slope in relation to the vegetated one and demonstrate that natural Caatinga vegetation acts as an effective barrier against surface-transported sediments. Moreover, natural Caatinga vegetation present on the slope plays an important role in breaking connectivity between sediment flows from unpaved roads and the watershed drainage system. These findings indicate that investments in unpaved road and roadside slope restoration, not only enhance road infrastructure but also promote environmental gains by reducing the impact of erosion.

Soil moisture (SM) is a critical variable in terrestrial ecosystems, especially in arid and semi-arid areas where water sources are limited. Despite its importance, understanding the spatiotemporal variations and influencing factors of SM in these areas remains insufficient. This study investigated the spatiotemporal variations and influencing factors of SM in arid and semi-arid areas of China by utilizing the extended triple collation (ETC), Mann-Kendall test, Theil-Sen estimator, ridge regression analysis, and other relevant methods. The following findings were obtained: (1) at the pixel scale, the long-term monthly SM data from the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative (ESA CCI) exhibited the highest correlation coefficient of 0.794 and the lowest root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.014 m³/m³; (2) from 2000 to 2022, the study area experienced significant increase in annual average SM, with a rate of 0.408×10^-3 m³/(m³•a). Moreover, higher altitudes showed a notable upward trend, with SM increasing rates at 0.210×10^-3 m³/(m³•a) between 1000 and 2000 m, 0.530×10^-3 m³/(m³•a) between 2000 and 4000 m, and 0.760×10^-3 m³/(m³•a) at altitudes above 4000 m; (3) land surface temperature (LST), root zone soil moisture (RSM) (10-40 cm depth), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were identified as the primary factors influencing annual average SM, which accounted for 34.37%, 24.16%, and 22.64% relative contributions, respectively; and (4) absolute contribution of LST was more significant in subareas at higher altitudes, with average absolute contributions of 0.800×10^-3 m³/(m³•a) between 2000 and 4000 m and 0.500×10^-2 m³/(m³•a) above 4000 m. This study reveals the spatiotemporal variations and main influencing factors of SM in Chinese arid and semi-arid areas, highlighting the more pronounced absolute contribution of LST to SM in high-altitude areas, providing valuable insights for ecological research and water resource management in these areas.

The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau of China faces challenges like thaw slumping, threatening slope stability and infrastructure. Understanding the mechanical properties of the roots of the dominant herbaceous plant species in the alpine meadow layer of the permafrost regions on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is essential for evaluating their role in enhancing soil shear strength and mitigating slope deformation in these fragile environments. In this study, the roots of four dominant herbaceous plant species—Kobresia pygmaea, Kobresia humilis, Carex moorcroftii, and Leontopodium pusillum—that are widely distributed in the permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau were explored to determine their mechanical properties and effects in enhancing soil shear strength. Through indoor single root tensile and root group tensile tests, we determined the root diameter, tensile force, tensile strength, tensile ratio, and strength frequency distributions. We also evaluated their contributions to inhibiting slope deformation and failure during the formation and development of thermal thaw slumps in the alpine meadow. The results showed that the distribution of the root diameter of the dominant plant species is mostly normal, while the tensile strength tends to be logarithmically normally distributed. The relationship between the root diameter and root tensile strength conforms to a power function. The theoretical tensile strength of the root group was calculated using the Wu-Waldron Model (WWM) and the Fiber Bundle Model (FBM) under the assumption that the cumulative single tensile strength of the root bundle is identical to the tensile strength of the root group in the WWM. The FBM considers three fracture modes: FBM-D (the tensile force on each single root is proportional to its diameter relative to the total sum of all the root diameters), FBM-S (the cross-sectional stress in the root bundle is uniform), and FBM-N (each tensile strength test of individual roots experiences an equal load). It was found that the model-calculated tensile strength of the root group was 162.60% higher than the test value. The model-derived tensile force of the root group from the FBM-D, FBM-S, and FBM-N was 73.10%, 28.91%, and 13.47% higher than the test values, respectively. The additional cohesion of the soil provided by the roots was calculated to be 25.90-45.06 kPa using the modified WWM, 67.05-38.15 kPa using the FBM-S, and 57.24-32.74 kPa using the FBM-N. These results not only provide a theoretical basis for further quantitative evaluation of the mechanical effects of the root systems of herbaceous plant species in reinforcing the surface soil but also have practical significance for the effective prevention and control of thermal thaw slumping disasters in the permafrost regions containing native alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau using flexible plant protection measures.

The Turpan-Hami (Tuha) Basin in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, holds significant strategic importance as a key economic artery of the ancient Silk Road and the Belt and Road Initiative, necessitating a holistic understanding of the spatiotemporal evolution of land use/land cover (LULC) to foster sustainable planning that is tailored to the region's unique resource endowments. However, existing LULC classification methods demonstrate inadequate accuracy, hindering effective regional planning. In this study, we established a two-level LULC classification system (8 primary types and 22 secondary types) for the Tuha Basin. By employing Landsat 5/7/8 imagery at 5-a intervals, we developed the LULC dataset of the Tuha Basin from 1990 to 2020, conducted the accuracy assessment and spatiotemporal evolution analysis, and simulated the future LULC under various scenarios via the Markov-Future Land Use Simulation (Markov-FLUS) model. The results revealed that the average overall accuracy values of our LULC dataset were 0.917 and 0.864 for the primary types and secondary types, respectively. Compared with the seven mainstream LULC products (GlobeLand30, Global 30-meter Land Cover with Fine Classification System (GLC_FCS30), Finer Resolution Observation and Monitoring of Global Land Cover PLUS (FROM_GLC PLUS), ESA Global Land Cover (ESA_LC), Esri Land Cover (ESRI_LC), China Multi-Period Land Use Land Cover Change Remote Sensing Monitoring Dataset (CNLUCC), and China Annual Land Cover Dataset (CLCD)) in 2020, our LULC data exhibited dramatically elevated overall accuracy and provided more precise delineations for land features, thereby yielding high-quality data backups for land resource analyses within the basin. In 2020, unused land (78.0% of the study area) and grassland (18.6%) were the dominant LULC types of the basin; although cropland and construction land constituted less than 1.0% of the total area, they played a vital role in arid land development and primarily situated within oases that form the urban cores of the cities of Turpan and Hami. Between 1990 and 2020, cropland and construction land exhibited a rapid expansion, and the total area of water body decreased yet resurging after 2015 due to an increase in areas of reservoir and pond. In future scenario simulations, significant increases in areas of construction land and cropland are anticipated under the business-as-usual scenario, whereas the wetland area will decrease, suggesting the need for ecological attention under this development pathway. In contrast, the economic development scenario underscores the fast-paced expansion of construction land, primarily from the conversion of unused land, highlighting the significant developmental potential of unused land with a slowing increase in cropland. Special attention should thus be directed toward ecological and cropland protection during development. This study provides data supports and policy recommendations for the sustainable development goals of Tuha Basin and other similar arid areas.

Scientifically constructing an ecological security pattern (ESP) is an important spatial analysis approach to improve ecological functions in arid areas and achieve sustainable development. However, previous research methods ignored the complex trade-offs between ecosystem services in the process of constructing ESP. Taking the mainstream of the Tarim River Basin (MTRB), China as the study area, this study set seven risk scenarios by applying Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) model to trade-off the importance of the four ecosystem services adopted by this study (water conservation, carbon storage, habitat quality, and biodiversity conservation), thereby identifying priority protection areas for ecosystem services. And then, this study identified ecological sources by integrating ecosystem service importance with eco-environmental sensitivity. Using circuit theory, the ecological corridors and nodes were extracted to construct the ESP. The results revealed significant spatial heterogeneity in the four ecosystem services across the study area, primarily driven by hydrological gradients and human activity intensity. The ESP of the MTRB included 34 ecological sources with a total area of 1471.38 km², 66 ecological corridors with a length of about 1597.45 km, 11 ecological pinch points, and 13 ecological barrier points distributed on the ecological corridors. The spatial differentiation of the ESP was obvious, with the upper and middle reaches of the MTRB having a large number of ecological sources and exhibiting higher clustering of ecological corridors compared with the lower reaches. The upper and middle reaches require ecological protection to sustain the existing ecosystem, while the lower reaches need to carry out ecological restoration measures including desertification control. Overall, this study makes up for the shortcomings of constructing ESP simply by spatial superposition of ecosystem service functions and can effectively improve the robustness and stability of ESP construction.

Salt stress might be an important factor that decreases the emergence of seedlings and reduces plants' growth, causing their endangered status. However, the effects of salt stress on the germination of the Mediterranean species are less concern. Limonium strictissimum (Salzm.) Arrigoni, part of the group related to Limonium articulatum (Loisel.) Kuntze, is a Cyrno-Sardinian endemism, which is included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Lists as Endangered (EN). Fresh seeds of L. strictissimum harvested from the only known population in Sardinia and a population in southeastern Corsica were used with the aims to study the effects of temperature and salinity on the seed germination and to evaluate the ability to recover their germination after exposure to salt stress. In both populations, empty fruits with a lower percentage were observed in Sardinia than in Corsica. The seeds showed a high germination capacity, which was not influenced by temperature and did not even differ between the two populations. Compared with non-saline condition, the presence of salt in the substrate, independently of the concentration tested, inhibited seed germination in both populations, with germination percentages never exceeding 40%. The Sardinian population showed a recovery capacity after exposure to high salt stress, always above 50% regardless of the salt concentration and incubation temperature considered. The seeds previously exposed to 125 mM NaCl at 30°C had the lowest recovery percentage (56%), while the highest recovery percentage (84%) was recorded at 25°C with a concentration of 250 mM NaCl. Differently, the Corsican population recorded a higher recovery percentage (54%) in seeds previously exposed to 500 mM NaCl at 20°C, while for the concentration of 125 mM NaCl, the best recovery percentage (11%) was recorded at 30°C. The ability of L. strictissimum to recover germination after salt exposure can be interpreted as an adaptation to the coastal habitats in which it grows. This study provides new insights into the ecophysiology of L. strictissimum seed germination, which could help preserve and implement effective conservation measures for this endangered species with restricted populations.

Salt-tolerant bacteria associated with halophytes enhance plant resistance and adaptation to environmental stress. The purpose of this study was to investigate the diversity and plant-beneficial traits of bacteria associated with three halophytes in an arid land, Northwest China. The bacterial strains were isolated from the roots, shoots, rhizosphere, and bulk soil of three halophytes, i.e., Salicornia europaea L., Kalidium foliatum (Pall.) Moq., and Suaeda aralocaspica (Bunge) Freitag & Schütze, collected from the saline soils near to the Wujiaqu City, Xinjiang, Northwest China. A total of 567 strains were isolated and identified from these three halophytes belonging to 4 phyla, 6 classes, 25 orders, 36 families, and 66 genera, including 147 potential novel species. A total of 213 strains exhibited one or more plant growth- promoting properties, while 20 strains demonstrated multiple in vitro plant growth-promoting activities, including phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, siderophore production, and production of hydrolytic enzymes such as protease and cellulase. Our findings showed that halophytes in the arid land harbor diverse bacteria with the potential to enhance plant growth and adaptability under challenging environmental conditions.

Climate change and human activities have led to desertification and decreased land productivity, significantly affecting human livelihoods in desert regions. Identifying suitable areas for cultivating economic and native plants based on ecological capacity, biological restoration, and risk management can be valuable tools for combating desertification. In this study, we identified suitable areas for the growth of economic and medicinal Moringa peregrina trees in desert regions of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, southern Iran, using library research and field methods. We also assessed the economic involvement of local communities in areas under different topographic conditions (namely flat area, undulating area, rolling area, moderately sloping area, and steep area) in the study area. Financial indicators such as the net present value (NPV), benefit-cost ratio (BCR), internal rate of return (IRR), and return on investment (ROI) were calculated for areas under various topographic conditions in the study area. The rolling area with results of NPV (6142.75 USD), IRR (103.38), BCR (5.38), and ROI (in the 3^rd year) was the best region for investing and cultivating M. peregrina. The minimum economic level varied from 0.80 hm² in the flat area to 21.60 hm² in the steep area. Also, approximately 5,314,629.51 hm² of desert lands in the study area were deemed suitable for M. peregrina cultivation, benefiting around 1,743,246 households in the study area. Cultivating M. peregrina in southern Iran can positively affect local communities and help preserve land from erosion. Our study will provide theoretical support for planting native species in other degraded desert regions to enhance ecosystem services and the well-being of indigenous populations.

Ecological security patterns are paramount to the advancement of an ecological civilization in China, aiming to enhance the stability and service functions of ecosystems to achieve sustainable regional development. However, current regional ecological protection efforts have not been effectively integrated into the regional development planning of ecological security pattern. This study systematically assessed the effectiveness of ecological protection projects in Yanchi County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, through the evaluation of landscape ecological quality. Based on the evaluation results of landscape ecological quality, this study used morphological pattern analysis (MSPA), minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model, and gravity model together to construct the ecological security pattern of Yanchi County. The findings revealed that from 1990 to 2020, with the implementation of ecological protection projects started from 2000, the landscape stability of Yanchi County first decreased and then increased, and the intensity of landscape disturbance first intensified but then decreased, indicating an improvement in the landscape ecological quality and a significant enhancement of the ecological environment in Yanchi County. The ecological security pattern of Yanchi County consisted of 10 ecological sources, 10 ecological source points, 23 ecological corridors, and 27 ecological nodes. The ecological security pattern of Yanchi County exhibited distinct spatial variations, with stronger ecological security observed in the southern part than in northern part of the county. The ecological sources were denser in the southern part than in the northern part of the county, and accordingly, the length of ecological corridors was shorter and denser in the southern than that in the northern part of the county. Based on the spatial distribution of landscape ecological quality and the characteristics of ecological security pattern of Yanchi County in 2020, we suggested Yanchi County to build four zones to optimize the ecological security pattern construction: the Haba Lake ecological conservation zone, the urban ecological planning zone, the ecological environment restoration zone, and the ecological security improvement zone. This study can provide essential guidance for the construction of ecological security pattern in farming-pastoral areas both in China and worldwide.

The ecological environment of the Yellow River Basin has become more fragile under the combined action of natural and manmade activities. However, the change mechanisms of ecological vulnerability in different sub-regions and periods vary, and the reasons for this variability are yet to be explained. Thus, in this study, we proposed a new remote sensing ecological vulnerability index by considering moisture, heat, greenness, dryness, land degradation, and social economy indicators and then analyzed and disclosed the spatial and temporal change patterns of ecological vulnerability of the Yellow River Basin, China from 2000 to 2022 and its driving mechanisms. The results showed that the newly proposed remote sensing ecological vulnerability index had a high accuracy, at 86.36%, which indicated a higher applicability in the Yellow River Basin. From 2000 to 2022, the average remote sensing ecological vulnerability index of the Yellow River Basin was 1.03, denoting moderate vulnerability level. The intensive vulnerability area was the most widely distributed, which was mostly located in the northern part of Shaanxi Province and the eastern part of Shanxi Province. From 2000 to 2022, the ecological vulnerability in the Yellow showed an overall stable trend, while that of the central and eastern regions showed an obvious trend of improvement. The gravity center of ecological vulnerability migrated southwest, indicating that the aggravation of ecological vulnerability in the southwestern regions was more severe than in the northeastern regions of the basin. The dominant single factor of changes in ecological vulnerability shifted from normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to temperature from 2000 to 2022, and the interaction factors shifted from temperature∩NDVI to temperature∩precipitation, which indicated that the global climate change exerted a more significant impact on regional ecosystems. The above results could provide decision support for the ecological protection and restoration of the Yellow River Basin.

Investigation of the climate change effects on drought is required to develop management strategies for minimizing adverse social and economic impacts. Therefore, studying the future meteorological drought conditions at a local scale is vital. In this study, we assessed the efficiency of seven downscaled Global Climate Models (GCMs) provided by the NASA Earth Exchange Global Daily Downscaled Projections (NEX-GDDP), and investigated the impacts of climate change on future meteorological drought using Standard Precipitation Index (SPI) in the Karoun River Basin (KRB) of southwestern Iran under two Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) emission scenarios, i.e., RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. The results demonstrated that SPI estimated based on the Meteorological Research Institute Coupled Global Climate Model version 3 (MRI-CGCM3) is consistent with the one estimated by synoptic stations during the historical period (1990-2005). The root mean square error (RMSE) value is less than 0.75 in 77% of the synoptic stations. GCMs have high uncertainty in most synoptic stations except those located in the plain. Using the average of a few GCMs to improve performance and reduce uncertainty is suggested by the results. The results revealed that with the areas affected by wetness decreasing in the KRB, drought frequency in the North KRB is likely to increase at the end of the 21^st century under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. At the seasonal scale, the decreasing trend for SPI in spring, summer, and winter shows a drought tendency in this region. The climate-induced drought hazard can have vast consequences, especially in agriculture and rural livelihoods. Accordingly, an increasing trend in drought during the growing seasons under RCP scenarios is vital for water managers and farmers to adopt strategies to reduce the damages. The results of this study are of great value for formulating sustainable water resources management plans affected by climate change.

Urban expansion of cities has caused changes in land use and land cover (LULC) in addition to transformations in the spatial characteristics of landscape structure. These alterations have generated heat islands and rise of land surface temperature (LST), which consequently have caused a variety of environmental issues and threated the sustainable development of urban areas. Greenbelts are employed as an urban planning containment policy to regulate urban expansion, safeguard natural open spaces, and serve adaptation and mitigation functions. And they are regarded as a powerful measure for enhancing urban environmental sustainability. Despite the fact that, the relation between landscape structure change and variation of LST has been examined thoroughly in many studies, but there is a limitation concerning this relation in semi-arid climate and in greenbelts as well, with the lacking of comprehensive research combing both aspects. Accordingly, this study investigated the spatiotemporal changes of landscape pattern of LULC and their relationship with variation of LST within an inner greenbelt in the semi-arid Erbil City of northern Iraq. The study utilized remote sensing data to retrieve LST, classified LULC, and calculated landscape metrics for analyzing spatial changes during the study period. The results indicated that both composition and configuration of LULC had an impact on the variation of LST in the study area. The Pearson's correlation showed the significant effect of Vegetation 1 type (VH), cultivated land (CU), and bare soil (BS) on LST, as increase of LST was related to the decrease of VH and the increases of CU and BS, while, neither Vegetation 2 type (VL) nor built-up (BU) had any effects. Additionally, the spatial distribution of LULC also exhibited significant effects on LST, as LST was strongly correlated with landscape indices for VH, CU, and BS. However, for BU, only aggregation index metric affected LST, while none of VL metrics had a relation. The study provides insights for landscape planners and policymakers to not only develop more green spaces in greenbelt but also optimize the spatial landscape patterns to reduce the influence of LST on the urban environment, and further promote sustainable development and enhance well-being in the cities with semi-arid climate.

Understanding the distribution and dynamics of glaciers is of great significance to the management and allocation of regional water resources and socio-economic development in arid regions of Northwest China. In this study, based on 36 Landsat images, we extracted the glacier boundaries in the Manas River Basin, Northwest China from 2000 to 2020 using eCognition combined with band operation, GIS (geographic information system) spatial overlay techniques, and manual visual interpretation. We further analyzed the distribution and variation characteristics of glacier area, and simulated glacial runoff using a distributed degree-day model to explore the regulation of runoff recharge. The results showed that glacier area in the Manas River Basin as a whole showed a downward trend over the past 21 a, with a decrease of 10.86% and an average change rate of -0.54%/a. With the increase in glacier scale, the number of smaller glaciers decreased exponentially, and the number and area of larger glaciers were relatively stable. Glacier area showed a normal distribution trend of increasing first and then decreasing with elevation. About 97.92% of glaciers were distributed at 3700-4800 m, and 48.11% of glaciers were observed on the northern and northeastern slopes. The retreat rate of glaciers was the fastest (68.82%) at elevations below 3800 m. There was a clear rise in elevation at the end of glaciers. Glaciers at different slope directions showed a rapid melting trend from the western slope to the southern slope then to the northern slope. Glacial runoff in the basin showed a fluctuating upward trend in the past 21 a, with an increase rate of 0.03×10⁸ m³/a. The average annual glacial runoff was 4.80×10⁸ m³, of which 33.31% was distributed in the ablation season (June-September). The average annual contribution rate of glacial meltwater to river runoff was 35.40%, and glacial runoff accounted for 45.37% of the total runoff during the ablation season. In addition, precipitation and glacial runoff had complementary regulation patterns for river runoff. The findings can provide a scientific basis for water resource management in the Manas River Basin and other similar arid inland river basins.

Evapotranspiration is the most important expenditure item in the water balance of terrestrial ecosystems, and accurate evapotranspiration modeling is of great significance for hydrological, ecological, agricultural, and water resource management. Artificial forests are an important means of vegetation restoration in the western Loess Plateau, and accurate estimates of their evapotranspiration are essential to the management and development of water use strategies for artificial forests. This study estimated the soil moisture and evapotranspiration based on the HYDRUS-1D model for the artificial Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco forest in western mountains of Loess Plateau, China from 20 April to 31 October, 2023. Moreover, the influence factors were identified by combining the correlation coefficient method and the principal component analysis (PCA) method. The results showed that HYDRUS-1D model had strong applicability in portraying hydrological processes in this area and revealed soil water surplus from 20 April to 31 October, 2023. The soil water accumulation was 49.64 mm; the potential evapotranspiration (ET_p) was 809.67 mm, which was divided into potential evaporation (E_p; 95.07 mm) and potential transpiration (T_p; 714.60 mm); and the actual evapotranspiration (ET_a) was 580.27 mm, which was divided into actual evaporation (E_a; 68.27 mm) and actual transpiration (T_a; 512.00 mm). From April to October 2023, the ET_p, E_p, T_p, ET_a, E_a, and T_a first increased and then decreased on both monthly and daily scales, exhibiting a single-peak type trend. The average ratio of T_a/ET_a was 0.88, signifying that evapotranspiration mainly stemmed from transpiration in this area. The ratio of ET_a/ET_p was 0.72, indicating that this artificial forest suffered from obvious drought stress. The ET_p was significantly positively correlated with ET_a, and the R² values on the monthly and daily scales were 0.9696 and 0.9635 (P<0.05), respectively. Furthermore, ET_a was significantly positively correlated with temperature, solar radiation, and wind speed, and negatively correlated with relative humidity and precipitation (P<0.05); and temperature exhibited the highest correlation with ET_a. Thus, ET_p and temperature were the decisive contributors to ET_a in this area. The findings provide an effective method for simulating regional evapotranspiration and theoretical reference for water management of artificial forests, and deepen understanding of effects of each influence factors on ET_a in arid areas.

Wind erosion is a geomorphic process in arid and semi-arid areas and has substantial implications for regional climate and desertification. In the Columbia Plateau of northwestern United States, the emissions from fine particles of loessial soils often contribute to the exceedance of inhalable particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm or less (PM10) according to the air quality standards. However, little is known about the threshold friction velocity (TFV) for particles of different sizes that comprise these soils. In this study, soil samples of two representative soil types (Warden sandy loam and Ritzville silt loam) collected from the Columbia Plateau were sieved to seven particle size fractions, and an experiment was then conducted to determine the relationship between TFV and particle size fraction. The results revealed that soil particle size significantly affected the initiation of soil movement and TFV; TFV ranged 0.304-0.844 and 0.249-0.739 m/s for different particle size fractions of Ritzville silt loam and Warden sandy loam, respectively. PM10 and total suspended particulates (TSP) emissions from a bed of 63-90 μm soil particles were markedly higher for Warden sandy loam than for Ritzville silt loam. Together with the lower TFV of Warden sandy loam, dust emissions from fine particles (<100 μm in diameter) of Warden sandy loam thus may be a main contributor to dust in the region's atmosphere, since the PM10 emissions from the soil erosion surfaces and its ensuing suspension within the atmosphere constitute an essential process of soil erosion in the Columbia Plateau. Developing and implementing strategic land management practices on sandy loam soils is therefore necessary to control dust emissions in the Columbia Plateau.

Surface soil cracking in alpine meadows signifies the transition of degradation from quantitative accumulation to qualitative deterioration. Quantitative research remains insufficient regarding changes in the mechanical properties of degraded meadow soils and the mechanical thresholds for cracking initiation. This study explored the relationships between surface cracking and the physical properties, tensile strength, and matrix suction of root-soil composites in alpine meadow sites with different stages of degradation (undegraded (UD), lightly degraded (LD), moderately degraded (MD), and heavily degraded (HD)) under different water gradients (high water content (HWC), medium water content (MWC), and low water content (LWC)) corresponding to different drying durations at a constant temperature of 40.0°C. The Huangcheng Mongolian Township in Menyuan Hui Autonomous County, Qinghai Province, China was chosen as the study area. The results indicated that as the degradation degree of alpine meadow intensified, both water content of root-soil composite and the fine grain content of soil decreased. In contrast, the root-soil mass ratio and root area ratio initially increased and then decreased with progressive degradation. Under a consistent water content, the tensile strength of root-soil composite followed a pattern of MD>HD>LD>UD. The peak displacement of tensile strength also decreased as the degradation degree of alpine meadow increased. Both the tensile strength and matrix suction of root-soil composite increased as root-soil water content decreased. A root-soil water content of 30.00%-40.00% was found to be the critical threshold for soil cracking in alpine meadows. Within this range, the matrix suction of root-soil composite ranged from 50.00 to 100.00 kPa, resulting in the formation of linear cracks in the surface soil. As the root-soil water content continued to decrease, liner cracks evolved into branch-like and polygonal patterns. The findings of this study provide essential data for improving the mechanical understanding of grassland cracking and its development process.

Characterization of the spatial and temporal variability of stable isotopes in surface water is essential for interpreting hydrological processes. In this study, we collected the water samples of river water, groundwater, and reservoir water in the Burqin River Basin of the Altay Mountains, China in 2021, and characterized the oxygen and hydrogen isotope variations in different water bodies via instrumental analytics and modeling. Results showed significant seasonal variations in stable isotope ratios of oxygen and hydrogen (δ¹⁸O and δ²H, respectively) and significant differences in δ¹⁸O and δ²H among different water bodies. Higher δ¹⁸O and δ²H values were mainly found in river water, while groundwater and reservoir water had lower isotope ratios. River water and groundwater showed different δ¹⁸O-δ²H relationships with the local meteoric water line, implying that river water and groundwater are controlled by evaporative enrichment and multi-source recharge processes. The evaporative enrichment experienced by reservoir water was less significant and largely influenced by topography, recharge sources, local moisture cycling, and anthropogenic factors. Higher deuterium excess (d-excess) value of 14.34‰ for river water probably represented the isotopic signature of combined contributions from direct precipitation, snow and glacial meltwater, and groundwater recharge. The average annual d-excess values of groundwater (10.60‰) and reservoir water (11.49‰) were similar to the value of global precipitation (10.00‰). The findings contribute to understanding the hydroclimatic information reflected in the month-by-month variations in stable isotopes in different water bodies and provide a reference for the study of hydrological processes and climate change in the Altay Mountains, China.

Hot arid zones represent vital reservoirs of unique species and ecosystems, holding significant importance for biodiversity. This study aimed to explore the plant diversity associated with tree plantations in urban ecosystems under hyper-arid climatic conditions in the Sahara Desert of Algeria. In May 2022, 30 quadrats measuring 1 m² each were established at the base of Phoenix dactylifera, Leucaena leucocephala, and Tamarix aphylla, corresponding to the dominant tree species in each of three plantations. In each quadrat, the plant quantitative inventory was conducted to measure plant diversity and similarity among the studied plantations. Based on this, we assessed the plant functional traits and rarity/abundance status of the flora. The findings revealed a diverse flora associated with the studied plantations, comprising 29 plant species grouped into 27 genera and 12 families. Notably, Poaceae (accounting for 30.8% of the flora), Asteraceae (25.0%), and Zygophyllaceae (21.6%) were well-represented. With an overall density of approximately 555 individuals/m², Zygophyllum album (120 individuals/m²) and Polypogon monspeliensis (87 individuals/m²) emerged as the most abundant species. Functional trait analysis underscored the pivotal role of therophytes (constituting over 50.0% of the flora) and anemochorous species (33.0%-62.5%). Phytogeographic analysis emphasized the prevalence of the Saharo-Arabic element (constituting over 31.0% of the flora) and the Mediterranean Saharo-Arabic element (9.5%-21.5%). The Cosmopolitan element thrived under disturbance factors, recording percentages from 13.0% to 20.0% of the plant community. The rarity/abundance status of the flora emphasized the significance of rare, common, and very common species in the studied plantations. These findings could provide fundamental data for the effective control and management of biodiversity in hot hyper-arid urban ecosystems.

Assessing and managing ecological risks in ecologically fragile areas remain challenging at present. To get to know the ecological risk situation in Turpan City, China, this study constructed an ecological risk evaluation system to obtain the ecological risk level (ERL) and ecological risk index (ERI) based on the multi-objective linear programming-patch generation land use simulation (MOP-PLUS) model, analyzed the changes in land use and ecological risk in Turpan City from 2000 to 2020, and predicted the land use and ecological risk in 2030 under four different scenarios (business as usual (BAU), rapid economic development (RED), ecological protection priority (EPP), and eco-economic equilibrium, (EEB)). The results showed that the conversion of land use from 2000 to 2030 was mainly between unused land and the other land use types. The ERL of unused land was the highest among all the land use types. The ecological risk increased sharply from 2000 to 2010 and then decreased from 2010 to 2020. According to the value of ERI, we divided the ecological risk into seven levels by natural breakpoint method; the higher the level, the higher the ecological risk. For the four scenarios in 2030, under the EPP scenario, the area at VII level was zero, while the area at VII level reached the largest under the RED scenario. Comparing with 2020, the areas at I and II levels increased under the BAU, EPP, and EEB scenarios, while decreased under the RED scenario. The spatial distributions of ecological risk of BAU and EEB scenarios were similar, but the areas at I and II levels were larger and the areas at V and VI levels were smaller under the EEB scenario than under the BAU scenario. Therefore, the EEB scenario was the optimal development route for Turpan City. In addition, the results of spatial autocorrelation showed that the large area of unused land was the main reason affecting the spatial pattern of ecological risk under different scenarios. According to Geodetector, the dominant driving factors of ecological risk were gross domestic product rating (GDPR), soil type, population, temperature, and distance from riverbed (DFRD). The interaction between driving factor pairs amplified their influence on ecological risk. This research would help explore the low ecological risk development path for urban construction in the future.

Precipitation isotopes (δ¹⁸O and δ²H) are closely related to meteorological conditions for precipitation generation and the initial state of water vapor source areas, and are essential to the study of the regional hydrological cycle. The deuterium excess (d-excess) indicates deviation in isotope fractionation during evaporation and can trace water vapor sources. This study analyzed 443 precipitation samples collected from the Gannan Plateau, China in 2022 to assess precipitation isotope variations and their driving factors. Water vapor sources were evaluated using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT), Concentration Weighted Trajectory (CWT), and Potential Source Contribution Factor (PSCF) models. Results showed that precipitation isotope values showed significant spatial and temporal variations on the Gannan Plateau. Temporally, precipitation isotope values peaked in June (when evaporation dominated) and minimized in March (depletion effect of air masses in the westerly wind belt). Spatially, the isotope values showed a distribution pattern of "high in the east and low in the west", which was mainly regulated by the differences in altitude and local meteorological conditions. Compared with the global meteoric water line (GMWL) with equation of δ²H=8.00δ¹⁸O+10.00, the slope and intercept of local meteoric water line (LMWL) for precipitation on the Gannan Plateau were smaller (7.49 and 7.63, respectively), reflecting the existence of a stronger secondary evaporation effect under the clouds in the region. The sources of water vapor on the Gannan Plateau showed significant seasonality and spatial heterogeneity. Specifically, the westerly belt and monsoon were the main water vapor transport paths at each sampling point, with Central Asian continental water vapor dominating in spring (53.49%), Indian Ocean water vapor dominating in summer (52.53%), Atlantic Ocean water vapor dominating in autumn (46.74%), and Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea water vapor dominating in winter (42.30% and 33.68%, respectively). Changes in the intensity of convective activity and Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) affected the enrichment of isotopic values, which exhibited the same change trends as δ¹⁸O. During the precipitation process, the δ¹⁸O value first decreased and then increased. During the initial and final stages of precipitation process, precipitation was mainly influenced by continental air masses, while during the middle stage, it was controlled by marine air masses. The systematic research on precipitation isotopes and water vapor sources is important for climate change research and extreme precipitation prediction on the Gannan Plateau and other similar areas.

Coal mining predisposes soils to heavy metal (HM) accumulation, which adversely affects the ecological environment and human health, particularly in extremely arid and vulnerable areas. In this study, soil samples were gathered from the Black Mountain Open Pit Coal Mine in Turpan City, Northwest China to determine the health risk of heavy metals (HMs). Results showed that positive matrix factorization model divided the sources of soil HMs into four categories, i.e., natural and animal husbandry (43.46%), industrial transportation (22.87%), fossil fuel combustion (10.64%), and atmospheric deposition and domestic pollution (23.03%). All kinds of pollution evaluation indices showed that Cd (cadmium) and Pb (plumbum) pollution was evident. The Monte Carlo simulated health risk assessment results showed that 4.00% non-carcinogenic risk and 12.00% carcinogenic risk were posed to children, and the positive matrix factorization-based health risk assessment showed that fossil fuel combustion had the highest contribution to the health risks to adults and children, while industrial transportation was the lowest. In this study, the risks of HMs in the soil of mining area were analyzed using source analysis, which not only provides reliable data support for the prevention and control of HM pollution in the soil of this arid mining area, but also provides a theoretical basis for subsequent regional research.

The Tianshan Mountains of Central Asia, highly sensitive to climate change, has been comprehensively assessed for its ecosystem vulnerability across multiple aspects. However, studies on the region's main river systems and hydropower resources remain limited. Thus, examining the impact of climate change on the runoff and gross hydropower potential (GHP) of this region is essential for promoting sustainable development and effective management of water and hydropower resources. This study focused on the Kaidu River Basin that is situated above the Dashankou Hydropower Station on the southern slope of the Tianshan Mountains, China. By utilizing an ensemble of bias-corrected global climate models (GCMs) from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) and the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model coupled with a glacier module (VIC-Glacier), we examined the variations in future runoff and GHP during 2017-2070 under four shared socio-economic pathway (SSP) scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5) compared to the baseline period (1985-2016). The findings indicated that precipitation and temperature in the Kaidu River Basin exhibit a general upward trend under the four SSP scenarios, with the fastest rate of increase in precipitation under the SSP2-4.5 scenario and the most significant changes in mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures under the SSP5-8.5 scenario, compared to the baseline period (1980-2016). Future runoff in the basin is projected to decrease, with rates of decline under the SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5 scenarios being 3.09, 3.42, 7.04, and 7.20 m³/s per decade, respectively. The trends in GHP are consistent with runoff, with rates of decline in GHP under the SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5 scenarios at 507.74, 563.33, 1158.44, and 1184.52 MW/10a, respectively. Compared to the baseline period (1985-2016), the rates of change in GHP under the SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5 scenarios are -20.66%, -20.93%, -18.91%, and -17.49%, respectively. The Kaidu River Basin will face significant challenges in water and hydropower resources in the future, underscoring the need to adjust water resource management and hydropower planning within the basin.

Amid global climate change, rising levels of nitrogen (N) deposition have attracted considerable attention for their potential effects on the carbon cycle of terrestrial ecosystems. The desert steppes are a crucial yet vulnerable ecosystem in arid areas, but their response to the combination of N addition and precipitation (a crucial factor in arid areas) remains underexplored. This study systematically explored the impact of N addition and precipitation on net ecosystem exchange (NEE) in a desert steppe in northern China. Specifically, we conducted a 2-a experiment from 2022 to 2023 with eight N addition treatments in the Urat desert steppe of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, to examine changes in NEE and explore its driving factors. The structural equation model (SEM) and multiple regression model were applied to determine the relationship of NEE with plant community characteristics and soil physical-chemical properties. Statistical results showed that N addition has no significant effect on NEE. However, it has a significant impact on the functional traits of desert steppe plant communities. SEM results further revealed that N addition has no significant effect on NEE in the desert steppe, whereas annual precipitation can influence NEE variations. The multiple regression model analysis indicated that plant functional traits play an important role in explaining the changes in NEE, accounting for 62.15% of the variation in NEE. In addition, plant height, as an important plant functional trait indicator, shows stronger reliability in predicting the changes in NEE and becomes a more promising predictor. These findings provide valuable insights into the complex ecological mechanisms governing plant community responses to precipitation and nutrient availability in the arid desert steppes, contributing to the improved monitoring and prediction of desert steppe ecosystem responses to global climate change.

Investigating the spatiotemporal evolution of vegetation and its response mechanisms to natural and anthropogenic elements is crucial for regional vegetation restoration and ecological preservation. The Mu Us Sandy Land (MUSL), which is situated in the semi-arid zone of northwestern China adjacent to the Loess Plateau, has been at the forefront of desertification and oasis formation over the past two millennia. This study is based on the synthesis of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data from MOD13A3 data in the MODIS (Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) dataset (2002-2021) and climate data (temperature and precipitation) at annual and monthly scales from the National Earth System Science Data Center. A range of analytical methods, including univariate linear regression, Theil-Sen trend analysis and Mann-Kendall significance test, correlation analysis, residual analysis, and Hurst index, were used to explore the response mechanisms of the NDVI to climate change and human activities and to predict the future trends of the NDVI in the MUSL. The results showed that through the method of correlation analysis, in terms of both spatially averaged correlation coefficients and area proportion, the NDVI was positively correlated with temperature and precipitation in 97.59% and 96.51% of the study area, respectively, indicating that temperature has a greater impact on the NDVI than precipitation. Residual analysis quantified the contributions of climate change and human activities to the NDVI changes, revealing that climate change and human activities contribute up to 30.00% and 70.00%, respectively, suggesting that human activities predominantly affect the NDVI changes in the MUSL. The Hurst index was used to categorize the future trend of the NDVI into four main directions of development: continuous degradation (0.05% of the study area), degradation in the past but improvement in the future (54.45%), improvement in the past but degradation in the future (0.13%), and continuous improvement (45.36%). In more than 50.00% of the regions that have been degraded in the past but were expected to improve in the future, the NDVI was expected to exhibit a stable trend of anti-persistent improvement. These findings provide theoretical support for future ecological protection, planning, and the implementation of ecological engineering in the MUSL, and also offer a theoretical basis for the planning and execution of construction projects, environmental protection measures, and the sustainable development of vegetation.

Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) plays a crucial role in determining plant physiological functions and exerts a substantial influence on vegetation, second only to carbon dioxide (CO₂). As a robust indicator of atmospheric water demand, VPD has implications for global water resources, and its significance extends to the structure and functioning of ecosystems. However, the influence of VPD on vegetation growth under climate change remains unclear in China. This study employed empirical equations to estimate the VPD in China from 2000 to 2020 based on meteorological reanalysis data of the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) Time-Series version 4.06 (TS4.06) and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Reanalysis 5 (ERA-5). Vegetation growth status was characterized using three vegetation indices, namely gross primary productivity (GPP), leaf area index (LAI), and near-infrared reflectance of vegetation (NIRv). The spatiotemporal dynamics of VPD and vegetation indices were analyzed using the Theil-Sen median trend analysis and Mann-Kendall test. Furthermore, the influence of VPD on vegetation growth and its relative contribution were assessed using a multiple linear regression model. The results indicated an overall negative correlation between VPD and vegetation indices. Three VPD intervals for the correlations between VPD and vegetation indices were identified: a significant positive correlation at VPD below 4.820 hPa, a significant negative correlation at VPD within 4.820-9.000 hPa, and a notable weakening of negative correlation at VPD above 9.000 hPa. VPD exhibited a pronounced negative impact on vegetation growth, surpassing those of temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation in absolute magnitude. CO₂ contributed most positively to vegetation growth, with VPD offsetting approximately 30.00% of the positive effect of CO₂. As the rise of VPD decelerated, its relative contribution to vegetation growth diminished. Additionally, the intensification of spatial variations in temperature and precipitation accentuated the spatial heterogeneity in the impact of VPD on vegetation growth in China. This research provides a theoretical foundation for addressing climate change in China, especially regarding the challenges posed by increasing VPD.

Soil salinization may affect biodiversity and species composition, leading to changes in the plant community structure. However, few studies have explored the spatial pattern of soil salinization and its effects on shrub community structure at the ecosystem scale. Therefore, we conducted a transect sampling of desert shrublands in Northwest China during the growing season (June-September) in 2021. Soil salinization (both the degree and type), shrub community structure (e.g., shrub density and height), and biodiversity parameters (e.g., Simpson diversity, Margalf abundance, Shannon-Wiener diversity, and Pielou evenness indices) were used to assess the effects of soil salinization on shrub community structure. The results showed that the primary degree of soil salinization in the study area was light salinization, with the area proportion of 69.8%. Whereas the main type of soil salinization was characterized as sulfate saline soil, also accounting for 69.8% of the total area. Notably, there was a significant reduction in the degree of soil salinization and a shift in the type of soil salinization from chloride saline soil to sulfate saline soil, with an increase in longitude. Regional mean annual precipitation (MAP), mean annual evapotranspiration (MAE), elevation, and slope significantly contributed to soil salinization and its geochemical differentiation. As soil salinization intensified, shrub community structure displayed increased diversity and evenness, as indicated by the increases in the Simpson diversity, Shannon-Wiener diversity, and Pielou evenness indices. Moreover, the succulent stems and leaves of Chenopodiaceae and Tamaricaceae exhibited clear advantages under these conditions. Furthermore, regional climate and topography, such as MAP, MAE, and elevation, had greater effects on the distribution of shrub plants than soil salinization. These results provide a reference for the origin and pattern of soil salinization in drylands and their effects on the community structure of halophyte shrub species.

Land use/cover change (LUCC) constitutes the spatial and temporal patterns of ecological security, and the construction of ecological networks is an effective way to ensure ecological security. Exploring the spatial and temporal change characteristics of ecological network and analyzing the integrated relationship between LUCC and ecological security are crucial for ensuring regional ecological security. Gansu is one of the provinces with fragile ecological environment in China, and rapid changes in land use patterns in recent decades have threatened ecological security. Therefore, taking Gansu Province as the study area, this study simulated its land use pattern in 2050 using patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) model based on the LUCC trend from 2000 to 2020 and integrated the LUCC into morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) to identify ecological sources and extract the ecological corridors to construct ecological network using circuit theory. The results revealed that, according to the prediction results in 2050, the areas of cultivated land, forest land, grassland, water body, construction land, and unused land would be 63,447.52, 39,510.80, 148,115.18, 4605.21, 8368.89, and 161,752.40 km², respectively. The number of ecological sources in Gansu Province would increase to 80, with a total area of 99,927.18 km². The number of ecological corridors would increase to 191, with an estimated total length of 6120.66 km. Both ecological sources and ecological corridors showed a sparse distribution in the northwest and dense distribution in the southeast of the province at the spatial scale. The number of ecological pinch points would reach 312 and the total area would expect to increase to 842.84 km², with the most pronounced increase in the Longdong region. Compared with 2020, the number and area of ecological barriers in 2050 would decrease significantly by 63 and 370.71 km², respectively. In general, based on the prediction results, the connectivity of ecological network of Gansu Province would increase in 2050. To achieve the predicted ecological network in 2050, emphasis should be placed on the protection of cultivated land and ecological land, the establishment of ecological sources in desert areas, the reinforcement of the protection for existing ecological sources, and the construction of ecological corridors to enhance the stability of ecological network. This study provides valuable theoretical support and references for the future construction of ecological networks and regional land resource management decision-making.

Intense evaporation in areas with loess-like sulfate saline soils has resulted in significant ecological challenges that include water shortages and soil salinization. Investigating evaporation rate in loess-like sulfate saline soils under varying salt contents carries crucial implications for understanding regional water loss processes, predicting soil salinization advancement, and formulating effective ecological management strategies. Therefore, this study sampled the loess-like sulfate saline soil that is widely distributed in western China as experimental materials and investigated the impact of different initial salt contents (0.00%, 0.50%, 1.50%, 3.00%, and 5.00%) on the evaporation rate, water content, and temperature of soil. The results showed that the evaporation rate decreased with increasing initial salt content. After a salt accumulation layer formed on the soil surface, the water content of the surface soil fluctuated. An increase in the initial salt content resulted in a corresponding increase in the surface temperature. Considering the evaporation characteristics of loess-like sulfate saline soil and the impact of an anomalous increase in surface soil water content on soil surface resistance, this study proposed a modified evaporation model on the basis of Fujimaki's evaporation model of saline soil by introducing a correction coefficient β to modify the soil surface resistance. A comparison of the calculated evaporation rates before and after the modification with the measured evaporation rates revealed a significant improvement in the calculation accuracy of the modified model, indicating that the modified model is capable of more accurately simulating the evaporation rate of sulfate saline soil with different initial salt contents. This paper proposes an effective method for calculating the evaporation rate of loess-like sulfate saline soils, providing a theoretical basis for evaporation research in saline soil.

The eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in China are a typical mountainous region of soil and gravel, where gravel could affect the water movement process in the soil. This study focused on the effects of different gravel contents on the water absorption characteristics and hydraulic parameters of stony soil. The stony soil samples were collected from the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in April 2023 and used as the experimental materials to conduct a one-dimensional horizontal soil column absorption experiment. Six experimental groups with gravel contents of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% were established to determine the saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_s), saturated water content (θ_s), initial water content (θ_i), and retention water content (θ_r), and explore the changes in the wetting front depth and cumulative absorption volume during the absorption experiment. The Philip model was used to fit the soil absorption process and determine the soil water absorption rate. Then the length of the characteristic wetting front depth, shape coefficient, empirical parameter, inverse intake suction and soil water suction were derived from the van Genuchten model. Finally, the hydraulic parameters mentioned above were used to fit the soil water characteristic curves, unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (K_θ) and specific water capacity (C(h)). The results showed that the wetting front depth and cumulative absorption volume of each treatment gradually decreased with increasing gravel content. Compared with control check treatment with gravel content of 0%, soil water absorption rates in the treatments with gravel contents of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% decreased by 11.47%, 17.97%, 25.24%, 29.83%, and 42.45%, respectively. As the gravel content increased, inverse intake suction gradually increased, and shape coefficient, K_s, θ_s, and θ_r gradually decreased. For the same soil water content, soil water suction and K_θ gradually decreased with increasing gravel content. At the same soil water suction, C(h) decreased with increasing gravel content, and the water use efficiency worsened. Overall, the water holding capacity, hydraulic conductivity, and water use efficiency of stony soil in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains decreased with increasing gravel content. This study could provide data support for improving soil water use efficiency in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains and other similar rocky mountainous areas.

Tumbleweeds participate in a common seasonal biological process in temperate grasslands, creating hanging grass fences during the grass-withering season that result in distinct ecological phenomena. In this study, we addressed the urgent need to understand and restore the degraded desert steppe in Central Mongolia, particularly considering the observed vegetation edge effects around hanging grass fences. Using field surveys conducted in 2019 and 2021 in the severely degraded desert steppe of Central Mongolia, we assessed vegetation parameters and soil physical and chemical properties influenced by hanging grass fences and identified the key environmental factors affecting vegetation changes. The results indicate that the edge effects of hanging grass fences led to changes in species distributions, resulting in significant differences in species composition between the desert steppe's interior and edge areas. Vegetation parameters and soil physical and chemical properties exhibited nonlinear responses to the edge effects of hanging grass fences, with changes in vegetation coverage, aboveground biomass, and soil sand content peaking at 26.5, 16.5, and 6.5 m on the leeward side of hanging grass fences, respectively. In the absence of sand dune formation, the accumulation of soil organic carbon and available potassium were identified as crucial factors driving species composition and increasing vegetation coverage. Changes in species composition and plant density were primarily influenced by soil sand content, electrical conductivity, and sand accumulation thickness. These findings suggest that hanging grass fences have the potential to alter vegetation habitats, promote vegetation growth, and control soil erosion in the degraded desert steppe of Central Mongolia. Therefore, in the degraded desert steppe, the restoration potential of hanging grass fences during the enclosure process should be fully considered.

Understanding the ecological evolution is of great significance in addressing the impacts of climate change and human activities. However, the ecological evolution and its drivers remain inadequately explored in arid and semi-arid areas. This study took the Helan Mountain, a typical arid and semi-arid area in China, as the study area. By adopting an Enhanced Remote Sensing Ecological Index (ERSEI) that integrates the habitat quality (HQ) index with the Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI), we quantified the ecological environment quality of the Helan Mountain during 2010-2022 and analyzed the driving factors behind the changes. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to validate the composite ERSEI, enabling the extraction of key features and the reduction of redundant information. The results showed that the contributions of first principal component (PC1) for ERSEI and RSEI were 80.23% and 78.72%, respectively, indicating that the ERSEI can provide higher precision and more details than the RSEI in assessing ecological environment quality. Temporally, the ERSEI in the Helan Mountain exhibited an initial decline followed by an increase from 2010 to 2022, with the average value of ERSEI ranging between 0.298 and 0.346. Spatially, the ERSEI showed a trend of being higher in the southwest and lower in the northeast, with high-quality ecological environments mainly concentrated in the western foothills at higher altitudes. The centroid of ERSEI shifted northeastward toward Helan County from 2010 to 2022. Temperature and digital elevation model (DEM) emerged as the primary drivers of ERSEI changes. This study highlights the necessity of using comprehensive monitoring tools to guide policy-making and conservation strategies, ensuring the resilience of fragile ecosystems in the face of ongoing climatic and anthropogenic pressures. The findings offer valuable insights for the sustainable management and conservation in arid and semi-arid ecosystems.

Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) plays a significant role in shaping the structure and functioning of various terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. However, the magnitude of N deposition on grassland ecosystems in Central Asia still remains highly uncertain. In this study, a multi-data approach was adopted to analyze the distribution and amplitude of N deposition effects in Central Asia from 1979 to 2014 using a process-based denitrification decomposition (DNDC) model. Results showed that total vegetation carbon (C) in Central Asia was 0.35 (±0.09) Pg C/a and the averaged water stress index (WSI) was 0.20 (±0.02) for the whole area. Increasing N deposition led to an increase in the vegetation C of 65.56 (±83.03) Tg C and slightly decreased water stress in Central Asia. Findings of this study will expand both our understanding and predictive capacity of C characteristics under future increases in N deposition, and also serve as a valuable reference for decision-making regarding water resources management and climate change mitigation in arid and semi-arid areas globally.

Biological invasion represents a major worldwide threat to native biodiversity and environmental stability. Haloxylon persicum was introduced to Tunisia (North Africa) with Saharan bioclimate in 1969 to fix sandy dunes. Since then, it has gained significant interest for its potential to colonize, proliferate, and become naturalized in Tunisia. Hence, understanding the seed germination response of H. persicum to abiotic conditions, including temperature, water stress, and salt stress, is crucial for predicting its future spread and adopting effective control strategies. Our work investigated the germination behavior of this invasive plant species by incubation at temperatures from 10.0°C to 35.0°C and at various osmotic potentials (-2.00, -1.60, -1.00, -0.50, and 0.00 MPa) of polyethylene glycol-6000 (PEG₆₀₀₀, indicating water stress) and sodium chloride (NaCl, indicating salt stress) solutions. Results showed remarkable correlations among the seed functional traits of H. persicum, indicating adaptive responses to local environmental constraints. The maximum germination rate was recorded at 25.0°C with a rate of 0.39/d. Using the thermal time model, the base temperature was recorded at 8.4°C, the optimal temperature was 25.5°C, and the ceiling temperature was found at 58.3°C. Besides, based on the hydrotime model, the base water potential showed lower values of -7.74 and -10.90 MPa at the optimal temperatures of 25.0°C and 30.0°C, respectively. Also, the species was found to have excellent tolerance to drought (water stress) compared to salt stress, which has implications for its potential growth into new habitats under climate change. Combining ecological and physiological approaches, this work elucidates the invasive potential of H. persicum and contributes to the protection of species distribution in Tunisian ecosystems.

Studying the spatiotemporal variation and driving mechanisms of vegetation net primary productivity (NPP) in the Guanzhong Plain Urban Agglomeration (GPUA) of China is highly important for regional green and low-carbon development. This study used the Theil-Sen trend analysis, Mann-Kendall trend test, coefficient of variation, Hurst index, and machine learning method (eXtreme Gradient Boosting and SHapley Additive exPlanations (XGBoost-SHAP)) to analyze the spatiotemporal variation of NPP in the GPUA from 2001 to 2020 and reveal its response to climate change and human activities. The results found that during 2001-2020, the averageNPP in the GPUA showed a significant upward trend, with an annual growth rate of 10.84 g C/(m²•a). The multi-year average NPP in the GPUA was 484.83 g C/(m²•a), with higher values in the southwestern Qinling Mountains and lower values in the central and northeastern cropland and built-up areas. The average coefficient of variation of NPP in the GPUA was 0.14, indicating a relatively stable state overall, but 72.72% of the study area showed weak anti-persistence, suggesting that NPP in most areas may have declined in the short term. According to XGBoost-SHAP analyses, elevation, land use type and precipitation were identified as the main driving factors of NPP. Appropriate precipitation and higher temperatures promote NPP growth, whereas extreme climates, high population density, and nighttime lighting inhibit NPP. This study has important theoretical and practical significance for achieving regional sustainable development, offers a scientific basis for formulating effective ecological protection and restoration strategies, and promotes green, coordinated, and sustainable development in the GPUA.