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The contradiction between the demand of urban economic development and ecological environmental protection is becoming more and more prominent, and the reasonable construction of ecological corridors is of great significance for the protection of urban ecosystems. Taking Changle District of Fuzhou coastal city as an example, this study proposes an ecological source identification method from the perspective of “structure-function” by combining Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) and Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) methods, and constructs and optimizes ecological corridors by means of the model of Minimum Cumulative Resistance (MCR) and Circuit Theory. The results show that: (1) a total of 20 ecological sources were extracted based on MSPA-RSEI; (2) a total of 31 ecological corridors were extracted based on Linkage Mapper, including 8 Level 1 corridors, 13 Level 2 corridors, and 10 Level 3 corridors; (3) the Pinch Point and Barrier Mapper software was utilized to identify 6.01 km2 and 2.59 km2, respectively, as Level 1 “pinch points” and barrier points within the study area. The land use types of these areas were as follows: The majority of “pinch points” were forested (60.72%), while the majority of barrier points were composed of construction land (55.27%), bare land (17.27%), and cultivated land (13.90%). (4) the optimal width of the corridor was determined by using the buffer zone method and gradient analysis: 30 m for the Level 1 corridor, 60 m for the Level 2 and Level 3 corridors, and the average current density before and after the construction of the eco-corridor was increased from 0.1881 to 0.4992. The results of the study can provide a reference for the decision-making of the ecological construction of the Changle District and the coastal urban areas of eastern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The contradiction between the demand of urban economic development and ecological environmental protection is becoming more and more prominent, and the reasonable construction of ecological corridors is of great significance for the protection of urban ecosystems. Taking Changle District of Fuzhou coastal city as an example, this study proposes an ecological source identification method from the perspective of “structure-function” by combining Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) and Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) methods, and constructs and optimizes ecological corridors by means of the model of Minimum Cumulative Resistance (MCR) and Circuit Theory. The results show that: (1) a total of 20 ecological sources were extracted based on MSPA-RSEI; (2) a total of 31 ecological corridors were extracted based on Linkage Mapper, including 8 Level 1 corridors, 13 Level 2 corridors, and 10 Level 3 corridors; (3) the Pinch Point and Barrier Mapper software was utilized to identify 6.01 km2 and 2.59 km2, respectively, as Level 1 “pinch points” and barrier points within the study area. The land use types of these areas were as follows: The majority of “pinch points” were forested (60.72%), while the majority of barrier points were composed of construction land (55.27%), bare land (17.27%), and cultivated land (13.90%). (4) the optimal width of the corridor was determined by using the buffer zone method and gradient analysis: 30 m for the Level 1 corridor, 60 m for the Level 2 and Level 3 corridors, and the average current density before and after the construction of the eco-corridor was increased from 0.1881 to 0.4992. The results of the study can provide a reference for the decision-making of the ecological construction of the Changle District and the coastal urban areas of eastern China.

The rapid urbanization process means that even moderate-sized cities can quickly become part of larger urban agglomerations, creating new urban zones. Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) plays a crucial role in these clusters, acting as precious green spaces essential for maintaining ecological safety. This study combines fluctuation analysis based on Morphological Spatial Pattern with traditional landscape pattern analysis, comprehensively addressing the evolution of UGI in terms of quantity, characteristics, and morphology. We selected the Taiyuan-Jinzhong agglomeration as our study area, which is currently in an agglomeration process. The results demonstrated the critical role of surrounding mountains as natural ecological barrier zones. During urban agglomeration, management strategies focused on large-scale afforestation to ensure the quantity of UGI. However, this approach also led to a more clustered landscape with reduced connectivity. Additionally, linear or small-scale UGI types such as branch and islet have seen reductions over the past decade. Changes in internal morphological and complex fluctuations within UGI can harm the formation of ecological networks and potentially negatively affect biodiversity and ecological safety. The research highlights how ecological protection and urban planning policies can influence UGI fluctuations. Therefore, urban managers should not just concentrate on maintaining the quantity of UGI, but also give consideration to changes in its internal features and morphology. Before cities further agglomerate into larger urban clusters, it is crucial to address deficiencies in UGI, continuously improving type configurations and functional structures at the landscape scale. Through strategic planning of UGI, cities can mitigate ecological risks and foster sustainable urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research on the ecological protection of cultivated land has gradually become a focus and frontier of cultivated land protection. Constructing an ecological network of a cultivated land system is important to improve the effect of cultivated land ecological protection. In this study, the supply-demand ratio of five ecosystem services was calculated from 2000 to 2020 in Shandong Province, a major grain-producing area in China. The morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) model was used to construct the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model. The conclusions of the study are as follows: (1) the areas with a higher supply and demand ratio of various ecosystem services of cultivated land in Shandong Province are distributed in southern and southwestern areas. (2) The ecological source of cultivated land in Shandong Province has decreased by about 7000 km2 from 2000 to 2020, and the fragmentation trend is obvious. (3) The total length of the ecological corridors is 798.5 km2. The majority of these corridors are located in central and southern Shandong. The ideas and conclusions of this study are important for the formulation of ecological protection policies for regional cultivated land systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological security and its patterns are hot topics for regional ecological protection. In the subtropical coast mountainous area with high precipitation, complex topography, and frequent typhoons, does the construction of a Power Transmission Line (PTL) affect local ecological security? Taking Fujian Tangyuan PTL as an example, this study examined changes in the Ecological Security Pattern (ESP) at regional and local scales by using Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA), Minimum Cumulative Resistance (MCR) and the Gravity model. The results showed that within the PTL timelines (before, during and after building the PTL), the ecological source area occupied 14.21%, 11.79% and 14.11% of the whole research region; while the important eco-corridors numbered 20, 21 and 16, respectively; and the eco-nodes numbered 168, 123 and 227, respectively. At the local scale, in the PTL buffer space (2 km from the PTL on either side, i.e., the potential ecological impact zone) within the timelines (before-during-after building the PTL), the ecological source area occupied 39.78 km2, 27.44 km2 and 29.88 km2, respectively, and the eco-corridor lengths were 50.78 km, 44.36 km and 67.18 km with 13, 7 and 25 eco-nodes, respectively. Clearly, during the building of the PTL, the ecological "source-corridor" decreased at first and gradually recovered after the construction, while the challenge to the ecological safety from the PTL occurred at the local scale. The results of this study provide a method for evaluating the ecological integrity disturbance by linear projects and scientific protection strategies are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The desert–oasis interaction zone plays a crucial role in safeguarding oasis ecological security and maintaining stability within oases. This paper proposed a framework of EN-DSS, based on long-term remote sensing data and fundamental data, adopted morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and Linkage Mapper among other methods, and it took Lingwu City in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, which is located in the desert–oasis interaction zone in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, as a case study. The results indicate the following: since 1995, this desert–oasis system has exhibited the characteristics whereby the oasis is expanding eastward and the desert is significantly receding. The vegetation coverage has improved overall, forming an ecological security pattern characterized predominantly by shrub forests, which is referred to as the "one core, two corridors, three zones, and multiple clusters" pattern. This pattern has significantly reduced the risk of wind and sand erosion in the agricultural irrigation areas along the Yellow River. However, the construction of this ecological security pattern still faces challenges, including high construction and maintenance costs and the need to enhance the network's quality. In the future, it will be necessary to strengthen the integrated ecological network construction of ecological areas, agricultural areas, and urban areas to enhance the stability of this regional ecological network system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the establishment of a regional ecological network can provide a scientific basis and valuable guidance for the protection of regional animals and plants, water conservation, sustainable resource utilization, and optimization of land use patterns. This study investigated the impacts of land use changes on the ecological security pattern using morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA), the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model, and the analysis of spatiotemporal changes and fragmentation of land use types. The results indicate that from 2000 to 2020, the dominant trend in land use types was the expansion of cultivated land, grass land, and wood land. Although the proportion of cultivated land was the largest and was concentrated in the southern part of Hebei Province, the total area of cultivated land showed a decline. Landscape index calculations revealed an increase in fragmentation of the overall landscape ecological patches, while the spatial and quantitative distribution of landscape types gradually became more uniform. Furthermore, 52 patches with the highest landscape index were identified as ecological sources, mainly located in northern Hebei Province in 2020. MSPA calculations showed that elevation, slope, and land use type contributed significantly to the comprehensive resistance surface. Using the MCR model, an ecological network for Hebei Province was constructed, consisting of 114 ecological corridors and 28 ecological nodes. The ecological corridors exhibited a distribution pattern of high density in the north and low density in the south, while the ecological nodes enhanced overall ecological connectivity in the region. Based on the current ecological environment, it is recommended to increase the number of ecological corridors and ecological nodes to enhance ecosystem stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban green ecological space is an important measure of sustainable urban development. Among them, landscape connectivity is one of the key factors in maintaining landscape function. Ecological networks can effectively improve regional ecological quality and promote urban landscape connectivity. However, previous studies on ecological networks have mainly focused on biodiversity conservation and lack research on landscape connectivity. This study used morphological spatial pattern analysis methods and utilized connectivity indices to identify ecological sources in the Chaoyang and Nanguan districts of China's Changchun City and selected environmental and anthropogenic factors to construct an integrated resistance surface. The minimum cumulative resistance model and network structure index were used for urban ecological network construction and node optimization. The results show that the potential ecological network comprises 17 ecological sources and 34 potential corridors, primarily located in forests and water bodies in the east and south regions. However, the northwest has poor habitat quality and uneven distribution of ecological corridors, that warrant prioritization in future planning, construction, and protection efforts. By introducing six supplemental sources and 25 additional corridors, the function and overall connectivity of the regional ecological network can be improved. The study confirmed that the selection of appropriate connectivity thresholds can improve the accuracy of ecological sources identification, and that the influence of anthropogenic factors on ecological resistance cannot be ignored. This study will provide a scientific basis for promoting urban construction and ecological balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid urbanization process means that even moderate-sized cities can quickly become part of larger urban agglomerations, creating new urban zones. Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) plays a crucial role in these clusters, acting as precious green spaces essential for maintaining ecological safety. This study combines fluctuation analysis based on Morphological Spatial Pattern with traditional landscape pattern analysis, comprehensively addressing the evolution of UGI in terms of quantity, characteristics, and morphology. We selected the Taiyuan-Jinzhong agglomeration as our study area, which is currently in an agglomeration process. The results demonstrated the critical role of surrounding mountains as natural ecological barrier zones. During urban agglomeration, management strategies focused on large-scale afforestation to ensure the quantity of UGI. However, this approach also led to a more clustered landscape with reduced connectivity. Additionally, linear or small-scale UGI types such as branch and islet have seen reductions over the past decade. Changes in internal morphological and complex fluctuations within UGI can harm the formation of ecological networks and potentially negatively affect biodiversity and ecological safety. The research highlights how ecological protection and urban planning policies can influence UGI fluctuations. Therefore, urban managers should not just concentrate on maintaining the quantity of UGI, but also give consideration to changes in its internal features and morphology. Before cities further agglomerate into larger urban clusters, it is crucial to address deficiencies in UGI, continuously improving type configurations and functional structures at the landscape scale. Through strategic planning of UGI, cities can mitigate ecological risks and foster sustainable urban development.

The impact of land use/cover change on land surface temperature is an important topic in research on biodiversity, environment planning, sustainability. However, such studies are rare in grassland ecosystems. Based on morphological spatial pattern analysis, we analyzed the change in grassland landscape patterns in the agro-pastoral ecotone of Inner Mongolia from 2000 to 2020. We also examined the impact of grassland landscape pattern change on productivity and land surface temperature. We found that the grassland area decreased significantly, with grassland fragmentation increasing during the past 20 years. A series of landscape types showed different area changes: the area of islet and perforation increased, and the area of core, edge, and bridge decreased. Compared with the core grassland, the edge grassland shows higher productivity, which is a positive edge effect. Moreover, the edge grassland has a lower daytime temperature, higher nighttime temperature, and a smaller daily range than that in the core grassland. Our study highlights that the edge grassland has higher productivity and stronger thermal buffering. We suggest that more attention should be paid to the edge areas in grassland management to alleviate the thermal stress caused by human induced climate change.

Rapid urbanization has caused serious negative impacts on the ecological and human landscapes of rural areas in China. By constructing a network of multifunctional landscape corridors, we can effectively connect landscape patches, reduce the danger of landscape fragmentation, and effectively protect rural areas′ ecological and human landscape resources. With the help of the Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) research method, the source sites for constructing landscape corridors were selected from the core areas that play an essential role in the performance of regional ecological functions, using the Liukeng Cultural and Ecological Tourism Area as the study area. The results of MSPA analysis are incorporated into the construction of the landscape resistance surface, the landscape corridor network is constructed using the minimum resistance model (MCR) and gravity model, and the landscape corridor network is improved by adding ecological steppingstones and humanistic landscape nodes. The results showed that ten important corridors and 13 secondary corridors were constructed based on 12 source patches in the study area; 5 ecological steppingstones and ten humanistic landscape nodes were added to the optimized network, 21 corridors were added, and 48 ecological breakpoints were proposed to be restored. The optimized network closure (0.65), line point rate (2.15), network connectivity (0.73), and other indicators indicate that the optimized study area has good connectivity of landscape corridors. The study provides a comparative analysis of landscape granularity suitable for mesoscale. Integrating historical and humanistic landscapes into the construction of landscape corridors is an optimization of previous studies that focused only on natural ecology and neglected historical and humanistic landscapes. The study can be a reference for future research on multi-functional landscape corridors and ecological networks in mesoscale and rural areas. At the same time, the construction of multifunctional landscape corridors can promote the conservation of natural and historical human landscapes and the future development of tourism in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrological connectivity is the main non-biological driving factor of wetland ecological processes and is key to maintaining the stability and biodiversity of the whole ecosystem. Socio-economic activities have had a significant impact on the hydrological connectivity of wetlands, resulting in the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of the ecological functions of wetlands. Wetland biodiversity hotspots in Sanjiang Plain that were identified in the previous literature using the Systematic Conservation Planning (SCP) method were chosen as the research objects. The SCP method was combined with the structural hydrological connectivity index (Integral Index of Connectivity (IIC) and Probability of Connectivity (PC)) and the functional hydrological connectivity index (Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis) to analyze the spatio-temporal changes in the hydrological connectivity of the wetland biodiversity hotspots in Sanjiang Plain. The results showed that the hydrological connectivity within the eight identified wetland biodiversity hotspots in Sanjiang Plain experienced varying degrees of decline in the period between 1995 and 2015. Structurally, the IIC values of wetlands in all of the biodiversity hotspots were more than 0.5, and the PC values were more than 0.9, but most of the hotspots showed declining trends of varying degrees from 2010 to 2015. Functionally, the average proportion of core wetlands in the hotspots has decreased by 4.82%, and the average proportion of edge wetlands has increased by 2.71% over the last 20 years. The findings on the hydrological connectivity evolution patterns can aid in the conservation and restoration of wetlands and biodiversity hotspots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of the rapid urbanisation in China, the ecological system in urban areas has become fragmented, posing a threat to ecological stability. Constructing ecological networks is considered a critical strategy to reconnect habitats, restore ecosystems and improve ecological capacity. This research aims to develop a GIS-based model that can inform urban ecological network construction and identify the priority areas for ecological protection in a given urban context. The methodological prototype considers land use, habitat conditions and human interventions from an integrated perspective and has been tested based on a case study in Wujiang District, Suzhou. The results show that (i) 30 critical ecological patches were identified, including 2 vital, 4 important and 24 general cores; (ii) 69 ecological corridors, including 15 vital, 36 important and 18 general corridors, 59 ecological nodes and 24 barriers were determined. Based on these results, this research identified priority restoration and protected areas that urgently require the restoration of ecological networks according to their importance. This research proposes further recommendations on management strategies for construction and protection guidance at macro and micro levels in accordance with existing territorial and spatial planning of Wujiang. The model developed in this research provides a scientific methodology for planning and optimising ecological networks and can serve as a basis for realising ecological protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat fragmentation has become an important factor in the reduction of biodiversity. Identifying and optimizing ecological networks (ENs) can help alleviate the negative impact of habitat fragmentation and improve regional biodiversity. Taolai River Basin is an inland river basin in Northwest China. Due to the impact of climate change and human activities, there are many ecological problems such as grassland degradation and shortage of water resources. It is urgent that we identify and optimize the EN. This study comprehensively uses morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA), the minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR), and circuit theory to identify ENs, evaluates ENs based on Spatial Syntax, and determines the protection priority of ENs, then diagnoses ecological "pinch points" and ecological obstacles by combining remote sensing and GIS spatial analysis methods. The results show that: (1) the ecological source area of the basin is 3061.63 km2, with uneven spatial distribution, mainly distributed in the Qilian Mountains in the south of the basin; (2) there are 106 ecological corridors in the basin, with a total length of 2267.30 km and an average length of 21.38 km, which is not conducive to species migration; (3) the optimum widths of ecological corridors in the south, middle, and north of the basin are 100 m, 60 m, and 300 m, respectively; (4) the key areas of watershed ecological restoration include the "pinch area" between the southern core area and the central core area and 108 ecological barrier points; and (5) combined with the spatial characteristics of various key areas of ecological protection and restoration, the spatial pattern of "one core–four rings–five belts" of watershed EN construction is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In fast urbanizing cities, fragmentation of urban green infrastructure (UGI) commonly arises due to lack of efficient planning to maintain the quantity and improve their quality. As ecological processes and landscape patterns are closely intertwined, it is a prerequisite to investigate landscape structure when aiming at better provision of ecosystem services. This study integrates remote sensing, geographic information system, combination of landscape metrics, and multi-variated statistics to delineate structural attributes influencing UGI Quality (UGIQ). We exemplify our methodology in three capital cities of Indian Himalayan states at administrative ward level. The UGIQ is derived by comparing landscape characters defined by nine metrics denoting area, shape, and aggregation attributes. By employing principal component analysis (PCA) and multi-collinearity diagnosis, a set of quality defining metrics are obtained for each city. Further, to gain insightful spatial basis for improving connectivity, Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) is used to visualize and classify patches into seven morphological classes. Landscape characterization highlights a pattern of low-quality wards having a limited number and area of UGI patches in urban centers, and high-quality wards with complex and aggregated patches towards fringes. PCA identifies the positive influence of area (LPI, AREA_MN) and shape (LSI, FRAC_AM, CONTIG) metrics and negative influence of patch distance (ENN_MN) and fragmentation (PD) on UGIQ in different combinations across the cities. Higher shares of morphological core and edge classes are recognized for overall UGIQ improvement. The results provide quantitative measures to develop integrated spatial planning strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The desert–oasis interaction zone plays a crucial role in safeguarding oasis ecological security and maintaining stability within oases. This paper proposed a framework of EN-DSS, based on long-term remote sensing data and fundamental data, adopted morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and Linkage Mapper among other methods, and it took Lingwu City in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, which is located in the desert–oasis interaction zone in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, as a case study. The results indicate the following: since 1995, this desert–oasis system has exhibited the characteristics whereby the oasis is expanding eastward and the desert is significantly receding. The vegetation coverage has improved overall, forming an ecological security pattern characterized predominantly by shrub forests, which is referred to as the “one core, two corridors, three zones, and multiple clusters” pattern. This pattern has significantly reduced the risk of wind and sand erosion in the agricultural irrigation areas along the Yellow River. However, the construction of this ecological security pattern still faces challenges, including high construction and maintenance costs and the need to enhance the network’s quality. In the future, it will be necessary to strengthen the integrated ecological network construction of ecological areas, agricultural areas, and urban areas to enhance the stability of this regional ecological network system.

Urban green spaces (UGSs) play a crucial role in supporting urban ecological systems and improving human well-being in cities. The spatial patterns of UGS are vital bases for analyzing various ecological processes. However, few studies have investigated morphological UGS patterns, especially in high-density cities. The Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) in China is one of the four major bay areas in the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the patterns and distributions of UGS in the core GBA cities (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Hong Kong, and Macao), and discuss the shortcomings and potential environmental impacts of the contemporary patterns of UGS. Morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) was used to analyze the spatial UGS pattern. Seven MSPA metrics (core, islet, perforation, edge, loop, bridge, and branch) were assessed to measure morphological UGS patterns. The results showed that: (1) Hong Kong has the highest quality habitat, with a large and continuous distribution of UGSs, and a few smaller green spaces scattered in built-up areas; (2) Guangzhou's UGSs are unevenly distributed, with large green spaces concentrated in the northern part of the city and many small, scattered green spaces distributed in built-up areas, demonstrating the most prominent pattern of green space fragmentation; (3) green space patches in the Shenzhen–Hong Kong region exhibit a relatively complex form; and (4) the UGS in Zhuhai–Macao is relatively discrete, and its connectivity is relatively low. These findings not only improve the depth of understanding of the spatial pattern of UGS in the GBA, but also confirm the applicability of MSPA in the analysis of spatial patterns of UGS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerated urbanization and population growth lead to the fragmentation of urban green space and loss of biodiversity. There are few studies on the integration of structural and functional connectivity to solve this problem. Our study aims to draw up a methodology to synthesize two methods of connectivity evaluation, accordingly, to construct an urban green infrastructure (UGI) network which is of great significance to maintain the stability of the urban ecosystem. Taking Beijing as a study area, we first used Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) to identify the source patches, then combined with the graph theory-based landscape metrics to discuss the effect of different diffusion distances on the regional landscape connectivity and classify the importance level of the source patches. Finally, we used both least-cost path (LCP) and circuit theory to construct network and identify pinch areas in corridors for network optimization. The results show that (1) the landscape connectivity of the study area is obviously polarized. Source patches in mountain and hilly areas have good ecological bases and large areas, and the density of corridors is relatively high, which makes a large contribution to the overall landscape connectivity; Source patches in plain areas are severely fragmented, and there are only a small number of potential corridors connecting urban areas and suburban areas. (2) The UGI network is composed of 70 source patches and 148 potential corridors. The diffusion distance that is most beneficial to improve landscape connectivity is 20–25 km. (3) 6 pinch areas that are of great significance for improving the connectivity of the landscape present the coexistence of high migration resistance and large optimization potential, and urgently need to be restored first. This study provides a method to combine the structural and the functional analysis to construct a UGI network and formulate more scientifical protection strategies for planning departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conservation management of biodiversity hotspots is of vital significance for biological conservation. For wetlands, which are a special type of ecosystems that are based on water as their main medium, a decline in external hydrological connectivity often leads to wetland degradation inside biodiversity hotspots. In this context, the relationship between hydrological connectivity changes inside and outside hotspots is worth exploring. Based on the wetland biodiversity hotspots identified using systematic conservation planning, this study selected eight representative biodiversity hotspots with concentrated area. Integral index of connectivity, probability of connectivity (representing structural connectivity), and morphological spatial pattern analysis (representing functional connectivity) were used to analyze the hydrological connectivity changes inside various hotspots for 1995–2015. By taking the catchment area involved as the minimum basin perimeter, this study calculated the external hydrological connectivity changes of various hotspots during this period and analyzed the relationship between hydrological connectivity changes inside and outside of hotspots. The internal and external hydrological connectivity of wetland biodiversity hotspots were found to be significantly correlated. Moreover, the internal hydrological connectivity of hotspots not only declined with declining external structural connectivity, but also changed with the proportion of core wetlands, the proportion of edge wetlands, and the proportion of branch corridors. In addition, hotspots located at intersections of high-grade rivers were more significantly affected by climate change than by human activities and their hydrological connectivity increased with increasing rainfall. The internal hydrological connectivity of hotspots near low-grade rivers presented a declining trend, mainly because of human activities. This study clarified the relationship between internal and external hydrological connectivity of wetland biodiversity hotspots. Targeted internal and external control strategies are proposed, with the aim to offer references for the conservation of wetland biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrological connectivity is an essential indicator of wetland pattern and functional stability. The reduction of connectivity usually means the degradation of wetland ecological function, internal energy flow, and nutrient cycle disturbance. Taking Hanshiqiao wetland as a case, we used Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) with the Connectivity Index (IIC, Integral Index of Connectivity; PC, Probability of Connectivity) to analyze the change in hydrological connectivity of Hanshiqiao Wetland from both spatial and temporal aspects. The results showed that the hydrological connectivity of Hanshiqiao Wetland significantly improved with the implementation of the wetland restoration project. According to the changes in MSPA function types, the spatial morphological evolution of Hanshiqiao Wetland can be divided into two stages: the recovery stage and the stable stage. In the restoration stage, the area of the core wetland gradually increased, and many croplands and islet wetlands were transformed into the core wetland. The area of the core wetland recovered from 33 hm2 in 2005 to 119 hm2 in 2020. However, during the stable period, the landscape pattern of Hanshiqiao Wetland did not change significantly, and the hydrological connectivity of the wetland was mainly affected by water resource supply. In general, during the restoration period of Hanshiqiao Wetland, the changes in core wetlands played a leading role in the hydrological connectivity of Hanshiqiao Wetland. In the stable period, the main factors affecting the hydrological connectivity of Hanshiqiao Wetland are upstream recharge water, land-use change, and climate change. However, with climate warming and population surge, upstream water supply gradually decreases, and Hanshiqiao Wetland faces an increasingly severe water resource crisis. Therefore, to maintain the hydrological connectivity of Hanshiqiao Wetland, it is necessary to increase the artificial ecological water supply. The combined MSPA model and grey relational analysis method can better reveal the evolution characteristics and driving mechanism of wetland hydrological connectivity, which can provide a methodological reference for other wetland-related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among landscapes, rural landscapes are important because they simultaneously present functional and cultural aspects. Rural landscapes are often created to modify the Earth's surface according to different human needs and, among these modifying activities, terracing has significant anthropogenic effect. A multitemporal approach that covers a significant time interval is crucial for monitoring the integrity and cultural value of historical rural landscapes. The present research aims to study the fragmentation dynamics detectable in an active agricultural terraced system of historical and cultural relevance over a considerable time interval, by conducting a morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA). We analysed a period of about 60 years, from 1955 to 2014, considering five intermediate years (1976, 1989, 1998, 2008, and 2012) and investigated the dynamics that occurred. We detected a trend of abandonment of agricultural terraces, with a reduction in area from 813.25 ha (in 1955) to 118.79 ha (in 2014). The MSPA results showed a decrease in core areas, the most stable pattern, and an increase in the relative importance of other less stable classes. Moreover, we highlighted two different fragmentation dynamics, i.e., one between 1955 and 1976 and the other between 1998 and 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In fast urbanizing cities, fragmentation of urban green infrastructure (UGI) commonly arises due to lack of efficient planning to maintain the quantity and improve their quality. As ecological processes and landscape patterns are closely intertwined, it is a prerequisite to investigate landscape structure when aiming at better provision of ecosystem services. This study integrates remote sensing, geographic information system, combination of landscape metrics, and multi-variated statistics to delineate structural attributes influencing UGI Quality (UGIQ). We exemplify our methodology in three capital cities of Indian Himalayan states at administrative ward level. The UGIQ is derived by comparing landscape characters defined by nine metrics denoting area, shape, and aggregation attributes. By employing principal component analysis (PCA) and multi-collinearity diagnosis, a set of quality defining metrics are obtained for each city. Further, to gain insightful spatial basis for improving connectivity, Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) is used to visualize and classify patches into seven morphological classes. Landscape characterization highlights a pattern of low-quality wards having a limited number and area of UGI patches in urban centers, and high-quality wards with complex and aggregated patches towards fringes. PCA identifies the positive influence of area (LPI, AREA_MN) and shape (LSI, FRAC_AM, CONTIG) metrics and negative influence of patch distance (ENN_MN) and fragmentation (PD) on UGIQ in different combinations across the cities. Higher shares of morphological core and edge classes are recognized for overall UGIQ improvement. The results provide quantitative measures to develop integrated spatial planning strategies.

Habitat fragmentation has become an important factor in the reduction of biodiversity. Identifying and optimizing ecological networks (ENs) can help alleviate the negative impact of habitat fragmentation and improve regional biodiversity. Taolai River Basin is an inland river basin in Northwest China. Due to the impact of climate change and human activities, there are many ecological problems such as grassland degradation and shortage of water resources. It is urgent that we identify and optimize the EN. This study comprehensively uses morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA), the minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR), and circuit theory to identify ENs, evaluates ENs based on Spatial Syntax, and determines the protection priority of ENs, then diagnoses ecological “pinch points” and ecological obstacles by combining remote sensing and GIS spatial analysis methods. The results show that: (1) the ecological source area of the basin is 3061.63 km2, with uneven spatial distribution, mainly distributed in the Qilian Mountains in the south of the basin; (2) there are 106 ecological corridors in the basin, with a total length of 2267.30 km and an average length of 21.38 km, which is not conducive to species migration; (3) the optimum widths of ecological corridors in the south, middle, and north of the basin are 100 m, 60 m, and 300 m, respectively; (4) the key areas of watershed ecological restoration include the “pinch area” between the southern core area and the central core area and 108 ecological barrier points; and (5) combined with the spatial characteristics of various key areas of ecological protection and restoration, the spatial pattern of “one core–four rings–five belts” of watershed EN construction is obtained.

The article discusses methodological approaches to the assessment of the spatial configuration and structure of green spaces and fragments of the natural landscape (for Malaga, Spain). Modern modeling techniques using geographic information systems (GIS) are used to assess Malaga's green infrastructure in terms of the configuration, fragmentation, and spatial structure of green spaces (with GuidosToolBox software). Morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) focuses on the geometry and connectivity of components based on a raster image of the study area, can automatically identify ecological corridors of different sizes, and can further rank them within the network, thereby making it possible to assess the connectivity of the natural framework of the city. With MSPA, it is possible to identify the configuration and structure of green spaces, the main basic reserves (cores) and islands of green infrastructure, and the ecological corridors and to assess the connectivity and fragmentation of green spaces, which is critical for the determination of the unity of the ecological framework of the parameters. The scientific novelty of the research consists of the developed methodological approaches for the determination of high-priority areas of the green infrastructure network, which are simultaneously important for both the conservation of biodiversity and for the development of the recreational and aesthetic qualities of green spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among landscapes, rural landscapes are important because they simultaneously present functional and cultural aspects. Rural landscapes are often created to modify the Earth’s surface according to different human needs and, among these modifying activities, terracing has significant anthropogenic effect. A multitemporal approach that covers a significant time interval is crucial for monitoring the integrity and cultural value of historical rural landscapes. The present research aims to study the fragmentation dynamics detectable in an active agricultural terraced system of historical and cultural relevance over a considerable time interval, by conducting a morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA). We analysed a period of about 60 years, from 1955 to 2014, considering five intermediate years (1976, 1989, 1998, 2008, and 2012) and investigated the dynamics that occurred. We detected a trend of abandonment of agricultural terraces, with a reduction in area from 813.25 ha (in 1955) to 118.79 ha (in 2014). The MSPA results showed a decrease in core areas, the most stable pattern, and an increase in the relative importance of other less stable classes. Moreover, we highlighted two different fragmentation dynamics, i.e., one between 1955 and 1976 and the other between 1998 and 2008.

Rapid urbanization development and construction has seriously threatened the connectivity of habitat patches in cities and hindered the construction of ecological networks in highly urbanized areas. Among them, China is affected by early compressed urbanization, and the broken ecological space in cities and towns has attracted the extensive interest of researchers. To avoid the subjective randomness and single analysis of ecological space in urbanization areas, this paper takes the central urban area of Wuhan as the main research area. It comprehensively evaluates the ecological network space by combining the MSPA-MCR model. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Identifying the ecological landscape types with important ecological significance in the study area: Core (88.29%), Islet (0.25%), Perf (0.63%), Edge (9.74%), Loop (0.22%), and Bridge (0.14%). Through the dPC landscape index, seven important ecological sources south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River were identified. (2) According to the comprehensive factors of natural and human factors constructed by the MCR model, the minimum cumulative ecological resistance surface was established, with an average value of 2.65, a maximum value of 4.70, and a minimum value of 1.00, showing a trend that the ecological resistance values in the central and eastern parts are lower than those in the western part. (3) According to the standard deviation ellipse, the distribution direction of NE–SW in ecological sources was analyzed. The ecological sources distributed in the north were less, and the spatial distribution was scattered on the whole. The strong global positive correlation and local spatial aggregation characteristics of ecological resistance surface were evaluated according to spatial autocorrelation. Based on the gravity model, the interaction intensity of ecological corridors between source areas was evaluated, and the importance of ecological corridor protection and restoration was quantitatively analyzed. The research results provide scientific and reasonable references and a basis for ecological planning of Wuhan central city.

Hydrological connectivity is important for maintaining the stability and function of wetland ecosystems. Small-scale hydrological connectivity restricts large-scale hydrological cycle processes. However, long-term evolutionary studies and quantitative evaluation of the hydrological connectivity of wetlands in the Poyang Lake area have not been sufficiently conducted. In this study, we collected 21 Landsat remote sensing images and extracted land use data from 1989 to 2020, introducing a morphological spatial pattern analysis model to assess the wetland hydrological connectivity. A comprehensive method for evaluating the hydrological connectivity of wetlands was established and applied to the Poyang Lake area. The results showed that, over the course of 31 years, the wetland landscape in the Poyang Lake area changed dramatically, and the wetland area has generally shown a decreasing and then increasing trend, among which the core wetland plays a dominant role in the hydrological connectivity of the Poyang Lake area. In addition, the hydrological connectivity decreases as the core wetland area decreases. From 1989 to 2005, the landscape in the Poyang Lake area focused mainly on the transition from wetland to non-wetland. From 2005 to 2020, the conversion of wetland landscape types shows a clear reversal compared to the previous period, showing a predominant shift from non-wetland to wetland landscapes. The eco-hydrological connectivity of the wetlands in the Poyang Lake area from 1989 to 2020 first decreased, and then increased after 2005. In the early stage of the study (1989−2005), we found that the connectivity of 0.3444 in 2005 was the lowest value in the study period. A resolution of 30 m and an edge effect width of 60 m were optimal for studying the hydrological connectivity of wetlands in the Poyang Lake area. The main drivers of the changes in hydrological connectivity were precipitation and the construction of large-scale water conservation projects, as well as changes in land use. This study provides a good basis for assessing hydrological connectivity in a meaningful way, and is expected to provide new insights for maintaining and restoring biodiversity and related ecosystem services in the Poyang Lake area.

This paper quantified the impact of urban expansion on landscape characteristics of a famous landscape icon, the Roman Campagna, during the last thirty years. Landscape composition and structure were assessed between 1974, when the distinguishing features of Roman Campagna are still widespread and 2008, after the trajectory of urban decentralisation and urban sprawl. Changes in landscape structure were explored by spatial pattern analysis to detect how structural changes in landscape components can modify both land structure and landscape image. Non-parametric correlation statistics and multi factor analysis showed that the distinctive features of the Roman Campagna landscape are now blurred. A generalized landscape mixitè was generated by the juxtaposition of different fragmented land uses, as showed by a negative relationship between changes in surface area and patchiness found in almost all other land use classes. Adaptation measures for preserving peri-urban agriculture in a landscape changed in structure and image are finally discussed.

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) pollution is becoming a growing global problem with the rapid process of urbanization. Urban green space (UGS) can effectively alleviate PM; however, few studies have investigated the effects of the UGS morphological pattern on PM, especially from a spatial strategy perspective. This study probed the contribution and strength of UGS on variation of PM 2.5 concentration based on morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA). Three relative indicators (range, duration, and rate) were used to represent PM 2.5 changes, and seven MSPA classes (core, islet, perforation, edge, loop, bridge, and branch) were performed to measure UGS morphological patterns. Stepwise regression analysis was used to build the PM 2.5 estimation models and partial correlation analysis was used to further analyze how well different MSPA classes influence PM 2.5. Results showed that MSPA classes and meteorological factors combined can explain more of PM 2.5 increase variance at a high PM 2.5 level, and 40.7–81.4% for PM 2.5 reduction variance, and meteorological factors contributed more to PM 2.5 increase and reduction. Higher proportions of the core and bridge were conducive to restrict the growth and promote the reduction of PM 2.5 concentration, however, a higher proportion of perforation, islet, and edge showed opposite results. The effects of loop and branch were complex. In addition, higher air temperature and lower relative humidity were effective in reducing PM 2.5. Wind speed, also a significant factor, had an unstable influence. The study results may provide important insights and effective spatial strategies for urban managers to mitigate PM 2.5. Image 1 • The contribution and strength of green space morphology to PM 2.5 variations are analyzed. • Morphological spatial pattern analysis is used to identify the morphological pattern of green space. • Three indicators are proposed to measure PM 2.5 temporal variations during the whole cycle of a haze event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The grassland area has shown a decreasing trend in the past 21 years. • The grassland has been severely fragmented in the past 21 years. • Edge grassland has higher productivity compared with core grassland. • Edge grassland has a stronger thermal buffer compared with core grassland. The impact of land use/cover change on land surface temperature is an important topic in research on biodiversity, environment planning, sustainability. However, such studies are rare in grassland ecosystems. Based on morphological spatial pattern analysis, we analyzed the change in grassland landscape patterns in the agro-pastoral ecotone of Inner Mongolia from 2000 to 2020. We also examined the impact of grassland landscape pattern change on productivity and land surface temperature. We found that the grassland area decreased significantly, with grassland fragmentation increasing during the past 20 years. A series of landscape types showed different area changes: the area of islet and perforation increased, and the area of core, edge, and bridge decreased. Compared with the core grassland, the edge grassland shows higher productivity, which is a positive edge effect. Moreover, the edge grassland has a lower daytime temperature, higher nighttime temperature, and a smaller daily range than that in the core grassland. Our study highlights that the edge grassland has higher productivity and stronger thermal buffering. We suggest that more attention should be paid to the edge areas in grassland management to alleviate the thermal stress caused by human induced climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strengthening ecological network construction is an important measure to improve urban ecological environment and protect biodiversity. With Lingwu City of Ningxia as an example, based on remote sensing and social and economic data, we comprehensively analyzed the "double network" (ecological network and social and economic landscape) pattern and their relationship by using morphological spatial pattern analysis, Linkage Mapper, and improved gravity model. The results showed that land use/cover changed dramatically from 2000 to 2020 in Lingwu City. The area of sandy land and grassland decreased sharply, that of forest and construction land increased, and industrial zones expanded rapidly. The connectivity and stability of "dual network" were improved. The intensive areas of human activities were distributed in urban area, oasis agricultural areas, and Ningdong energy industrial zone. The ecological source areas and ecological corridors were mainly distributed in the middle of the nature reserve, while some extended to the other three functional areas. The transportation corridor presented an "H" pattern that was dense in oasis agricultural area and Ningdong energy industrial zone, and connected between the two regions. The "double network" were centered around their respective functional area spaces and had interwoven distributions. The trend of the "double network" changed from conflict to coordinated situation, with obvious zoning and interaction in space. The oasis agricultural area and Ningdong energy industrial area destroyed the eco-logy in the early stage and improved that in the later stage. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen the coordination between ecological protection and social and economic development, which could improve ecological quality by combining measures such as improving the quality of ecological sources and corridors, constructing ecological nodes, and repairing ecological disturbance points.

Context: Montados are dynamic agroforestry systems of southern Portugal, with high economic and ecological values. Changes in land use and cover have important implications for landscape-level biodiversity and its conservation.Objectives: Our objectives were to evaluate the biodiversity values and trends in a montado system in the Alentejo, Portugal so as to inform landscape level conservation approaches. In doing so, we aimed to develop a replicable and robust approach drawing together field observation, expert opinion, and remote sensing to produce predictions relevant to land management planning.Methods: Field sampling and subsequent analysis of data on the birds, butterflies and plants in eight distinct land covers allowed the identification of two principal habitat groupings of importance: ‘montado mosaic’ and ‘shrubland’. Morphological spatial pattern analysis was performed on Landsat-derived GIS habitat layers for 1984 and 2009, generating maps and statistics for change in the different landscape functional classes. In addition, we demonstrated how the modelling of ecotones between open and closed biomes can identify the preferred hunting grounds of the threatened Iberian lynx and black vulture, flagship species whose conservation provides benefits to the area’s wider biodiversity values.Results: Total and core area of montado mosaics and shrubland increased over the 25 year period, whilst the amount of habitat connectivity declined in the case of shrubland. Considerable local variation in these trends highlighted targetable areas for conservation action (e.g. through agri-environment spending).Conclusions: A rapid and robust approach was demonstrated, with potentially wider utility for biodiversity assessment and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Introduced an accessibility perspective to assess urban heat risk. • Applied the MSPA analysis method to identify stable heat sources. • Identified the heat risk areas and affected population in different months. • Compared the accessibility measurement method with the traditional method. A heat risk assessment in complex urban areas is important to mitigate the impact of the urban heat island (UHI) and to accurately implement cooling measures. Previous studies have focused on a single 'heat source' or 'resident' oriented assessment method, with fewer assessments and lack of appropriate theoretical approaches that consider both the distribution of residents and heat core areas. This study combined a morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and a two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) model to identify UHI patches and heat cores, assessed the accessibility of residents to heat core areas at the neighbourhood scale, and constructed a new framework for assessing the heat risk from an accessibility perspective. A case study of Shenzhen City indicated that the heat core area accounted for 5.5%, 7.8%, 10%, and 7.1% of the whole study area in February, May, August, and November, respectively. The relationship between the areas with a heat risk and UHI patches, and the dominant factors for the formation of different high-risk aggregations had a high spatial heterogeneity. The differences between the accessibility-based assessment results and conventional methods were also discussed, and the heat risk in conventional assessment methods was found to be in error. The accessibility-based heat risk assessment framework can accurately identify heat core areas and high heat risk areas, and provide effective planning guidance for mitigating the negative effects of UHI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acceleration of urbanization and the frequent occurrence of natural disasters have led to increasingly fragmented habitats and decreased ecological connectivity, which in turn hinder rural sustainable development. Constructing ecological networks is a key direction in the spatial planning. By strengthening source protection, corridor construction, and ecological control, it can effectively alleviate the contradiction between regional ecological and economic development imbalance and promote biodiversity enhancement. With Yanqing District as an example, we constructed the ecological network by means of the morphological spatial pattern analysis, the connectivity analysis software, and the minimum cumulative resistance model. We analyzed various network elements from a county perspective, and provide suggestions for the development of towns. The results showed that the ecological network of Yanqing District as a whole presented the distribution characteristics of "the Mountain and the Plain". A total of 12 ecological sources were identified, covering an area of 1085.54 km 2 , accounting for 54.4% of the total area. 66 ecological corridors were screened with a total length of 1057.18 km, including 21 important corridors and 45 general corridors, with the length of which accounting for 32.6% and 67.4%, respectively. 27 first-class ecological nodes and 86 second-class ecological nodes were identified, which were concentrated in "the Mountain" such as Qianjiadian and Zhenzhuquan. The distribution of ecological networks in different towns was closely related to their geographical environment and development orientation. The towns such as Qianjiadian and Zhenzhuquan were located in "the Mountain", covering a wide range of ecological sources and corridors. Strengthening protection of ecological source was the focus of network construction, which can promote the coordinated development of ecology and tourism in towns. The towns such as Liubinbao and Zhangshanying were located at the junction of "the Mountain-Plain", hence strengthening corridor connectivity was the main direction of network construction, which could promote the construction of ecological landscape in towns. The towns such as Yanqing and Kangzhuang were located in the "the Plain", with serious landscape fragmentation due to the lack of ecological sources and corridors. Those towns need to build green livable towns through increasing ecological nodes and strengthening ecological restoration. This study enriched the construction of ecological networks at the county scale, explored the interface with spatial planning, strengthened ecological restoration and ecological control, which had reference value for promoting the sustainable development of towns and the construction of a multi-scale ecological network.

Species distribution models (SDMs) are commonly used to predict potential species distribution in ecology, biogeography, and conservation. However, the lack of consideration for many different aspects of the species' ecology often result in maps of limited practical value. Yet the wealth of information that is often available (especially for larger vertebrates) could help improve these models. Here, considering the mouflon (Ovis aries) in Sardinia as a case study, we propose a new integrated approach based on different aspects of the species ecology. In particular, we combined an SDM calibrated with an ensemble modelling approach with a morphological spatial pattern analysis and a model of structural connectivity. With this approach it was possible to map at the same time the distribution of potentially suitable habitat patches (and particularly of those being able to host a pregnant females) and of the structural corridors connecting these patches. Overall, while the SDM predicted that 14.5% (3480 km²) of Sardinia was suitable for the presence of the mouflon, with our new integrated approach the percentage of areas suitable dropped to a much lower and more realistic 6.6% (1584 km²). Our results have potentially important consequences for the practical conservation and management of the species in Sardinia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The source region of the Yellow River (SRYR) is an important water conservation and farming area in China. Under the dual influence of the natural environment and external pressure, ecological patches in the region are becoming increasingly fragmented, and landscape connectivity is continuously declining, which directly affect the landscape patch pattern and SRYR sustainable development. In the SRYR, morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and landscape index methods were used to extract ecologically important sources. Based on the minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR), Linkage Mapper was used to generate a potential corridor, and then potential stepped stone patches were identified and extracted by the gravity model and betweenness centrality to build an optimal SRYR ecological network. The distribution of patches in the core area of the SRYR was fragmented, accounting for 80.53% of the total grassland area. The 10 ecological sources based on the landscape connectivity index and 15 important corridors identified based on the MCR model were mainly distributed in the central and eastern regions of the SRYR. Through betweenness centrality, 10 stepped stone patches were added, and 45 planned ecological corridors were obtained to optimize the SRYR ecological network and enhance east and west connectivity. Our research results can provide an important reference for the protection of the SRYR ecosystem, and have important guiding significance and practical value for ecological network construction in ecologically fragmented areas.

Ecological security is crucial for regional sustainable development; however, as modern urbanization highlights ecological security challenges, major challenges have arisen. In this paper, we take the ecological region around Taihu Lake, China, as a typical research site, extract important ecological sources and key nodes using morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and circuit theory, and propose a regulatory framework for the ecological security pattern (ESP) of the ecological region based on the spatial characteristics of sources, corridors, and nodes. We obtained the following results: (1) The ESP includes 20 ecological sources, 37 ecological corridors, 36 critical ecological protection nodes, and 24 key ecological restoration nodes. (2) Most ecological sources are large and concentrated in western Zhejiang and west of Taihu Lake, which are both important ecological sources and ecological resistance surfaces. (3) The ecological corridors spread east, west, and south from Taihu Lake, with high network connectivity. (4) Shanghai serves as the central node, with the Su-Xi-Chang town cluster and the Qiantang River town cluster serving as the extension axes for the ecological resistance hot-spot area. The center of the elliptical ecological resistance surface (standard deviation) lies in Suzhou City, located on the east shore of Taihu Lake. (5) Ecological nodes were mostly located in ecological corridors or junctions. A "four zones and one belt" pattern is suggested in order to make the land around Taihu Lake more connected and stable ecologically. This study can be used as a guide for building and improving an ecological safety network.

Abstract: Many ongoing processes in today's landscapes impact our environment considerably. Thus, it is enormously important to gather information on qualitative characteristics of our landscapes in order to effectively counteract the negative developments. Structural functionality as proxy for the assessment of habitat quality and species patterns has already proven potential to successfully describe ecological values. Completed by the measurement of green infrastructure information for a defined profile of a functional trait, a rapid and rough assessment of the qualitative state of habitats seems feasible. We therefore present in this study (i) an assessment of structural functionality based on the statistical analysis of landscape metrics, (ii) the measurement of green infrastructure and travelling costs for the ecoprofile of a Disturbance Sensitive Species Group (DSG) and (iii) an investigation if functionality and green infrastructure change between different types of landscapes and protection status. In the Lake Neusiedl region we selected 41 landscape samples based on a stratified random process. Based on orthophoto interpretation, we calculated landscape metrics with FRAGSTATS and reduced them to a core set of 13 indices by combining statistical results with literature review. Their relation to main ecological processes determined if the individual metric related positively or negatively with the land cover category and structural functionality was given by the average value of the landscape metrics. Green infrastructure elements were allocated with GUIDOS, whereas the travelling costs to move between them was also considered. Landscape elements of valuable matrix and connecting corridors ranked highest in structural functionality based on the calculated landscape indices but showed large differences between different land use regimes. Correlation and regression analysis confirmed the dependence of green infrastructure elements (corr. r 2 =0.877) as well as travelling costs (corr. r 2 =0.669) to functionality values. Protection status of the landscape samples proved to be a determining factor because functionality values as well as green infrastructure differed significantly (both with a p-value<0.05) with the exception of dissecting corridors, stepping stones and travelling costs. We conclude that one simple guideline for a holistic assessment of structural functionality is hardly reachable but we did set up a comprehensive rule set. Based on a transparent sampling procedure, a qualitative assessment of habitats and landscapes can easily be conducted. The complementary use of an ecoprofile enables the valuation of green infrastructure elements and the identification of major driving forces along with scenario development for sustainable landscape planning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rapid urbanization development and construction has seriously threatened the connectivity of habitat patches in cities and hindered the construction of ecological networks in highly urbanized areas. Among them, China is affected by early compressed urbanization, and the broken ecological space in cities and towns has attracted the extensive interest of researchers. To avoid the subjective randomness and single analysis of ecological space in urbanization areas, this paper takes the central urban area of Wuhan as the main research area. It comprehensively evaluates the ecological network space by combining the MSPA-MCR model. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Identifying the ecological landscape types with important ecological significance in the study area: Core (88.29%), Islet (0.25%), Perf (0.63%), Edge (9.74%), Loop (0.22%), and Bridge (0.14%). Through the dPC landscape index, seven important ecological sources south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River were identified. (2) According to the comprehensive factors of natural and human factors constructed by the MCR model, the minimum cumulative ecological resistance surface was established, with an average value of 2.65, a maximum value of 4.70, and a minimum value of 1.00, showing a trend that the ecological resistance values in the central and eastern parts are lower than those in the western part. (3) According to the standard deviation ellipse, the distribution direction of NE–SW in ecological sources was analyzed. The ecological sources distributed in the north were less, and the spatial distribution was scattered on the whole. The strong global positive correlation and local spatial aggregation characteristics of ecological resistance surface were evaluated according to spatial autocorrelation. Based on the gravity model, the interaction intensity of ecological corridors between source areas was evaluated, and the importance of ecological corridor protection and restoration was quantitatively analyzed. The research results provide scientific and reasonable references and a basis for ecological planning of Wuhan central city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green areas, also known as green infrastructure or urban vegetation, are vital to urbanites for their critical roles in mitigating urban heat island effects and climate change and for their provision of multiple ecosystem services and aesthetics. Here, I provide a high spatial resolution snapshot of the green cover distribution of the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico, by incorporating the use of morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) as a tool to describe the spatial pattern and connectivity of the city's urban green areas. Analysis of a previously developed IKONOS 4-m spatial resolution classification of the city of San Juan from 2002 revealed a larger area of vegetation (green areas or green infrastructure) than previously estimated by moderate spatial resolution imagery. The city as a whole had approximately 42% green cover and 55% impervious surfaces. Although the city appeared greener in its southern upland sector compared to the northern coastal section, where most built-up urban areas occurred (66% impervious surfaces), northern San Juan had 677 ha more green area cover dispersed across the city than the southern component. MSPA revealed that most forest cover occurred as edges and cores, and green areas were most commonly forest cores, with larger predominance in the southern sector of the municipality. In dense, built-up, urban land, most of the green areas occurred in private yards as islets. When compared to other cities across the United States, San Juan was most similar in green cover features to Boston, Massachusetts, and Miami, Florida. Per capita green space for San Juan (122.2 m²/inhabitant) was also comparable to these two U.S. cities. This study explores the intra-urban vegetation variation in the city of San Juan, which is generally overlooked by moderate spatial resolution classifications in Puerto Rico. It serves as a starting point for green infrastructure mapping and landscape pattern analysis of the urban green spaces within the city of San Juan. The effectiveness of research and city planning will be further enhanced as a result of this type of finer-scale urban cover exploration.

Hydrological connectivity is important for maintaining the stability and function of wetland ecosystems. Small-scale hydrological connectivity restricts large-scale hydrological cycle processes. However, long-term evolutionary studies and quantitative evaluation of the hydrological connectivity of wetlands in the Poyang Lake area have not been sufficiently conducted. In this study, we collected 21 Landsat remote sensing images and extracted land use data from 1989 to 2020, introducing a morphological spatial pattern analysis model to assess the wetland hydrological connectivity. A comprehensive method for evaluating the hydrological connectivity of wetlands was established and applied to the Poyang Lake area. The results showed that, over the course of 31 years, the wetland landscape in the Poyang Lake area changed dramatically, and the wetland area has generally shown a decreasing and then increasing trend, among which the core wetland plays a dominant role in the hydrological connectivity of the Poyang Lake area. In addition, the hydrological connectivity decreases as the core wetland area decreases. From 1989 to 2005, the landscape in the Poyang Lake area focused mainly on the transition from wetland to non-wetland. From 2005 to 2020, the conversion of wetland landscape types shows a clear reversal compared to the previous period, showing a predominant shift from non-wetland to wetland landscapes. The eco-hydrological connectivity of the wetlands in the Poyang Lake area from 1989 to 2020 first decreased, and then increased after 2005. In the early stage of the study (1989−2005), we found that the connectivity of 0.3444 in 2005 was the lowest value in the study period. A resolution of 30 m and an edge effect width of 60 m were optimal for studying the hydrological connectivity of wetlands in the Poyang Lake area. The main drivers of the changes in hydrological connectivity were precipitation and the construction of large-scale water conservation projects, as well as changes in land use. This study provides a good basis for assessing hydrological connectivity in a meaningful way, and is expected to provide new insights for maintaining and restoring biodiversity and related ecosystem services in the Poyang Lake area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological restoration programs (ERPs) have greatly expanded forested areas in China to mitigate environmental problems. Unfortunately, this general increase in forest cover has not revealed clear changes in the states of fragmentation and loss of connectivity of forested habitats, and few studies have investigated the effects of ERPs on the spatial patterns of forests. Taking the Three Gorges Reservoir Area as a case study, we assess and quantify how the dynamics of the spatial patterns of forest following massive ERPs from 1990 through 2015 by morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA). We examine possible landscape structure thresholds in the forest restoration gradient. The results indicate that dramatic decreases in forest fragmentation and patchiness have occurred since ERP implementation. Among the seven MSPA forest types, core forests show the highest increase of 513.91 km2·yr−1. ERPs promote the defragmentation of forests via two pathways: (1) Old forests are preserved and expanded by building new forests around existing patches and closing perforations within forests; and (2) new core forests are gradually created in areas far from older forests. However, isolated forest patches surrounded by cropland production areas formed after the conversion of croplands into forests have appeared across the study area. Furthermore, at least two points of nonlinear changes in the landscape structure with increasing forest cover are identified. These nonlinear trajectories can be used as indicators of critical shifts in ecosystem states, and relevant thresholds support the identification of specific conservation actions. Our findings demonstrate the importance of ERPs for the defragmentation of forest patches and provide a basis to establish a more effective arrangement of patches necessary to mitigate fragmentation effects. Given that landscape structural changes are not expected in ERP design, future ERPs should focus on remaining isolated forest patches and on maintaining the health and sustainability of landscapes. • Ecological restoration projects (ERPs) help defragment existing forest patches. • ERPs have extended old forests, created new core forests, and created various islets. • At least two points of nonlinear changes in the landscape structure are identified. • Useful information to guide landscape management and decision making is provided. • Future ERPs should focus on the health and sustainability of landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, major landscape changes affect ecological connectivity exerting adverse effects on ecosystems. Connectivity is a critical element of landscape structure and supports ecosystem functionality. Landscape connectivity can be efficiently increased in landscape ecology by building ecological networks (EN) through models mimicking the interaction between animal and vegetal species and their environment. ENs are important in sustainable landscape planning, where they need to be studied both by applying landscape metrics and by performing multi-temporal analyses. This paper presents theoretical and practical evidence of an analysis of a multispecies ecological network in Calabria (Italy) and its changes over three decades. Landscape connectivity was modeled basing on 66 focal faunal species' requirements. Human disturbance (HD) was defined and assessed according to distance from different disturbance sources. This allowed for the definition of overall habitat quality (oHQ). Landscape permeability to the animal movement was focused as the main concept to measure landscape fragmentation. Landscape graph theory was applied to perform a spatial comparison of the ENs robustness. Many binary and probabilistic indices and landscape morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) were used in this perspective. We obtained a set of ecological networks, including nodes, patches (i.e., habitat patches), linkages, and corridors, all intertwined in one giant component. The multi-temporal analysis showed many indices' stationary values, while MSPA yielded an increase of habitat quality and habitat patches in core areas. This methodological approach allowed for assessing the regional EN's robustness in the time-span considered, thus providing a reliable tool for landscape planners and communities. • A design of multispecies ecological networks (EN) at a regional scale is proposed. • The multi-temporal assessment is based on a set of spatial network indicators. • Landscape connectivity was modeled based on the different species requirements. • EN configuration evolved over time mantaining its potential for biodiversity conservation. • EN components should be considered as structural invariants of planning tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization has engendered increased fragmentation of urban green spaces combined with declining green space connectivity. This situation is significant in urban fringe areas wherein rural areas transition to urban spaces. Therefore, it is important to understand how to scientifically and rationally construct green space ecological networks, connect fragmented habitats, and protect biodiversity and regional ecological security. Here, we used geographic information system and remote sensing technology to address the ecological sources via morphological spatial pattern analysis and ecological connectivity index analysis methods. The minimum cost distance method was used to generate a potential corridor. The green space ecological network system of the study area was constructed based on its green space landscape pattern. Qualitative and quantitative analysis provided targeted recommendations for green space ecological network optimization in the study area. The results showed that in the study area, the level of the fragmentation was high. Although the number of urban green space patches was significant, the area of the patches was small. Despite the potential corridor not covering the study area evenly, the optimized green space corridor increased the secondary ecological source area. The network system for green space corridors comprised water corridors, road corridors, and ecological restoration sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]