Search

Previous studies have focused on the linear relationship between recreation behavior and environmental variables. However, to inform the planning and design of recreational spaces, it is essential to understand the factors that contribute to differences in the spatial distribution of recreation behavior. This study investigates the characteristics of visitor behavior in urban mountain parks in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, China. It describes the distribution of tourist numbers and the diversity of behaviors in these parks and explores the landscape driving factors of visitor behavior, as well as the interaction effects between the factors from the perspective of spatial driving forces. The results indicate that (1) The observed behaviors in the three parks are primarily access behaviors. The number of visitors and the diversity of behaviors show a high level in the morning and evening and a low level in the midday. (2) There was minimal variation in behavioral composition and behavioral diversity among the study plots of different elevation gradients in the three parks. However, the contrasts between different landscape types were more pronounced, with impermeable plazas exhibiting the highest behavioral diversity and park roads demonstrating the most homogeneous behavioral diversity. (3) The impact of environmental factors was more pronounced than that of landscape pattern factors. The environmental factors that most strongly influenced passing, dynamic, and static behaviors were spatial connectivity value, hard space proportion, and number of recreational facilities, respectively. In contrast, the hard space proportion was the strongest driver of behavioral diversity. Moreover, the interaction between the hard space proportion and spatial connectivity value was more pronounced in driving behavioral diversity, as well as the three behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Environmental Science & Technology (10036504) is the property of Editorial Board of Environmental Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The delineation of national land spatial planning zones is based on purposes and dominant functions, with high policy attributes, which is conducive to the implementation of unified control nationwide. However, there are also problems such as insufficient consideration of natural geographical differences and human activity characteristics, and difficulty in achieving the goal of shaping a beautiful land. This article takes Xi’ning City, which is located in the transitional zone between the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and the Loess Plateau and has significant differences in geographical landscape within the city, as an example to explore the refinement and control methods of land spatial planning zoning that integrate landscape style factors. It identifies the style influencing factors of different functional zones, clarifies the technical methods for bidirectional verification and integration control of “functional boundaries” and “landscape boundaries”, and enriches the theoretical research and practical exploration of national land spatial planning zoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instream flows are vital to the ecology of riverine and riparian systems. The influence of watershed characteristics on these systems is helpful in developing landscape policies to maintain these flows. Watershed characteristics like precipitation, forest cover, impervious cover, soil drainage, and slope affect baseflows. Spatial analysis using GIS and nonlinear regression analysis is used to analyze spatial and temporal information from gauged watersheds in Massachusetts to quantify the relationship between baseflows and watershed metrics. The marginal functions of landscape factors that reflect changes in baseflow are quantified. This information is then applied to watershed policy toward improving base flows. The interactions of three fixed attributes, soil drainage, rainfall incidence, and slope, are analyzed for the manageable landscape attributes of impervious and forest cover. Developing watershed policy to protect baseflows involves evaluating the complex interactions and functional relationships between these landscape factors and their use in watershed conservation planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban parks not only enhance urban ecology but also play a crucial role in providing cultural ecosystem services (CESs) for the well-being of urban residents. Both artificial and natural landscape factors within parks contribute significantly to the supply of cultural ecosystem services. To explore public perceptions of landscape factors and CESs, this study focused on 25 urban parks in Hangzhou. Social media data uploaded by park visitors from 2018 to 2023 were collected to establish a corresponding CES indicator framework. Combining computer vision with text mining, we assessed the preferences and correlations between visitor-perceived CESs and park landscape factors. The results indicated that the majority of park visitors perceive CESs (80.00%) with overall satisfaction higher than importance. Among them, aesthetic experiences and recreation showed both high satisfaction and importance. In shared social media photos, arbors (19.01%), herbaceous flowers (8.99%), and groves (8.22%) were frequently presented as landscape factors. The study revealed close correlations between user gender, landscape factors, and perceived CES categories, with females contributing more to the perception of both. There were internal correlations within CES categories, with spiritual services, aesthetic experiences, and recreation showing the most significant associations. Different landscape factors impacted CES categories to varying degrees, and biological landscapes formed by plant and animal factors were considered to provide more CESs. These findings are significant for enhancing the quality of ecological services and biodiversity in parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water pollution is becoming a global issue, and process controls are the key steps for controlling non-point source pollution (NPSP). Runoff ditches collect rainfall and often act as channels for nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) pollutants to enter water source areas such as the reservoir, which are important parts of process controls. Therefore, performing in situ analyses to clarify the mechanism of process control are vital for reducing the migration of N and P pollutants into reservoirs. In view of this, the Fushi Reservoir in Taihu lake basin was taken as the test plot and the characteristics of process controls were approached through field investigations to determine the impact of runoff ditch landscape factors on water quality. The results indicated that various landscape factors had different effects on the N and P concentrations in the runoff ditch. Some landscapes that were influenced by human activities, including residential and white tea gardens, could increase N but had relatively little impact on P levels in the runoff ditch. Compared with the white tea (WT3), forested wetlands (FW2) decreased the average total nitrogen (TN) (-29.53%), average dissolved nitrogen (DN) (-40.29%), and average nitrate-nitrogen (-45.32%) in the runoff ditch. Obviously, the novel research suggests constructing rationally landscape factors for runoff ditches is helpful to mitigate NPSP in catchment areas of drinking water and to improve water quality. It is expected that the initial research can push up landscape planning of runoff ditches and promote the improvement of water quality in water source areas.

Understanding the genetic diversity and structure of pest species is crucial for developing effective pest management strategies. In this study, we investigated the yellow peach moth (YPM), Conogethes punctiferalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), which has become a common pest on maize in addition to its original role as a fruit pest. We sampled YPM populations from 23 locations in China, encompassing maize fields and orchards, and analyzed their population genetics using mitochondrial (CO-I and CO-II) and nuclear DNA (EF1a) markers. Our results showed that YPM populations from different hosts had high genetic diversity, but we did not detect significant genetic divergence between populations from maize fields and orchards. However, we found that landscape factors were related to the frequency of certain mitochondrial DNA haplotypes, suggesting that YPM genetic distribution can be influenced by the environment. Our findings indicate similar genetic properties of YPM populations in maize fields and orchards, which has practical implications for pest management strategies across these two host types. Moreover, considering the influence of landscape factors on YPM genetic distribution is crucial for effective pest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instream flows are vital to the ecology of riverine and riparian systems. The influence of watershed characteristics on these systems is helpful in developing landscape policies to maintain these flows. Watershed characteristics like precipitation, forest cover, impervious cover, soil drainage, and slope affect baseflows. Spatial analysis using GIS and nonlinear regression analysis is used to analyze spatial and temporal information from gauged watersheds in Massachusetts to quantify the relationship between baseflows and watershed metrics. The marginal functions of landscape factors that reflect changes in baseflow are quantified. This information is then applied to watershed policy toward improving base flows. The interactions of three fixed attributes, soil drainage, rainfall incidence, and slope, are analyzed for the manageable landscape attributes of impervious and forest cover. Developing watershed policy to protect baseflows involves evaluating the complex interactions and functional relationships between these landscape factors and their use in watershed conservation planning.

IntroductionUnderstanding the birds’ breeding strategies in urban habitats is vital for ensuring their continued existence. Therefore, more research must be conducted on bird breeding and urban adaptation strategies in urban green spaces. This study aimed to address this gap by investigating the influence of landscape factors on the selection of bird nest sites. MethodsData on the presence and absence of magpie (Pica pica) and gray magpie (Cyanopica cyana) nests were collected through field surveys conducted in the campus of Nanjing Forestry University during the 2023 breeding season. Generalized additive models (GAMs) incorporating landscape variables were employed to assess the effects of these predictors on nest occurrence. The model with the lowest Akaike’s information criterion value was selected among the candidate GAMs.ResultsBelow is a summary of the main results. Nest tree height (TH), distance from the central lawn (D), and tree coverage (TC) within the sampled area were identified as the primary landscape factors influencing nest site choice. Conversely, factors such as the shortest distance to the water source, herb coverage, shrub coverage, percentage of buildings, and percentage of hard pavement did not significantly impact on nest site selection. Furthermore, the nesting potential of magpies and grey magpies initially increased with tree height, reaching a maximum at ca. TH=25 meters after which it began to decline. The nesting occurrence rate showed an initial decrease tendency with increasing distance from the central lawn, reaching a minimum at D=400 meters, and then increased with further distance. Additionally, nesting potential decreased initially with increasing of TC in the range of 0–20%, fluctuated evenly between 20–60% TC, and decreased rapidly when TC exceeded 60%.DiscussionThis study provides valuable insights into the selection of nest sites by birds in urban habitats, specifically with respect to landscape factors. The understanding of the impact of urban green spaces on urban birds and the underlying mechanisms of their behavior contributes to the conservation of wild birds and promotes the harmonious development of urban areas.

Organic farming and other agri-environmental schemes (AES) are important policy tools to support environmental-friendly agriculture. Often, AES require a direct reduction of actual management intensity to sustain biodiversity and non-marketable ecosystem services. In addition to lower management intensity, differences in topography and soils between AES and non-AES land can occur, driven by the targeted placement of AES in the landscape. Many of the latter effects of an AES are, however, widely unknown and frequently ignored, limiting a comprehensive understanding of how organic farming and other AES deliver environmental outcomes. We analysed pedological, topographical and other spatial characteristics of parcels under two grassland AES, i.e., organic farming (vs. conventional) and extensive management (vs. intensive). Thus, this study assessed whether organic farming is related to differences in topography and soil conditions in both extensively and intensively managed grasslands in the study region in the north of Switzerland. Therefore, we combined a regional-scale spatial analysis of permanent grassland parcels and a soil survey. Both AES were tested not only in interaction with each other but also within the two main harvest types, i.e., meadows (mainly mown) and pastures (mainly grazed), resulting in eight distinct grassland types that were studied. Results show both AES to be linked to differences in soil nutrients as well as topographical and other spatial characteristics. We found interactions of the two AES with the harvest type, i.e., meadow versus pasture. This was particularly pronounced for extensively managed conventional meadows, which were frequent at low elevation and on land potentially suitable for arable farming. Extensively managed pastures and all organic grasslands exhibited reduced production conditions (i.e., higher elevation, steeper slope, lower soil phosphorus concentrations). Yet, differences between organic and conventional grasslands were by tendency more pronounced in intensively than extensively managed grasslands. Our results show that farmers preferentially adopted both AES on land not ideal for intensive production, with the exception of many extensively managed meadows in low elevations. Our study therefore demonstrated that an assessment of the ecological outcomes of an AES must not only account for direct effects via management restrictions but also for indirect effects via spatial targeting by farmers. More research is still needed to assess and compare direct and indirect effects of AES to support evidence-based policymaking and improve spatial targeting of different land-use types. • Different agri-environmental schemes (AES) exist for Swiss grassland. • Organic farming and extensive management AES can interact. • Both AES were related to differences in topography, i.e., slope and elevation. • Extensively managed conventional grasslands were often located on productive land. • Organic farms had high proportions of extensively managed grasslands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil quality of coastal wetlands plays an important role in maintaining biological productivity, improving environmental quality, and promoting plant and animal health. Landscape pattern is the major factor affecting variations in soil quality of coastal wetland. However, the influence of landscapes on spatial variations in soil quality has not been fully explored in coastal wetlands with highly fragmented landscapes. Here, we established a composite indicator of soil quality of coastal wetland, used a series of analysis methods to explore the spatial characteristics of soil quality of coastal wetland and the intrinsic relationships between soil quality and landscape factors, and quantified the landscape factors affecting the spatial variation of soil quality. Chongming Island, a typical estuarine island coastal wetland in China, was selected as the study area. The results showed that coastal wetland soil quality had distinct spatial variations, and significant correlations were observed between soil quality indicators and landscape factors. Key landscape factors, including distance to coastline (DTC), distance to human-related landscape types (DTH), number of landscape types (NLT), natural index of landscape (NIL), number of landscape patches (NLP), total edge of landscape patches (TELP), net primary production (NPP), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil salinity index (SSI), and normalized difference build-up and bare soil index (NDBSI), were identified and quantified at the optimal spatial evaluation units. Among the landscape types, woodlands and farmlands showed better soil quality and landscape conditions in coastal wetlands. Among the landscape pattern factors, landscape function factors, rather than composition and structure factors, had a greater impact on the spatial variation of coastal wetland soil quality. The soil quality was good at positions with high DTC and NDVI and low DTH and SSI. These findings highlighted that landscape factors NDVI (19.93%), SSI (15.93%), DTC (15.28%), and DTH (11.16%) contributed the most to the spatial variation in soil quality on Chongming Island. This study reveals the intrinsic correlations between soil quality and landscape, and provides a reference for maintaining the coastal wetland ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial extent and incidence of Lyme disease is increasing in the United States, particularly in the Upper Midwest and Northeast. Many previous studies have explored the drivers of its spatial pattern, however, few studies tried to explore the drivers for the changes of Lyme disease. We here compared the spatial patterns of changes of human Lyme cases and incidence in the Northeast and Upper Midwest between 2003–2005 and 2015–2017, and applied two different approaches (i.e., a statistical regularization approach and model averaging) to investigate the climatic and landscape factors affecting the risk change between the two periods. Our results suggested that changes in land-use variables generally showed different relationships with changes of human Lyme risk between the two regions. Changes of variables related to human-use areas showed opposite correlations in two regions. Besides, forest area and forest edge density generally negatively correlated with the change of human Lyme risk. In the context of ongoing habitat change, we consider this study may provide new insight into understanding the responses of human Lyme disease to these changes, and contribute to a better prediction in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main goal of the study was to recognize the mechanisms underlying assemblage structuring of aquatic beetle fauna inhabiting a medium-sized, lowland river exposed to anthropogenic pressures. An attempt was made to identify the impact of numerous abiotic factors on how beetle communities are formed, with particular emphasis on geomorphological and landscape-related factors, which tend to be omitted from many studies of aquatic organisms. Our intention was to refer the results of our study to the general assumptions of the River Continuum Concept. Field studies were conducted in 2010, at 13 sites located along the Krąpiel River (north-western Poland). In total, 3,269 beetles were captured, representing 120 species and five ecological groups: crenophiles, rheophiles, rheobionts, stagnobionts a and stagnobionts b, which differ in environmental preferences. The core of the identified fauna was composed of stagnobionts, while rheophiles and rheobionts accounted for only 20% of the entire collected material. The formation of beetle assemblages was affected both by local factors, with an impact on aquatic environments, and by geomorphological factors, influencing a larger catchment. This was reflected in the high degree of conformity between dendrograms presenting similarities in the fauna at the studied sites, including the clustering of sites based on the abiotic factors that differentiated these sites. The presence of buffer zones, surfaces of patches denoted as "marshes" (marshland surface), "shrubs" (shrub surface), and "forests" (forest surface), and the distance to those patches seem to be the most important landscape factors affecting beetle communities. Of the factors influencing the aquatic environment, the following exerted the strongest effect: insolation, vegetation cover, presence of organic matter and BOD5, and anthropogenic pressure. The changes in assemblages of beetles determined in our study in the particular sections of the river course were a consequence of the effects of both internal factors and external ones, originating from the entire river's catchment, which is in accord with the basic assumptions of the RCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main goal of the study was to recognize the mechanisms underlying assemblage structuring of aquatic beetle fauna inhabiting a medium-sized, lowland river exposed to anthropogenic pressures. An attempt was made to identify the impact of numerous abiotic factors on how beetle communities are formed, with particular emphasis on geomorphological and landscape-related factors, which tend to be omitted from many studies of aquatic organisms. Our intention was to refer the results of our study to the general assumptions of the River Continuum Concept. Field studies were conducted in 2010, at 13 sites located along the Krąpiel River (north-western Poland). In total, 3,269 beetles were captured, representing 120 species and five ecological groups: crenophiles, rheophiles, rheobionts, stagnobionts a and stagnobionts b, which differ in environmental preferences. The core of the identified fauna was composed of stagnobionts, while rheophiles and rheobionts accounted for only 20% of the entire collected material. The formation of beetle assemblages was affected both by local factors, with an impact on aquatic environments, and by geomorphological factors, influencing a larger catchment. This was reflected in the high degree of conformity between dendrograms presenting similarities in the fauna at the studied sites, including the clustering of sites based on the abiotic factors that differentiated these sites. The presence of buffer zones, surfaces of patches denoted as “marshes” (marshland surface), “shrubs” (shrub surface), and “forests” (forest surface), and the distance to those patches seem to be the most important landscape factors affecting beetle communities. Of the factors influencing the aquatic environment, the following exerted the strongest effect: insolation, vegetation cover, presence of organic matter and BOD5, and anthropogenic pressure. The changes in assemblages of beetles determined in our study in the particular sections of the river course were a consequence of the effects of both internal factors and external ones, originating from the entire river’s catchment, which is in accord with the basic assumptions of the RCC.

In plants, long-distance dispersal is both attenuated and directed by specific movement vectors, including animals, wind, and/or water. Hence, movement vectors partly shape metapopulation genetic patterns that are, however, also influenced by other life-history traits such as clonal growth. We studied the relationship between area, isolation, plant-species richness, reproduction, and dispersal mechanisms with genetic diversity and divergence in 4 widespread wetland plant-species in a total of 20 island-like kettle-hole habitats surrounded by an intensive agricultural landscape. Our results showed that genetic parameters reflect the reproduction strategies with the highest genetic diversity being observed in the non-clonal, outcrossing Oenanthe aquatica compared to the clonal Lycopus europaeus , Typha latifolia, and Phragmites australis. Lycopus showed a positive relationship between genetic diversity and kettle-hole area, but a negative relationship with the number of neighboring kettle holes (less isolation). Genetic diversity increased with plant-species richness in the clonal species Phragmites and Lycopus ; while it decreased in the non-clonal Oenanthe. Finally, genetic divergence and, therefore, connectivity differed between alternative dispersal strategies, where wind-dispersed Typha and Phragmites had a higher gene flow between the analyzed kettle holes compared with the insect-pollinated, hydrochorous Lycopus and Oenanthe. Our study provides information on genetic patterns related to reproduction and dispersal mechanisms of 4 common wetland species contributing to the understanding of the functioning of plant metacommunities occurring in kettle holes embedded in agricultural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The southern hairy-nosed wombat has a fragmented distribution across the arid and semiarid regions of southern South Australia and south-eastern Western Australia. Its distribution and abundance are highly patchy, with large clusters of warrens in some areas but few to no warrens in adjacent areas. In order to understand why this occurs, we mapped the species' distribution and correlated the locations of over 8130 data points (5349 presence points and 2781 absence points) with environmental and landscape data. Overall, the wombat distribution is influenced by rainfall, with no wombats in areas where the mean annual rainfall is <154 mm. Abundance is greatest in areas where rainfall is >227 mm per annum. At the regional/local scale, warrens are found only in areas where the soil clay content is between 9 and 40%, and warren abundance is higher in open vegetation classes (saltbush/bluebush shrublands, grasslands) than in closed vegetation (mallee woodlands with shrubby understorey). Over-riding all of these environmental influences are anthropogenic land-use practices: although 38% of the wombats are located in protected areas and 51% are located on grazing land, they are virtually absent from croplands (~2%). The distribution and abundance of the southern hairy-nosed wombat are highly patchy, with large clusters of warrens in some areas but few to none in adjacent areas. In order to understand why this occurs, we mapped the species' distribution and correlated the locations with environmental and landscape data. Overall, the wombat distribution is influenced by rainfall, soil clay content, vegetation type, and, primarily, anthropogenic land-use practices. Photograph by M. Swinbourne. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Decomposition of organic matter dictates productivity of headwater streams in forested biomes. However, the hierarchical structure of stream ecosystems entails that research aimed at understanding patterns and drivers of decomposition incorporate multiple spatio-temporal scales. Objectives: We assessed spatio-temporal patterns of cellulose decomposition in least-disturbed streams and determined the relative distribution of variation associated with region, stream and habitat scales. We also established the environmental drivers associated with heterogeneity in cellulose decomposition. Methods: We applied a hierarchical design to assess spatio-temporal patterns of cellulose decomposition in least-disturbed streams of Ontario, Canada. Cotton strips were deployed in one pool and one riffle in each of 19 streams across three regions with distinct climates and physiography. Strips were deployed in spring, summer and autumn and assessed for rate of tensile strength loss. Results: Rates of tensile loss differed among regions regardless of season. Habitat differences were observed in two of three regions during the spring and summer. Season only explained a significant amount of variance when tensile loss rates were not corrected for stream temperatures. Region and stream scales were associated with twice the variance in tensile loss than habitat. Spatial variation in tensile loss was negatively associated with latitude, forest cover, nutrients and conductivity. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate the importance of the regional landscape template in explaining spatio-temporal patterns of cellulose decomposition in streams. Moreover, our study suggests application of cellulose decomposition as a biomonitoring tool requires consideration of regional landscapes, habitat and season when developing sampling protocols and bioassessment models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of disturbance factors—flooding and intermittency—on the distribution of water mites in the riparian springs situated in the valley of a small lowland river, the Krąpiel. The landscape factors and physicochemical parameters of the water were analysed in order to gain an understanding of the pattern of water mite assemblages in the riparian springs. Three limnological types of springs were examined (helocrenes, limnocrenes and rheocrenes) along the whole course of the river and a total of 35 water mite species were found. Our study shows that flooding influences spring assemblages, causing a decrease in crenobiontic water mites in flooded springs. The impact of intermittency resulted in a high percentage of species typical of temporary water bodies. Surprisingly, the study revealed the positive impact of the anthropogenic transformation of the river valley: preventing the riparian springs from flooding enhances the diversity of crenobiontic species in non-flooded springs. In the conclusion, our study revealed that further conservation strategies for the protection of the riparian springs along large rivers would take into account ongoing climatic changes and possible the positive impact of the anthropogenic transformation of river valleys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the expansion of human activities and increasingly effective protection of biodiversity, human-wildlife conflicts (HWCs) are increasing. Determining the patterns and causes of HWCs at the landscape scale is important for the design and implementation of effective management actions. We used in-house questionnaires, combined with data from insurance companies and other sources, to take the Tibetan Plateau as an example to reveal the pattern and potential causes of HWCs. Livestock predation and house break-ins were the most common types of conflict on the plateau, and wolves (Canis lupus) (56.9 %) and bears (Ursus arctos) (35.8 %) were the main culprits. In the pastoral zone, 65.3 % of conflicts were caused by wolves, more than in other regions, and bears accounted for 20.8 %. Bears were responsible for house break-ins in crop-dominated zones (60.5 %), while they preyed on livestock in mixed crop and pasture zones (80.0 %). Differences in forest cover between regions are likely to be the cause of this, with bears preying more on livestock in areas with greater forest cover. Livestock loss caused by wolves increased, and those caused by bears decreased, with increase in elevation. Households with more livestock experienced a greater incidence of HWCs. Livestock losses were lower in counties with higher gross regional product per capita, and economic development likewise influenced the occurrence of HWCs. Our research findings provide a fundamental understanding of the patterns of HWC, which can inform the development of evidence-based policies and strategies for effectively addressing HWCs in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Visual landscape satisfaction was positively correlated with soundscape evaluation. • Architectural aesthetics contributed most to the soundscape evaluation. • An SEM of "visual landscape factors–soundscape evaluation" was built. • Relationship between visual landscape and soundscape was analyzed via VR experiments. The visual landscape influences the soundscape experience of urban public spaces. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationships among visual landscape factors and soundscape evaluation of old residential areas and determine their main influencing factors. In Tianjin, China, six typical old residential areas were selected to collect sound and video information. Virtual reality (VR) was used to create an evaluation environment, and subjective evaluations of the visual landscape and soundscape were accessed through questionnaire (N = 256). The results show that the evaluation of soundscape and visual landscape satisfaction of the central square in the old residential area is superior to that of the public space along the street, as affected by spatial location, sound characteristics and other factors. Greenery satisfaction, environmental cleanliness, and architectural aesthetics were significantly positively correlated with soundscape evaluation. Additionally, three latent variables, namely, visual landscape factors, spatial factors and soundscape evaluation factors, were identified through factor analysis, and a structural equation model (SEM) of "visual landscape factors – soundscape evaluation" was built. The visual landscape factors in old residential areas were found to be important factors affecting soundscape evaluation. The standardization coefficient was 0.46 (P ≤ 0.01). Although the spatial factors have no direct contribution to the soundscape evaluation of the old residential areas, its observation variable, environmental cleanliness, is significantly positively correlated with all the observed variables of the soundscape evaluation factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of disturbance factors—flooding and intermittency—on the distribution of water mites in the riparian springs situated in the valley of a small lowland river, the Krąpiel. The landscape factors and physicochemical parameters of the water were analysed in order to gain an understanding of the pattern of water mite assemblages in the riparian springs. Three limnological types of springs were examined (helocrenes, limnocrenes and rheocrenes) along the whole course of the river and a total of 35 water mite species were found. Our study shows that flooding influences spring assemblages, causing a decrease in crenobiontic water mites in flooded springs. The impact of intermittency resulted in a high percentage of species typical of temporary water bodies. Surprisingly, the study revealed the positive impact of the anthropogenic transformation of the river valley: preventing the riparian springs from flooding enhances the diversity of crenobiontic species in non-flooded springs. In the conclusion, our study revealed that further conservation strategies for the protection of the riparian springs along large rivers would take into account ongoing climatic changes and possible the positive impact of the anthropogenic transformation of river valleys.

Highlights • We analyzed water quality trends in the Han River basin for 20+ years. • Water quality generally improved in the basin with spatially varying trends. • Topography, land use, soil, and population explained the majority of the trends. • Eigenvector spatial filters removed residual spatial autocorrelation effectively. • 100 m buffer scale analysis typically explained the variation of the trends most. Abstract Understanding changes in water quality over time and landscape and anthropogenic factors affecting them are of paramount importance to human and ecosystem health. We analyzed the seasonal trends of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, chemical oxygen demand, and total suspended solid (SS) in the Han River Basin (HRB) of South Korea using the Mann-Kendall test. We explored the effects of anthropogenic (land cover and population) and natural factors (topography and soil) on the trends by using Moran’s Eigenvector based spatial filtering regressions at four different spatial scales. Water quality of the HRB generally improved from the early 1990s to 2016 with decreasing summer nutrient and winter SS concentrations. Water quality trends were spatially autocorrelated with distinct spatial variations within the basin. Some stations close to the Seoul metropolitan area, however, still exhibited poor water quality conditions. Approximately 20–70 percent of spatial variation of different water quality trends were explained by some combination of current agricultural land cover, forest land cover, % area covered by water, change in those land covers and slope variations. The 100 m buffer and one-kilometer upstream scale analyses generally showed higher explanatory power than the sub-watershed scale analyses, while the effect of seasons differed for different parameters. The significant factors in each regression model typically differed among different scales but not among different seasons of the same scale. The spatial filtering approach removed the residual spatial autocorrelation and thus significantly increased the explanatory power of water quality trend models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of disturbance factors—flooding and intermittency—on the distribution of water mites in the riparian springs situated in the valley of a small lowland river, the Krąpiel. The landscape factors and physicochemical parameters of the water were analysed in order to gain an understanding of the pattern of water mite assemblages in the riparian springs. Three limnological types of springs were examined (helocrenes, limnocrenes and rheocrenes) along the whole course of the river and a total of 35 water mite species were found. Our study shows that flooding influences spring assemblages, causing a decrease in crenobiontic water mites in flooded springs. The impact of intermittency resulted in a high percentage of species typical of temporary water bodies. Surprisingly, the study revealed the positive impact of the anthropogenic transformation of the river valley: preventing the riparian springs from flooding enhances the diversity of crenobiontic species in non-flooded springs. In the conclusion, our study revealed that further conservation strategies for the protection of the riparian springs along large rivers would take into account ongoing climatic changes and possible the positive impact of the anthropogenic transformation of river valleys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By utilizing only half of its total technical wind energy potential, Colombia would be able to supply the entire country's demand for electricity. Yet, Colombia has an installed capacity of 19.5 MW from wind power, representing about 0.4% of the total technical potential. In this paper, the slow diffusion of wind energy in Colombia is analyzed, by evaluating the functions of the Technological Innovation System (TIS) along with the influence of the wider context (Landscape Factors). A combination of expert evaluations (structured and semi-structured interviews) and a history event analysis revealed existing weaknesses in the TIS functions and influence from the wider context (landscape level). Several factors at the landscape level were found to have a significant influence on the TIS functions for wind energy in Colombia. Policy recommendations are provided to address barriers in order to advance the diffusion of wind energy in Colombia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the landscape of Veliki Brijun Island, from ancient to contemporary times. By examining the organisation and land use over various historical periods we have determined the island's characteristic features. The research results indicate changes in landscape, influenced by social, economic, cultural and political circumstances. Various types of landscape have been formed, witnessing a range of space use during particular periods, including: agrarian, residential, military/fortification, tourism, forest/natural, production, maritime, and recreational use. Aiming to preserve the identified elements of landscape identity, criteria are proposed for the conservation of value in case of future spatial interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The red turpentine beetle (RTB) has infested large areas of pines in North China. • Environmental factors played diverse roles at different stages of RTB infestation. • At the incipient stage, RTB damag. • e was mainly related to stand-level factors. • At the epidemic stage, RTB damage was mainly related to landscape-level factors. The red turpentine beetle (RTB), an invasive pest species, has infested large areas of pine forests and caused extensive tree mortality in North China. The ensuing substantial economic and ecological losses make understanding the development and spread of RTB infestations critical. Although some studies have postulated how multiple factors affect bark beetle damage at different stages of population development, knowledge about this mechanism from empirical research is still limited. In recent years, RTB infestations in Heilihe Town of Inner Mongolia and Dahebei Town of Liaoning Province were at different phases (incipient and epidemic stages), which allowed us to explore the possible change mechanism of influencing factors. The present study aimed to identify the critical factors influencing RTB damage and determine whether the primary influencing factors changed during different RTB infestation stages. We established 42 and 40 sample plots in the Heilihe and Dahebei areas and measured the sample plots' canopy cover, slope, aspect, average diameter at breast height (DBH), elevation and RTB attack rate. Sentinel-2 images and trap data were used to obtain landscape-level variables, including host area, edge density and beetle pressure. We then developed generalized linear models to determine the impact of these explanatory variables on RTB damage. Our results found that the average RTB attack rate of the incipient and epidemic areas was, respectively, 5.35% and 31.45%. At the incipient stage, RTB infestations were mainly related to stand-level factors, including canopy cover and aspect. However, at the epidemic stage, RTB infestations were associated with stand (DBH) and landscape-level factors, in which host area and beetle pressure played an important role. Stand and landscape-level factors played diverse roles during different periods of RTB infestations. Such findings are valuable for understanding the colonization pattern of RTB and taking appropriate management interventions in different infestation stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Repeated burning in a short return period (< 3–5 years) may significantly contribute to land degradation in Mediterranean countries. We apply logistic regression analysis to model spatial relationships between reburning and site (topographic) and landscape-level factors (land use pattern); forest areas burned twice at least between 2006 and 2009 in the Italian peninsula are used as a case study. Few landscape factors prove to be correlated with the probability of fire recurrence, and the overall logistic regression model explains 24% of the variation in the fire recurrence. This fact is not surprising since human factors are known to be the biggest determinant of wildfire events in Mediterranean countries such as Italy. Nonetheless, findings from this exploratory study prove to be qualitatively helpful to identify at least landscape drivers, easily quantifiable and available on a national scale, significantly affecting short-term fire recurrence (i.e. slope roughness, exposure, distance from the nearest water body, pre-fire dominant forest type). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The dynamics of radial growth of pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) and spruce ( Picea obovata Ledeb.) trees at the northern limit of their distribution in the area of the Kola Peninsula affected by emissions from the Severonikel industrial complex has been investigated. A correlation between the radial growth of trees and a combination of environmental factors has been revealed through the use of statistical methods, and a contribution of individual factors has been identified. Statistically significant correlations between the productivity of trees, on one hand, and the level of pollution, topography, and climatic effects, on the other, have been detected. A significant correlation between the degree of tree growth and the amount of industrial emissions in the atmosphere has been revealed; the correlation depended on the degree of technogenic impact on the trees, the tree species, and the location of trees on hill slopes. The growth oscillations of different frequencies (long waves of 50 years, medium-length waves of 30 years, and short annual waves) were shown to depend on climatic factors in different ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] High runoff ratio and low runoff ratio CV basins are spatially clustered. [•] The number of days of precipitation is the major determinant of runoff indices. [•] Precipitation seasonality and baseflow are important variables for runoff ratio CV. [•] GWR models better predict runoff indices over OLS models. [•] The relative importance of independent variables in GWR changes over space. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Spatial patterns of aquatic species are indicative of the quality of the in-stream water quality as well as that of the surrounding watershed. The relationships among aquatic species diversity, water quality, and watershed characteristics are not well explored in the Himalayan watershed. In this work, we analyzed the impacts of in-stream water quality, watershed socio-environmental conditions, and spatial predictors on the species composition of aquatic plants and macroinvertebrates. We collected macrophytes, phytoplankton, and macro-invertebrate samples and measured with dissolved oxygen and electrical conductivity of the lakes and rivers of the Setikhola watershed, Central Nepal. The watershed landscape variables such as landcover types, population density, and topography along with spatial factors derived from the spatial connectivity matrices were used as explanatory variables to explore species composition using redundancy analysis. We reported 39 macrophyte species, 105 phytoplankton species, and 35 families of macroinvertebrates. The macrophyte species belonging to the family Potamogetonaceae were dominant, as were the phytoplankton species belonging to Bacillariophyceae; most macro-invertebrates belonged to families in the order Diptera. We report a significant impact on watershed human population density as well as the electrical conductivity of the water on aquatic species composition. Inclusion of spatial factors increased model predictive performance of macrophyte and phytoplankton species composition. This study can help in a robust understanding of aquatic systems in relation to corresponding socio-environmental settings to manage them with optimal benefits for the ecosystems and people. • Setikhola watershed holds 39 macrophyte, 105 phytoplankton species, and 35 families of macro-invertebrates. • Eutrophication indicative taxa were associated with human impacts. • Rivers in the watershed have higher biodiversity than the lakes. • Spatial predictors increased model performance of macrophytes and phytoplankton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Stream temperature regimes are important determinants of the health of lotic ecosystems, and a proper understanding of the landscape factors affecting stream temperatures is needed for water managers to make informed decisions. We analyzed spatial patterns of thermal sensitivity (response of stream temperature to changes in air temperature) and maximum stream temperature for 74 stations in the Columbia River basin, to identify landscape factors affecting these two indices of stream temperature regimes. Thermal sensitivity (TS) is largely controlled by distance to the Pacific Coast, base flow index, and contributing area. Maximum stream temperature (Tmax) is mainly controlled by base flow index, percent forest land cover, and stream order. The analysis of four different spatial scales – relative contributing area (RCA) scale, RCA buffered scale, 1km upstream RCA scale, and 1km upstream buffer scale – yield different significant factors, with topographic factors such as slope becoming more important at the buffer scale analysis for TS. Geographically weighted regression (GWR), which takes into account spatial non-stationary processes, better predicts the spatial variations of TS and Tmax with higher R2 and lower residual values than ordinary least squares (OLS) estimates. With different coefficient values over space, GWR models explain approximately up to 62% of the variation in TS and Tmax. Percent forest land cover coefficients had both positive and negative values, suggesting that the relative importance of forest changes over space. Such spatially varying GWR coefficients are associated with land cover, hydroclimate, and topographic variables. OLS estimated regression residuals are positively autocorrelated over space at the RCA scale, while the GWR residuals exhibit no spatial autocorrelation at all scales. GWR models provide useful additional information on the spatial processes generating the variations of TS and Tmax, potentially serving as a useful tool for managing stream temperature across multiple scales. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Community composition can be determined by various factors at both local and landscape scales. We explored the question of whether ant and carabid community composition in a spruce forest is determined largely by local site conditions or by landscape factors. Both taxonomic groups were sampled in spruce forest clear-cuts using pitfall traps in five chronosequences scattered in one large forest complex. Each chronosequence contained five neighboring patches, with each plot representing one age (ranging from recent clear-cuts with no trees or young trees to old clear-cuts with mature trees). In total, 13 species of ants and 64 species of carabids were found. Shading was the principal factor that affected ant and carabid communities along the successional gradient. For both insect groups, however, the difference between chronosequences with different positions in the landscape was more important than differences between successional stages, i.e., landscape drivers appear to be more important that local ones. Species composition was more affected by the proportion of individual successional stages within 300 m around individual pitfall traps than successional stage in the immediate vicinity of the individual trap. This study indicated that in addition to local conditions near the pitfall traps, species composition was strongly affected by the availability of optimal habitat in the surrounding landscape; a greater quantity of suitable habitat in the surrounding landscape increases the probability of greater abundance and diversity of ants and carabids in both optimal and suboptimal patches. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Thirty five catchments in semiarid Central Spain were monitored monthly in late winter and spring to search for relationships between environmental variables (sedimentary nutrients and hydrological topographical, geological, pedological, land use factors) and nutrient concentrations and exports. Results enabled to outline differences between semiarid and moist catchments, the latter drawn from other studies. While land use, topography and ecotone features explained an important fraction of overall variance of nutrients in moist areas, geological and pedological features were much better descriptors in semiarid catchments. Runoff explained most variability of total carbon, organic carbon and nitrogen export, and soil types and carbon and phosphorus contents stored in stream sediments best explained total phosphorus, dissolved- and particulate organic carbon export in semiarid catchments. In moist catchments geology, climate, pedology and land use were shown to influence nutrient export. Hydrology potentially swamped effects related to land use and landscape structure (i.e. topographical, geological and soil factors). Thus nutrient concentration and export in semiarid catchments deviate from those in moist catchments which is due to the overriding effects of hydrological features, geology and pedology. Further research, including the application of combined GIS techniques and modeling approaches, is needed to generalize our findings over other semiarid areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

1. The distribution of species is affected by many factors operating at a variety of temporal and spatial scales in a heterogeneous landscape. In lakes, fish communities are dynamic, influenced by landscape-level factors that control colonisation and extinction. 2. We used classification and regression tree (CART) analyses to quantify the importance of landscape-level factors in determining the distribution of fish species in 168 arctic Alaskan lakes. Factors including lake size, depth, outflow gradient, distance to other lakes, lake order, altitude, river drainage and age of glacial surface were analysed. These factors could affect either access of fish to a lake (colonisation variables), or their survival in a lake that already had been colonised (extinction variables). 3. The presence of a species was predicted accurately in 78.4% ± 10.5% (mean ± SD) of cases, and absence in 75.0% ± 6.1% of cases. The relative importance of extinction versus colonisation variables varied with species. Extinction variables were most important for lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush) and slimy sculpin ( Cottus cognatus), a mixture of extinction and colonisation variables was important for arctic char ( Salvelinus alpinus), and colonisation variables were most important for arctic grayling ( Thymallus arcticus) and round whitefish ( Prosopium cylindraceum). 4. Ecological differences among species account for much of the difference in relative importance of colonisation versus extinction variables. In addition, stream piracy events have occurred over geologic time scales, which have resulted in lakes that are currently inaccessible but support relict fish populations. 5. Climate warming, currently occurring in the arctic, is likely to alter further the stream network, which could have dramatic effects on fish distributions by affecting access to isolated lakes or isolating lakes that are currently accessible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the potential for windbreaks to facilitate forest regeneration. A survey of the understories of 51 windbreaks conducted in Monteverde, Costa Rica is noted. Results of the study including the important effects of landscape factors on tree recruitment patterns, higher densities of forest tree seedlings of other species in windbreaks with remnant forest trees, and the contribution of windbreaks to the maintenance of forest are discussed.