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Applied Sciences
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Ecosystems and Landscape Ecology
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Ecosystems and Landscape Ecology

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecology Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 November 2024 | Viewed by 961

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Lucian Dinca

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry “Marin Dracea”, Eroilor 128, 077190 Voluntari, Romania
Interests: forest soils; land recovery; ecology of forest species
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Scientific knowledge about the link between living and nonliving components within the environment, how these factors interact with each other, and how both natural and human-induced changes affect how they function is very important. In the case of landscape ecology, this applies to sustainability, conservation, management, and landscape planning. This knowledge is even more relevant and important at this moment due to the new issues and challenges we are facing: climate change, pollution, the diminishing or overexploitation of natural resources, scarce biodiversity, and human demographic explosion.

This Research Topic aims to provide new science-based information on the status of ecosystems and landscape ecology, including aspects from ecosystem services, animal ecology, plant ecology, and the interaction between species and environmental conditions (climate, including climate changes to air, water, soil, etc.). Furthermore, it addresses a very large area of specialists (as ecology usually does), such as biologists, botanists, silvicultural people, climatologists, geneticists, GISs, and field management specialists.

We welcome articles that research and review ecosystems and landscape ecology. Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Assessment of the climatic and anthropogenic effects on terrestrial ecosystems;- The evolution of mountain ecosystems in different climatic regions;
  • The influence of flooding, erosion, drought, fires, pests, and diseases, as well as other natural phenomena, on ecosystems;
  • Wildlife conservation and management;
  • Ecology, biodiversity, and forestry management;
  • Improving and preserving the genetic diversity of species;
  • Policy, science, and practice in the fields of ecosystems and landscapes;
  • Landscape history, sustainability, and resilience.

Dr. Lucian Dinca
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ecosystem services
  • landscape resilience
  • biodiversity
  • environment
  • conservation

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2187 KiB  
Article
Impacts of Land-Use Change from Primary Forest to Farmland on the Storage of Soil Organic Carbon
by Changgui Xiao, Yaoqi Gong, Xiaolei Pei, Hanyue Chen, Sheng Li, Chengwen Lu, Li Chen, Xuhui Zheng, Jiaxin Zheng and Xie Yan
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(11), 4736; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14114736 - 31 May 2024
Abstract
Land-use change (LUC) is a significant contributor to the increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, with previous studies demonstrating its profound impact on soil organic carbon (SOC). The conversion of primary forests to farmland has been recognized as the most significant type of [...] Read more.
Land-use change (LUC) is a significant contributor to the increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, with previous studies demonstrating its profound impact on soil organic carbon (SOC). The conversion of primary forests to farmland has been recognized as the most significant type of LUC inducing CO2 release from the soil. Therefore, it is critical to understand the impacts of forest LUC on SOC storage, with a particular focus on primary forest to farmland conversion. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis of 411 observations from 41 published works and found that SOC storage decreased significantly following the conversion of primary forests to farmland. Factors such as soil depth and climate zone influenced the degree of SOC storage loss, with SOC loss being less severe in deeper soil following a conversion from primary forests to farmland. Moreover, the loss of SOC storage was more severe in temperate regions compared to tropical regions. The input and output of surface SOC, changes in soil structure, and increases in atmospheric CO2 concentrations were significant reasons for the loss of SOC following primary forest to farmland LUC. However, improving tillage methods and implementing sustainable agricultural management strategies can help reduce SOC loss. These findings highlight the importance of sustainable land-use practices in mitigating the negative impacts of forest LUC on SOC storage and the global carbon cycle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystems and Landscape Ecology)
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33 pages, 1724 KiB  
Article
Dynamic Land-Use Patterns and the Associated Impacts on Ecosystem Services Value in Putian City, China
by Qingxia Peng, Dongqing Wu, Wenxiong Lin, Shuisheng Fan and Kai Su
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(11), 4554; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14114554 - 25 May 2024
Viewed by 300
Abstract
Human actions have led to consistent and profound alterations in land use, which in turn have had a notable effect on the services provided by ecosystems. In this research, the Google Earth Engine (GEE) was initially employed to perform a supervised classification of [...] Read more.
Human actions have led to consistent and profound alterations in land use, which in turn have had a notable effect on the services provided by ecosystems. In this research, the Google Earth Engine (GEE) was initially employed to perform a supervised classification of Landsat satellite images from 2000 to 2020, which allowed us to obtain land-use data for Putian City, China. Next, the geo-informatic Tupu model and the revised valuation model were used to explore the spatial attributes and ecological effects of land-use changes (LUCs). Subsequently, EEH (eco-economic harmony), ESTD (ecosystem services tradeoffs and synergies degree index), and ESDA (exploratory spatial data analysis) methods were employed to further analyze the coordination level, trade-offs, synergies, and spatial patterns of ecological-economic system development. The findings revealed that: (1) The land-use composition in Putian City was predominantly cultivated land and forest land, with other types of land intermixed. Concurrently, there was an ongoing trend of expansion in urban areas. (2) ESV in Putian City exhibited an upward trend, increasing from 15.4 billion CNY to 23.1 billion CNY from 2000 to 2020. (3) ESV exhibited an imbalance in spatial distribution, with high-high agglomeration areas concentrated in the central part of Putian City and the coastal region of Hanjiang District, while low-low agglomeration areas were prevalent in Xianyou County in the southwest, Xiuyu District along the coast, and Licheng District in the urban center. (4) Synergistic relationships among ESs predominated, though the trade-off relationship showed a tendency to expand. (5) The ecological environment and economic progress in Putian City collectively faced a region of potential risk. The findings of this study are intended to serve as a guide for improving the distribution of land resources and for developing strategies that ensure the sustainable development of the region’s socio-economic framework. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystems and Landscape Ecology)
24 pages, 5670 KiB  
Article
Land-Use Transitions Impact the Ecosystem Services Value in a Coastal Region by Coupling the Geo-Informatic Tupu and Benefit-Transfer Method: The Case of Ningde City, China
by Qingxia Peng, Lingzhi Shen, Wenxiong Lin, Shuisheng Fan and Kai Su
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(9), 3643; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14093643 - 25 Apr 2024
Viewed by 408
Abstract
Exploring the mechanisms and processes of land-use transitions (LUTs) and their impact on ecosystem services can effectively elucidate the intricate interactions between human and natural systems, which is pivotal for advancing the sustainable development of regional economies and enhancing ecological environments. However, the [...] Read more.
Exploring the mechanisms and processes of land-use transitions (LUTs) and their impact on ecosystem services can effectively elucidate the intricate interactions between human and natural systems, which is pivotal for advancing the sustainable development of regional economies and enhancing ecological environments. However, the existing literature lacks comprehensive analysis regarding the spatial and temporal evolution of LUTs, with insufficient integration of the “spatial pattern” and “time process”. Moreover, traditional assessments of the ecosystem services value (ESV) often overlook their negative costs. To address these gaps, this study first utilized the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud platform and employed the random forest algorithm to conduct supervised classification on Landsat remote-sensing images from the years 2000, 2010, and 2020 within the research area, thereby obtaining land-use data for three distinct periods. And then, we investigated the geographic features of LUTs and their ecological effects in the Ningde City of China from 2000 to 2020. The geo-informatic Tupu model and a newly revised method of benefit transfer were primarily employed for this purpose. The findings indicate the following: (1) Over the study period, the land-use structure of Ningde City predominantly comprised cultivated land and forest land, with continuous decreases in both types and a concurrent increase in built-up land. (2) Significant disparities exist in the spatial distribution of Tupu units, notably with “forest land → cultivated land” and “cultivated land → built-up land” as crucial units influencing ESV changes. (3) The ESV in Ningde City decreased from CNY 1105.54 × 108 to CNY 1020.47 × 108 over 2000–2020, while the ecosystem dis-services value exhibited an opposing trend, rising from CNY 12.68 × 108 to CNY 20.39 × 108. (4) The net ESV in Ningde City showed a decline over the same period, indicating a certain vulnerability in the city’s ecological system structure. This study aims to enhance our understanding of the influence of land-use patterns on ESV, offering valuable insights for regional ecological–environment management and land-use policy formulation, thereby fostering sustainable development in ecological, environmental, and socio-economic dimensions. Furthermore, the results serve as a reference for evaluating net ecosystem services value in other countries/regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystems and Landscape Ecology)
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