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Background: This scoping review presents existing research evidence regarding diet therapy in patients with rare diseases (RDs). Methods: Using the five‐stage scoping review framework proposed by Arksey, O'Malley and Levac, we searched the published literature in PubMed, Web of Science, Royal Society of Chemistry, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Database and Wan Fang Database from January 2010 to November 2022. We selected diet therapy studies on 121 RDs, as categorised by the National Health Commission of China in 2018. Charts for research analysis were developed and used to categorise the data. Results: We ultimately included 34 diet therapy studies from 19 countries and territories for 10 RDs and 3 RD groups. RD diet therapy studies have mainly focused on inborn errors of metabolism (92.3%) and are common in Western countries. Most studies focused on diet therapy methods for RDs (44%). In addition, 29% of studies included diet therapy management, 15% included guidelines for diet therapy and 12% included the impact of diet therapy on patients. Conclusions: Current diet therapies for RDs lack specificity and present with limited characteristics. Therefore, it is necessary to expand the scope and depth of future research and explore evidence‐based recommendations and new diet therapies focused on patient needs and family support to provide a reference for improving the efficacy and safety of diet therapies for RDs. Key points: There is limited literature available to explore diet therapy for rare diseases.From the research included in this review, the research on diet therapy of rare diseases mainly focuses on inborn errors of metabolism.In this review, researches on diet therapy for patients focus on diet therapy methods, diet therapy management, guidelines for diet therapy and the impact of diet therapy on patients.It is necessary to explore evidence‐based recommendations and new diet therapies focusing on patient needs and family support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Changbaishan reserve and the forests around it are one of the priority areas for Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) recovery in northeastern China. Previous habitat suitability analyses only took the ecological requirements of tigers into consideration, so this study aims to determine habitat suitability for a tiger-prey community in the region, by analysing ungulate prey availability and habitat suitability for both predator and prey. Three prey species were found, using the snow tacking method: red deer (Cervus canadensis xanthopygus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), and roe deer (Capreolus pygargus). Habitat suitability was evaluated for tigers, red deer, and wild boar, using a multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) process. MCE results showed that (1) habitat suitability is generally low outside the reserve for all three species; (2) suitability values were the lowest for tigers due to high intensity of human impact in the area, with suitable habitat restricted to the centre of the reserve; and (3) red deer and wild boar would find pockets of suitable habitat outside the reserve. A combination of low forest quality and high human impact intensity imposes significant environmental pressure to those ungulates. To recover tiger population in Changbaishan, forest quality and human impacts should be properly managed, which should increase prey availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of activity patterns is important for understanding the capacity of animals for adapting their behavior based on their habitat conditions. Among bears, daily activity patterns are considered to be strongly influenced by regional climate conditions. We monitored the activity patterns (active vs. inactive) of the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) using infrared camera traps (from May 2013 to November 2016) in the Qinling Mountains, China. We used 125 photos, with 19,132 camera days from 55 camera locations. Based on relative independent capture (RIC), bears were found to be intensively active during June (5.86 ± 1.05 SE), July (8.45 ± 2.74), September (14.83 ± 6.13), and October (8.70 ± 3.43), with activity levels gradually decreasing beyond October. After this decline, activities eventually come to a halt when the bears enter in hibernation. We found that their hibernation period was shorter in the Qinling bears, with only 3 months of denning from January to March. Based on their daily patterns, bears were predominantly active during the daytime both in spring (70.83 ± 35.41%) and summer (52.09 ± 28.89%), but more active at twilight during autumn (51.12 ± 42.88%). We assumed that food preferences and food availability (due to warmer regional climatic conditions) might be responsible for such deviations in daily and monthly activity patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High concentrations of heavy metals in the environment threaten the quality of ecosystems and the health of human beings and animals. Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), which is endemic to China and a global conservation icon, has the largest density in the Qinling Mountains. This paper investigated the spatiotemporal variation of heavy metal concentrations in soil (N = 44) at the regional scale with three zones of urban areas, mountain edges, and central mountains, the temporal variation of heavy metal concentrations in three bamboo species (N = 19) and two types of feces (N = 10), and assessed the ecological risk and health risk for giant pandas and their habitat in the Qinling Mountains. The results showed that the median concentrations of studied eight heavy metals mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) in soil exceeded the background values of Shaanxi Province except Pb. The median concentrations of Hg, Zn, Cr, Pb, and Cd in bamboo surpassed the reference standard (RS) of national food safety limits in vegetables for human intake, but the concentration of Zn was within the nutrient range in the bamboo plants. Heavy metals were enriched more in feces of captive than the wild giant pandas, which illustrated either higher ingestion or lower digestibility for captive giant panda. Ecological risk assessment of soil by the geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and risk index (RI) showed strong pollution by Hg and moderate pollution by Cd. Health risk assessment by the hazard index (HI) showed a potential to strong risk for giant pandas exposed to Pb, As, and Hg. In addition, the concentrations of heavy metals in feces showed a higher exposure risk for captive giant pandas than wild giant pandas. We suggest that attention should be paid to and all effective measurements should be taken for reducing the emission of Hg, As, Pb, and Cd in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The accuracy in estimating forest ecosystem carbon storage has drawn extensive attention of researchers in the field of global climate change. However, incomparable data sources and various estimation methods have led to significant differences in the estimation of forest carbon storage at large scales. Methods: In this study, we reviewed fundamental types of forest carbon storage estimation methods and their applications in China. Results: Results showed that the major forest carbon storage estimation methods were classified into 3 major categories and 15 subcategories focusing on vegetation carbon storage estimation, soil carbon storage estimation, and litter carbon storage estimation, respectively. The application in China showed that there have been 3 development stages of research in China since the 1990s. Studies of forest carbon storage estimation in province scales were conducted more frequently in the northeastern, eastern and southwestern provinces such as Zhejiang, Heilongjiang and Sichuan with high forest coverage or large forest area. Inventory-based methods, soil type method, and biomass model were the main forest estimation methods used in China, focusing on vegetation, soil and litter carbon storage estimation respectively. Total forest carbon storage of China was approximate 28.90 Pg C, and the average vegetation carbon density (42.04 ± 5.39 Mg·ha− 1) was much lower than that of the whole world (71.60 Mg·ha− 1). Vegetation carbon density from average biomass method was the highest (57.07 Mg·ha− 1) through comparing nine types of vegetation carbon storage estimation methods applied during 1989 to 1993. Conclusions: Many studies on forest carbon storages have been carried out in China at patch scales or regional scales. These efforts enabled the research of forest carbon storage to reach a relatively advanced stage. Meanwhile, the accumulation of massive research data provides the basis for subsequent research work. Some challenges are also existing. This review could provide a reference for more accurate estimation of forest carbon storage in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The animal species richness in four forest types were very similar to each other. • Low-elevation primary forest had the largest relative abundant index of animals. • Low-elevation primary forest preferred by most species while secondary forest by one. • Plantation and secondary forest played important roles of supporting animal species. China's primary forest has gone through the extensive deforestation and further restoration since 1950s. However, little is known about how animal diversity responds to restoration. Here, we used camera trapping to monitor diversity of large-and-medium mammals for three years (2014–2017) in four forest habitat types in the Qinling Mountains: high-elevation primary forest, low-elevation primary forest, secondary forest, and plantation forest. The species richness did not vary between forest types (n = 17–18). But the relative abundant index (RAI) was higher in low-elevation primary (3.00%), followed by plantation forest (1.77%), secondary forest (0.89%), and high-elevation primary forest (0.74%), respectively. In term of habitat using, low-elevation primary forest was the most preferred habitat by the animals (11 species), followed by high-elevation forest (5 species), and plantation forest (4 species), while secondary forest was only preferred by 1 species. Species' preferences on forest habitat types were stable during daytime and night-time but significantly changed in different seasons. Our study indicated that both plantation forest and secondary forest in the Qinling Mountains played important roles of supporting animal species. Thus a comprehensive management is required for biodiversity conservation in the Qinling Mountains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Algal and bacterial organisms from saline environment were co-cultured. • Algal-bacterial consortium promoted carbon sink via CaCO 3 precipitation. • Mechanism of algal-bacterial consortium for biological-driven carbon sink in saline environment is proposed. • Saline environments provide significant carbon sink via algal-bacterial consortium. • Emphasize the ecological significance of saline lakes globally. The level of atmospheric CO 2 has continuously been increasing and the resulting greenhouse effects are receiving attention globally. Carbon removal from the atmosphere occurs naturally in various ecosystems. Among them, saline environments contribute significantly to the global carbon cycle. Carbonate deposits in the sediments of salt lakes are omnipresent, and the biological effects, especially driven by halophilic microalgae and bacteria, on carbonate formation remain to be elucidated. The present study aims to characterize the carbonates formed in saline environments and demonstrate the mechanisms underlying biological-driven CO 2 removal via microalgal-bacterial consortium. The carbonates naturally formed in saline environments were collected and analyzed. Two saline representative organisms, the photosynthetic microalga Dunaliella salina and its mutualistic halophilic bacteria Nesterenkonia sp. were isolated from the inhabiting saline environment and co-cultivated to study their biological effects on carbonates precipitation and isotopic composition. During this process, electrochemical parameters and Ca2+ flux, and expression of genes related to CaCO 3 formation were analyzed. Genome sequencing and metagenomic analysis were conducted to provide molecular evidence. The results showed that natural saline sediments are enriched with CaCO 3 and enrichment of genes related to photosynthesis and ureolysis. The co-cultivation stimulated 54.54% increase in CaCO 3 precipitation and significantly promoted the absorption of external CO 2 by 49.63%. A pH gradient was formed between the bacteria and algae culture, creating 150.22 mV of electronic potential, which might promote Ca2+ movement toward D. salina cells. Based on the results of lab-scale induction and 13C analysis, a theoretical calculation indicates a non-negligible amount of 0.16 and 2.3 Tg C/year carbon sequestration in China and global saline lakes, respectively. The combined effects of these two typical representative species have contributed to the carbon sequestration in saline environments, by promoting Ca2+ influx and increase of pH via microalgal and bacterial metabolic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green tides in the Yellow Sea have occurred periodically since 2007, impacting the ecological environment and green algal communities along the coasts of Jiangsu and Shandong provinces in China. To investigate the morphological characteristics and genetic diversity of Ulva prolifera , we conducted surveys and comparative analyses of both its floating and attached forms along the coastal areas of Jiangsu and Shandong. The results revealed that the external morphology of the floating U. prolifera was multibranched. The attached U. prolifera displayed significant morphological variation among individuals. Based on the analysis of the amplified characteristic bands of the chloroplast gene, it was shown that both floating and attached U. prolifera could hybridize with Ulva linza. The genetic diversity of U. prolifera was studied using mitochondrial and chloroplast genome fragments. All floating U. prolifera and three strains of attached U. prolifera belonged to the same haplotype. The genetic diversity of floating U. prolifera was low, and there were some genetic differences with attached U. prolifera. The attached U. prolifera displayed a higher level of genetic diversity with abundant sites of variation and haplotypes. • Floating and attached Ulva prolifera displayed significant morphological variation. • Floating and attached U. prolifera could hybridize with Ulva linza. • All collected floating U. prolifera belonged to the same haplotype. • Attached U. prolifera showed high genetic diversity with abundant sites of variation. • Attached U. prolifera genetic information varied primarily within populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Secondary forests had the highest tree and shrub species. • High-elevation primary forests had the most unique tree and grass-herb species. • Low-elevation primary forest had the most unique shrub species. • Primary forests should be prioritized for protection. • Natural recovery is an effective approach for maintaining biodiversity. Abstract Logging and restoration practices have significant impacts on the biodiversity of forest ecosystems. We studied the plant diversity patterns in temperate forests with different logging and restoration histories: the primary forest (no logging history), the secondary forest (natural recovery after logging) and the plantation forest (human planting after logging). In 2014 and 2015, we selected 12 plots with 24 trees, 48 shrub and 48 grass-herb quadrates on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains in northwest China. We measured tree, shrub and grass-herb species in selected quadrates. Our results showed that: (1) the diversity indexes of the secondary and plantation forests were not significantly lower than those of the primary forests; (2) the secondary forest had the highest tree and shrub species richness, followed by the low-elevation primary forest and the plantation forest respectively; (3) the high-elevation primary forest had the most unique tree and grass-herb species while the low-elevation primary forest had the most unique shrub species; and (4) compared with the primary forests, the species composition similarity indexes of the secondary forest and plantation forest had little difference. Our results indicate that primary forests play an irreplaceable role in forest biodiversity whereas secondary forests and plantation forests are still of biodiversity importance. We suggest that primary forests should be prioritized for protection while natural recovery as secondary forests in Qinling temperate region is an effective approach for maintaining biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydropower capacity of China ranks first in the world and accounts for approximately 20% of the total energy production in the country. While hydropower has substantially contributed to meeting China's renewable energy targets and providing clean energy to rural areas, the development of hydropower in China has been met with significant controversy. Ecologically, hydro projects alter the landscape, with potential impacts to the country's aquatic biodiversity. Over the past four decades in China, various mainstream opinions and misunderstandings have been presented concerning how to alleviate the negative impacts of hydro projects on aquatic ecosystems. This article reviews research concerning potential mitigation measures to enhance aquatic biodiversity conservation in hydro projects in China. Based on the academic attention such research has attracted, three technical measures for aquatic biodiversity conservation are considered: (1) fish passages, (2) restocking efforts and (3) river and lake renovations. This article provides a historical comparison of these three practices in China to demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of each method. The article also reviews the relevant legislation, regulations and technical guidelines concerning China's hydro projects dating back to 1979. The dynamics in research, publications, and patents concerning these three mitigation measures are summarized to demonstrate their technological developments in the context of legislative and policy advances. Data were gathered through the China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database and the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China. Based on the analysis provided, the article recommends an expansion of China's environmental certification system for hydro projects, more robust regional legislation to bolster the national framework, the cooperation between upstream and downstream conservation mechanisms, and better monitoring to determine the efficacy of mitigation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1970s and 1990s, Guanyinshan Nature Reserve (GNR), a giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca) distribution area historically, had experienced periodic commercial logging. After officially logging stopping in 1998 and converting to a giant panda nature reserve in 2002, GNR got the chance on forest restoration. It is very necessary to monitor the spatiotemporal change of its forest habitat. It is also widely known that it is difficult to make accurate mapping the mountainous area based on images through traditional classification algorithm. So, this study aims to monitor the spatiotemporal change of mountainous habitat in GNR in order to provide proper suggestions for giant panda conservation. The research applied a multilayer perceptron model, a high learning-sensitive algorithm, to classify the land cover types and monitor habitat change in GNR by using Landsat images acquired in 1978, 1988, 1997 and 2007, respectively. Our results showed that: (1) three types of forests composed the main landscape of the GNR, and an increase of 7.7% forest coverage occurred within 30 years. (2) Due to logging, there were many forest clearing-cutting areas in 1997 and swaths of shrub-grass in 1978 and 1988. However, these two types of landscape were strongly reduced by 2007 due to more attention and protection. (3) A decrease in the number of patches, an increase in the mean patch size, and an over-time decreasing in the mean nearest neighbor distance all revealed a decreasing on habitat fragmentation. Therefore, reduction in detrimental human activities has helped enhance and expand giant panda habitat toward a healthier and more stable ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is in its quick social and economic development which has caused various environmental problems to some extent. Ecological zoning and distinguishing the highly-important ecological areas (also termed as the ecological red-line zone in this study) and protecting them from anthropogenic interference is an effective measure for regional environment protection and sustainable development. In this study, we applied an integrated modeling approach to implement the ecological zoning in the Bohai Rim for regional sustainability, and selected 12 single factors to calculate three integrated indicators: ecosystem sensitivity, ecosystem services and ecological risks. Based on three integrated indicators, we obtained the ecological zoning map with three zones for the study area, which are the highly-important ecological areas, the moderately-important ecological areas and the lowly-important ecological areas. The zoning result showed that the highly- and moderately-important ecological zones cover 23.2% and 37.9% of the Bohai Rim respectively, which should be protected. The remained lowly-important ecological zone covers 38.9% of the Bohai Rim, which can be used for economic and industry development. This study shows that the zoning approach is reasonable and instructive to guide and arrange the land use for regional sustainable development. Such an ecological zoning can greatly solve the conflicts between environmental protection and regional economic and industry development and further forms a safe ecological pattern. Two contributions of our work are that (1) our modeling approach is scientific, reasonable and meaningful for other planning works and can be used for reference to the regions and countries with similar situation, and (2) the zoning pattern mapped in our study is helpful to guide Bohai regional development and the safe arrangement of economic and industry development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although industrial zones have been attracting attention around the world due to their huge regional economic contributions, ecological risk assessment for industrial zones has gained little attention. In high ecological risk locations, landslides, earthquakes, and floods often occur, often causing extensive damage, including loss of human lives and property. However, during planning, development, and management of industrial zones, only the socioeconomic risks are usually taken into account and the risks of ecological factors affecting industries are often ignored. In this article, we put forward a procedure to link different risk factors and their GIS-determined spatial variation to estimate the ecological risk to key industrial zones in the 98,200 km2area surrounding the Bo Sea. The ecological risk factors in this region are mainly rainstorms, geological risks, storm surges, seawater intrusion, soil erosion, and earthquakes. The key industrial development zones located in this area were classified into three industry types according to the sensitivity of the industry to different ecological risk factors. Using historical data and hierarchical analytic process as well as weighted ecological risk values, industry susceptibility was determined. We integrated the risk values of each ecological factor with the susceptibility of each industry type to each ecological factor in order to quantify the total risk associated with each key industry zone in the region. The results showed that high ecological risk existed in Liaodong and Laizhou Bay and Tianjin and Dalian seashore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The balance between economic development and ecological conservation in China has become a critical issue in recent decades. Ecological impact assessment (EcoIA) was established beginning in the 1980s as a component of environmental impact assessment (EIA) that focuses specifically on human-related changes in ecosystem structure and function. EcoIA has since been widely applied throughout the country with continuous refinements in theory and practice. As compared to EIA, EcoIA is often performed at a larger scale in the long-term, and thus requires more advanced tools and techniques to quantify and assess. This paper reviews the development of EcoIA over the past 30 years in China, with specific consideration given to refinements in legislation and methodology. Three stages in the development of EcoIA in China are identified, along with their achievements and limitations. Supplementing this qualitative analysis, the paper also provides a quantitative bibliometrics review of academic publications concerning EcoIA in China over the three identified stages. Lastly, general trends in the development of EcoIA are summarized with the aim of conveying potential future trajectories. This review is intended to introduce the EcoIA system to scholars interested in the growing field of environmental management in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to better regionalize and discuss the rationality/irrationality of the spatial patterns China’ food provision, food production and population data was collected and GIS spatial analysis and modeling methods were used. Multi-level spatial analysis and contrast between North and South China was carried out from three aspects: (1) Ecosystem food provision potential (EFPP). Step-by-step-modifying models were constructed to assess EFPP, parameters including solar radiation, temperature, humidity, topography, soil, and landuse. (2) Conversion ratio of the EFPP (CRFP), representing the ratio of actual food production to the EFPP. High EFPP and low CRFP means high remaining food potential for future exploration (or protecting, increasing). (3) Population pressure of food provision (PPFP). PPFP was calculated based on food production, population, nutrition ingredient, and consumption standards. High PPFP means food deficiency. Results : (1) The EFPP in South and Southeast China is much higher than in the North regions, while the CRFP is the opposite; this means the South and Southeast China has more remaining food potential to explore (or to protect). CRFP in Northeast China is the highest (81%), indicating the food provision in Northeast China is approaching its maximum potential. In the future it is not wise to rely solely on food provision increases in North China, which may aggravate some problems like water shortage and ecosystem deterioration. (2) PPFP in the South and Southeast of China is much greater than in the North and has been rising, indicating that South and Southeast China have deficiency in food supply and is more and more dependent on food transportation from North China. It is necessary to preserve the fertile and high-yielding croplands as well as reclaim new food resources in the southern and eastern to improve its food self-sufficiency. From the above results, we can derive that the “North Grain to South” (NGS) pattern of China is irrational. This is in opposition to the present pattern of NGS but consistent with some other studies of domain experts, who also claim the NGS pattern may need adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Remote sensing model SEBAL was applied to show the patterns of evapotranspiration in the source region of the Yellow River, China, as alpine grassland-wetland ecosystems. Based on the numberical relationships in the correlation analysis of the key variables, the cause–effect chain was conducted to describe the typical situations of the hydro-heat in the area. The approaches of validation for SEBAL model in the recent decade were summarized to reflect a proper solution to compare the retrieved with the observed values. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rapid industrialization and urbanization have created a substantial urban-rural gradient for various pollutants. The Qinling Mountains are highly important in terms of biodiversity, providing habitat for giant pandas, which are endemic to China and are a widely recognized symbol for conservation. Whether polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure risks regarding in situ animal conservation zones are affected by environmental pollution or even enhanced by the mountain-trapping effect requires further research. Our group carried out a large-scale investigation on the area ranging from Xi'an to Hanzhong across the giant panda habitat in the Qinling Mountains by collecting atmosphere, soil, bamboo, and fecal samples from different sites over a two-year period. The total toxicity of atmospheric PAHs and the frequencies of soil PAHs above effect range low (ERL) values showed a decreasing trend from urban areas to the central mountains, suggesting a distance effect from the city. The proportions of total 5- and 6-ring PAHs in the atmosphere were higher in the central mountainous areas than in the urban areas, while this difference was reversed in the soil. Health risk assessments showed that the incremental lifetime carcinogenic risks (ILCR) of PAH exposure by bamboo ingestion ranged from 2.16 × 10−4 to 3.11 × 10−4, above the critical level of 10−4. Bamboo ingestion was the main driver of the PAH exposure risks. The concentration difference between bamboo and fecal samples provided a reference for the level of PAHs absorbed by the panda digestive system. Since the Qinling Mountains possess the highest density of giant pandas and provide habitats to many other endangered animal and plant species, we should not ignore the probability of health risks posed by PAHs. Monitoring the pollution level and reducing the atmospheric emissions of toxic pollutants are recommended actions. Further detailed research should also be implemented on pandas' health effects of contaminant exposure. [Display omitted] • The ∑16 PAH concentrations showed a regional trend in the atmosphere and soil. • The trends of 5- and 6-ring PAH proportions were reversed in the atmosphere and soil. • Health risks were assessed based on the concentrations of three environmental media. • ILCR suggested a probability of high cancer risk though bamboo ingestion. • Bamboo ingestion was the main driver of health risks for giant pandas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar radiation is an important parameter in ecological process modeling, hydrological modeling and bio-physical modeling. However, models focusing on solar radiation in relation to giant panda habitat and seasonal distribution are limited. The research aims to form spatial models of 12 month solar radiation patterns and to investigate the relation between the solar radiation patterns and the monthly distribution patterns of giant pandas. The solar radiation model of Kumar et al. was adopted for this study in Foping Nature Reserve (NR), China. By comparing twelve monthly solar radiation patterns and calculating statistics such as maximum, minimum, mean and standard deviation of the solar radiation, diversified solar radiation patterns over different months were obtained. Maximum solar radiation occurred in June and July, while minimum solar radiation occurred in December and January. The annual sum of solar radiation was 6954MJ/m2 in Foping NR. The range in solar radiation was smaller in hot months and larger in cold months. Radio tracking data of giant pandas were collected for twelve months and the ensuing maps were overlaid with the twelve-month solar radiation map to analyze the relation between the giant panda's monthly distribution and solar radiation. Our results showed that giant pandas prefer areas with lower solar radiation in warm months and select areas with higher solar radiation in cold months, which illustrates that the distribution of giant pandas is indeed affected by solar radiation. To a certain degree, it also explains the behavior of seasonal movement by giant pandas in Foping NR. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Simple Summary: The Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan province covers a unique mountainous ecosystem located on the eastern border of the Tibetan Plateau in China. We applied a popular non-invasive observational method, i.e., infrared-triggered camera trapping, to gain thousands of photographs of wildlife to monitor biodiversity over three years. Combined with data on the local abiotic factors, our integrative statistical analysis identified the key environmental drivers, i.e., temperature and vegetation, affecting the distribution and abundance of mammals and birds in the reserve. All species were classified into three main types by their tolerance of or fondness for different environmental conditions. The detectability of each species by camera trapping was quantified and ranked to provide insights on each species' relative abundance in the area. The high-altitude ecosystem of the Tibetan Plateau in China is a biodiversity hotspot that provides unique habitats for endemic and relict species along an altitudinal gradient at the eastern edge. Acquiring biodiversity information in this area, where the average altitude is over 4000 m, has been difficult but has been aided by recent developments in non-invasive technology, including infrared-triggered camera trapping. We used camera trapping to acquire a substantial number of photographic wildlife records in Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan, China, from 2013 to 2016. We collected information of the habitat surrounding the observation sites, resulting in a dataset covering 37 species and 12 environmental factors. We performed a multivariate statistical analysis to discern the dominant environmental factors and cluster the mammals and birds of the ecosystem in order to examine environmental factors contributing to the species' relative abundance. Species were generalized into three main types, i.e., cold-resistant, phyllophilic, and thermophilic, according to the identified key environmental drivers (i.e., temperature and vegetation) for their abundances. The mammal species with the highest relative abundance were bharal (Pseudois nayaur), Moupin pika (Ochotona thibetana), and Himalayan marmot (Marmota himalayana). The bird species with highest relative abundance were snow partridge (Lerwa lerwa), plain mountain finch (Leucosticte nemoricola), Chinese monal (Lophophorus lhuysii), and alpine accentor (Prunella collaris). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which examined the movement patterns of the giant panda in Foping Nature Reserve, China between 1991 and 1995 using radiotracking data. Overview of studies on the movement of the giant panda; Description of the study area; Methods used; Results of the study; Discussion.

Conserving and protecting the arid grassland ecosystem in Inner Mongolia under climate change requires large-scale observation and analysis. The interaction between land use/cover change (LUCC) and the regional climate change in this study area is addressed using macroscopic monitoring with remote sensing observation and analysis. The area’s LUCC was examined to demonstrate the structural dynamics of the land surface in the past from 1988 to 2011. The results of LUCC showed that agricultural land, high coverage grassland, and low coverage grassland were the dominant land cover types taking approximately 65.3% in total. Developed land constantly increased from 1.4% to 12.7% during the study period due to rapid urbanization in the area. According to the land surface energy balance equations, the four key variables of the regional climate system, (1) normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), (2) albedo (α), (3) surface temperature (T s ), and (4) evapotranspiration (ET), were calculated for their spatial-temporal pattern dynamic and also to perform a correlation analysis to explore the structure-function relationship in the land-atmosphere interaction. The results illustrated that vegetation degradation caused an increase in albedo by approximately 5% on average by 2007 as attributed to the cumulative effects of the drought since 2003. ET also declined to around 0.8 cm/day in 2007. The correlation analysis results suggested the human land use such as development and agricultural activities made the surface boundary layer less responsive in the land-atmosphere interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid plantation expansion and its associated impacts on habitat fragmentation and landscape connectivity in many tropical areas has raised increasing concerns as to its impact on Ecosystem Services (ES). Using the InVEST modelling suite, we evaluated critical ES dynamics in four zones of varying plantation expansion intensity (high, medium, low and no plantation expansion) in Xishuangbanna prefecture in Southwest China from 1976 to 2012. Based on these results, we also exmained the relationship between ES and landscape pattern and connectivity derived by the “probability of connectivity” model. We found that during the study period, plantation area increased more than 20 times in Xishuangbanna prefecture as a whole, while broad-leaved forest cover decreased by nearly 30%. The impact of plantation on ES was substantial at both the regional and local scale. Carbon stocks and water yield services decreased by 15.48% and 10.85%, respectively, from 1976 to 2012 throughout the region as a whole. Within the selected study zones, carbon stock and water yeild decreased by 45% and 32%, respectively, from the no plantation to the high plantation zones in 2012 specifically. Plantation expansion has also resulted in a decrease in natural forest cover and a high level of habitat fragmentation. Landscape connectivity decreased by a range of 54.64–95.58% throughout the study area, with 134.58 km 2 of forest patches of high importance reduced to medium or low importance during the study period. Correlation analysis showed that carbon storage was more closely correlated to landscape connectivity than forest habitat percentage, large patch index or cohesion index. Together, these results highlight that habitat configuration with a high connectivity level between fragmented patches is important for maintaining critical Ecosystem Services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Electrical resistivity model across the Late Cenozoic Abaga-Dalinor volcanic field (ADVF) reveals some striking features related to intraplate volcanism. • A remarkably high-conductivity zone lying in the middle-lower crust indicates the presence of saline fluids and a northwest-southeast trending fault. • A moderately highly-conductivity feature detected in the uppermost mantle indicates the presence of a low degree of partial melting. • The pre-existing tectonic weak zones such as ancient sutures, and major faults control the Late Cenozoic volcanism in the ADVF. • Late Cenozoic intraplate volcanism in the ADVF may be attributed to the decompression melting in a local asthenospheric upwelling. The Abaga-Dalinor volcanic field (ADVF) in Inner Mongolia, China, located to the west of the North-South Gravity Lineament (NSGL), is the largest and less known area of Late Cenozoic intraplate volcanism in Northeast China. Knowledge of the subsurface structure beneath the ADVF will improve our understanding of its evolution process and formation mechanisms. New broadband magnetotelluric (MT) data were collected along a profile of about 300 km that crosses the major basaltic areas exposed at the surface in the ADVF and a series of east-north-east (ENE) trending faults. The electrical resistivity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle across the ADVF was generated by 3-D inversion of full impedance tensor and tipper data. This model reveals a thick high-resistivity layer (>1000 Ωm) in the upper crust that may represent the Precambrian basement and Late Paleozoic-Mesozoic granitic plutons. In contrast, high conductivity anomalies dominate the middle-lower crust. The northward-dipping high-conductivity feature at depths of 20–40 km below sea level under the Chagan Obo fault is suggested to be the involvement of the Early Paleozoic subducted oceanic crust. A remarkably high-conductivity zone (1–20 Ωm) exists in the middle-lower crust beneath the Abaga and Dalinor volcanic areas. It is explained to be a saline fluid zone of ∼0.45%–0.48% that exsolved from the partial melts as magma ascent rapidly. The impermeable upper crust traps these fluids in the middle-lower crust. A moderately high-conductivity anomaly in the uppermost mantle below near the Solonker Suture Zone (SSZ) is attributed to a minimum partial melt of ∼3–4% associated with the localized asthenospheric upwelling, which feeds the Abaga and Dalinor volcanos as a common magma source. Integrating our resistivity model with previous geophysical and geochemical studies, we suggest that intraplate volcanism in the ADVF is mainly controlled by the pre-existing tectonic weak zones. The lithosphere within the SSZ is susceptible to thermal perturbation from the upwelling mantle, providing the preconditions for melt generation. A set of ENE trending faults and an inferred NW-SE trending fault jointly dominated the vertical transport of magma and lateral extension along the faults, which may have influenced the spatial distribution of basalts and volcanic cones at the surface in the ADVF. In addition, we tend to suggest that Late Cenozoic intraplate volcanism in the ADVF could be the result of decompressing melting within the localized small-scale asthenospheric upwelling induced by the edge-driven convection near the NSGL, which is indirectly related to the westward subduction and retreat of the (Paleo-)Pacific plate during the Late Mesozoic to Cenozoic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North China Craton is a stable cratonic block that emerged in the Paleozoic era. During the late Mesozoic era, lithospheric stretching and thinning, as well as volcanic activities, caused extensive destruction of the craton. In this study, we conducted a magnetotelluric profile within the North China Craton, covering the western (Ordos Block), middle (Taihangshan Uplift), and eastern (North China Plain) segments of the craton. The electrical structure along the profile was obtained. Our analysis revealed that the Huoshan fault and the piedmont fault of the Taihangshan are large-scale high- and low-resistivity boundaries, which traverse the entire crust. These two faults divide the three major secondary blocks within the North China Craton. The crust of the Taihangshan Uplift is characterized by a layered high-resistivity body, while the lower and middle crust exhibits widespread high conductivity layer. The crustal-scale structures of the North China Plain and the Ordos Block on both sides are dominated by stable layered resistivity structures. This indicates that the lithospheric destruction near the profile may have mainly concentrated beneath the central Taihangshan Uplift. The seismogenic environment of the 1303 Hongtong earthquake may have been controlled by multiple factors. The upwelling of mantle-derived materials in the lower and middle crust beneath the Taihangshan Uplift caused the extension of the Shanxi Graben fault system where the Linfen Graben is located. The main controlling factor of this earthquake is the southeastward sliding of the Huoshan fault. We speculate that the destruction process beneath the central Taihangshan Uplift of the North China Craton exhibited a bottom-up process, and the thermo-mechanical-chemical erosion mechanism may have dominated the destruction of craton. [Display omitted] • Electrical Structure of the central part of North China Craton was constructed. • Taihangshan uplift has an high conductivity mid-lower crust. • The upwelling of mantle material have induced deformation in the Shanxi Graben. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ambitious new Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework "Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework" has been developed. However, the combined effects of climate change and human modification can undermine the potential benefits of the global post-2020 conservation efforts. The co-benefits of stabilizing the climate, conserving biodiversity, and maintaining intact wilderness areas may help to persuade the general public of the need to quickly expand existing protected areas (PAs). To maximize the co-benefits after 2020, the careful optimization of existing (PAs) network and scientific identification of conservation targets are both essential. Here, we mapped hotspots of biodiversity, climate vulnerability, and wilderness in Southwest China (SWC). By analyzing the representativeness and gaps of the existing PAs network in SWC, we devised post-2020 conservation targets and highlighted their implications for decision-makers. Our results showed that the incongruence between hotspots of different species exists, indicating that habitats suitable for one taxon may not fully harbor other taxa. According to our assessment, the five jurisdictions of SWC have warmed on average by 0.4°C–1.1 °C over the past 60 years alone. In particular, biodiversity hotspots in SWC are undergoing stark climatic changes. We uncovered prominent conservation gaps in SWC's network of PAs, especially in terms of climate vulnerability and biodiversity. Due to their insufficient number and unreasonable spatial distribution, the PAs network in SWC may be not capable of meeting its biodiversity, climate vulnerability, and wilderness conservation objectives. To rectify this, we proposed a 3-step mission: milestone 2025, milestone 2030, and goal 2050, which aims to protect 23%, 28%, and 60% of the terrestrial area in SWC, respectively. Taken together, our study derived conservation priority areas with relatively clear spatial boundaries and importance levels, thus providing detailed, timely information for decision-makers to expand the PAs network and implement conservation measures varying in strictness in post-2020 conservation practice. • Incongruence between hotspots of differing species categories exists in SWC. • Biodiversity hotspots in SWC are undergoing drastic climate change and human modification. • Huge conservation gaps exist in SWC's existing network of PAs. • The PAs network in SWC fails to meet the challenge of climate change and human modification. • A three-step goal for the SWC consists of a 2025 target, a 2030 mission, and a 2050 vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most biodiversity-rich part of the protected areas system, habitats within the pilot national parks have long been threatened by drastic human-induced land use and land cover changes. The growing concern about habitat loss has spurred China's national park project to shift from pilot to construction phase with the official establishment of China's first group of national parks (CFGNPs) in October 2021. But far too little attention has been paid to the synergistic work concerning the habitat quality (HQ) dynamics of all five national parks. Here, the InVEST model, combined with a satellite-derived land use and land cover product and a hot spot analysis (HSA) method, was used to investigate the HQ dynamics at the park- and pixel-scale within the CFGNPs. Our results demonstrate that the past ecological conservation practices within national parks have been unpromising, especially in Giant Panda National Park, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park (NCTL), and Wuyi Mountain National Park (WYM), where HQ as a whole showed a significant decline. Furthermore, more than half of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park (87.2%), WYM (77.4%), and NCTL (52.9%) showed significant HQ degradation from 1980 to 2019. Besides, increasing trends in the area shares of HQ degraded pixels were observed in all five national parks from 1980–1999 to 2000–2019. The HSA implied that the hot spots of high HQ degradation rates tend to occur in areas closer to urban settlements or on the edge of national parks, where human activities are intensive. Despite these disappointing findings, we highlighted from the observed local successes and the HQ plateau that the construction of CFGNPs is expected to reverse the deteriorating HQ trends. Thus, we concluded our paper by proposing an HSA-based regulatory zoning scheme that includes five subzones to guide the future construction of China's national park system. [Display omitted] • The first known investigation to reveal the habitat quality trends for China's first group of national parks was presented. • The past ecological conservation practices within national parks have been unpromising over the past four decades. • The area shares of habitat quality degraded pixels show an increasing trend in all five national parks from 1980 to 2019. • We developed a regulatory zoning scheme for habitat protection or ecosystem restoration within these national parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese steppe is undergoing a drastic increase in nitrogen (N) deposition, and the precipitation in this region is predicted to increase. However, the response of soil N 2 O emissions to the coupling changes of precipitation and N deposition in grassland ecosystem has been seldom discussed. A manipulative field experiment was conducted to investigate the individual and interactive effects of precipitation increase and N deposition on soil N 2 O efflux in semi-arid temperate grassland in Inner Mongolia during the growing seasons of 2010 and 2011.The treatments included four N addition levels [20 g N m −2 y −1 (N20), 10 g N m −2 y −1 (N10), 5 g N m −2 y −1 (N5), and a zero-N control (CK)] and two water application levels [natural precipitation for dry (D) and 15% increase of long-term mean annual precipitation for wet (W) treatments]. Results indicated that N and water addition both significantly increased soil N 2 O effluxes ( P < 0.01). The maximum N 2 O emissions were observed within 2–3 days after N addition to all treatments, and the N 2 O effluxes in W treatments were generally higher than in D treatments for the same N input level. For the treatments without N inputs, the N 2 O emission peak of WCK was 9.8% higher than DCK in 2010. The effect of water addition on N 2 O emission was more evident when more N fertilizer was applied. For the high N input treatments, the maximum N 2 O emission of WN20 treatment was 222.6% higher than DN20 in 2010. The changes in N and water availabilities accounted for 91.3% (2010) and 75.6% (2011) of the N 2 O cumulative efflux variation among different treatments ( P < 0.01). The N 2 O effluxes were significantly affected by the interactive effect between N and water in 2010 and 2011 ( P < 0.05). Significant interannual variability in the cumulative N 2 O emissions was observed, the cumulative N 2 O emissions in 2011 were significantly lower than those in 2010 even though the summer of 2011 experienced higher rainfall ( P < 0.01). Temperature also significantly influenced soil N 2 O emission apart from the effects of water and N. The temperature change accounted for 41.3% (W) to 47.2% (D) of the temporal variations in N 2 O emission during the relatively dry 2010. The combined changes in soil moisture, NH 4 + -N, and temperature accounted for 43.1% (D) to 54.5% (W) of the temporal variations in N 2 O emission in the relatively wet year of 2011. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The spatial distribution of epiphyllous liverworts in China is predicted. [•] Six core distribution areas of epiphyllous liverworts across China are found. [•] The macro-habitat factors that affect epiphyllous liverwort distribution are identified. [•] Satellite vegetation indices are the most important predictors of epiphyllous liverworts. [•] Epiphyllous liverworts may be used as indicator for forest degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sub-health can have an impact on the physical condition of the young adults, and this study aimed to investigate the influencing factors of sub-health related to the Big Five personality in Chinese young adults., Methods: A multi-stage random sampling method was used to survey the Chinese young adults. A moderated mediation analysis was conducted to investigate how sleep quality and family health influenced the relationship between diverse personalities and sub-health in young adults., Results: A total of 6165 young adults were included in this study. The results of the mediation analysis indicated that sleep quality partially mediated the relationship between neurotic, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness of young adults and sub-health. Family health played a moderating role between the sleep quality and agreeableness of young adults., Limitations: The cross-sectional study limits conclusions about causal relationships between factors., Conclusion: Family health and sleep quality can influence sub-health in Chinese young adults with different personality traits., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All the authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Land use/land cover changes are occurring at an unprecedented rate and scale because of the economic development that has jeopardized the ecosystem's health. Ecosystem health should be studied and monitored at spatiotemporal scale to promote sustainable development and ecological civilization. The goal of this study was to assess the spatial ecosystem health of Langfang at the city and administrative levels using city's regional characteristics. Remote sensing-based pressure-state-response (PSR) framework, analytical hierarchy process (AHP), and principal component analysis (PCA) were utilized for spatial ecosystem health index (SEHI) formulation, indicator weighting, and indicator selection in several epochs (1990, 2003, 2013, and 2021), respectively. SEHI was formulated by combining subindices of pressure, state and response. The spatial ecosystem pressure index (SEIP) identified that the pressure was increasing on the ecosystem. In contrast, the spatial ecosystem state index (SEIS) pointed out an improvement in the state of the ecosystem since 1990. The worst state of the ecosystem was observed for the year 2013. The spatial ecosystem response index (SEIR) indicated that the response of the ecosystem towards the exerted pressures and states remained variable; however, it was reasonably good in 1990. All the administrative units of Langfang were associated with a healthy score for the spatial ecosystem health index (SEHI) for 1990 (pre-industrialization epoch), while the SEHI significantly reduced in 2013 (industrialization epoch) however improved for the later epochs (circular economy and ecological civilization epoch). The SEHI was moderately healthy for Dachang, Dacheng, Guan, Guangyang, and Yongqing while relatively healthy for the remaining administrative units in 2021. SEHI identified that spatial health has been improving since 2003 though not reaching the 1990's level for Langfang. Therefore, efforts should be focused on minimizing pressure and stabilizing the state to improve the spatial ecosystem health of Langfang. The developed SEHI can assist policymakers in analyzing regional health, identifying development strategies, driving environmental restoration, and quantifying needed changes., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Identifying drivers behind biodiversity recovery is critical to promote efficient ecological restoration. Yet to date, for secondary forests in China there is a considerable uncertainty concerning the ecological drivers that affect plant diversity recovery. Following up on a previous published meta-analysis on the patterns of species recovery across the country, here we further incorporate data on the logging history, climate, forest landscape and forest attribute to conduct a nationwide analysis of the main drivers influencing the recovery of woody plant species richness in secondary forests. Results showed that regional species pool exerted a positive effect on the recovery ratio of species richness and this effect was stronger in selective cutting forests than that in clear cutting forests. We also found that temperature had a negative effect, and the shape complexity of forest patches as well as the percentage of forest cover in the landscape had positive effects on the recovery ratio of species richness. Our study provides basic information on recovery and resilience analyses of secondary forests in China.

There is considerable uncertainty concerning changes in plant diversity of Chinese secondary forests, particularly with respect to diversity recovery following anthropogenic disturbance. Here we present a meta-analysis of the recovery of woody plant species richness in secondary forests in China, with nearby primary forests as a reference. A total of 125 pairs of secondary-primary forest data reported in 55 publications were identified across China. We analyzed the data by region and logging history to examine their influences on secondary forest recovery. Our results indicated that the woody plant richness of secondary forests in China was close to fully recovered when compared to the primary forest, with the recovery ratio being 85-103%. Higher recovery ratios were observed in central, northeast and southwest China, with lower recovery ratios seen in east, south and northwest China, and the recovery in central China significantly reached the primary forests (reference) level. Concerning logging histories, the recovery ratios showed two peak values, with one at 21-40 years after clear cutting and the other at 61-80 years. We reveal the fundamental recovery patterns of woody plant species richness in secondary forests in China. These patterns provide information for the sustainable management of secondary forest resources.