How do income inequality, poverty and industry 4.0 affect environmental pollution in South Asia: New insights from quantile regression.

While many factors have been studied as potential causes of environmental degradation, the impact of poverty and inequality has been largely overlooked in the research. The Sustainable Development Goals are aligned with the intersection of poverty, inequality, and the environment. In addition, most previous research has used carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as a surrogate for pollution. These gaps are filled by this study, which uses ecological footprint (a comprehensive measure of pollution) and CO2 emissions to examine the effects of income disparity and poverty on environmental pollution in 13 nations. Dynamic panel Quantile regression methods are used in this study because of their resilience to various econometric problems that can crop up during the estimate process. The empirical results reveal that the whole panel's carbon emissions and ecological footprint rise when income disparity and poverty exist. When the panel is subdivided, however, we see that income inequality reduces carbon emissions and environmental footprint for the wealthy but has the opposite effect on the middle class. While high-income households see no impact from poverty on their carbon emissions, middle-income households see an increase in both. Overall, the results of this study suggest that income disparity and poverty are major factors in ecological degradation. Therefore, initiatives to reduce environmental degradation should pay sufficient attention to poverty and inequality to achieve ecological sustainability.

Anthropogenic Disturbances Influenced the Island Effect on Both Taxonomic and Phylogenetic Diversity on Subtropical Islands, Pingtan, China.

The investigation of taxonomic diversity within island plant communities stands as a central focus in the field of island biogeography. Phylogenetic diversity is crucial for unraveling the evolutionary history, ecological functions, and species combinations within island plant communities. Island effects (area and isolation effect) may shape species distribution patterns, habitat heterogeneity affects habitat diversity, and anthropogenic disturbances can lead to species extinction and habitat destruction, thus impacting both species diversity and phylogenetic diversity. To investigate how taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity in island natural plant communities respond to island effects, habitat heterogeneity, and anthropogenic disturbances, we took the main island of Haitan (a land-bridge island) and nine surrounding islands (oceanic islands) of varying sizes as the subjects of our study on the Pingtan islands. We aim to elucidate the influence of island effects, habitat heterogeneity, and anthropogenic disturbances on taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity. The results showed that, (1) Both the taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of plants on the Pingtan islands followed the island area effect, indicating that as the island area increases, both taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity also increase. (2) Island effects and habitat heterogeneity were found to enhance taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity, whereas anthropogenic disturbances were associated with a decrease in both taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity. Furthermore, the synergistic influence of island effects, habitat heterogeneity, and anthropogenic disturbances collectively exerted a negative impact on both taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity. (3) The contribution of explanatory variables of anthropogenic disturbances for taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity was higher than that of island effects and habitat heterogeneity. Additionally, the contribution of the explanatory variables under the combined influence of island effects, habitat heterogeneity, and anthropogenic disturbances is higher than that of the individual variables for island effects and habitat heterogeneity. These findings suggest that anthropogenic disturbances emerged as the dominant factors influencing both taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity. These findings demonstrate the intricate interplay between island effects, habitat heterogeneity, and anthropogenic disturbances, highlighting their combined influence on both taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity on island.

Adaptation Strategies of Seedling Root Response to Nitrogen and Phosphorus Addition.

The escalation of global nitrogen deposition levels has heightened the inhibitory impact of phosphorus limitation on plant growth in subtropical forests. Plant roots area particularly sensitive tissue to nitrogen and phosphorus elements. Changes in the morphological characteristics of plant roots signify alterations in adaptive strategies. However, our understanding of resource-use strategies of roots in this environment remains limited. In this study, we conducted a 10-month experiment at the Castanopsis kawakamii Nature Reserve to evaluate the response of traits of seedling roots (such as specific root length, average diameter, nitrogen content, and phosphorus content) to nitrogen and phosphorus addition. The aim was to reveal the adaptation strategies of roots in different nitrogen and phosphorus addition concentrations. The results showed that: (1) The single phosphorus and nitrogen-phosphorus interaction addition increased the specific root length, surface area, and root phosphorus content. In addition, single nitrogen addition promotes an increase in the average root diameter. (2) Non-nitrogen phosphorus addition and single nitrogen addition tended to adopt a conservative resource-use strategy to maintain growth under low phosphorus conditions. (3) Under the single phosphorus addition and interactive addition of phosphorus and nitrogen, the roots adopted an acquisitive resource-use strategy to obtain more available phosphorus resources. Accordingly, the adaptation strategy of seedling roots can be regulated by adding appropriate concentrations of nitrogen or phosphorus, thereby promoting the natural regeneration of subtropical forests.

Tree seedling growth allocation of Castanopsis kawakamii is determined by seed-relative positions.

Plants allocate growth to different organs as a strategy to obtain limiting resources in different environments. Tree seeds that fall from a mother tree settle on, within, or below the forest floor and litter layer, and their relative positions can determine seedling biomass and nutrient allocation and ultimately affect survival to the sapling stage. However, how emerged seedling biomass and nutrients of each organ are affected by seeds in different positions is not yet completely understood in subtropical forests. Therefore, an experiment was conducted with seeds positioned above the litter layers of different thicknesses, on the forest floor, and beneath the litter layer, and the influences of seed position on biomass allocation and nutrient use efficiency of emerged seedlings of Castanopsis kawakamii was examined. The aim of the study was to determine the optimal seed position to promote regeneration. Allocation strategies were well coordinated in the emerged seedlings from different seed positions. Seedlings from seeds positioned above litter layers of different thicknesses (~40 and 80 g of litter) allocated growth to leaf tissue at the expense of root tissue (lower root mass fraction) and increased nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) accumulation and nutrient use efficiency. Seedlings from seeds positioned beneath a deep litter layer allocated most growth to roots (high root: shoot ratio, root mass fraction) to capture available resources at the expense of leaf growth. Seedlings from seeds positioned on the forest floor allocated most growth to roots to obtain limiting resources. Further, we also found that these traits were clustered into three groups based on trait similarity, and the cumulative interpretation rate was 74.2%. Thus, seed relative positions significantly affected seedling growth by altering the allocation of resources to different organs. The different strategies indicated that root N:P ratios (entropy weight vector was 0.078) and P nutrient use efficiency were essential factors affecting seedling growth in the subtropical forest. Of the seed positions analyzed, beneath a moderate litter layer (~40 g of litter) was the most suitable position for the growth and survival of Castanopsis seedlings. In future studies, field and lab experiments will be combined to reveal the mechanisms underlying forest regeneration.

Forest gaps regulate seed germination rate and radicle growth of an endangered plant species in a subtropical natural forest.

The survival rate of Castanopsis kawakamii from seed to seedling is relatively low, leading to difficulties in the regeneration of its natural forests. Forest gaps play a vital role in plant regeneration and biodiversity maintenance in forest ecosystems. Unfortunately, our understanding of the effects of gap size and within-gap position on the seed germination and radicle growth of C. kawakamii is still limited. In particular, our knowledge on the relationship between gap size and environmental factors and their influence on seed germination and radicle growth is incomplete. In the present study, we studied the influences of forest gaps and within-gap position on seed regeneration on the germination and radicle growth of an endangered species C. kawakamii in a subtropical natural forest in China. We selected three large gaps (LG, gap size above 200 m2), three medium gaps (MG, gap size 50-100 m2), three small gaps (SG, gap size 30-50 m2), and non-gap (NG), and planted the seeds of C. kawakamii in five positions within each gap. The results showed that (1) the influence of forest gaps on seed germination rate was, from highest to lowest, medium gaps (51%), non-gap (47%), small gaps (40%) and large gaps (17%), and the seed germination rate was the highest in all positions in medium gaps, with the exception of the east position. (2) Radicle length in forest gaps was, from highest to lowest, medium gaps, small gaps, large gaps and non-gap, and it was the highest in the east, south, west and north positions of medium gaps. (3) Canopy openness (gap size) and air temperature were the main factors influencing seed germination and radicle growth of C. kawakamii. We concluded that medium-sized gaps were the most suitable for seed germination and radicle growth of C. kawakamii, and they promote the regeneration of this endangered species in the investigated natural forest.

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When seeds fallen from the mother trees, their initial contact physical environment was litter or soil. The dispersal positions of seeds (seeds positioned on top of the litter, the soil surface and beneath the litter) determine the process of their natural regeneration. We simulated three different dispersal positions of Castanopsis kawakamii, including seeds positioned on top of the litter (2 and 4 cm litter was placed below the seed layer), soil surface (without litter), and seeds beneath the litter (2, 4, 6 and 8 cm litter covers in the upper layer of seeds). We examined the effects of seed dispersal position on the chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics, non-structural carbohydrate, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content and nutrient content of seedlings. The results showed that leaf nitrogen content per area of seedlings had significantly positive correlation with soluble sugar content, non-structural carbohydrate content, and negative correlation with specific leaf area across different dispersal positions. Seedlings of the moderate litter cover (2 and 4 cm) adopted resource acquisitive strategies by increasing relative chlorophyll content, soluble sugar content, non-structural carbohydrate content, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen content and phosphorus contents per area, and decreasing specific leaf area to achieve their demands for rapid growth. Seedlings grew on soil surface and beneath the deep litter (6 and 8 cm) adopted the resource conservative strategies with higher leaf nitrogen content per mass and specific leaf area, lower leaf dry matter content, and non-structural carbohydrate content to intercept more effective light resources to compensate for the shady environment brought by deep litter. This would further decrease the probability of seedling mortality due to 'carbon starvation'. Seedlings under litter layer stored starch in leaf, and reduced the energy consumption of photosynthetic tissues (low PSⅡ maximum photochemical efficiency) to maintain seedling growth. Comprehensive analysis of entropy method indicated that low amount of litter cover (2 cm) significantly promoted seedling growth of C. kawakamii. In the future, we could regulate the thickness of litter layer to promote the growth and regeneration of C. kawakamii seedlings in natural forest.

Different Time Scale Distribution of Negative Air Ions Concentrations in Mount Wuyi National Park.

The concentration of negative air ions (NAIs) is an important indicator of air quality. Here, we analyzed the distribution patterns of negative air ion (NAI) concentrations at different time scales using statistical methods; then described the contribution of meteorological factors of the different season to the concentration of NAIs using correlation analysis and regression analysis; and finally made the outlook for the trends of NAI concentrations in the prospective using the auto regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models. The dataset of NAI concentrations and meteorological factors measured at the fixed stations in the Mountain Wuyi National Park were obtained from the Fujian Provincial Meteorological Bureau. The study showed that NAI concentrations were correlated with relative humidity spanning all seasons. Water was an important factor affecting the distribution of NAI concentrations in different time series. Compared with other ARIMA models, the outlook value of the ARIMA (0,1, 1) model was closer to the original data and the errors were smaller. This article provided a unique perspective on the study of the distribution of negative air oxygen ions over time series.

Effects of Forest Gaps on Soil Properties in Castanopsis kawakamii Nature Forest.

The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of forest gaps on the variations of soil properties in Castanopsis kawakamii natural forest. Soil physical and chemical properties in various sizes and development stages were studied in C. kawakamii natural forest gaps. The results showed that forest gaps in various sizes and development stages could improve soil pore space structure and water characteristics, which may effectively promote the water absorbing capacity for plant root growth and play an important role in forest regeneration. Soil pore space structure and water characteristics in small gaps showed more obvious improvements, followed by the medium and large gaps. Soil pore space structure and water characteristics in the later development stage of forest gaps demonstrated more obvious improvements, followed by the early and medium development stages. The contents of hydrolysable N and available K in various sizes and development stages of forest gaps were higher than those of non-gaps, whereas the contents of total N, total P, available P, organic matter, and organic carbon were lower. The contents of total N, hydrolysable N, available K, organic matter, and organic carbon in medium gaps were higher than those of large and small gaps. The disturbance of forest gaps could improve the soils' physical and chemical properties and increase the population species' richness, which would provide an ecological basis for the species coexistence in C. kawakamii natural forest.