Ecological restoration enhanced the stability of epiphytic microbial food webs of submerged macrophytes: Insights from predation characteristics of epiphytic predators.

The application of various submerged macrophytes for ecological restoration has gained increasing attention in urban lake ecosystems. The multitrophic microbial communities that colonize various submerged macrophytes constitute microbial food webs through trophic cascade effects, which affect the biogeochemical cycles of the lake ecosystem and directly determine the effects of ecological restoration. Therefore, it is essential to reveal the diversity, composition, assembly processes, and stability of the microbial communities within epiphytic food webs of diverse submerged macrophytes under eutrophication and ecological restoration scenarios. In this study, we explored the epiphytic microbial food webs of Vallisneria natans and Hydrilla verticillata in both eutrophic and ecological restoration regions. The obtained results indicated that the two regions with different nutrient levels remarkably affected the diversity and composition of epiphytic multitrophic microbial communities of submerged macrophytes, among which, epiphytic predators were more prone to changes in community composition. Secondly, environmental filtering effects were more dominant in the community assembly of epiphytic predators than of prey. Furthermore, the generality and intraguild predation of epiphytic predators were significantly improved within ecological restoration regions, which increased the stability of the epiphytic microbial food webs. Additionally, compared with Hydrilla verticillata, the epiphytic microbial food webs of Vallisneria natans exhibited higher multitrophic diversity and higher network stability regardless of the regions. Overall, this study focuses on the role of the epiphytic microbial food webs of submerged macrophytes in ecological restoration and uncovered the potential of epiphytic predators to enhance the stability of microbial food webs, which may provide new insights into the development of ecological restoration strategies.

[Assessment of carbon reduction and sink enhancement potential of photovoltaic+mining ecological restoration model]. / å ‰ä¼+矿山生态修复模式的减碳增汇潜力评估.

The energy oriented mine ecological restoration mode of photovoltaic+ecological restoration provides a breakthrough for alleviating the dilemma of photovoltaic land development and solving the urgent need for restoration of abandoned mining land. Taking a mining area in central Liaoning Province as an example, we established three photovoltaic+mining ecological restoration modes, including forest-photovoltaic complementary, agriculture-photovoltaic, and grass photovoltaic complementation. Combined with the life cycle assessment method, we calculated and assessed the potential of photovoltaic+mining ecological restoration in carbon reduction and sink enhancement. The average annual carbon reduction and sink increase was 514.93 t CO2·hm-2 under the photovoltaic+mining ecological restoration mode, while the average annual carbon reduction per megawatt photovoltaic power station was 1242.94 t CO2. The adoption of photovoltaic+ecological restoration mode in this mining area could make carbon reduction and sink enhancement 6.30-7.79 Mt CO2 during 25 years. The carbon reduction and sink increment mainly stemmed from the photovoltaic clean power generation induced carbon reduction, accounting for 96.4%-99.4%, while the contribution of ecosystem carbon sink increment was small, accounting for only 0.6%-3.7% of the total. Among different photovoltaic+ecological restoration modes, the carbon reduction and sink increment was the largest in forest-photovoltaic complementary (7.11 Mt CO2), followed by agriculture-photovoltaic (7.04 Mt CO2), and the least in grass photovoltaic complementation (6.98 Mt CO2). Constructing the development mode of "photovoltaic+mining ecological restoration" could effectively leverage the dual benefits of reducing emissions from photovoltaic power generation and increase sinks from mining ecological restoration, which would be helpful for achieving the goal of carbon neutrality in China.

Ecological restoration at pilot-scale employing site-specific rationales for small-patch degraded mangroves in Indian Sundarbans.

To date, degraded mangrove ecosystem restoration accomplished worldwide primarily aligns towards rehabilitation with monotypic plantations, while ecological restoration principles are rarely followed in these interventions. However, researchers admit that most of these initiatives' success rate is not appreciable often. An integrative framework of ecological restoration for degraded mangroves where site-specific observations could be scientifically rationalized, with co-located reference pristine mangroves as the target ecosystem to achieve is currently distinctively lacking. Through this experimental scale study, we studied the suitability of site-specific strategies to ecologically restore degraded mangrove patches vis-à-vis the conventional mono-species plantations in a highly vulnerable mangrove ecosystem in Indian Sundarbans. This comprehensive restoration framework was trialed in small discrete degraded mangrove patches spanning ~ 65 ha. Site-specific key restoration components applied are statistically validated through RDA analyses and Bayesian t-tests. 25 quantifiable metrics evaluate the restoration success of a ~ 3 ha degraded mangrove patch with Ridgeline distribution, Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) tests, and Mahalanobis Distance (D2) measure to prove the site's near-equivalence to pristine reference in multiple ecosystem attributes. This restoration intervention irrevocably establishes the greater potential of this framework in the recovery of ecosystem functions and self-sustenance compared to that of predominant monoculture practices for vulnerable mangroves.

Vegetation resilience assessment and its climatic driving factors: Evidence from surface coal mines in northern China.

Vegetation resilience is a key concept for understanding ecosystem responses to disturbances and is essential for maintaining ecosystem sustainability. However, assessing vegetation resilience remains challenging, especially for areas with significant disturbances and ecological restoration, such as surface coal mine ecosystems. Vegetation resilience assessment requires a combination of disturbance magnitude, recovery magnitude, and recovery time. In this study, we propose a vegetation resilience assessment method by integrating disturbance magnitude, recovery magnitude and recovery time. Forty-six surface coal mines in northern China were analysed as the study areas. A geographical detector model was used to explore the influence of climatic factors on vegetation resilience. The results indicated that the vegetation resilience curves included three shapes, inverted U-shaped, S-shaped, and monotonically decreasing, and the different disturbance-recovery relationships of the curves indicated that natural and social factors jointly changed the ecological restoration process. The vegetation resilience of the 46 surface coal mines varies widely, ranging from 0.87 to 7.22, showing a spatial decreasing trend from east to west. The explanatory power of different climatic factors on vegetation resilience by indirectly affecting hydrothermal conditions varies, with the effect of atmospheric pressure being the most significant and the superposition of the two climatic factors enhancing the effect on vegetation resilience. This study enriches the understanding of vegetation resilience assessment and provides important information to guide the differentiation of ecological restoration and resource development of surface coal mines in different regions.

Naturally diverse plant communities do not resist invasion by the strong competitor, Microstegium vimineum.

PREMISE: Theory predicts and empirical studies have shown that ecologically manipulated communities with high species diversity are resistant to invasion, but do these predictions and results hold true when applied to highly competitive invaders in natural communities? Few studies of diversity-mediated invasion resistance have measured both invasion resistance and invader impact in the same study. METHODS: We used a two-year field experiment to test: (1) diversity-mediated competitive resistance to patch expansion by the grass, Microstegium vimineum; and (2) the competitive effect of M. vimineum on resident plant diversity. We examined responses of M. vimineum to two native plant density-reduction treatments that had opposite effects on species diversity: (1) reducing species richness via the removal of rare species; and (2) reducing dominance by reducing the density of the dominant resident species. We examined the effects of M. vimineum reduction by pre-emergent herbicide on resident diversity in the second year of the study. RESULTS: Neither rare species removal nor dominant species reduction significantly increased M. vimineum density (relative growth rate). The pre-emergent herbicide dramatically reduced M. vimineum in year 2 of the study, but not most resident plants, which were perennials and indirectly benefited from the herbicide at a more productive site, presumably due to reduced competition from M. vimineum. CONCLUSIONS: Diversity-mediated resistance did not effectively deter invasion by a highly competitive invader. In the case of M. vimineum and at more productive sites, it would appear that nearly complete removal of this invader is necessary to preserve plant species diversity.

The Long-Term Effects of Barren Land Afforestation on Plant Productivity, Soil Fertility, and Soil Moisture in China: A Meta-Analysis.

As global ecological degradation intensifies, the long-term impacts of afforestation on productivity and soil fertility in barren lands have become critical in improving global ecological security and productivity. Through meta-analysis, this study integrates data from 109 barren land afforestation sites across China, aiming to comprehensively analyze the effects on plant productivity and soil fertility while identifying the key environmental drivers of these changes. We found that afforestation consistently enhances plant productivity across 60 years. However, soil fertility and moisture initially surged significantly after afforestation but gradually declined after the first decade, indicating the limited long-term benefits. Climatic factors, namely precipitation and humidity index, are crucial in enhancing plant productivity, while geographic factors, specifically lower elevations and gentler slopes, are associated with greater increases in soil fertility. Elevation and slope are two key factors that influence soil moisture after afforestation. These findings highlight the need for ongoing soil management and ecological maintenance in afforestation projects to sustain the soil fertility benefits. Our study provides a robust scientific foundation for afforestation strategies aimed at barren land restoration and offers valuable insights for policy formulation in barren land afforestation.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Selectively Promoted the Growth of Three Ecological Restoration Plants.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation can promote plant growth, but specific research on the difference in the symbiosis effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and plant combination is not yet in-depth. Therefore, this study selected Medicago sativa L., Bromus inermis Leyss, and Festuca arundinacea Schreb., which were commonly used for restoring degraded land in China to inoculate with three AMF separately, to explore the effects of different AMF inoculation on the growth performance and nutrient absorption of different plants and to provide a scientific basis for the research and development of the combination of mycorrhiza and plants. We set up four treatments with inoculation Entrophospora etunicata (EE), Funneliformis mosseae (FM), Rhizophagus intraradices (RI), and non-inoculation. The main research findings are as follows: the three AMF formed a good symbiotic relationship with the three grassland plants, with RI and FM having more significant inoculation effects on plant height, biomass, and tiller number. Compared with C, the aboveground biomass of Medicago sativa L., Bromus inermis Leyss, and Festuca arundinacea Schreb. inoculated with AMF increased by 101.30-174.29%, 51.67-74.14%, and 110.67-174.67%. AMF inoculation enhanced the plant uptake of N, P, and K, and plant P and K contents were significantly correlated with plant biomass. PLS-PM analyses of three plants all showed that AMF inoculation increased plant nutrient uptake and then increased aboveground biomass and underground biomass by increasing plant height and root tillering. This study showed that RI was a more suitable AMF for combination with grassland degradation restoration grass species and proposed the potential mechanism of AMF-plant symbiosis to increase yield.

Harvest residue recycling rather than slash-burning results in the enhancement of soil fertility and bacterial community stability in Eucalyptus plantations.

Deforestation and slash combustion have substantial adverse impacts on the atmosphere, soil and microbe. Despite this awareness, numerous individuals persist in opting for high-intensity Eucalyptus planting through slash-burning in pursuit of immediate profits while disregarding the environmental significance and destroying the soil. Slash-unburnt agriculture can effectively safeguard the ecological environment, and compared with slash-burning, there remains a limited understanding of its regulatory mechanisms on soil fertility and microbial community. Also, large uncertainty persists regarding the utilization of harvest residues. Thoroughly investigating these questions from various perspectives encompassing physical soil characteristics, nutrient availability, bacterial community structures, and stability is crucial. To explore the ecological advantages of slash-unburnt techniques on microorganisms and their associated ecosystems, we used two slash-unburnt (Unburnt) planting techniques: Spread (naturally and evenly covering the forest floor after logging) and Stack (residues are piled along contour lines) as well as the traditional slash Burnt method (Burnt) in a Eucalyptus plantation. A comparative analysis was conducted between the two methods. We observed that over a span of 4 years, despite the initial lower application of fertilizer in the Unburnt treatments compared with the Burnt treatment during the first 2 years, the Unburnt treatment gradually caught up or even surpassed and attained similar nutrient levels as the Burnt treatment. Alphaproteobacteria was the main phyla that indicated the difference in soil bacterial communities between Burnt and Unburnt treatments. The microbial networks also highlighted the significance of the Unburnt method, as it contributed to the preservation of crucial network nodes and the stability of soil bacterial communities. Therefore, rational utilization of harvest residue may effectively avoid the vast damage caused by slash-burning to Eucalyptus trees and the soil environment but may also increase the potential for restoring soil fertility, improving fertilizer utilization efficiency, and maintaining microbial community stability over time.

Development and implementation of a novel mechanized planting method for ecological restoration of aquatic environments using degradable nutrition pots.

Submerged plants play a significant role in the remediation and purification of polluted water bodies. Reconstruction of submerged plants has been considered as an important ecological method to restore aquatic ecosystems. However, large-scale and efficient plantation of submerged plants in water restoration is a huge challenge. This paper proposes a novel mechanized planting method for submerged plants utilizing nutrition pots as planting units. Firstly, the details of the mechanized planting method were introduced. The mechanized planting method involves pre-planting the reproductive bodies of submerged plants in degradable nutrition pots, and then implanting them into the underwater soil through a planting device. Secondly, the interaction force between the nutrition pot and the soil was measured. It was found that the implantation force of nutrition pots increases with planting velocity. The planting force shows a significant increase trend when the water content in the soil decreases. Thirdly, the deformation of the nutrition pot was studied through simulations. It was discovered that the deformation of the nutrition pot mainly occurs at the bottom and the side walls near the bottom, and the limited deformation ensures the integrity of the nutrition pot. Finally, a planting device with a linear motion mechanism was designed, and a typical submerged plant, Vallisneria natans was tested, using agricultural paper seedling containers as the nutrition pots. It was demonstrated that the mechanized device successfully planted submerged plant nutrition pots into the soil, and the submerged plants survived and showed a clear growth trend. The mechanized planting method of submerged plants proposed in this article is expected to provide a new and friendly technology for ecological restoration of water source.

Ecological restoration zoning of territorial space in China: An ecosystem health perspective.

Rapid urbanization and high-intensity socio-economic activities in China have caused severe ecological problems. Implementing ecological restoration in China has become an inevitable way to restore the ecosystem. Ecosystem health is crucial for evaluating ecological conditions and trends, but comprehensive national studies that use quantitative ecosystem health assessments to guide specific ecological restoration are lacking. This study constructs the Vigor-Organization-Resilience-Services (VORS) model to evaluate the ecosystem health level of China during 2000-2020. Then, through the natural breakpoint and intelligent clustering correction, we carried out the ecological restoration zoning and proposed corresponding measures. The results show that China's overall ecosystem health declined from 2000 to 2020, and ecological restoration is imminent. The spatial pattern of ecosystem health is generally favorable in the south and usually poor in the north. China protects poor ecosystems' health well but needs more for better ones. To combat this degradation, we propose a zoning strategy that classifies the landscape into five categories: Ecosystem Conservation Areas (3.47%), focusing on biodiversity preservation; Ecosystem Enhancement Areas (10.53%), aiming at increasing ecological resilience; Ecosystem Buffer Zones (23.04%), intending to mitigate human impacts; Ecosystem Correction Zones (33.79%), targeting at restoring degraded ecosystems; and Ecosystem Reshaping Zones (29.17%), designing to revitalize ecological functions. The ecological restoration zoning in China proposed in this study, combined with appropriate and practical restoration tools, will help mitigate ecological problems and improve stability and ecosystem health.

Invasibility framework to predict the early colonization of alien Sonneratia in mangrove: Implications for coastal area management.

Invasibility, or an ecosystem's susceptibility to invasion, plays a critical role in managing biological invasions but is challenging to quantify due to its dependence on specific ecosystem variables. This limitation restricts the practical application of this concept in the control of alien species. This study aims to simplify invasibility into measurable components and develop an applicable framework to predict early colonization of alien plants within the coastal mangrove ecosystem. We used the unchanneled path length (UPL), a widely applied hydrological connectivity-related indicator, to assess the accessibility of the mangrove. The enhanced vegetation index (EVI), positively correlated with above-ground biomass, was used to evaluate the potential competitive intensity. Firstly, building on existing studies, we developed a four-quadrant concept model integrating the effects of EVI and UPL on the early colonization of the alien species Sonneratia apetala. Our results revealed significant differences in EVI and UPL values between colonized and uncolonized areas, with colonized regions displaying markedly lower values (P < 0.001). Additionally, logistic regression showed a significant negative association between the probability of successful colonization by S. apetala and both indicators (P < 0.001). These results validate the effectiveness of our conceptual model. Furtherly, we identified four key niche opportunities for exotic species in mangrove: mudflats outside the mangrove forest, tidal creeks, canopy gaps, and unmanaged abandoned aquaculture ponds. Overall, this study provides important insight into the ecological processes of alien S. apetala colonization and practical information for management of coastal areas susceptible to invasion. Additionally, it presents a case study on the practical application of the concept of invasibility in the management of alien species.

Intraspecific transitioning of ecological strategies in Pinus massoniana trees across restoration stages.

Intraspecific variation in plant functional traits and ecological strategies is typically overlooked in most studies despite its pivotal role at the local scales and along short environmental gradients. While CSR theory has been used to classify ecological strategies (competitive C; stress-tolerant, S; ruderal, R) in different plant species, its ability to explain intraspecific variation in ecological strategies remains uncertain. Here, we sought to investigate intraspecific variation in ecological strategies for Pinus massoniana, a pioneer conifer tree for ecological restoration in Changting County, southeast China. By measuring key leaf traits and canopy height of 252 individuals at different ontogenetic stages from three plots spanning distinctive stages along early ecological restoration and calculating their C, S, and R scores, we constructed an intraspecific CSR system. All individual strategies shifted across three restoration stages, with adults from higher S component to higher C component while juveniles from higher S component to higher R component. Our results suggest that while strategies of all P. massoniana individuals start with tolerance to environmental stress, as restoration proceeds, adult transition towards completion for light, whereas juveniles shift to an acquisitive resource use. The study reveals an intraspecific pattern of strategy variation during forest restoration, contributing to our understanding of how plants adapt to diverse environments.

Prairie restoration promotes the abundance and diversity of mutualistic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

Predicting how biological communities assemble in restored ecosystems can assist in conservation efforts, but most research has focused on plants, with relatively little attention paid to soil microbial organisms that plants interact with. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are an ecologically significant functional group of soil microbes that form mutualistic symbioses with plants and could therefore respond positively to plant community restoration. To evaluate the effects of plant community restoration on AM fungi, we compared AM fungal abundance, species richness, and community composition of five annually cultivated, conventionally managed agricultural fields with paired adjacent retired agricultural fields that had undergone prairie restoration 5-9 years prior to sampling. We hypothesized that restoration stimulates AM fungal abundance and species richness, particularly for disturbance-sensitive taxa, and that gains of new taxa would not displace AM fungal species present prior to restoration due to legacy effects. AM fungal abundance was quantified by measuring soil spore density and root colonization. AM fungal species richness and community composition were determined in soils and plant roots using DNA high-throughput sequencing. Soil spore density was 2.3 times higher in restored prairies compared to agricultural fields, but AM fungal root colonization did not differ between land use types. AM fungal species richness was 2.7 and 1.4 times higher in restored prairies versus agricultural fields for soil and roots, respectively. The abundance of Glomeraceae, a disturbance-tolerant family, decreased by 25% from agricultural to restored prairie soils but did not differ in plant roots. The abundance of Claroideoglomeraceae and Diversisporaceae, both disturbance-sensitive families, was 4.6 and 3.2 times higher in restored prairie versus agricultural soils, respectively. Species turnover was higher than expected relative to a null model, indicating that AM fungal species were gained by replacement. Our findings demonstrate that restoration can promote a relatively rapid increase in the abundance and diversity of soil microbial communities that had been degraded by decades of intensive land use, and community compositional change can be predicted by the disturbance tolerance of soil microbial taxonomic and functional groups.

Green and Low-Cost Modified Pisha Sandstone Geopolymer Gel Materials for Ecological Restoration: A Phase Review.

Pisha sandstone (PS) is a special interbedded rock in the middle reaches of the Yellow River that experiences severe weathering and is loose and broken. Due to severe multiple erosion events, the Pisha sandstone region is called "the most severe water loss and soil erosion in the world" and "the ecological cancer of the earth". As a special pozzolanic mineral, PS has the potential to be used as precursors for the synthesis of green and low-carbon geopolymer gel materials and applied in ecological restoration. This paper aims to undertake a phase review of the precursors for geopolymer gel materials. The genesis and distribution, physical and chemical characterization, erosion characteristics, and advances in the ecological restoration of PS are all summarized. Furthermore, current advances in the use of PS for the synthesis of geopolymer gel materials in terms of mechanical properties and durability are discussed. The production of Pisha sandstone geopolymer gels through the binder jetting technique and 3D printing techniques is prospected. Meanwhile, the prospects for the resource application of PS in mine rehabilitation and sustainable ecology are discussed. In the future, multifactor-driven comprehensive measures should be further investigated in order to achieve ecological restoration of the Pisha sandstone region and promote high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.

Predicting the geographical distribution and niche characteristics of Cotoneaster multiflorus based on future climate change.

Introduction: Arid and semi-arid regions are climate-sensitive areas, which account for about 40% of the world's land surface area. Future environment change will impact the environment of these area, resulting in a sharp expansion of arid and semi-arid regions. Cotoneaster multiflorus is a multi-functional tree species with extreme cold, drought and barren resistance, as well as ornamental and medicinal functions. It was found to be one of the most important tree species for ecological restoration in arid and semi-arid areas. However, bioclimatic factors play an important role in the growth, development and distribution of plants. Therefore, exploring the response pattern and ecological adaptability of C. multiflorus to future climate change is important for the long-term ecological restoration of C. multiflorus in arid and semi-arid areas. Methods: In this study, we predicted the potential distribution of C. multiflorus in China under different climate scenarios based on the MaxEnt 2.0 model, and discussed its adaptability and the major factors affecting its geographical distribution. Results: The major factors that explained the geographical distribution of C. multiflorus were Annual precipitation (Bio12), Min air temperature of the coldest month (Bio6), and Mean air temperature of the coldest quarter (Bio11). However, C. multiflorus could thrive in environments where Annual precipitation (Bio12) >150 mm, Min air temperature of the coldest month (Bio6) > -42.5°C, and Mean air temperature of the coldest quarter (Bio11) > -20°C, showcasing its characteristics of cold and drought tolerance. Under different future climate scenarios, the total suitable area for C. multiflorus ranged from 411.199×104 km² to 470.191×104 km², which was 0.8~6.14 percentage points higher than the current total suitable area. Additionally, it would further shift towards higher latitude. Discussion: The MaxEnt 2.0 model predicted the potential distribution pattern of C. multiflorus in the context of future climate change, and identified its ecological adaptability and the main climatic factors affecting its distribution. This study provides an important theoretical basis for natural vegetation restoration in arid and semi-arid areas.

Effects of different restoration stages on soil microbial community composition and diversity in Naolihe Wetland, China.

Soil microorganisms can be used as one of the important indicators of wetland ecosystem restoration. To study the effects of different restoration stages on soil microbial community composition and diversity in Naolihe Wetland, we employed a "time and space parallel" method. Four restoration stages, namely corn field (Corn), short-term restoration wetland (2 years, ST), long-term restoration wetland (8 years, LT) and natural wetland (>25 years, NW), were selected to represent the restoration time and geographical location in Naolihe Nature Wetland. We investigated the composition and diversity of soil microbial communities in different restoration wetland (from corn fields to natural wetlands) by using 16S rRNA and ITS rRNA gene sequencing. We also performed chemical experiments to measure soil enzyme activity and physicochemical properties at each sampling site. The results showed that soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activities significantly differed with the extension of wetland restoration years (p < 0.05). Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria are the most dominant phyla in bacterial. The alpha diversity of soil bacteria was the highest in the corn field (Corn), and ST-LT-NW first decreased and then increased with the extension of wetland restoration years. There are two most dominant phyla (Ascomycota and Mucoromycota) in fungal. However, the alpha diversity of soil fungi was the lowest in the Corn and LT stage, and ST-LT-NW first decreased and then increased with the extension of wetland restoration years. The research findings indicated that the changes in soil physicochemical properties with the extension of wetland restoration years play a significant role in shaping the structure and diversity changes of soil microbial communities. Through the analyses of bacterial and fungal functions using the FUNGuild and FAPROTAX databases, the results showed that the abundance of aerobic bacteria in the soil increased more than that of anaerobic bacteria as the wetland restoration years prolonged, while the abundance of saprotrophic, symbiotic, and pathogenic fungi in the soil significantly decreased with the prolonged wetland restoration years. This study will help us better understand the process of restoration after farmland abandonment, providing valuable reference information for the implementation of a series of wetland ecological restoration projects in the future.

Effectiveness assessment of China's coastal wetland ecological restoration: A meta-analysis.

Due to the coastal wetland degradation caused by human activities and environmental changes, many coastal wetland restoration studies have been carried out in China to restore the degraded ecosystems, but it still lacks a comprehensive assessment of restoration effectiveness at national scale. In this study, a meta-analysis of 78 field studies was conducted to quantitatively assess the restoration effectiveness of biodiversity and ecosystem services in China's coastal wetlands. At the same time, we evaluated the impact factors such as ecosystem types, restoration methods and measures, and restoration time on restoration effectiveness. The results show that coastal wetland ecological restoration has improved the biodiversity and ecosystem services by 36.8 % and 38.2 % respectively within the time range reported in the research literature, but neither has returned to the level of natural ecosystems. Biodiversity recovery is significantly positively correlated with the recovery of ecosystem services, indicating the simultaneous recovery outcome. Compared with degraded wetlands, the effectiveness of passive restoration is better than that of active restoration. In the mangrove ecosystem, invasive species removal is the most effective among the restoration measures, and the restoration effectiveness of polyculture plantations is better than that of monoculture plantations. When time ranges from 0 to 20 years, the recovery level of coastal wetlands tends to increase with the extension of restoration time. However, when the restoration time is >20 years, the recovery level decreases, which may be related to the lack of maintenance and management measures in the later stage. Our study showcases the scientific evidence for future coastal wetland ecological restoration in China.

Biochar and peat amendments affect nitrogen retention, microbial capacity and nitrogen cycling microbial communities in a metal and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contaminated urban soil.

Soil contaminants may restrict soil functions. A promising soil remediation method is amendment with biochar, which has the potential to both adsorb contaminants and improve soil health. However, effects of biochar amendment on soil-plant nitrogen (N) dynamics and N cycling microbial guilds in contaminated soils are still poorly understood. Here, a metal- and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminated soil was amended with either biochar (0, 3, 6 % w/w) and/or peat (0, 1.5, 3 % w/w) in a full-factorial design and sown with perennial ryegrass in an outdoor field trial. After three months, N and the stable isotopic ratio δ15N was measured in soil, roots and leaves, along with microbial responses. Aboveground grass biomass decreased by 30 % and leaf N content by 20 % with biochar, while peat alone had no effect. Peat in particular, but also biochar, stimulated the abundance of microorganisms (measured as 16S rRNA gene copy number) and basal respiration. Microbial substrate utilization (MicroResp™) was altered differentially, as peat increased respiration of all carbon sources, while for biochar, respiration of carboxylic acids increased, sugars decreased, and was unaffected for amino acids. Biochar increased the abundance of ammonia oxidizing archaea, while peat stimulated ammonia oxidizing bacteria, Nitrobacter-type nitrite oxidizers and comB-type complete ammonia oxidizers. Biochar and peat also increased nitrous oxide reducing communities (nosZI and nosZII), while peat alone or combined with biochar also increased abundance of nirK-type denitrifiers. However, biochar and peat lowered leaf δ15N by 2-4 ‰, indicating that processes causing gaseous N losses, like denitrification and ammonia volatilization, were reduced compared to the untreated contaminated soil, probably an effect of biotic N immobilization. Overall, this study shows that in addition to contaminant stabilization, amendment with biochar and peat can increase N retention while improving microbial capacity to perform important soil functions.

Underwater light source changes microecosystem constructed by Vallisneria spinulosa Yan for water restoration: Efficiency of water purification, characteristics of growth, and rhizosphere.

Submerged macrophytes are effective in ecological restoration of water bodies polluted by nitrogen and phosphorus, and its restoration capacity depends on underwater illumination condition. This study explored the influencing mechanism of illumination on Vallisneria spinulosa Yan (V. spinulosa Yan) for water restoration. Addition of underwater light source increased the total nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, total phosphorus, and phosphate removal loads of the V. spinulosa Yan growth system by 61.5, 39.2, 8.5, and 5.0 mg m-2 d-1, respectively. Meanwhile, the growth of V. spinulosa Yan was obviously promoted, even with high water turbidity. Although the biological nitrogen removal processes were inhibited by adding underwater light source, the growth of V. spinulosa Yan can be significantly improved, thus enhancing the efficiency of water purification via the absorption of nitrogen and phosphorus by V. spinulosa Yan. This study provides a theoretical foundation and technical support for application of submerged macrophytes in ecological water restoration.

Seasonal and interannual changes (2005-2021) of lake water quality and the implications for sustainable management in a rapidly growing metropolitan region, central China.

A series of restoration measures such as municipal wastewater treatment and aquaculture closures have been implemented in Wuhan City during recent years. In order to explore the impact of restoration measures and climate change on lake water quality, long-term (2005-2021) water quality data of 47 lakes were explored to reveal spatiotemporal changes in lake water quality. Percentages of polluted lakes were calculated according to six water-quality parameters, including total phosphorus (TP), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand using potassium permanganate as oxidant (CODMn) and petroleum contamination (PET), at interannual and monthly timescales. At the interannual timescale, percentages of COD, BOD, CODMn and PET pollution decreased significantly, suggestive of water quality improvement during recent years. At the monthly timescale, low percentages of NH3-N and BOD pollution in March 2020 probably resulted from the sharp reduction in human activities during the COVID-19 lockdown. At the monthly timescale, temperature was positively correlated with percentage of CODMn pollution, but negatively correlated with percentage of NH3-N pollution; precipitation was negatively correlated with percentage of BOD pollution. The similarity of water-quality parameters generally decreased with an increase in geographical distance between each pair of lakes. However, the regression coefficients between the similarity of lake water quality and the geographical distance decreased with time, probably resulting from enhanced similarity of water quality parameters among all lakes with rapid urbanization. Our results highlight the importance of active restoration measures for sustainable management of lakes in Wuhan City, as well as in similar developing regions.