Ecological Research最新文献

{"title":"Bioaccumulation and Trophic Transfer of Heavy Metals in Terrestrial Soil–Plant–Insect Food Chains Within Agricultural Systems: Patterns, Mechanisms, and Ecological Implications","authors":"Mohd Irfan Naikoo,&nbsp;Mazen K. Nazal,&nbsp;Mohamed O. Abouelresh,&nbsp;Naveen Kumar Vannaratta Veettil,&nbsp;Ali Hassan Almusabeh,&nbsp;Fauzia Naushin,&nbsp;Luai M. Alhems","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.70118","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.70118","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Heavy metal contamination is a persistent environmental problem in terrestrial ecosystems, where metals present in soils can enter food chains and affect organisms across multiple trophic levels. In terrestrial systems, heavy metals are transferred from soils to plants and subsequently to phytophagous insects and their predators, yet these pathways have received less integrated attention than aquatic food webs. This issue is especially relevant in naturally metal-rich environments such as serpentine ecosystems, where elevated concentrations of metals, particularly nickel, strongly shape plant–insect interactions. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the bioaccumulation, trophic transfer, and elimination of heavy metals in terrestrial soil–plant–insect food chains, drawing on evidence from natural ecosystems as well as laboratory and field studies. We examine the behavior of key essential and non-essential metals (Cd, Zn, Pb, Hg, Cu, and Ni) and highlight how soil properties, plant uptake mechanisms, insect feeding strategies, and detoxification processes regulate metal movement across trophic levels. Particular attention is given to bioaccumulation and biomagnification patterns, as well as to excretion and elimination pathways such as honeydew production and molting that can limit metal transfer to higher consumers. Overall, the review shows that metal transfer is highly species and metal-specific, leading to changes in trophic interactions, community structure, and ecosystem functioning. Most available studies were conducted in agricultural systems, highlighting the need for more field-based ecological investigations across natural ecosystems. We conclude by identifying key knowledge gaps and outlining future research directions needed to better predict ecological risks under increasing metal contamination.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"41 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148849324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Highly Acidic Volcanic Soils on Plant Ionome Related to Aluminum Tolerance Strategies: Aluminum Accumulator and Non-Accumulator Plants","authors":"Daisuke Aoshima,&nbsp;Soshi Osaki,&nbsp;Akihiro Yamamoto,&nbsp;Hayato Maruyama,&nbsp;Toshihiro Watanabe,&nbsp;Takayuki Nakatsubo,&nbsp;Jun Wasaki","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.70117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.70117","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Acidic soils impose multiple stresses on plants and affect soil nutrient availability. Some elements are essential to many physiological processes within plants. Comprehensive studies on the ionomic profiles in plants are insightful for uncovering plant strategies for nutrient uptake and tolerance to environmental stress. This study aimed to elucidate plant nutrition strategies by comparing the ionomes of plants grown in highly acidic soils, so-called solfatara fields, and in non-solfatara fields, with average pH values of 3.89 and 5.29, respectively. A quadrat survey was conducted to investigate the effects of fumaroles, which emit volcanic gases and are characteristic of solfatara fields, on plant ionomes. Our study classified ionomic profiles in solfatara and non-solfatara fields into two groups: aluminum (Al)-accumulating and non-Al-accumulating plants. Among non-Al-accumulating plants, concentrations of manganese, magnesium, and sulfur were similar or higher in solfatara than in non-solfatara fields. Among Al-accumulating plants, the concentration of Al in <i>Palhinhaea cernua</i> was higher than in other species, and it did not differ significantly between solfatara and non-solfatara fields. In the quadrat survey, only four species were found, and their ionomes did not change with distance from the fumarole. The most acidic area had a pH of 2.28, and only <i>Fimbristylis dichotoma</i> subsp. <i>podocarpa</i> was found there. Although it remains unclear whether these patterns reflect species traits or adaptive responses to environmental conditions, the results enable us to hypothesize that manganese, magnesium, and sulfur were associated with tolerance for very acidic soil exhibited by non-Al-accumulating plants.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"41 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148849140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identifying Spectral Characteristics of Quercus hondae, an Endangered Tree Species, Using Time-Series Imagery Acquired With an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle","authors":"Naoyuki Hashimoto,&nbsp;Ryosuke Saino,&nbsp;Ryosuke Murai,&nbsp;Tomoaki Ichie","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.70120","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.70120","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>While <i>Quercus hondae</i> (Qh), a rare tree species, is crucial for maintaining forest ecosystem diversity, Qh has only been found in limited locations. To support future remote sensing-based exploration for unknown habitats, we investigated the spectral characteristics of Qh and six tree species using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based multispectral time-series imagery acquired during the flowering and leafing seasons. Species similarity was evaluated using dynamic time warping distance, and trend filtering was applied to species showing phenological patterns similar to those of Qh. Species differences were then assessed using reflectance values and reflectance variation, with separability evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. <i>Quercus glauca</i> and <i>Cinnamomum camphora</i> showed phenological patterns most similar to those of Qh. Nevertheless, Qh exhibited significant differences in red-edge and near-infrared reflectance during flowering, with differences exceeding 0.08 in some cases. Reflectance variations in the flowering and leafing periods generally provided greater separability than single-date reflectance values. These differences were associated with species-specific timing and rates of flowering, leaf expansion, and leaf coloration. These results suggest that time-series analysis of UAV-based reflectance can distinguish differences in phenology even among species with similar seasonal patterns. The identified spectral wavelength bands, observation periods, and reflectance variations provide practical guidance for developing optical satellite-based approaches to map the potential site of unknown habitats of Qh.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"41 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148848779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Urbanization Effects on the Community Structure of Saproxylic Arthropods in Warm-Temperate Japan","authors":"Satoshi Miyazaki,&nbsp;Fumito Koike","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.70115","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.70115","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Saproxylic arthropods play a key role in forests by decomposing wood and cycling nutrients within detritus food chains. While urbanization generally causes declines in biodiversity and abundance, its effects on saproxylic arthropods remain poorly understood. We examined saproxylic arthropod communities across various forests, ranging from fragmented urban forests to large forests in woodland areas and from secondary deciduous coppice forests to evergreen broadleaf old-growth forests. Diversity and abundance were analyzed for the entire community, functional types, and individual species. The results indicated that urbanization was an important factor, whereas local factors such as evergreen tree dominance and deadwood accumulation were not. The responses of diversity and abundance to urbanization varied depending on the metrics used, such as ground area, deadwood volume, or cumulative number of individuals. Overall, when analyzed by ground area (i.e., plots), urban communities were characterized by a high number of individuals concentrated in a few species, mainly facultatively saproxylic species. Rarefaction curves based on the cumulative number of individuals revealed that forests in woodland landscapes supported significantly higher species richness than those in urban landscapes. However, surprisingly, when analyzed per unit of deadwood volume, urbanization generally increased both the abundance and species richness of saproxylic arthropods.</p>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"41 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1440-1703.70115","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148784499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Guild-Specific Frog Responses to Natural Habitat Structure Gradients in an Atlantic Forest Mosaic","authors":"Juliane Pereira-Ribeiro,&nbsp;Atilla Colombo Ferreguetti,&nbsp;Helena Godoy Bergallo,&nbsp;Carlos Frederico Duarte Rocha","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.70114","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.70114","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Habitat heterogeneity is widely considered a key driver of biodiversity, yet empirical evidence remains uneven across taxonomic groups and ecological contexts. Here, we evaluate how habitat structure gradients are associated with frog species richness and occupancy in a heterogeneous mosaic of the Atlantic Forest. Using data collected over 3 years and applying a multi-species, multi-season occupancy modeling framework, we tested whether habitat structure gradients were associated with richness and occupancy patterns across ecological guilds. Overall, we observed a negative trend in community-level occupancy with increasing values of the habitat structure gradient. When responses were analyzed by ecological guild, arboreal species showed neutral or positive associations, while cryptic and terrestrial species exhibited more negative associations. Estimated species richness was highest in sites associated with lower values of the habitat structure gradient, with richness decreasing toward higher gradient values. These simpler habitats, however, were not ecologically degraded but contained key resources such as bromeliads and temporary ponds, which are important for reproduction for many frog species. Because the habitat gradient incorporated both vegetation structure and habitat resources, the observed patterns likely reflect the combined influence of habitat structure and resource distribution. Our results indicate that habitat gradients may differentially favor distinct ecological strategies across frog guilds. These findings highlight that relationships between habitat structure and biodiversity can be context-dependent and underscore the need for more nuanced conservation planning. Managing habitat mosaics that support diverse ecological requirements may be more effective than maximizing vegetation complexity alone in tropical forest ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"41 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1440-1703.70114","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148753294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Scavenging Attraction of a Cyclopoid Copepod to Zooplankton Carcasses","authors":"Hiromichi Suzuki,&nbsp;Jotaro Urabe","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.70116","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.70116","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The detrital food chain plays a critical role in shaping community structure and sustaining ecosystem functioning. It is initiated by the consumption of dead organic matter through scavenging. However, scavengers in freshwater ecosystems remain poorly understood. In this study, we experimentally investigated whether <i>Thermocyclops taihokuensis</i>, a cyclopoid copepod widely distributed across East and Central Asia that has recently expanded its range into Europe, exhibits scavenging behavior and whether it uses chemical cues to locate and utilize carcasses of other organisms. Our results showed that <i>T. taihokuensis</i> approached and attacked experimentally presented cladoceran carcasses, suggesting that it recognized the carcasses as food. Indeed, <i>T. taihokuensis</i> was attracted to artificial baits infused with the odor of cladoceran carcasses but ignored identical baits lacking odor, suggesting that chemical cues serve as a primary mechanism for detecting them. These findings highlight that, although cyclopoid copepods are generally considered to be omnivorous, grazing on algae and preying on other organisms, <i>T. taihokuensis</i> appears to be a more versatile consumer than previously recognized and may also contribute to the detrital food chain by potentially scavenging.</p>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"41 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1440-1703.70116","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148753036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Serpentine Biocrust Microbes Maintain Nitrogen Cycling Under Drought and Heavy Metal Stress","authors":"Sandra Barnard,&nbsp;Oluwatobi Barachiah,&nbsp;Stefan J. Siebert,&nbsp;Danielle Botha,&nbsp;Sarina Claassens","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.70113","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.70113","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Biocrusts play an important role in nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. However, little is known about how environmental and climatic factors influence microbial community composition and the functional genetic potential. We used shotgun metagenomic sequencing to compare species diversity and genetic potential for nitrogen cycling in biocrust microbiomes under wetter and drier moisture regimes in serpentine and nonserpentine soils in South Africa's Barberton Greenstone Belt. Microbial community structure, composition, and gene profiles varied in response to both soil type and moisture regime. Although no statistically significant differences were detected among sites, site-specific trends showed that Actinobacteria had higher mean relative abundances in drier serpentine crusts. Proteobacteria and Nitrospirae showed higher mean relative abundances in drier nonserpentine crusts, and Cyanobacteria were more abundant in wetter nonserpentine crusts. Similarly, variation in mean relative abundance across sites showed that the <i>ure</i>C gene was the most abundant gene involved in nitrogen cycling, although it was less abundant in serpentine samples, which may reflect constraints associated with higher metal concentrations in serpentine soils. Cyanobacteria associated with nitrogen fixation showed higher mean relative abundances in wetter nonserpentine samples. In contrast, nitrifying archaea had higher relative abundances in the drier samples. Overall, our results suggest that nitrogen-cycling microbial communities in biocrusts may respond to both soil geochemistry and moisture regime, although many of the observed differences were not statistically significant. This highlights the ecological importance of biocrusts in regulating nitrogen availability in serpentine and nonserpentine ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"41 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1440-1703.70113","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148752858","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transfer of Potentially Toxic Metal(loid)s From Ultramafic Soils in a Tri-Trophic Food Chain Experiment","authors":"João Marcelo-Silva,&nbsp;Tean Francois Joubert,&nbsp;Stefan John Siebert,&nbsp;Bianca Greyvenstein","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.70112","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.70112","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Potentially toxic metal(loid)s (PTMs) occur in both natural and anthropic soils; however, studies on PTMs from natural sources remain limited, particularly scarce in Africa. This study investigated PTM transfer across a tri-trophic food chain using ultramafic (komatiite) and organic rural control soils (<i>n</i> = 20) collected from South Africa. Under greenhouse conditions, the wild plant <i>Berkheya radula</i> (rasp African thistle, <i>n</i> = 40) and the crop plant <i>Brassica oleracea var. acephala</i> (commercial kale; <i>n</i> = 40) served as primary producers. The house cricket <i>Acheta domesticus</i> acted as the primary consumer (<i>n</i> = 150), and the African twig mantis <i>Popa spurca</i> served as the secondary consumer (<i>n</i> = 680). PTM concentrations at each trophic level, including total and extractable soil fractions, were determined. The effects of PTMs on cricket feeding behavior were assessed using olfaction tests, while mantid development was evaluated based on life cycle duration. Although PTM concentrations were substantially higher in the komatiite soil, these differences were not consistently reflected along the trophic chain. Thistle and kale bioaccumulated distinct PTMs irrespective of soil concentration, and crickets accumulated similar PTMs from both plant species. Female crickets showed a preference for plant leaves with higher PTM concentrations. Mantids exhibited differing PTM concentrations among body parts depending on their diet and accumulated PTMs that differed from those detected in their cricket prey. Overall, PTM concentrations in biota did not mirror soil levels, suggesting that bioaccumulation and trophic transfer from unspiked natural soils are governed more by organismal traits than by soil PTM concentrations.</p>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"41 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1440-1703.70112","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148752630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dominance of Picea glehnii in the Serpentine Forests of Hokkaido: Perspectives for an Ecological Understanding","authors":"Florian Delerue,&nbsp;Kobayashi Makoto,&nbsp;Kohmei Kadowaki","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.70111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.70111","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Picea glehnii</i> dominates serpentine forests in Hokkaido, whereas <i>Abies sachalinensis</i> dominates forests on brown soils. The main corresponding hypothesis in the literature is that <i>P. glehnii</i> is better adapted to harsh serpentine soils, but this has only been partly investigated. Here, we report preliminary results on aboveground and fine-root functional traits related to adaptation to harsh substrates, measured for both species on both kinds of sites, together with observations of regeneration microsites. First, we tested the hypothesis that <i>P. glehnii</i> is better adapted to serpentine soils based on comparisons of functional trait values. <i>P. glehnii</i> showed more conservative leaf traits than <i>A. sachalinensis</i>, consistent with adaptation to infertile serpentine soils. However, its greater height does not match the expected size reduction on serpentine and may instead indicate efficient growth on this substrate. Second, we consider other nonexclusive hypotheses from the literature. Both <i>P. glehnii</i> functional traits and observations of its regeneration on fallen logs support adaptation to soil disturbance, which is expected to be more frequent in serpentine areas. In addition, its benefit from disturbance may be related to release from negative biotic interactions, including plant–soil pathogens and competition with the abundant dwarf bamboo found on serpentine. Finally, three priorities for future research are proposed: (i) large-scale characterization of <i>P. glehnii</i> distribution, focusing on climatic and edaphic factors and regeneration microsites; (ii) identification of the plant–soil feedbacks controlling regeneration in both species; and (iii) analysis of the interaction between dwarf bamboo competition and tree canopy cover in controlling seedling development.</p>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"41 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1440-1703.70111","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148617007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimization of Ecological Network in the Yellow River Basin: A Framework of Complex Network Theory","authors":"Xingrong Fu,&nbsp;Wei Wei,&nbsp;Xiaoxu Wei,&nbsp;Binbin Xie,&nbsp;Junju Zhou,&nbsp;Rongping Liang,&nbsp;Wei Shi","doi":"10.1111/1440-1703.70109","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.70109","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Rapid urbanization increasingly threatens the sustainable development of ecological environments. As a comprehensive landscape conservation strategy, the ecological network (EN) is fundamental for safeguarding regional ecological security and supporting high-quality socio-economic development. This study integrated ecosystem services (ESs) assessment, Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA), and circuit theory to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of the EN in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) from 2005 to 2023. Complex network theory was further applied to optimize the network structure. The results show that: (1) From 2005 to 2023, the area of ecological sources increased by 1523 km², mainly distributed in southeastern Qinghai, northwestern Sichuan, and southern Gansu, with grassland and woodland as the dominant land cover types. (2) The total length of ecological corridors increased by 37.09 km, showing an overall trend of initial decrease followed by expansion. The number of barriers and pinch points exhibited noticeable fluctuations. Pinch points were primarily located in the south-central and northern corridors, whereas barrier points were concentrated in corridors within densely populated areas of the north-central region. (3) Based on the strategy of low-betweenness first (LBF), 10 new corridors were added in 2023, which significantly enhanced the overall stability and connectivity of the EN. This study provides important guidance for optimizing the EN in the YRB, and the proposed complex network optimization framework also offers new perspectives and methodologies for ecological conservation and sustainable management in other large-scale river basins.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":11434,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Research","volume":"41 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148615692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}