Ecological Engineering最新文献

{"title":"Assessing PTEs in a polluted urban green environment and proposing sustainable approaches for its recovery","authors":"Francesco Giunchino ,&nbsp;Marco Mucciarelli ,&nbsp;Mery Malandrino ,&nbsp;Fabrizio Sordello ,&nbsp;Luisa Lanfranco ,&nbsp;Ludovico Primo ,&nbsp;Paola Calza","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107784","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107784","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the potential of common plant species to uptake contaminants from a polluted urban soil, which has remained abandoned for three years due to toxicity concerns, with the goal of enabling its multifunctional reuse as an urban green space. We firstly conducted a taxonomic survey of the spontaneously growing vegetation, from which we selected the most suitable species for further study. Plant ability to concentrate potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and essential nutrients was assessed by a semi-quantitative ICP-OES assay and, based on this preliminary screening, five plant species were chosen for a controlled <em>in field</em> experiment. Before the trial, pollutant concentrations were evaluated in the irrigation water (drawn from the local aquifer) and the soil. Furthermore, the mobility of six key pollutants exceeding regulatory limits (Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) was assessed with the BCR protocol and pollutants were found to be non-mobile (&lt; 7 %), with Zn only exception.</div><div>The five-month <em>in field</em> experiment was conducted during the dry season and involved planting the selected species under different soil conditions. Two soil amendments were applied: a pH-lowering agent (FeSO₄) to enhance PTEs mobility and uptake, and an organic compost to promote biomass production thus increasing the total element recovery. Untreated control plots were also included for comparison.</div><div>Soil improvers affected both plant uptake patterns and biomass production. While all species accumulated nutrients and low to moderate levels of PTEs (bioaccumulation and translocation factors were below 1 for all pollutants), they developed substantial biomass, especially in compost-amended sections. At the end of the growing season, the harvested biomass was successfully processed to recover its cellulosic fraction, achieving optimal yields (∼45 %) while minimizing residual waste.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"222 ","pages":"Article 107784"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145005377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Effect of substrate size on partial denitrification-ANAMMOX in a subsurface vertical flow constructed wetland with step-feeding","authors":"Zhanyu Xu ,&nbsp;Chong Tang ,&nbsp;Wei Wu ,&nbsp;Junjie Liu ,&nbsp;Lingyang Pan ,&nbsp;Xinyi Lu ,&nbsp;Jianbo Zhang ,&nbsp;Kaiwen He ,&nbsp;Zhen Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107785","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107785","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Subsurface vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) with step-feeding were used for the advanced treatment of anaerobically-digested swine wastewater taking rural domestic sewage as the external carbon source, the volume ratio between rural domestic sewage and anaerobically-digested swine wastewater after secondary treatment was defined as shunt ratio. This study explored the effect of substrate size (20–25, 7–10, and 3–5 mm) on partial denitrification-ANAMMOX (PD-A) in VFCWs at a shunt ratio of 1:3. Substrate size significantly affected the redox potential gradient and biofilm biomass content in the substrate layer, the diversity and abundance of the nitrogen-transforming microorganisms varied accordingly, leading to fluctuations in the intensity of nitrogen conversion processes (especially PD-A) in the VFCWs. When the substrate size was 7–10 mm, the abundance and activities of both ANAMMOX bacteria and denitrifying bacteria were significantly enhanced in the installation area of the shunt pipe, and there was an increase in the nitrifying-denitrifying performance in the upper substrate layer. Correspondingly, the total nitrogen, ammonia‑nitrogen, and nitrate‑nitrogen removal rates of the system reached (72.07 ± 2.61)%, (77.51 ± 1.98)%, and (64.46 ± 3.85)%, respectively. According to the contributions of functional gene groups associated with nitrogen transformations, it was concluded that appropriate substrate size enhanced PD-A and improved nitrogen removal through co-promotion of PD-A and simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in the VFCWs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 107785"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144931992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Hydrodynamic thresholds during the spawning period of Schizothorax prenanti and habitat restoration study","authors":"Xuan Li ,&nbsp;Weiming Li ,&nbsp;Xi Yuan ,&nbsp;Kang Yan ,&nbsp;Xiaowei Liu ,&nbsp;Cunen Zhou ,&nbsp;Maoyuan Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107790","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107790","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hydrodynamic thresholds are critical yet unquantified for spawning habitats of endangered fish in regulated rivers. This study integrates laboratory flume experiments with field investigations to establish species-specific requirements for <em>Schizothorax prenanti</em> (<em>S. prenanti</em>)—a vulnerable endemic fish in the upper Yangtze Basin. Video-tracking analysis identified optimal spawning flow velocities (0.63–1.29 m/s) and water depths (0.15–0.97 m), validated in Jinsha River tributaries. To rehabilitate degraded habitats, boulder clusters were deployed in priority reaches, significantly altering local hydraulics: minimum flow velocity decreased by 17.89 % while maximum velocity increased by 29.00 %, with water depth extremes rising 7.56–9.67 %. Hydraulic habitat assessment demonstrated post-restoration weighted usable area (WUA) gains of 13.49–21.08 %, confirming enhanced spawning suitability. This study provides empirical support for boulder-cluster restoration as an effective way to enhance <em>S. prenanti</em> spawning habitat and offers practical targets for conservation and river-ecosystem management. The findings contribute to the broader goals of biodiversity conservation and sustainable river restoration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 107790"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144988169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Assessing the cooling effects of vegetation greening on surface temperature under climate warming in China's Loess Plateau","authors":"Xiao Bai ,&nbsp;Junjie Fang ,&nbsp;Chenggong Liu ,&nbsp;Xiaoxu Jia ,&nbsp;Chunlei Zhao ,&nbsp;Ming'an Shao","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107787","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107787","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Loess Plateau, a critical region for ecological restoration in China, has experienced extensive vegetation recovery since 1990s, yet its cooling effect on surface warming remains debated. Combining multi-source satellite observations (MODIS LST and GLASS LAI) with climate data, this study quantifies the spatiotemporal interplay between vegetation greening and land surface temperature (LST) dynamics across the Loess Plateau from 2001 to 2020. Results reveal a 0.038 m²·m⁻²·yr⁻¹ increase in annual LAI, with 72.89 % of the region showing significant greening. Despite this, LST exhibited an overall warming trend (0.027 °C·yr⁻¹), driven by pronounced nocturnal heating (0.064 °C·yr⁻¹) that offset daytime cooling (−0.011 °C·yr⁻¹). Seasonal analysis demonstrated summer cooling (−0.050 °C·yr⁻¹) but accelerated warming in spring (0.074 °C·yr⁻¹), autumn (0.050 °C·yr⁻¹), and winter (0.011 °C·yr⁻¹). Structural equation modeling identified air temperature (path coefficient: 0.79) as the dominant LST driver, while vegetation greening (LAI) exerted a significant yet spatially heterogeneous cooling effect (−0.43). During the daytime, LST is primarily influenced by air temperature (0.71) and LAI (−0.62). While, at nighttime, it is mainly governed by air temperature (0.72) and precipitation (0.48), with no significant relation to LAI (−0.08). Cooling efficiency peaked in humid eastern zones with high LAI gains but diminished in arid northwestern and urbanized areas due to energy balance alterations. Residual analysis indicates that vegetation degradation significantly accelerates surface warming (2001–2020 mean LST increase of 0.055 °C·yr⁻¹, with 61.0 % attributed to vegetation degradation), while vegetation greening induces a pronounced diurnal asymmetry: daytime LST shows a significant cooling (−0.024 °C·yr⁻¹, with a cooling contribution of −187.7 %), but nighttime cooling is limited (nighttime LST increase of +0.045 °C·yr⁻¹, with only 23.2 % attributed to greening), resulting in a slight overall increase in mean LST (+0.010 °C·yr⁻¹). These findings imply the necessity of region-specific ecological strategies to optimize vegetation climate-regulating potential under global warming.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 107787"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144931991","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Enhancing the hydrological performance of Low Impact Development infrastructure through earthworm activity and vegetation dynamics for mitigating urban flooding","authors":"Khalil Lhamidi,&nbsp;Jamal El Khattabi","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107786","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107786","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urban soil sealing and anthropogenic activities, combined with the increasing intensity of rainfall due to climate change, is a threat to urban environments, exacerbating flood risks. To assess these challenges, Low Impact Development strategies, based on Nature-based solutions, are a key solution to mitigate urban flooding. To enhance the hydrological performance of LID infrastructure, and to meet the guideline requirements related to emptying time, specifically in low hydraulic conductivity soils, earthworm activity and vegetation dynamics can play a major role. The ETAGEP experimental site was built to study to address those challenges. 12 swales (10 m² infiltration area for each swale) were monitored to evaluate the impact of earthworm activity (<em>A. caliginosa</em> and L. <em>terrestris)</em> and vegetation dynamics (<em>Rye Grass, Petasites hybridus and Salix alba</em>) to enhance the hydrological performance. The infiltration rate of the swales evolved in a differentiated manner, with an increase of 16.1 % to 310.8 % and draining times decrease of 13.9 % to 75.7, depending on initial soil hydro-physical properties and the impervious areas of the catchment which influence runoff volumes. The simulations on SWMM software showed similar results, with an enhancement of the hydraulic conductivity of N6 swales (60 m² total catchment area) increasing from 18 mm h⁻¹ to 25 mm h⁻¹, and a reduction of drawdown time by 24.4 % (N6) and 20.8 % (N11–110 m² active surface). A simulated storm event of 44.8 mm resulted in an overflow of 2.12 m³ for the N11 swale configuration, while no overflow was observed for N6. These results highlight the ecosystem services of earthworms for a sustainable stormwater management in urban environments, enhancing the hydrological performance of LID infrastructures and reducing therefore flood risks and limiting pressure on drainage network.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 107786"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144903821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"A promising approach for soil remediation and revegetation of gold mines in the Chocó biogeographic region of Colombia","authors":"Hamleth Valois-Cuesta ,&nbsp;Carolina Martínez-Ruiz ,&nbsp;Harley Quinto-Mosquera","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107782","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107782","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soils degraded by gold mining lose essential properties for vegetation growth, necessitating effective rehabilitation strategies for ecological restoration. This study evaluated soil management treatments to enhance assisted and natural revegetation in gold-mined areas of the Chocó region, Colombia. Three treatments were tested: loosened soil amended with 8 kg/m² of poultry litter, only loosened soil, and untreated soil as a control. In two 12.5 m² plots per treatment, 24 seedlings of <em>Cespedesia spathulata</em> and <em>Acacia mangium</em> were planted, and soil fertility and seedling survival and growth were monitored for one year (September 2013–September 2014). After 11 years (October 2024) of natural succession, species richness, diversity, and composition of woody vegetation were also assessed. The soil treatment with poultry litter significantly improved soil fertility (e.g., organic matter, calcium, and phosphorus levels) and enhanced <em>A. mangium</em> growth compared to soil loosening treatment and control plots. Survival rates exceeded 90 % for both species across all treatments. After 11 years, the plots with poultry litter had higher species richness and diversity and a more complex woody species composition than those with loosened soil and control plots. These findings highlight the efficacy of poultry litter in restoring soil function and promoting long-term forest resilience in tropical ecosystems degraded by gold mining.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 107782"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144907165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Influence of plant dynamics on phosphorus removal in bioretention systems under different internal and external conditions","authors":"Shuqi Yu ,&nbsp;Huapeng Qin ,&nbsp;Wei Ding","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107781","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107781","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bioretention systems are widely used to remove phosphorus from urban runoff, contributing to aquatic ecosystem restoration. Although plant uptake plays a pivotal role in enhancing total phosphorus (TP) removal, few studies have investigated influences of dynamic plant phosphorus uptake on TP removal under varying internal (e.g., gravel layer depth) and external (e.g., catchment area ratios and influent phosphorus concentration levels) conditions. This study proposes a bioretention system model that integrates plant growth (e.g., phosphorus uptake, leaf area index, and biomass), hydrology (e.g., soil moisture and evapotranspiration), and phosphorus dynamics (e.g., soil phosphate concentration) through their interactive processes. The model was validated against two-year field data from a bioretention system planted with <em>Canna indica</em> L. in Shenzhen, China. Key findings include: (i) The model accurately simulates plant dynamics and effluent phosphorus processes, with Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency coefficients exceeding 0.5 for leaf area index, biomass, monthly plant phosphorus uptake, and effluent TP concentrations; (ii) Neglecting dynamic plant phosphorus uptake leads to misestimation of TP removal, especially in systems with shallower gravel depths, where daily efficiency overestimation can reach 21.8 %; and (iii) Under lower influent phosphorus concentrations, failure to account for plant uptake results in greater inaccuracies in TP removal estimates, with daily removal efficiency deviations as high as 31.2 %. This study provides a tool for long-term TP removal assessment that accounts for dynamic plant uptake and quantifies its impact across different bioretention conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 107781"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144894846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 vertical orientation on the photo-physiological health, growth, morphology and survival of intertidally transplanted corals","authors":"Yan Zhi YAP,&nbsp;Annie Ann Nee CHEW,&nbsp;Peter A. TODD","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107775","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107775","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coral transplantation on coastal defence structures is an emerging ecological engineering strategy. While past research has focused on transplant suitability and survivability, there is limited knowledge on optimizing seawall designs to accommodate coral transplants. This study investigates the effects of three orientations (horizontal 0°, sloping 45°, and vertical 90°) on the photo-physiological health, growth, morphology and survival of <em>Dipsastraea</em> cf. <em>lizardensis</em>, <em>Platygyra</em> spp. and <em>Porites lutea</em> transplanted intertidally at 0.5–0.6 m above chart datum (CD). After 4.5 mo post transplantation, mortality, growth, coral morphometrics, photosynthetic efficiency (F_v/Fm), total Symbiodiniaceae, and total chlorophyll <em>a</em> were recorded. Results indicate that transplants at 0° grew significantly less and had significantly lower Symbiodiniaceae density and chlorophyll <em>a</em> per cm² as compared to corals transplanted at 45° and 90°. Our findings indicate that <em>Dipsastraea</em> cf. <em>lizardensis</em> and <em>Platygyra</em> spp. are potential candidates for transplantation at 0.5–0.6 m above CD, but not <em>P</em><em>orites</em> <em>lutea</em> due to high mortality<em>.</em> Future seawalls that are designed to incorporate coral transplants should consider including attachment surfaces angled at 45°or 90°.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 107775"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144894847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Trade-offs between soil water storage and carbon sequestration: Differences between natural secondary forests and plantation forests on the Loess Plateau","authors":"Xiaoyu Liang ,&nbsp;Zhongbao Xin ,&nbsp;Zhiqiang Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107779","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107779","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Afforestation is a Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) and has been considered as an active management of land degradation processes in Loess Plateau based on specific restoration measures. Excessive water consumption for carbon sequestration can result in an unsustainable forest ecosystem in water-limited areas. This study examined three ecological restoration patterns—natural secondary forests, artificial ecological forests, and artificial economic forests—and analyzed the trade-offs and benefits between soil water consumption and carbon sequestration at a depth of 4 m. In addition, this study focuses on the deep carbon-water relationship under different ecological restoration pattern. The results showed that natural secondary forests exhibited higher carbon sequestration and lower water consumption compared to plantations. At a 4-m soil depth, the soil water storage (SWS) of natural secondary forests was the highest (552.41 ± 36.29 mm), significantly higher than that of artificial ecological forests (448.21 ± 53.33 mm) and artificial economic forests (444.38 ± 30.02 mm) (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Similarly, the soil organic carbon density (SOCD) of natural secondary forests was the highest (19.59 ± 4.14 kg m⁻²), nearly double that of plantations. The deep layer (100–400 cm) SOCD across all ecological restoration patterns accounted for 43 % to 69 % (55.2 ± 8.2 %) of the total profile, demonstrating substantial carbon sequestration potential. Moreover, the RMSD value of deep layer SWS and SOCD in natural secondary forest was significantly lower than that in plantations, indicating a more coordinated carbon-water relationship in natural secondary forests. Compared to pure artificial forests, mixed plantation forests enhanced carbon sequestration by 34.46 % to 122.47 % while maintaining soil water without excessive depletion. To promote large-scale NbS such as afforestation, natural secondary forests should be prioritized in vegetation restoration. In addition, the sustainable management of plantations (Adopting mixed measures) is an important strategy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 107779"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144895367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Dynamic changes and distribution of topsoil moisture during the natural recovery of patchily degraded meadow towards healthy meadow on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of West China","authors":"Zihan Song ,&nbsp;Xilai Li ,&nbsp;Yu Chai ,&nbsp;Cazhaocairang ,&nbsp;Jay Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107780","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107780","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil moisture is one of the limiting factors for the natural recovery of degraded patches towards healthy meadow. This study aims to understand the impact of interfering factors on soil moisture dynamics, and to determine the critical threshold for the area of degraded patches to exceed the lateral redistribution zone of soil moisture via a dual-factor randomized block design for plateau pika (<em>Ochotona curzoniae</em>) and overgrazing. The dynamic changes of soil moisture in three layers 10 cm, 20 cm and 30 cm below the surface were monitored near the interface between degraded patches and healthy alpine meadows, which was supplemented with the spatial dynamic changes of surface soil moisture tracked from time-series drone images. It is found that the moisture content of the 10 cm layer of healthy meadow was higher than that of the 20 cm and 30 cm layers thanks to the developed plant root system, and had a large range of fluctuation due to evaporation and transpiration. Due to the high variability of soil moisture decline rate, plateau pika and grazing had no significant effect on moisture (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05). One cause of variability was the much reduced absorption of soil moisture infiltration by degenerated patches, resulting in significant spatial heterogeneity in their absorption of rainwater (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). This spatial heterogeneity results in the formation of lateral redistribution zones of soil moisture at the interface between alpine meadows and degraded patches. A high density of plateau pika significantly reduced the zonal width (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Recovered patches require supplemental moisture from the redistribution zone to maintain their water consumption. When the diameter of a degraded patch exceeds the limiting distance of the redistribution zone, the recovery of alpine meadow appears to be hysteretic, degenerating into patchily degraded meadow.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 107780"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144894848","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}