Journal of Environmental Management最新文献

{"title":"Soil functional carbon fraction accrual in temperate forests is linked to understory herbs, soil nutrients and microbial alterations.","authors":"Wenjie Wang, Huan Jiang, Chentao Liang, Yanbo Yang, Danqi She, Guanchao Cheng, Huimei Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129886","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129886","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Enhancing stable soil organic carbon (SOC) storage is vital for climate change mitigation. This study challenges the tree-centric paradigm in forest carbon management by investigating the relative roles of trees and understory herbs in driving SOC sequestration in temperate forests of Northeast China. Analyzing 720 soil samples from a 7.2 ha experimental forest, we measured oxidizable SOC fractions and tested the hypothesis that the understory herb layer is a primary driver of SOC accrual, mediated by soil properties and microbial communities. Results strongly supported our hypotheses. Plots with dense, tall herbs exhibited significantly higher levels of active and passive carbon fractions (increases of 7%-16%, amplified to 21%-45% when accounting for soil nutrients, physiochemistry, and water-holding capacity), whereas tree size showed no significant effect. Soil nitrogen was the strongest predictor of SOC variation. Herbs intensified the positive SOC-nitrogen relationship and were positively associated with beneficial soil conditions (e.g., near-neutral pH), contrary to the weak or negative correlations observed for trees. Structural equation modeling revealed that herbs exerted significant direct and indirect positive effects on carbon fractions, while the effects of trees were nonsignificant. Metagenomic analysis identified two contrasting microbial phyla groups: \"positive-SOC\" phyla (e.g., Thaumarchaeota, Planctomycetes) associated with herbs and high SOC, and \"negative-SOC\" phyla (e.g., Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes). These findings underscore the critical, underappreciated role of the understory herb layer in SOC sequestration, mediated through soil nutrient enhancement, soil acidity, water retention, and shifts in microbial communities. Forest management strategies aiming to maximize carbon storage should prioritize herb layer conservation alongside tree layer considerations.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"407 ","pages":"129886"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147855685","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 reach-scale bioassessment index for highly disturbed large rivers based on Species-Area (length) models.","authors":"Xiaodie Jiang, Junyan Wu, Yajing He, Wenjuan Gao, Mengjie Kang, Yongjing Zhao, Yongde Cui, Hongzhu Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129894","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129894","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ecological health assessment in large rivers remains challenging due to their tremendous natural environmental heterogeneity, the difficulty of obtaining representative samples, and the absence of near-natural reference conditions. Using the Yangtze River as a case study, we develop a reach-scale biological index (O/E_SL) for large rivers using fish and macroinvertebrate data. The index is developed in three steps. First, we classify reaches of the Yangtze River mainstem and tributaries using long-term stable spatial and geomorphic factors to control natural variability. Second, we expand the assessment scale from sites to reaches to enhance the spatial representativeness and robustness of the assessment results. Third, drawing on the species-area (length) relationship, we construct observed species (S_O)-length (L) quantile regression models for each reach type to objectively define reference conditions, estimate expected species richness (S_E), and calculate the O/E_SL index as the ratio of S_O to S_E. The O/E_SL index demonstrates robust sensitivity to hydromorphological alterations and reveals a concerning ecological status in the Yangtze River-only 13% of the 93 evaluated reaches are classified as healthy. Finally, we propose a basic methodological framework for ecological health assessment in highly disturbed large rivers.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"407 ","pages":"129894"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147855632","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":"Predicting heavy metal impacts on soil ammonia oxidation during sludge land application: An interpretable framework integrating mechanistic models and machine learning.","authors":"Jianju Li, Xinran Du, Zhiyuan Pan, Lin Si, Huawei Wang, Weihua Li, Rongxing Bian, Yingjie Sun, Liangliang Wei","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129854","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129854","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Heavy metal (HM)-induced ecological risks hinder the sustainable land application of treated municipal sludge, particularly impacting sensitive biogeochemical processes such as ammonia oxidation. Reliably predicting the long-term effects of HMs on ammonia oxidation remains challenging due to the complex interplay among metal bioavailability, microbial adaptation, and nitrogen transformations. In this study, a hybrid mechanistic-machine learning framework was developed to predict ammonia oxidation dynamics in sludge-amended soils under stress from Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn. The mechanistic model, which incorporated time-delayed response of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) to NH₄⁺ availability and bioavailable metal-specific inhibition, accurately simulated the dynamics of NH₄⁺ and ammonia oxidation rates ( [Formula: see text] ) over two rounds of sludge application (R² = 0.9288-0.9506). Genetic algorithm optimization quantified the half-inhibitory content of bioavailable HMs for AOB (K_metal, mg·kg^-1), which followed the order: Cd (3.61) < Ni (19.54) < Cu (49.66) < Cr (58.43) < Pb (78.03) < Zn (134.10). By leveraging mechanistic data augmentation, the extreme gradient boosting and random forest models outperformed feedforward neural networks and support vector regression, achieving test R² > 0.96 for NH₄⁺ and test R² > 0.81 for [Formula: see text] . Shapley additive explanations analysis suggested hormetic-like patterns of Cu and Pb for [Formula: see text] prediction, with transition points at bioavailable content of 27.08 and 30.18 mg kg^-1 in sludge-amended soils, respectively, whereas Zn above 73.04 mg kg^-1 contributed negatively to [Formula: see text] . This study provides a novel and interpretable modeling framework for assessing HM-induced ecological risks in sludge-amended soils under AOB-dominated conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"407 ","pages":"129854"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147855623","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":"Ecosystem conservation and management: A theoretical framework using biocultural diversity.","authors":"Azam Khosravi Mashizi, Mohsen Sharafatmandrad","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129881","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129881","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite the crucial role of biocultural diversity in linking natural ecosystems with local communities, its spatially explicit characterization and integration into conservation planning remain limited. This study addresses this gap by developing a quantitative, spatially explicit framework that integrates ecological and cultural dimensions to inform conservation decision-making. Specifically, we (i) mapped biocultural diversity in the Jiroft region, (ii) identified its key drivers, and (iii) delineated spatially explicit conservation priorities. Biocultural diversity was quantified using a composite index that integrates species diversity (Simpson, Margalef, and Evenness indices), habitat quality (InVEST model), cultural diversity (language and religion), and indigenous knowledge derived from questionnaire data. A Bayesian network was applied to identify key drivers, and binary coding was used to assess spatial win-loss relationships. Results revealed significant differences in biocultural diversity across land-use types (p < 0.01), with forests exhibiting the highest values (0.581 ± 0.064) and agricultural lands the lowest (0.280 ± 0.061). Approximately 37% of the study area was classified as high biocultural diversity (conservation priority), while 30% exhibited low levels. The Bayesian network identified elevation, urbanization, and key species as dominant drivers. Notably, key species act as moderating factors, amplifying the positive influence of elevation while mitigating the negative effects of urbanization. Spatial win-loss analysis further indicated that over 20% of the area requires urgent restoration. This study advances existing approaches by linking composite biocultural diversity mapping with probabilistic driver analysis and actionable spatial prioritization. The proposed framework provides a transferable tool for conservation planning in arid landscapes, subject to context-specific indicator calibration and validation.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"407 ","pages":"129881"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147831303","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":"Layer-specific nitrate source apportionment in a high-permeability alluvial fan using dual isotopes, PMF and MixSIAR models.","authors":"Yidong Wang, Xuanru Li, Ying Hu, Jian Luo, Deyi Hou","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129885","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129885","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nitrate contamination in high-permeability alluvial fan aquifers poses a significant challenge for groundwater resource management, due to the rapid migration of contaminants and complex interactions among multiple nitrate sources. This study employed an integrated approach, combining hydrochemical characterization, isotopic analyses, and multivariate statistical modeling, to investigate the spatial distribution of nitrate, identify transformation processes, and quantify the contributions of nitrate sources within an alluvial aquifer system in the North China Plain. Groundwater nitrate concentrations varied significantly (0.1-41.2 mg/L NO₃^--N), with the highest concentrations primarily observed in industrial areas. Principal component analysis (PCA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) revealed substantial impacts of human activities, particularly domestic and industrial wastewater discharge, on nitrate accumulation and distribution. Dual-isotope analysis (δ¹⁵N-NO₃^- and δ¹⁸O-NO₃^-) demonstrated significant denitrification processes occurring in the shallow first aquifer, whereas nitrification was limited due to low ambient ammonium and nitrite concentrations. Furthermore, the Bayesian stable isotope mixing model (MixSIAR) showed that manure and sewage contributed 62.1% to nitrate in the first aquifer, while industrial wastewater dominated in the second and third aquifers (64.3% and 64.6%). This integrated approach provides a robust framework for nitrate source identification in heterogeneous aquifer systems, offering valuable insights for sustainable groundwater management practices in high-permeability alluvial aquifers.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"407 ","pages":"129885"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147831569","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":"Up-flow floating surface constructed wetland for municipal wastewater treatment: A novel approach.","authors":"Satyendra, Saisaurabh K Asoria, Ritesh Vijay","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129856","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129856","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To fulfil the gap between sewage generation and treatment capacity, innovative and compact wastewater treatment technologies are required. This study presents the design, development, and demonstration of a pilot-scale Up-flow Floating Surface Constructed Wetland (UFSCW) for municipal wastewater treatment. UFSCW integrates primary and secondary treatments in a compact system. The UFSCW operates on the principle of up-flow movement of wastewater, through a floating arrangement of media and wetland plants. It provides a reduction in the velocity of suspended solids and increase contact time between pollutants, microbial communities, and plant root zones. The system combines both suspended and attached growth processes with anaerobic and aerobic treatment in a single unit. The system was operated in three phases: without hanging media and wetland plants, with hanging media only, and with both hanging media and wetland plants, under varying HRTs (36 to 12 h). At an HRT of 24 h (Phase III), UFSCW achieved maximum removal efficiencies of TSS, COD, TN, and TP of 92%, 82%, 67%, and 71%, respectively. Among the evaluated plant species, vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) demonstrated the highest nutrient uptake efficiency. Its deep and fibrous root network provided an extensive rhizosphere that supported microbial colonization and facilitated enhanced nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Compared to conventional constructed wetlands requiring 2-4 days HRT, the UFSCW achieved comparable organic and nutrient removal at significantly shorter retention times, demonstrating its suitability for decentralized and space-constrained urban applications. Furthermore, integration of a downstream planted substrate bed and a disinfection unit could enable consistent compliance with discharge standards and facilitate treated water reuse.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"407 ","pages":"129856"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147832025","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":"Microbial inoculant augments the influence of organic fertilizer on soil microbial communities in tea plantations.","authors":"Chensong Duan, Hu Liao, Jianqiang Su, Chongxing Yu, Yuanyuan Mo, Wenzhen Wang, Yin Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129843","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129843","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the rapid development of ecological agriculture, microbial inoculants and organic fertilizers have been widely applied in various agroecological systems. Despite the great prospect of microbial inoculants for improving soil fertility and plant growth, it remains poorly understood whether and how microbial inoculants can amplify the effects of organic fertilizers on soil microbial community structures and tea yields. Here, we conducted a field experiment in tea plantations of Rougui and Shuixian cultivars, where the control group only applied organic fertilizer, and the treatment group used a mixed fertilizer (microbial inoculant and organic fertilizer). After four months of fertilization, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen contents were higher in the Rougui tea plantation applied with mixed fertilizer than in the control, whereas these soil nutrients were lower in the Shuixian tea plantation with mixed fertilizer than in the control. PCoA revealed significant separations of soil bacterial and fungal communities between the Rougui and Shuixian tea plantations, and different fertilization regimes in the Rougui tea plantations (p = 0.001). The addition of microbial inoculants enhanced the stochastic assembly processes of both soil bacterial and fungal communities, with the normalized stochasticity ratio of bacterial communities increased by 42.86% one month after the fertilization (p ≤ 0.0001), and that of fungal communities increased by 79.40% after six months (p ≤ 0.0001). Meanwhile, the co-occurrence networks of soil microbial communities treated with microbial inoculants exhibited higher complexity and stronger negative cohesion and robustness. Importantly, the mixed fertilizer increased the yields of fresh teas of Rougui and Shuixian by 83.61% and 11.81%, respectively, compared with the application of organic fertilizer alone, a pattern consistent with elevated stochastic processes and network complexity in soil microbial communities. Overall, this study provides crucial insights into the soil microbial communities' assemblies and network dynamics under different fertilization strategies, which is essential for improving microbial inoculants to further increase the yields of organic tea plantations.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"407 ","pages":"129843"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147831765","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":"Biogenic carbon dioxide storage and mineral carbonation uptake in EU buildings.","authors":"Dominik Steinberger-Maierhofer, Nicolas Alaux, Delphine Ramon, Semjon Popek, Tajda Potrč Obrecht, Judit Kockat, Xiaoyang Zhong, Alessio Mastrucci, Marcella Ruschi Mendes Saade, Karen Allacker, Alexander Passer, Martin Röck","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129794","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129794","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Storing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) in products is identified as one of the key measures for carbon dioxide removal. The building sector and its potential use as a carbon sink is quickly becoming a consideration for active policies in Europe. However, while this remains a key element of informed decision-making, robust data on CO₂ storage and uptake potentials vis-à-vis current greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the buildings sector is still lacking. Here, we quantify the carbon dioxide storage and uptake potentials for EU buildings in 2020 on three hierarchical levels: the material, building, and building stock level. We assess the potential of bio-based materials and mineral carbonation and compare the results to the baseline GHG emissions of the EU building stock. At the building level, bio-based materials show the largest storage effects. Carbonation during the use stage of buildings is smaller than in the end-of-life stage, yet both yield non-negligible effects that should be considered in life cycle assessments of buildings. However, when calcination emissions in the production stage are considered, the carbonation uptake of mineral materials does not lead to net removal of CO₂ at the building level. At the building stock level, net biogenic carbon storage effects result in net storage equivalent to 1.27% of embodied GHG emissions, while mineral CO₂ fluxes, including carbonation, result in net emissions equivalent to 10.16% of embodied GHG emissions in the EU-27 building stock in 2020. The results at the material, building, and building stock levels can be used as a comparative baseline for future net-zero GHG research in the European context.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"407 ","pages":"129794"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147832079","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":"Government intervention and carbon welfare performance: Nonlinear effects and spatial spillovers from China.","authors":"Zitong Zhang, Nan Zhang, Ruiyan Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129871","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129871","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A central challenge in green development is not only how to reduce carbon emissions, but how to do so without weakening improvements in human well-being. This paper addresses that question through the concept of carbon welfare performance (CWP), defined as the welfare generated per unit of carbon emissions. We construct a welfare-oriented measure of CWP based on an improved Human Development Index and examine how government intervention affects it using panel data for 30 Chinese provinces from 2000 to 2023. Our empirical strategy is designed to match the economic question. Because carbon welfare performance is shaped by regional interdependence, policy diffusion, and factor mobility, and because the effect of government intervention may be nonlinear, we estimate a Spatial Durbin Model with a quadratic specification. This approach allows us to identify both local and spillover effects while testing whether the role of government changes with intervention intensity. The results reveal a robust U-shaped relationship between government intervention and CWP. At lower levels, intervention is associated with lower carbon welfare performance, consistent with resource misallocation, administrative distortion, and weak spending efficiency. Beyond a threshold, however, intervention improves CWP by correcting environmental externalities, supporting public goods provision, and facilitating low-carbon structural transformation. Mechanism analysis shows that environmental expenditure is an important transmission channel, while the level of marketization significantly conditions the strength and timing of the relationship. We also find substantial spatial spillovers, indicating that local policy choices affect neighboring regions through competition, imitation, and factor mobility. The broader implication is that the welfare consequences of decarbonization depend not simply on how much governments intervene, but on whether intervention is institutionally effective, spatially coordinated, and compatible with market adjustment.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"407 ","pages":"129871"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147855661","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":"Recent and high grazing pressure limit cork oak seedling resprouting and survival.","authors":"Abdullah Ibne Wadud, João Craveiro, Simone Erroi, Sandra Alcobia, Manuela Branco, Miguel N Bugalho, Pedro Gonçalves Vaz","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129888","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129888","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Regeneration failure is a bottleneck in Mediterranean oak woodlands. Cattle can hinder or promote recruitment, depending on grazing location, timing and intensity. Herbivory theory predicts that repeated defoliation and trampling deplete seedling reserves, whereas resprouting can extend survival; yet field studies rarely separate intensity from recency or combine long-run grazing records with individual fates and microhabitat/climate context. We test how management-driven heterogeneity shapes cork oak seedling survival and resprouting by combining 12 years of paddock-level grazing records with individual tracking of 8431 seedlings across 24 paddocks. Bayesian mixed-effects survival models related seedling lifespan to grazing history × pressure (moderate ≤150; high >150 LSU ha^-1 days yr^-1) and to key covariates, including seedling height, resprouting status, shrub distance, cattle dung counts (as a proxy of very recent grazing), and 1-month SPEI (as recent water balance). Bayesian logistic mixed models were then used to relate resprouting probability to grazing treatments. Survival was lower in grazed than ungrazed paddocks and declined along management gradients: median lifespan fell from 460 (moderate grazing) to 256 days (high), and from 460 (old grazing; two-year absence) to 199 days (recent). A two-year cattle absence increased survival under moderate pressure but was insufficient where pressure was high, indicating legacy effects and that recovery windows must scale with pressure. Resprouting dominated persistence: resprouters lived >5 × longer than non-resprouters (2351 vs 460 days). Taller seedlings lived longer, and shrub proximity conferred a modest benefit. Climate modulated outcomes: wetter recent periods (higher SPEI) markedly boosted survival. Cattle reduced the odds of resprouting, with the strongest penalty under recent use. By disentangling grazing intensity from recency and linking both to seedling survival and resprouting, we show why recruitment falters under continuous, heavy grazing and when it can recover. Because drought intensifies cattle impacts, managers should combine moderate stocking rates with multi-year rest periods to rebuild oak bud banks and below-ground reserves; a two-year hiatus can help under moderate pressure but appears insufficient where pressure is high. Aligning rotational plans with drought outlooks and tracking simple field cues (seedling height, recent resprouting) offers a practical path to reconcile production with regeneration in Mediterranean wood-pastures.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"407 ","pages":"129888"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147831753","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}