Journal of Arid Environments最新文献_第3页

Effects of mealworm frass and frass-derived biochar on soil enzyme activity in an arid soil 黄粉虫秸秆和秸秆生物炭对干旱土壤酶活性的影响

IF 2.5 3区环境科学与生态学

Journal of Arid Environments Pub Date : 2026-08-01 Epub Date: 2026-08-18 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105719

Juan C. Sanchez-Hernandez, Ximena Andrade Cares, Mallavarapu Megharaj

{"title":"Effects of mealworm frass and frass-derived biochar on soil enzyme activity in an arid soil","authors":"Juan C. Sanchez-Hernandez, Ximena Andrade Cares, Mallavarapu Megharaj","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105719","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105719","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluated the effects of mealworm (<em>Tenebrio molitor</em>) frass and frass-derived biochar on microbial and enzymatic activity in an arid soil from Fuerteventura Island (Canary Islands, Spain), a region highly affected by desertification. Treatments included frass, biochar produced at 300°C and 600°C, and 1:1 frass-biochar mixtures, applied at 2.5% and 5% (w/w, dry basis). Over a three-month incubation, including a simulated dry-rewet cycle, extracellular enzyme activities related to C, N, and P acquisition were measured together with indicators of microbial activity and selected soil physicochemical variables. Frass produced the strongest response, significantly increasing enzyme activities, particularly those associated with P and N cycling. Biochar alone had weaker effects, but it did not inhibit microbial or enzymatic activity and appeared to reduce activity losses after drying. Ecoenzymatic stoichiometry and vector analysis indicated a treatment-related shift toward a more P-oriented relative enzyme-activity pattern in frass-containing treatments. The results show that mealworm frass can strongly stimulate soil biological functioning under controlled conditions, while frass-derived biochar may play a complementary role in maintaining enzymatic activity after soil desiccation. These findings support further evaluation of frass-based amendments for arid and semi-arid soils under field conditions and at agronomically realistic application rates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 105719"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148777355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}

引用次数: 0

Spatiotemporal dynamics and driving mechanisms of ecological quality under reclaimed water replenishment in the Dongdao Haizi terminal Wetland, Northwest China 东岛海子终端湿地再生水补水条件下生态质量时空动态及驱动机制

IF 2.5 3区环境科学与生态学

Journal of Arid Environments Pub Date : 2026-08-01 Epub Date: 2026-08-28 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105723

Qianrou Xia, Xueying Ma, Changchun Xu, Yunfei Zhang, Dan Zhang

{"title":"Spatiotemporal dynamics and driving mechanisms of ecological quality under reclaimed water replenishment in the Dongdao Haizi terminal Wetland, Northwest China","authors":"Qianrou Xia, Xueying Ma, Changchun Xu, Yunfei Zhang, Dan Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105723","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105723","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reclaimed water replenishment is a crucial strategy for restoring terminal wetlands in arid regions; however, its ecological impacts and underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. Focusing on the Dongdao Haizi Wetland at the terminus of the Urumqi River, this study leveraged multi-temporal Landsat imagery on Google Earth Engine to construct a salinity-enhanced Modified Remote Sensing Ecological Index (MRSEI). Spatial autocorrelation analysis and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) were applied to decipher the spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanisms of ecological quality from 2000 to 2025. Results indicate that reclaimed water inputs substantially altered local hydrology, expanding the surface water area from 3.85 km<sup>2</sup> to 38.97 km<sup>2</sup>. Although vegetation cover continuously improved—as evidenced by rising NDVI values—overall ecological quality exhibited a non-monotonic trajectory. Mean MRSEI dropped from 0.331 in 2000 to 0.272 in 2025, reaching a temporary low in 2015 before partially recovering post-2020. Persistent positive spatial autocorrelation reflected strong spatial clustering of ecological conditions. PLS-SEM further revealed that biological factors were the primary positive drivers of MRSEI, supplemented by beneficial restoration activities. Overall, while reclaimed water effectively boosted hydrological connectivity and vegetation recovery, holistic ecological improvement was constrained by complex interactions among vegetation dynamics, soil salinity, climate variability, and spatial heterogeneity. These findings provide actionable insights for adaptive water management in arid terminal wetlands.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 105723"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148843755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}

引用次数: 0

From canopy to soil: subterranean galleries of arboreal termites amplify soil respiration and carbon dynamics in the Caatinga 从树冠到土壤：树栖白蚁的地下通道放大了Caatinga的土壤呼吸和碳动态

IF 2.5 3区环境科学与生态学

Journal of Arid Environments Pub Date : 2026-08-01 Epub Date: 2026-08-08 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105714

Mário Herculano de Oliveira, Maria Avany Bezerra-Gusmão, Bartolomeu Israel de Souza, Caik Oliveira de Miranda, Derick Lira, Maria Lacerda, Alexandre Fonseca D'Andrea, Marllon Rinaldo de Lima Andrade, José João Lelis Leal de Souza

{"title":"From canopy to soil: subterranean galleries of arboreal termites amplify soil respiration and carbon dynamics in the Caatinga","authors":"Mário Herculano de Oliveira, Maria Avany Bezerra-Gusmão, Bartolomeu Israel de Souza, Caik Oliveira de Miranda, Derick Lira, Maria Lacerda, Alexandre Fonseca D'Andrea, Marllon Rinaldo de Lima Andrade, José João Lelis Leal de Souza","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105714","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105714","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Termites are well-known ecosystem engineers, yet the ecological influence of arboreal-nesting species remains poorly understood, especially in semi-arid environments. We investigated whether the subterranean gallery networks of the arboreal termite <em>Constrictotermes cyphergaster</em> create functional soil microsites in the Brazilian Caatinga. We compared soil CO<sub>2</sub> efflux beneath termite-influenced soil directly connected to arboreal nests against adjacent reference soil, accounting for seasonal variations. Our results show that termite-influenced soils exhibit CO<sub>2</sub> efflux rates up to 4.7-fold higher than surrounding areas, acting as persistent metabolic hotspots. This enhancement persisted across rainfall gradients, despite contrasting responses to precipitation, indicating that termite-influenced soils maintain consistently higher respiration under varying moisture conditions. Notably, the elevated soil CO<sub>2</sub> efflux observed in termite-influenced soils was decoupled from surface temperature and did not vary among host tree species, indicating that these differences are primarily driven by termite engineering rather than by root-derived respiration. Termite-influenced soils also displayed higher organic matter and potential acidity. These findings demonstrate that arboreal termites extend their functional influence vertically into the soil, generating significant biogeochemical heterogeneity. By uncovering this “invisible” subterranean footprint, our study highlights the overlooked role of arboreal termites in regulating soil carbon dynamics and ecosystem functioning in semi-arid landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 105714"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148737923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}

引用次数: 0

Asymmetric response of forest aboveground biomass density to precipitation anomalies in China 中国森林地上生物量密度对降水异常的不对称响应

IF 2.5 3区环境科学与生态学

Journal of Arid Environments Pub Date : 2026-08-01 Epub Date: 2026-07-26 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105702

Shuaishuai Ma, Huayong Zhang, Zhongyu Wang

{"title":"Asymmetric response of forest aboveground biomass density to precipitation anomalies in China","authors":"Shuaishuai Ma, Huayong Zhang, Zhongyu Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105702","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105702","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Due to global warming, extreme weather increasingly threatens terrestrial carbon sinks. Research on the asymmetric response of aboveground biomass density (AGBD) to precipitation anomalies and its multidimensional drivers remains limited. Using the Asymmetry Index (AS) and multi-source remote sensing data, we systematically revealed the asymmetric response mechanism of forest AGBD in China to dry and wet conditions during 2000−2020. Nationwide, forest AGBD showed a slight negative asymmetry (mean AS = −0.01), with negative AS covering 51.70% of the forest area. Coniferous forests exhibited a weak negative asymmetry (AS = −0.0643), whereas broad-leaved and mixed forests showed positive asymmetry (AS = 0.0406 and 0.2838, respectively). Driving mechanism analysis indicated that monthly maximum temperature (Tmx) was the dominant factor for broad-leaved forests, whereas annual precipitation variability (CVPR) primarily governed coniferous and mixed forests. The asymmetric responses of broad-leaved forests were positively affected by Tmx, CVPR, and mean annual precipitation (MAP), with intensification when high temperature and precipitation variability co-occurred. Coniferous forest responses were jointly regulated by CVPR, Tmx, and MAP, while mixed forests were jointly regulated by CVPR, MaxAGBD, and Tmx. These findings enhance understanding of AGBD responses to precipitation changes and provide a scientific basis for elucidating forest carbon cycling mechanisms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 105702"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148658300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}

引用次数: 0

IF 2.5 3区环境科学与生态学

Journal of Arid Environments Pub Date : 2026-08-01 Epub Date: 2026-07-21 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105699

George Rodrigues Lambais, Rodrigo Santana Macedo, Renato Pereira Lima, Aldo Torres Sales, Wanderlei Bieluczyk, Maurício Roberto Cherubin

{"title":"Glomalin-related soil proteins enhance soil health in the rhizospheres of Caatinga trees","authors":"George Rodrigues Lambais, Rodrigo Santana Macedo, Renato Pereira Lima, Aldo Torres Sales, Wanderlei Bieluczyk, Maurício Roberto Cherubin","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105699","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105699","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Glomalin-related soil proteins (GRSP) are linked to soil aggregation, nutrient cycling, and soil carbon dynamics. However, their relationship with native plant species and soil health remains poorly understood in the Caatinga. We quantified total GRSP (T-GRSP), easily extractable GRSP (EE-GRSP), and soil physical and chemical attributes in rhizosphere soils of three Caatinga tree species (<em>Aspidosperma pyrifolium</em>, <em>Cenostigma pyramidale</em>, and <em>Bauhinia cheilantha</em>) at 0–10 and 10–20 cm depths. Soil function scores and a Soil Health Index (SHI) were calculated to evaluate relationships between GRSP fractions and soil functioning. <em>A. pyrifolium</em> showed T-GRSP values 2.81 g kg<sup>−1</sup> higher than <em>C. pyramidale</em> and EE-GRSP:T-GRSP ratios 10–15% higher than the other species in the topsoil. Correlation analyses showed positive associations between T-GRSP and Ca<sup>2+</sup>, Mg<sup>2+</sup>, Zn<sup>2+</sup>, Mn<sup>2+</sup>, and soil water content (r > 0.4). Linear regressions revealed significant relationships between T-GRSP and soil carbon, nitrogen, and cation exchange capacity (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.60, 0.65, and 0.36, respectively). SHI also showed positive relationships with EE-GRSP (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.56) and T-GRSP (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.85). These findings suggest species-specific GRSP accumulation patterns and support GRSP fractions as complementary indicators of soil health under semiarid conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 105699"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148644113","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}

引用次数: 0

Sex-biased differences in perceived risk of predation in an aposematic prey 在警示性猎物中感知捕食风险的性别偏见差异

IF 2.5 3区环境科学与生态学

Journal of Arid Environments Pub Date : 2026-08-01 Epub Date: 2026-08-26 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105721

Shomen Mukherjee, Devvratsinh Mori, Vidhaan Dave

{"title":"Sex-biased differences in perceived risk of predation in an aposematic prey","authors":"Shomen Mukherjee, Devvratsinh Mori, Vidhaan Dave","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105721","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105721","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Flight initiation distance (FID) and Distance fled (DF) are two common behavioural metrics used to assess how prey perceive threats from predators. Although widely studied in vertebrates, these are poorly measured in invertebrates, and even less in toxic or chemically defended species. We examined FID and DF in the aposematic, sexually dimorphic painted grasshopper, <em>Poekilocerus pictus</em>, in response to an approaching human. Because predation risk can vary between sexes, habitat type, and time of day, we predicted that these factors would influence grasshopper escape behaviours.</div><div>Females, which are larger and heavier than males, showed shorter FID and DF. Adult females also have shorter forewings than males. These morphological differences help best explain sex-based variation in escape behaviour. Interestingly, we found grasshoppers that did not escape when approached. The probability that a non-escaping individual was female was significantly higher than that of a male. Habitat also influenced escape responses. Grasshoppers in wooded grasslands (dense) were less likely to fly compared to those in open grasslands. Our study shows that even aposematic, chemically defended prey engage in risk-avoidance behaviours to reduce the likelihood of accidental injury or death from larger organisms such as herbivores, and these risks may be sex-biased.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 105721"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148844283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}

引用次数: 0

Comparison of LSTM and conceptual hydrological models for runoff simulation under changing climatic conditions in Iran 伊朗变化气候条件下径流模拟的LSTM和概念水文模型的比较

IF 2.5 3区环境科学与生态学

Journal of Arid Environments Pub Date : 2026-07-01 Epub Date: 2026-06-21 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105679

Afshin Jahanshahi, Martijn J. Booij

{"title":"Comparison of LSTM and conceptual hydrological models for runoff simulation under changing climatic conditions in Iran","authors":"Afshin Jahanshahi, Martijn J. Booij","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105679","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105679","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hydrological models are widely used to assess climate change impacts, but their performance can deteriorate under non-stationary climatic conditions. This study evaluates the robustness of a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network versus two conceptual models (GR4J and SIMHYD) using the differential split-sample test within a large-sample experiment across 576 diverse Iranian catchments and a common objective function. All models exhibit the greatest performance decline when calibrated under wet conditions and validated under dry conditions. By explicitly separating climatic dissimilarity between calibration and validation periods from absolute validation-period aridity, the analyses show that LSTM performance is primarily controlled by differences in the aridity index, whereas conceptual model performance is more strongly governed by the absolute aridity of the validation climate. Additional analyses indicate that smaller, steeper catchments generally experience stronger performance deterioration, while larger, lower-slope catchments display more stable behaviour, particularly for the LSTM. Calibration-length experiments (4-16 years) show that increasing calibration duration substantially improves LSTM performance but yields only marginal gains for conceptual models, revealing a clear performance ceiling. Within this setup, approximately 12 years emerges as a practical threshold for robust comparison, although this value will vary with catchment properties, climate regime, data quality, and model architecture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"236 ","pages":"Article 105679"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148566055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}

引用次数: 0

The paradox of fog and dew field observations 雾与露野外观测的矛盾

IF 2.5 3区环境科学与生态学

Journal of Arid Environments Pub Date : 2026-07-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105682

Lixin Wang

引用次数: 0

Impact of drought on vegetation in arid and semi-arid regions of China from 2000 to 2023 2000 - 2023年干旱对中国干旱半干旱区植被的影响

IF 2.5 3区环境科学与生态学

Journal of Arid Environments Pub Date : 2026-07-01 Epub Date: 2026-06-30 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105681

Zhiyu Shi, Jihong Dong

{"title":"Impact of drought on vegetation in arid and semi-arid regions of China from 2000 to 2023","authors":"Zhiyu Shi, Jihong Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105681","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105681","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Frequent drought events in recent years have posed a threat to the growth of vegetation and ecological stability in the arid and semi-arid regions of China (ASAC), but the mechanism of drought on vegetation remains to be further explored. In this study, we evaluated the response of ASAC vegetation to drought cumulative and lagged effects from 2000 to 2023, quantified the probability and threshold of drought-induced vegetation loss, and explored the impact pathways of environmental factors on vegetation growth. The results show that the cumulative effects of EVI and NPP are most significant at 5-month scale. EVI and NPP exhibit significant lagged effects at 1-month scale. The lagged effects dominated the vegetation changes in ASAC, with 80.99% and 64.60% of the areas in EVI and NPP affected by lagged effects, respectively. The cumulative effects on grassland was the strongest (average R<sub>max_cum</sub> = 0.132), while forest had the longest cumulative effects time scale (accumulated months = 6.70); the lagged effects of desert vegetation was the strongest (average R<sub>max_lag</sub> = 0.139), while grassland had the shortest lagged effects time scale (lagged months = 3.51).As the intensity of drought increased, the probability of ASAC vegetation loss significantly increased, with EVI and NPP probabilities of 34.95% and 48.30%, respectively, under severe drought. Precipitation (PRE) and soil moisture (SM) play a dominant role in vegetation growth pathways. SPEI had significant inhibitory effects on vegetation, while elevation indirectly limits vegetation productivity by affecting hydrothermal conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"236 ","pages":"Article 105681"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148565908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}

引用次数: 0

Multi-scenario land use simulation and sustainability assessment in arid lanzhou: Ecological-economic trade-offs in Northwest China 兰州干旱多情景土地利用模拟与可持续性评价：西北地区生态-经济权衡

IF 2.5 3区环境科学与生态学

Journal of Arid Environments Pub Date : 2026-07-01 Epub Date: 2026-07-02 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105686

Qiang Liu, Xuhui Zhang, Cui An

{"title":"Multi-scenario land use simulation and sustainability assessment in arid lanzhou: Ecological-economic trade-offs in Northwest China","authors":"Qiang Liu, Xuhui Zhang, Cui An","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105686","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105686","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding land use dynamics in arid regions is critical for sustainable development under water scarcity constraints. This study examines land use transitions in Lanzhou City, a representative arid urban system in Northwest China, using dynamic analysis, transfer matrix modeling, and PLUS simulation. Analysis of 2000-2020 data reveals persistent agricultural land decline intensifying during rapid urbanization (2010-2020), when construction land expanded by 393.61 km<sup>2</sup> at the expense of arable land and grassland ecosystems. Three scenarios were simulated for 2030 considering arid landscape constraints: natural development, ecological protection, and farmland preservation. Despite severe water limitations (300-400 mm annual precipitation), projections indicate continued construction expansion with concurrent reductions of approximately 170 km<sup>2</sup> in arable land and 171 km<sup>2</sup> in grassland. Within the assumptions, indicator set, and entropy weighting of the adopted PLUS modeling and CSI assessment framework, the natural development scenario attained the highest composite sustainability score, with a CSI of 0.949 against 0.919 for ecological protection and 0.872 for farmland protection. This result suggests that, under the present framework and for the specific water scarcity conditions of Lanzhou, adaptive management may help balance coordinated urban and rural development with ecological protection more effectively than rigid protection measures. Because the margin among scenarios is small and the ranking may be sensitive to indicator selection and weighting, we interpret this finding as framework dependent and context specific rather than universal. It nonetheless indicates that land use planning in such water limited regions may benefit from dynamic adjustment to water availability rather than adherence to fixed land use patterns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"236 ","pages":"Article 105686"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148565912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}

引用次数: 0