ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Ecol. Evol.
Sec. Conservation and Restoration Ecology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fevo.2025.1611874
This article is part of the Research TopicEcological Security and Ecological Disasters: Defining the Fields and Applications for the Future Environmental Resilience and ConservationView all articles
Spatio-temporal Evolution and Driving Mechanisms of Landscape in the Yellow River Basin from 1985 to 2020
Provisionally accepted
- 1Quzhou University, Quzhou, China
- 2Capital Normal University, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
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Understanding the landscape evolution and driving mechanisms in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) is crucial for safeguarding the ecological environment and promoting high-quality development in the region.The analysis of spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of land use/land cover (LULC) and landscape pattern (LP) in the YRB employed transfer matrix and landscape pattern index models. Furthermore, a random forest regression method was utilized to investigate the driving mechanism behind landscape evolution. Based on our research findings, it is evident that significant changes have occurred in LULC, which have had profound implications for regional landscape patterns. The evolution of these patterns can be categorized into distinct stages. Between 1985 and 2010, there was a noticeable increase in clustering and interconnectedness, while between 2010 and 2020, this trend shifted. Grassland transformation primarily influenced landscape pattern evolution, whereas other LULC classifications had relatively limited effects on overall landscape integrity, diversity, and connectivity. Changes in grassland predominantly occurred at the outskirts of established grassland regions, while alterations in other LULC classifications were more sporadic due to human activities exerting influence. Landscape evolution is synthetically influenced by both social and natural factors. Local changes are driven by social factors while long-term gradual changes are primarily shaped by natural factors. Over the past three decades, social factors have played a significant role in shaping YRB's landscapes.
Keywords: Land use/land cover, landscape pattern, Driving force analysis, Spatial heterogeneity, sustainable development
Received: 15 Apr 2025; Accepted: 13 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Guo, zhao and feng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: meifang feng, Quzhou University, Quzhou, China
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