Carbon sinks/sources' spatiotemporal heterogeneity and their spatial response to economic-social factors in relatively developed regions: A case of China's coastal area.

With the global climate change, carbon reduction in economically active regions has gradually become a focus of attention and its underlying drivers were essential for understanding alterations in ecosystems in response to human behavior. However, the exploration of Carbon Sinks/Sources Patterns (CSSP) in an Economic-Social context was lacking. Distinguished from traditional Net Ecosystem Productivity (NEP) estimation methods, we optimized model parameters, adjusted estimation logic, and revealed CSSP more reasonably. Moreover, spatial econometric model was used to reveal the spatial effects mechanism of Economic-Social Development on CSSP. Over the past 20 years, we revealed that: (a) The pattern of NEP exhibited distinct spatial heterogeneity, with higher sinks observed in the north and offshore regions. It demonstrated regular cyclic fluctuations, averaging a 3-4-year cycle, featuring a gradual ascent followed by a rapid descent; (b) The Carbon Sequestration Capacity (CSC) of vegetation significantly increased. Based on the carbon sink properties, the study area was distinctly divided into three clusters; (c) CSSP have been profoundly affected by economic-social factors. Economic growth and industrial structure optimization contributed to the enhancement of CSC, but population aggregation and urban expansion had negative impacts. The direct effect of innovation capacity and the spatial spillover effect of industrial structure optimization were negative. Overall, exploring CSSP against the backdrop of economic-social factors not only provides a new perspective for understanding the regularities of change and the underlying mechanisms driven by human factors but also offers valuable insights for achieving sustainable development and green growth in other coastal regions globally.

Socioeconomic Factors Influence the Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Blue-Green Infrastructure Demand: A Case of Nanjing City.

Blue-green infrastructure provides a variety of ecosystem services and is becoming an increasingly vital part of urban ecosystem protection. It is an ecological facility for ecological conservation and environmental protection, and a foundation for realizing people's needs for a better life. This study selects indicators from four dimensions: social, economic, environmental, and ecological, and the demand for blue-green infrastructure is assessed comprehensively. The results show that: (1) the demand for blue-green infrastructure varies spatially with the development of the city; (2) the total demand for blue-green infrastructure in Nanjing from 2000 to 2020 shows a pattern of "high in the center and low in the periphery"; (3) the level of economic development, urban spatial pattern, and decision management orientation have different degrees of influence on the demand for blue-green infrastructure, with the urban spatial pattern having the greatest impact. Therefore, in the future, blue-green infrastructure should be optimized by taking into account the spatial characteristics of demand in Nanjing.

Genome-wide evolution and expression analysis of the MYB-CC gene family in Brassica spp.

The MYB-CC family is a subtype within the MYB superfamily. This family contains an MYB domain and a predicted coiled-coil (CC) domain. Several MYB-CC transcription factors are involved in the plant's adaptability to low phosphate (Pi) stress. We identified 30, 34, and 55 MYB-CC genes in Brassica rapa, Brassica oleracea, and Brassica napus, respectively. The MYB-CC genes were divided into nine groups based on phylogenetic analysis. The analysis of the chromosome distribution and gene structure revealed that most MYB-CC genes retained the same relative position on the chromosomes and had similar gene structures during allotetraploidy. Evolutionary analysis showed that the ancestral whole-genome triplication (WGT) and the recent allopolyploidy are critical for the expansion of the MYB-CC gene family. The expression patterns of MYB-CC genes were found to be diverse in different tissues of the three Brassica species. Furthermore, the gene expression analysis under low Pi stress revealed that MYB-CC genes may be related to low Pi stress responses. These results may increase our understanding of MYB-CC gene family diversification and provide the basis for further analysis of the specific functions of MYB-CC genes in Brassica species.

Physicochemical properties and salinization characteristics of soils in coastal land reclamation areas: A case study of China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City.

Land salinization is a global environmental problem, and how to manage saline soils and promote healthy ecosystems has become a major challenge. China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City is located in coastal land reclamation areas, so salinization is severe in this region. In this study, geostatistical methods, the ordinary kriging method, and principal component analysis were used. Vertical sampling was performed over three layers (0-20 cm, 20-40 cm, and 40-60 cm) at 184 locations within the study area to produce a total of 542 soil samples. It was found that areas with soluble salt contents greater than 3000 mg/kg account for over 90% of the study area, and high soluble salt content in surface layer soils is the dominant factor in soil salinization. Na+, Cl-, and SO4 2- are the primary control factors that determine the coefficient of variation of the soils' soluble salt content. Total salinity and Na+, Cl-, SO4 2-, K+, and Mg2+ reflect on the salinization of the soils, while effective phosphorus, available potassium, and soil organic carbon reflect on the state of soil nutrition. Based on our results, we proposed site-specific and scientific soil remediation and greening measures.