Spatiotemporal changes in ecological network resilience in the Shandong Peninsula urban agglomeration

Ecological network (EN) resilience is important for the integrity and connectivity of ecosystems. However, most of the current studies have conducted resilience assessment studies on abstract complex ENs composed of points and lines, ignoring the fact that ENs are landscape entities with considerable spatial range and landscape characteristics in ecosystems. In this study, taking the Shandong Peninsula urban agglomeration as an example, we assessed network resilience based on identifying the spatial range of ENs in 2000, 2010 and 2018. We constructed a new evaluation framework of EN resilience from overall structure, component quality and network function and analyzed the spatiotemporal changes in EN resilience. The results show that (1) from 2000 to 2018, the spatial range of the ENs shrunk 14.3%. (2) The overall structure of ENs was damaged, the component quality of ENs decreased, and the network function of ENs decreased, leading to a significant decrease of 16.8% in EN resilience. (3) The results of Spearman's correlation coefficient and cubic model show that the decline in network resilience has a good temporal correlation and spatial fitting degree with the changes in urbanization indicators. Based on the results, this study proposed improving EN resilience through measures such as network structure optimization, ecological protection and restoration for key areas. This study has improved the identification method of EN spatial ranges, adapted and updated the assessment method and framework of EN resilience, enriched the methods and theories of EN identification and assessment, and provided guidance for enhancing ecosystem functions and achieving sustainable management of urban agglomerations.

Automated summary

This study assessed the resilience of ecological networks (ENs) in the Shandong Peninsula urban agglomeration. The results showed that the spatial range of ENs had shrunk by 14.3% from 2000 to 2018. The overall structure, component quality, and network function of ENs had decreased, leading to a significant decrease of 16.8% in EN resilience. The study also found a strong temporal correlation and spatial fitting degree between the decline in network resilience and changes in urbanization indicators. Based on the findings, measures such as network structure optimization and ecological protection and restoration were proposed to enhance EN resilience.