Ecological networks construction and optimization in the Longdong Loess Plateau: The advantages of self-organizing map and complex networks
Ecological networks (ENs) construction, which is the basis for sustainable regional development, is influenced by the accuracy of source identification. Currently, the method of utilizing multiple ecosystem services (ESs) to identify ecological sources can only highlight areas with high values of th...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25000676 |
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| Summary: | Ecological networks (ENs) construction, which is the basis for sustainable regional development, is influenced by the accuracy of source identification. Currently, the method of utilizing multiple ecosystem services (ESs) to identify ecological sources can only highlight areas with high values of these services. Additionally, it is vulnerable to interference from artificially assigned weights, which hinders the accurate identification of ecological sources. In this study, a self-organizing map (SOM) model was utilized to optimize the ecological sources identification in the Longdong Loess Plateau. We used this method to identify different types of ecological sources. The minimum threshold was set at 40 km2, which established the smallest area for an ecological source. We categorized the ecological corridors based on the different types of source areas connected at both ends of the corridors. Furthermore, we compared the ENs before and after optimization to identify the benefits of the SOM. Finally, we apply the complex network topology edge-adding strategy to enhance the robustness of network. The results showed that:(1) The optimized ecological sources were categorized into two types: carbon sink sources and grain provision sources. Ecological corridors were classified as carbon sink corridors, grain provision corridors, and cross-type corridors. Compared to the pre-optimization period, the area of ecological sources has increased by a factor of 7 and the number of ecological corridors has increased by a factor of 2.4.(2) After the optimization of the ENs, the network connectivity indexes have all increased to some extent. It showed that the optimized network has higher stability and applicability. (3) Based on the complex network, the best strategy to optimize the ecological corridors is to add edges in node betweenness. 7 ecological corridors were added based on the actual situation, significantly improving the robustness of the ENs. This study provided a new perspective for the identification of ecological sources. The introduction of the SOM not only effectively solves the problem that regions provide a single ES that cannot be easily identified as a source, but the categories of sources and corridors also improve the efficiency of ecological management in the region to a certain extent. The additional corridors also serve as an important reference for enhancing regional landscape connectivity and ecological security. |
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| ISSN: | 1470-160X |