Scale effects and threshold management in the influence of landscape patterns on non-point source pollution

The migration of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is influenced by the resistance cost distance between landscape units and rivers. Understanding the relationship between landscape proximity and riverine pollutants is crucial for optimizing landscape patterns to mitigate NPS pollution. However, given...

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Main Authors: Jianhong Wu, Ziqing Yang, Hengqin Wang, Jiani Xu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-04-01
Series:Ecological Indicators
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25003693
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author Jianhong Wu
Ziqing Yang
Hengqin Wang
Jiani Xu
author_facet Jianhong Wu
Ziqing Yang
Hengqin Wang
Jiani Xu
author_sort Jianhong Wu
collection DOAJ
description The migration of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is influenced by the resistance cost distance between landscape units and rivers. Understanding the relationship between landscape proximity and riverine pollutants is crucial for optimizing landscape patterns to mitigate NPS pollution. However, given that water quality responses to landscape patterns may depend on the proximity of landscape units to rivers and exhibit nonlinear tendencies, these relationships remain poorly understood. This study applied redundancy analysis and nonlinear segmented regression analysis to evaluate the effects of landscape patterns on NPS pollution migration in a headwater watershed in eastern China, comprising 29 sub-watersheds with diverse landscape characteristics. The results revealed that landscape patterns in the high-proximity zone were most effective in explaining riverine pollutant variations during the wet season, while those in the extremely low-proximity zone were more influential during the dry season. Therefore, landscape pattern regulation should adopt a multiscale perspective. The key landscape indicators affecting water quality differed across proximity zones. In the high-proximity zone, the land-use intensity index (LI), percentage of residential area (Res), and aggregation index of residential areas (AI_res) were crucial. In the extremely low-proximity zone, LI and the aggregation index of forestland (AI_for) played dominant roles. To improve water quality, landscape planning should consider maintaining LI < 183.22 and AI_res < 92.66 % in the high-proximity zone, and AI_for < 95.68 % in the extremely low-proximity zone. This study highlights that optimizing landscape patterns through a multiscale approach and the consideration of landscape thresholds could enhance the effectiveness of NPS pollution control and ultimately improve water quality in headwater watersheds.
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spelling doaj-art-fe856a2aa62542cf9ac318ef133ff8c12025-08-20T03:18:08ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-04-0117311343910.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113439Scale effects and threshold management in the influence of landscape patterns on non-point source pollutionJianhong Wu0Ziqing Yang1Hengqin Wang2Jiani Xu3College of Environmental and Resources, College of Carbon Neutrality, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300 Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300 Zhejiang, China; Corresponding author at: College of Environmental and Resources, College of Carbon Neutrality, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, Zhejiang, China.College of Environmental and Resources, College of Carbon Neutrality, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300 Zhejiang, ChinaTechnical Centre for Soil, Agriculture and Rural Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Beijing 100006, ChinaCollege of Environmental and Resources, College of Carbon Neutrality, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300 Zhejiang, ChinaThe migration of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is influenced by the resistance cost distance between landscape units and rivers. Understanding the relationship between landscape proximity and riverine pollutants is crucial for optimizing landscape patterns to mitigate NPS pollution. However, given that water quality responses to landscape patterns may depend on the proximity of landscape units to rivers and exhibit nonlinear tendencies, these relationships remain poorly understood. This study applied redundancy analysis and nonlinear segmented regression analysis to evaluate the effects of landscape patterns on NPS pollution migration in a headwater watershed in eastern China, comprising 29 sub-watersheds with diverse landscape characteristics. The results revealed that landscape patterns in the high-proximity zone were most effective in explaining riverine pollutant variations during the wet season, while those in the extremely low-proximity zone were more influential during the dry season. Therefore, landscape pattern regulation should adopt a multiscale perspective. The key landscape indicators affecting water quality differed across proximity zones. In the high-proximity zone, the land-use intensity index (LI), percentage of residential area (Res), and aggregation index of residential areas (AI_res) were crucial. In the extremely low-proximity zone, LI and the aggregation index of forestland (AI_for) played dominant roles. To improve water quality, landscape planning should consider maintaining LI < 183.22 and AI_res < 92.66 % in the high-proximity zone, and AI_for < 95.68 % in the extremely low-proximity zone. This study highlights that optimizing landscape patterns through a multiscale approach and the consideration of landscape thresholds could enhance the effectiveness of NPS pollution control and ultimately improve water quality in headwater watersheds.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25003693Non-point source pollutionLandscape patternLand-use intensityMinimal cumulative resistance modelLandscape threshold
spellingShingle Jianhong Wu
Ziqing Yang
Hengqin Wang
Jiani Xu
Scale effects and threshold management in the influence of landscape patterns on non-point source pollution
Ecological Indicators
Non-point source pollution
Landscape pattern
Land-use intensity
Minimal cumulative resistance model
Landscape threshold
title Scale effects and threshold management in the influence of landscape patterns on non-point source pollution
title_full Scale effects and threshold management in the influence of landscape patterns on non-point source pollution
title_fullStr Scale effects and threshold management in the influence of landscape patterns on non-point source pollution
title_full_unstemmed Scale effects and threshold management in the influence of landscape patterns on non-point source pollution
title_short Scale effects and threshold management in the influence of landscape patterns on non-point source pollution
title_sort scale effects and threshold management in the influence of landscape patterns on non point source pollution
topic Non-point source pollution
Landscape pattern
Land-use intensity
Minimal cumulative resistance model
Landscape threshold
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25003693
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AT hengqinwang scaleeffectsandthresholdmanagementintheinfluenceoflandscapepatternsonnonpointsourcepollution
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