Coupled patterns of natural and anthropogenic resources in typical ecosystems in coastal areas of China

Xiajie Zhai; Chenxi Liu; Lijuan Cui; Wei Li; Xinsheng Zhao; Jinzhi Wang; Yinru Lei; Jing Li

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2023.117411

Coupled patterns of natural and anthropogenic resources in typical ecosystems in coastal areas of China

Environ Res. 2023 Dec 15;239(Pt 2):117411. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117411. Epub 2023 Oct 13.

Authors

Xiajie Zhai¹, Chenxi Liu², Lijuan Cui³, Wei Li¹, Xinsheng Zhao¹, Jinzhi Wang¹, Yinru Lei¹, Jing Li¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Wetland Services and Restoration, Institute of Wetland Research, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China; Beijing Hanshiqiao National Wetland Ecosystem Research Station, Beijing, 101399, China.
² Institute of Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Wetland Services and Restoration, Institute of Wetland Research, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China.
³ Institute of Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Wetland Services and Restoration, Institute of Wetland Research, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China; Beijing Hanshiqiao National Wetland Ecosystem Research Station, Beijing, 101399, China. Electronic address: wetlands108@126.com.

PMID: 37839532
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117411

Abstract

The coastal area of Yancheng, China, is one of the hotspots for ecological research. Under the coupling of human and natural ecosystems, the region has gradually evolved into a coexistence of aquatic, agricultural and mudflat ecosystems. What are the patterns of natural and artificial resource inputs and patterns of change in ecosystems? How can ecological flows be analyzed at a uniform scale? Here, we selected six typical local ecosystems, namely, rice‒wheat for enterprises (RWE), rice‒wheat for smallholder households (RWS), chrysanthemum‒wheat (CW), fish polyculture (FP), juvenile crab farming (JF) and clam polyculture (CP), and analyzed their energy flow flux and sustainability based on emergy theory. The results showed that anthropogenic resource inputs were higher than natural resource inputs in all ecosystems, and the inputs of aquatic ecosystems were greater than those of agroecosystems. The greatest total input was 2.0 E+17 seJ/ha/yr for FP, and the lowest was 1.9 E+16 seJ/ha/yr for RWE. The proportions of renewable and artificial inputs for RWE, RWS, CW, FP, JF and CP were 32.8% vs. 96.1%, 40.3% vs. 96.5%, 34.7% vs. 97.0%, 32.6% vs. 99.4%, 55.1% vs. 98.5%, and 62.5% vs. 98.6%, respectively. The highest input to agroecosystems was nitrogen fertilizer, while in JF and CP, it was water, and feed (63.3%) accounted for the highest percentage of input in FP. JF and CP had lower environmental loads and higher sustainability than other ecosystems, but this still represents a high input compared to agroecosystems. Human-led resource coupling profoundly affects ecosystem sustainability, and various thresholds of energy use and ecological sustainability need to be studied in depth. Continuous exploration of methods and mechanisms for the maintenance and evolution of ecosystems with low total inputs and low inputs of non-renewable resources can contribute to high-quality sustainable development of an area or region.

Keywords: Coastal ecosystems; Emergy analysis; Natural and anthropogenic inputs; Renewable resources; Sustainability.

MeSH terms

Agriculture / methods
Animals
China
Conservation of Natural Resources* / methods
Ecosystem*
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Humans
Triticum