Surface vegetation has a substantial impact on soil aggregate stability, which is an important indicator of soil quality. However, there is still limited research on the response of soil aggregate stability indicators and the organic carbon, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus content in soil aggregates for different vegetation patterns in rocky desertification fragile ecological areas. Therefore, in order to study the effects of different vegetation restoration models on soil aggregate stability and aggregate related nutrient content and their promoting relationships in the karst rocky desertification areas in southwest China, soil samples under three artificial restoration vegetation measures (Juglans regia L.-Rosa roxburghii Tratt., Rosa roxburghii Tratt.-Lolium perenne L., Juglans regia L.-Lolium perenne L.) were collected in 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil, and the traditional farmland (Zea mays L.) was used as the control, combined with dry and wet sieving experiments for the research and analysis. The results showed that there were significant differences in the distribution of aggregates and soil nutrients among the four types of plots. Compared with traditional agricultural land, artificial afforestation increased the content of soil large macroaggregates (LMAs) and decreased the proportion of microaggregates (MIAs) and silt+clay (SCA), which enhanced the soil aggregate stability and reduced the soil fragmentation and erodibility. The afforestation restoration increased the content of soil aggregate-related SOC, TN, and TP, and increased with the decrease in the aggregate particle size. Research has found that soil aggregate stability indicators are significantly influenced by the particle size distribution of soil aggregates. In the positive succession process of vegetation types, soil nutrient accumulation is controlled by changes in the soil aggregate particle size, which affects the soil aggregate stability and reduces soil erodibility, thereby protecting the soil nutrient loss. The composite management of forest and irrigation in degraded ecological areas has certain reference and indicative significance for ecological restoration in rocky desertification areas.

Since the 1950s, the rapid depletion of natural capital due to human activities has led to a growing global demand for ecological and socioeconomic sustainability, driving the development of agroforestry. Although agroforestry ecosystems can maintain sustainable land resources and maximize land productivity, their quality continues to fluctuate. Moreover, there is no clear review of studies addressing the impact of the evolution of agroforestry landscape patterns on their ecosystems, and to fill this gap, we conducted an inclusive review. A total of 163 publications related to agroforestry ecosystem quality and landscape patterns (ELA) that met a set of inclusion criteria were obtained through the Scopus database using the literature review method of searching, appraisal, and synthesis report. The objectives were to summarize the research progress on ELA, reveal the dynamic coupling mechanism between landscape pattern evolution and ecosystem quality, explore the role of landscape pattern optimization in ecological processes and services in agroforestry, and suggest future research and policy directions. Although the understanding of landscape patterns and ecological processes has been deepened, there are limitations in the study of scales, habitats, and other aspects. It is emphasized that understanding the interaction between agroforestry and other landscape elements in spatiotemporal organization is a prerequisite for promoting sustainable benefits, and that the challenges of spatiotemporal dynamics are integrated to scientifically optimize agroforestry landscape patterns. Finally, it is necessary to gain revelations based on the coupling relationship of ELA, through scientific management of agroforestry landscapes, in order to sustainably consolidate the effectiveness of karst rocky desertification (KRD) control and to enhance human welfare.

Spatial and temporal variations in daytime and night-time precipitation and differences in these variations between the dry and wet seasons were investigated based on a daily precipitation dataset comprising data from 73 meteorological stations on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau from 1960 to 2017. The results show that both daytime and night-time precipitation and the numbers of daytime and night-time precipitation days exhibited nonsignificant downward trends over a long timescale but fluctuated on an interdecadal scale. A complicated relationship was found between elevation and precipitation because the vertical precipitation gradient first increased with elevation and then decreased with elevation when the elevation exceeded 1500 m. Additionally, the average annual precipitation was clearly greater at night-time than in the daytime during the corresponding period. Furthermore, heavy and moderate rainfall contributed more than half of the total annual precipitation, and several rainfall days contributed much of the annual precipitation, particularly at night; night-time precipitation produced 33% of the average annual precipitation on only 5% of annual rainfall days. Additionally, we found significant correlation between El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) indexes and precipitation. These findings are valuable for coping with meteorological disasters associated with extreme precipitation under global climate change.

Ecosystem services (ESs) value realization and ecological industry (eco-industry) are essential components of regional development. Due to the vulnerability and non-renewability of natural landscape resources in Karst areas, once unreasonable resource development takes place, it is easy to pose threats and causes damage to its ecosystem. This article selects the grain data correction equivalent factor coefficients in Guizhou Province, China, and establishes accounting indicators for Karst scenic areas. It is found that the total economic value of ESs is as follows: Shanmuhe Scenic Area (CNY 5096.3 thousand) > DaXiaoQiKong Scenic Area (CNY 2778.6 thousand) > Huangguoshu Scenic Area (CNY 2130.7 thousand). Among them, the value of regulating services plays a dominant role in the composition of ESs, and the value of forests accounts for the largest proportion. Through web crawlers, tourism data can be acquired, and the Product–Experience–Feedback–Improvement (PEFI) model can be applied to reveal that tourists have a predominantly positive perception of Karst scenic areas. This indicates that karst landscape resources are deeply loved by domestic and foreign tourists, especially mountain, water and forest landscapes. Based on the results of the ES value accounting of the scenic area and the external perception data of tourists towards the scenic area, the eco-industry spatial layout development plan is formulated. According to local conditions, the development, construction, and protection of the scenic area are carried out, jointly promoting the realization of the ecological product value (EPV) of the Karst scenic area, to determine the optimal development direction of the eco-industry, and to promote the coordinated development of ecological resources and assets.