As a major threat to ecosystem functions and national food security, soil erosion also exerts an influence on the water quality in basins and the operation and maintenance of hydropower plants. Existing discussions about trends of soil erosion focus mainly on its variation and mutation over time. Few studies have addressed the spatial mutation of soil erosion and its influence mechanism. In this research, Sen’s slope estimation was coupled with a Mann–Kendall model to explore the spatiotemporal distribution, spatial mutation characteristics and influence mechanisms of soil erosion, and conduct a case study on the Middle and Lower reaches of the Lancang River Basin (ML-LRB) in China. There are three main conclusions from this study: (1) During 2000–2019, the annual soil erosion in the ML-LRB variation ranged from 0 to 7.00 × 10³ t/(km²·a) with a multi-year mean of 1.53 × 10³ t/(km²·a), decreasing year by year from north to south, while an increasing trend began to appear in the central above region after 2015. (2) The areas with decreased soil erosion were much larger than those with increased soil erosion during 2000–2019, and there was a concentrated increase in soil erosion in Dali and in Xishuangbanna. (3) The mutation of the soil erosion intensity was spatially consistent with that of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Overall, this paper provides a new perspective for the study of factors affecting the trends and spatial mutation of soil erosion.

In this study, a multilevel drought-induced resistance and resilience analysis (MDRRA) approach was developed to investigate the stability of vegetation in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). MDRRA was quantified by utilizing the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). It was applied to YRB to assess vegetation resistance and resilience to various levels of drought by utilizing precipitation and NDVI data from 2000 to 2019. The results reveal that vegetation resistance and resilience in YRB are affected by drought severity. Monthly and annual changes in SPI over the warm–temperate humid zone of the YRB show a decreasing trend, with rates of 0.001 per decade and 0.034 per decade, respectively; however, the other climatic subregions exhibit an increasing trend, with rates ranging from 0.002 per decade to 0.82 per decade. Over 77.56% of the downstream areas show increases in the annual SPI averages. Drought severity differs across subregions in the YRB. More severe drought events occur in its upper and middle reaches, while less severe ones happen in its lower reaches. As the drought severity increases, the arid and semiarid regions of the mesothermal zone exhibit a decrease in the resistance and resilience indices. MDRRA can help improve the stability and resilience of the ecosystem in the YRB.

Atmospheric CO₂ concentrations are rising and projected to reach ∼800 μmol mol^-1 by 2100, while soil salinity is expanding globally, yet their combined impact on crops remains unclear. In particular, the interactive effects of elevated CO₂ and salinity on maize (Zea mays L.) physiology and development are poorly understood. The physiological and anatomical responses of maize to elevated CO₂ (800 μmol mol^-1) and NaCl stress (0-150 mmol L^-1) were investigated through a controlled factorial experiment. Results showed that elevated CO₂ increased net photosynthetic rate, water-use efficiency, and biomass accumulation, partially mitigating salt-induced reductions in growth and photosynthesis under moderate NaCl stress, while mitigating salt-induced growth inhibition through three key mechanisms: (1) reinforcement of antioxidant defenses and improve water use efficiency by upregulating superoxide dismutase and peroxidase, (2) osmotic adjustment via leaf non-structural carbon accumulation especially under moderate salinity, and (3) high salinity caused structural deteriorations such as thinner leaves, lower stomatal density, and reduced vascular bundle size, while elevated CO₂ counteracted salinity-induced structural degradation, maintaining leaf thickness and vascular bundle integrity while modulating stomatal patterning and opening. However, growth and physiological function were still markedly hindered under severe salinity. Our multi-trait analysis demonstrates that rising CO₂ may partially compensate for salinity impacts in maize, providing critical insights for predicting C₄ crop stress resistance under future climate scenarios.

Large-scale deep reservoirs associated with hydropower cascade development are known to influence the cycle of phosphorus (P). However, there is scarce information on the fractions and availability of P in sediments of large-scale deep reservoirs constructed due to hydropower cascade development. In this study, we researched the fractions and release mechanism of P in the sediments of large-scale deep reservoirs by analyzing the fractions and availability of P in the sediments of the Xiaowan (XW) and Nuozhadu (NZD) reservoirs in the middle and lower reaches of the Lancang River (China). According to the results, there is a significant difference in the P fractions in the sediments of the XW and NZD reservoirs, but not for the available P in the sediments. Compared to the NZD reservoir, there was less solid bioavailable phosphorus (BAP) in the sediments of the XW reservoir, but the replenishment degree of active solid phase P into pore water was higher in the XW. There was a significant positive correlation between the available P and the BAP; the Fe/P ratio measured by the diffusive gradients in thin films reflects the control of active iron (oxyhydr) oxides over labile P in the sediments. In addition to the reductive dissolution of iron-bound P, the release of P into the large deep reservoirs may be related to factors such as the sulfate reduction and the degradation of organic materials. The P cycling in deep reservoir sediments is mainly controlled by the Fe, and there is a clear spatial distribution of this mechanism in deep reservoirs.