The expansion of road networks profoundly affects ecological systems by intensifying habitat fragmentation, altering hydrological processes, and exacerbating pollution. However, our understanding of the multi-scale spatiotemporal coupling between road networks and ecological quality remains limited. Thus, taking Fuzhou City in Southeastern China as a case study (~12,000 km²), we apply bivariate spatial autocorrelation, geographical detectors (GDs), and multi-scale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) to explore the multi-scale interactions between road networks and ecological quality. Results reveal the following: (1) From 2016 to 2021, kernel density estimation (KDE) analysis of the road network indicates coordinated growth in both urban and rural areas, with an increase of 0.759 km/km². Analysis based on the remote sensing-based ecological index (RSEI) shows a decrease from 2000 to 2016, and then an increase from 2016 to 2021, with a trend of increasing gradually from urban center to rural area. (2) Predominant tradeoff relationships exist between KDE and RSEI in 2016 and 2021, while notable synergistic relationships emerge between ΔKDE and ΔRSEI. (3) Multi-scale GD analysis identifies ΔKDE as a principal factor influencing ΔRSEI, and the MGWR reveals their significant synergistic associations at an optimal scale of 3000 m. These findings highlight the unequal impact of road network expansion on ecological quality, underscoring the pivotal role of road density changes in its spatiotemporal dynamics. They offer essential insights for sustainable transport and ecological planning.

Balancing socio-economic development with ecological protection amid rapid urbanization is a pressing global issue. The ecological security pattern (ESP) follows the reciprocal relationship between pattern and function to conserve ecological processes, providing an effective approach to address this problem. However, most studies have adopted a single subjective assignment method for resistance factors, lacking the exploration of the impact of various assignment methods on the ESP. Taking the Fuzhou metropolitan area as a case, this study proposes different resistance assignment methods: favorable, moderate, and unfavorable. By applying circuit theory, it constructs the ESP and identifies critical areas for protection and restoration. The findings show that (1) as the cumulative resistance threshold increases, the area of ecological corridors expands from 171.36 km² to 1439.24 km², with the moderate method identified as the optimal resistance assignment approach; (2) significant differences exist in the identification of key corridors under different resistance assignment methods. The moderate method identifies 26 key corridors, spanning a total length of 41.29 km; (3) the key ecological protection areas cover 2469.79 km², including 13 patches and 26 pinch points, while the key ecological restoration areas cover 14.55 km², including 7 barriers and 21 breaking points. By pinpointing key ecological areas and proposing targeted strategies, this study can facilitate practical ecological protection efforts, thereby achieving the sustainable development goal of minimizing economic costs while maximizing ecological benefits.