Zhejiang Province, as a key ecological region in southeastern China, plays a vital role in ensuring regional ecological security and sustainable development through its soil conservation services (SCS). Based on remote sensing data, this study employed the InVEST model to evaluate the characteristics of SCS in Zhejiang from 2001 to 2020. Long-term trends were identified using Sen’s Slope and the Mann–Kendall test, spatial autocorrelation was assessed through Moran’s I, the contributions of driving factors were quantified using XGBoost combined with SHAP, and spatial heterogeneity was further explored using Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR). The results indicate that: (1) from 2001 to 2020, SCS exhibited a fluctuating trend of “decline followed by recovery,” with significantly higher values in the western mountainous areas than in the eastern coastal and plain regions; approximately 58% of the area remained stable, while 40% experienced degradation; (2) Spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that areas with strong SCS were concentrated in the western mountains, while low-value areas were mainly distributed in the eastern coastal and urban regions; (3) natural factors contributed the most, followed by climatic and human activity factors; and (4) the GWR model outperformed the OLS model in revealing the spatial variation in the effects of natural and anthropogenic drivers. These findings provide valuable scientific references and decision-making support for ecological conservation, watershed management, and sustainable land use in Zhejiang Province.

Understanding long-term movement ecology is critical for conserving endangered species; however, comprehensive spatiotemporal analyses remain limited. In this study, we leveraged a decade-long GPS tracking dataset (2014–2024) of 31 endangered Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) individuals to elucidate their spatiotemporal behavioral patterns. The study focused on three key aspects: (1) fidelity to nesting, foraging, and roosting sites; (2) movement patterns and their ecological drivers; and (3) foraging habitat preferences across regions and activity periods. The results revealed exceptional fidelity to nesting, foraging (mean value = 0.253), and roosting sites (mean value = 0.261), underscoring the species’ pronounced spatial memory. Temporal factors emerged as the primary drivers of movement patterns, demonstrated by a significant annual reduction in home range size (p < 0.01) and a decline in daily flight distance in 2019 (β = −1890 ± 772 m, p < 0.05) and 2022 (p = 0.052). Behavioral factors also significantly influenced daily flight distance, with notable variations across different activity periods. Foraging habitat selection exhibited considerable spatial heterogeneity (14.2% constrained variance, p < 0.01). Cultivated lands, particularly paddy fields (Yangxian population) and drylands (Tongchuan population), served as core foraging zones. In contrast, spatiotemporal variables such as age had limited effects (<5% variance). This study provides the first empirical evidence of long-term site fidelity and habitat partitioning in the Crested Ibis, emphasizing the importance of landscape-level conservation planning. To this end, we propose two targeted strategies: establishing habitat corridors to enhance connectivity and safeguarding stable foraging areas within agricultural landscapes. These findings contribute to movement ecology theory while offering actionable frameworks for endangered species management.

Background: Sperm DNA integrity is essential for fertilization and optimal embryonic development. While the sperm DNA fragmentation index (SDF) is an established clinical biomarker, the underlying metabolic perturbations and microbial dynamics driving elevated SDF remain poorly characterized.Methods: We analyzed a clinical cohort of 773 human semen samples to correlate SDF with clinical parameters, including age, sperm motility, and morphology. A stratified subset underwent integrated multi-omics profiling (metabolomics, proteomics, and 16S rRNA sequencing). Biomarker signatures were extracted utilizing weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and deep learning models (multi-layer perceptron). Mechanistic findings were validated in an independent human cohort, an LPS-induced mouse model, and ex vivo oxidative stress assays.Findings: Elevated SDF positively correlated with advanced age and morphological defects, and negatively correlated with sperm motility. Integrated multi-omics revealed a coordinated enrichment of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, innate immune activation, and dysbiosis, highlighted by the expansion of infection-associated genera such as Enterococcus. Machine learning models and independent validation consistently identified the depletion of uridine as a primary metabolic predictor of high SDF. Uridine levels exhibited an inverse relationship with pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β and IL-7. Functionally, uridine supplementation significantly attenuated testicular inflammation, mitigated SDF elevation, and rescued sperm motility in both LPS-challenged mice and oxidative stress-exposed human spermatozoa.Interpretation: Uridine depletion is a central metabolic hallmark of inflammation-associated sperm DNA damage. These findings establish uridine not only as a robust predictive biomarker but also as a targetable metabolic intervention to restore genomic integrity in male infertility.

Optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) provide high-sensitivity, contact-free detection of biomagnetic signals, yet their use in avian developmental monitoring has not been validated across full incubation or in conservation-relevant species. We present an OPM-based magnetocardiography (MCG) workflow that records embryonic heart activity throughout the 21-day incubation of White Leghorn (Gallus gallus domesticus) eggs. A rotating platform enabled four orientations per egg in under 2 minutes, yielding comprehensive MCG datasets with minimal handling. Quantitative analysis revealed a progressive increase in R-wave amplitude (from 0.70 pT at day 13 to 0.95 pT at day 20) and a systematic upward shift in dominant spectral frequency from 2–4 Hz to 3–5 Hz over the course of incubation, providing a detailed electrophysiological maturation profile. Extending beyond a model species, We demonstrate, for the first time, successful MCG recordings in a conservation-relevant, endangered species Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) embryo. Together, these results establish OPM-MCG as a rapid, longitudinal, and non-invasive approach for assessing avian cardiac development, with implications for developmental biology, hatchery monitoring, and species conservation.

Melanin deposition in the breast muscle is a defining economic and nutritional trait of Jiangshan black-bone chickens, yet the biological architecture governing this phenotype is intricate. While the phenotypic characteristics are well-documented, the dynamic interplay between transcriptomic regulation and metabolic shifts driving melanin accumulation during critical embryonic stages remains underexplored. This study aimed to elucidate the temporal molecular mechanisms of melanin deposition in breast muscle during embryonic development (Embryonic day 13 - Embryonic day 21, E13-E21) by integrating transcriptome and metabolome analyses. We quantified melanin content and performed RNA-sequencing and LC-MS/MS metabolomics on breast muscle tissue collected across five developmental stages (E13, E15, E17, E19, and E21). Results showed a significant increase in melanin content from E13 to E19, stabilizing by E21. The multi-omics integration identified 8,651 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 712 differential metabolites (DMs). Pathway analysis revealed significant enrichment in broader amino acid metabolism, MAPK signaling, and neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions. Furthermore, targeted candidate analysis on the classical melanogenesis network successfully highlighted key regulatory genes such as DCT, TYRP1, and MC1R. Metabolome analyses shows that amino acid metabolism plays an important role in melanin synthesis. Correlation analysis unveiled a tight linkage between metabolites (phenylpyruvate, glycerol, 1-myristoyl-2-palmitoyl-sn‑glycero-3-phosphocholine (PC), 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn‑glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (PEA)) and functional genes related to immunity (IL4I1, MLKL) and lipid remodeling (PNPLA2, CCNB1). Furthermore, specific alterations in sulfur metabolism genes (CBS, CTH, GPX1) suggested a regulatory mechanism balancing eumelanin and pheomelanin synthesis. Crucially, the reliability of these transcriptomic and conjoint analyses was robustly confirmed via targeted qRT-PCR validation of key genes regulating melanogenesis, membrane dynamics, and sulfur amino acid metabolism. These findings highlight the intricate interplay between the transcriptome and metabolome underlying muscle hyperpigmentation and provide novel insights into the molecular breeding targets for optimizing meat quality in poultry.