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eISSN: 2083-5906
ISSN: 1230-1485
ISSN: 1230-1485
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Unraveling the Land-Water-Ecology Nexus
and Water-Ecological Function Mismatch:
Drivers of Aquatic Ecosystem Integrity
in the Yellow River Basi
1
School of Economics and Management, Ningxia University, 489 Helan Mountain West Road,
Xixia District, Yinchuan 750021, China
2
School of Agriculture, Ningxia University, 489 Helan Mountain West Road, Xixia District, Yinchuan 750021, China
Submission date: 2026-04-03
Final revision date: 2026-05-10
Acceptance date: 2026-05-25
Online publication date: 2026-09-17
Corresponding author
Xiao Feng
School of Economics and Management, Ningxia University, 489 Helan Mountain West Road, Xixia District, Yinchuan 750021, China
School of Economics and Management, Ningxia University, 489 Helan Mountain West Road, Xixia District, Yinchuan 750021, China
KEYWORDS
Yellow River Basin (YRB)water-related ecosystem services (WRES)land-use intensification (LUI)eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost)water-ecological function mismatch
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
In the water-stressed Yellow River Basin (YRB), land-use intensification (LUI) severely threatens
water-related ecosystem services (WRES) critical for regional aquatic integrity. This study evaluates
the spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of Habitat Quality (HQ, reflecting watershed regulation)
and Biodiversity Conservation Function (BCF, indicating freshwater ecosystem health) from 2008
to 2023. Using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model, net
primary productivity (NPP)-based assessment, Standard Deviational Ellipse (SDE), and in combination
with eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and Shapley Additive Explanation (SHAP) analysis, we
found that (1) while HQ remained stable (0.68-0.70), BCF exhibited a “southeast high, northwest low”
gradient, (2) NPP, temperature, and precipitation are the primary natural drivers, and (3) a significant
“water-ecological function mismatch” exists in the middle S-shaped bend due to water scarcity.
The findings provide a scientific basis for prioritizing ecological compensation and balancing land
pressure with aquatic conservation in arid and semi-arid regions.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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| eISSN: | 2083-5906 |
| ISSN: | 1230-1485 |
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