Lei Han

Establishing protected areas (PAs) in the right locations is essential for the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s 30% target, yet existing PA networks are often misaligned with conservation needs. We used systematic conservation planning to identify priority areas in Xinjiang, China, under four objectives, biodiversity, landscape connectivity, ecosystem services, and their integration, by minimising a composite human-pressure cost while meeting quantitative representation targets, and connectivity was linked to priority setting by ranking patches by their contribution to overall landscape connectivity. The four solutions each covered 30% of Xinjiang but overlapped on 19.76% of the region, and no single objective satisfied all targets. The extant PA network was poorly aligned with these priorities; only 47.10–51.25% of its area fell within priority areas and 77.22–79.06% of priority areas lay outside existing PAs, leaving range-restricted species such as the Ili pika (Ochotona iliensis) (0.10% protected) largely uncovered. Most additional priority areas were expansion zones adjoining existing PAs, with a few large patches contributing disproportionately to connectivity. We therefore propose a tiered pathway: expand existing reserves, secure high-connectivity bridges, refine small patches through ground surveys, and complement by restoring small patches in human-modified landscapes with community participation and fiscal-transfer support.

The purpose of this research was to investigate how adding dietary guar gum to high‐lipid diets affected the fish growth and gut health of common carp ( Cyprinus carpio ). A normal‐lipid diet (5% crude lipid; control) and four high‐lipid diets (10% crude lipid) with 0% (high‐fat [HF]), 0.3% (GG0.3), 1% (GG1), and 3% (GG3) of guar gum were developed and fed to fish (4.53 g) for 8 weeks. The findings showed that HF induced impairment of intestinal morphology and mucosal barrier, oxidative stress, gut dysbiosis, and gut inflammation. Compared to the HF, guar gum‐containing diets substantially improved gut villus height, upregulated the expression levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and zonula occludens-1 , and downregulated the expression levels of toll-like receptor 1 ( tlr1 ), tlr5 , myeloid differentiation factor 88 , interleukin-1β ( il-1β ), il-6 , and il-8 . Moreover, the GG0.3 and GG1 diets dramatically increased catalase (cat) and occludin expression levels. Furthermore, the GG1 and GG3 diets improved the microbiota composition by increasing Fusobacteria and Cetobacterium abundance while lowering Proteobacteria, Acidovorax , Acinetobacter , Serratia , and Comamonas abundance. Correlation analysis revealed that guar gum improved gut health by modulating gut microbiota and tight junction proteins. The findings indicated that guar gum can ameliorate HF diet‐induced intestinal damage in fish.

The precise identification of priority areas for conservation based on connectivity can significantly enhance protection efficacy and mitigate biodiversity loss in fragmented landscapes. Priority area selection efforts are typically conducted in landscapes with a limited number of patches or simplified to focus on large patches, while landscapes with numerous patches are rarely explored. In this paper, we used a forest in Kanas, Xinjiang, China, as a case study to explore priority patches for conservation according to their contribution to maintaining overall landscape connectivity, as well as to assess how structural factors influence patch importance in connectivity, based on graph theory. We found that the rank of patches varied with patch importance indices (which can be used to calculate the contribution of individual patches to maintaining overall landscape). Dispersal distances were selected, as they placed different emphasis on the size and topological location of patches, and different types of links (binary or probabilistic connection) were used. One critical and seven important connected patches were identified as priority patches for conservation after taking multiple connectivity indices and dispersal distances into comprehensive consideration. In addition, neighboring patch density was the dominant factor that influenced patch importance for species with 50 and 100 m dispersal distances, while patch size contributed most for species with 200 m and longer dispersal distances; therefore, we suggested that neighboring patch density and patch size could be used to support efforts to identify priority patches. Overall, our results provide a unique perspective and a more simplified process for the selection of priority protected sites in patch-rich landscapes, allowing us to highlight which action is suitable for optimizing landscape connectivity and biodiversity conservation.

Habitat loss and fragmentation are two main threats to biodiversity. Forest landscape connectivity can directly affect many ecological processes, such as plant seed dispersal and animal migration, and is an important framework for determining strategic priorities for biodiversity conservation. This study examines the Barluk Mountain Nature Reserve in Xinjiang as a case study to evaluate changes in connectivity at different diffusion distances based on graph theory. Our results showed that Barluk consists predominantly (62%) of small patches (10 hm²). By simulating a forest loss scenario and assessing the importance of individual patches, we found that large patches played an important role in maintaining connectivity. Further, by calculating the delta number of components (dNC), we found that not all small patches contribute to maintaining connectivity, and small patches (with dNC < 0 and area < 1 hm²) that act as “stepping stones” within large patches should also be prioritized for protection. Therefore, priority identification of patches that contribute the most to connectivity will provide effective forest management strategies, help enhance the functioning of forest ecosystems, and protect fragmented ecosystems.