Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.7
3.3
Journals
Sustainability
Special Issues
Impact and Adaptation of Climate Change on Natural Ecosystems
sustainability-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Impact and Adaptation of Climate Change on Natural Ecosystems

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Air, Climate Change and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 4439

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Sunkee Hong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Cultural Landscape & Island Ecology (Asia-Pacific and East Asia) MIC, Mokpo National University, Muan-gun, Republic of Korea
Interests: ecosystem management; biodiversity conservation; island study; sustainability

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In its recently released climate report, the IPCC reduced the time it takes for the average global temperature to rise by 1.5 degrees. In other words, the rate of global warming is accelerating, and this rapid change is manifesting itself as an abnormal climate phenomenon seen for the first time this century in many parts of the world. Although governments around the world are attempting to reduce carbon emissions by 2030, uncertainties regarding the future of society are already manifesting, such as rising sea levels and temperatures in islands and coastal areas around the world, irregular rainfall, cold waves, floods, and droughts. The impact of climate on natural ecosystems also affects human society. At this critical juncture, the journal Sustainability is preparing a new Special Issue entitled "Impact and Adaptation of Climate Change on Natural Ecosystems". This Special Issue aims to address a wide range of ecological phenomena and change processes affecting land, marine, and island ecosystems and biodiversity, from the population level to the landscape (region) level. In addition, we would like to share information by welcoming papers that reflect the research and achievements of world experts in society's efforts to respond and adapt to such changes, including nature-based solutions and innovative restoration.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: Restoring ecosystems; landscape ecology; adaptation and resilience; community-based solutions; environmental sustainability; and environmental ethics.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Sunkee Hong
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ecosystem management
  • biodiversity loss
  • climate adaptation
  • terrestrial ecosystem
  • marine ecosystem
  • island ecosystem
  • nature-based solutions
  • natural ecosystems climate change
  • ecosystem services
  • ecosystem-based adaptation

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 4711 KiB  
Article
Ecological Adaptation Strategies of Desert Plants in the Farming–Pastoral Zone of Northern Tarim Basin
by Baohua Han, Liyang Cui, Mengting Jin and Hegan Dong
Sustainability 2025, 17(7), 2899; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17072899 - 25 Mar 2025
Viewed by 852
Abstract
Plant functional traits are indicative of the long-term responses and adaptations of plants to their environment. However, the specific mechanisms by which desert plant functional groups (PFGs) adjust their ecological adaptation strategies to cope with harsh environments remain unclear, particularly in ecologically fragile [...] Read more.
Plant functional traits are indicative of the long-term responses and adaptations of plants to their environment. However, the specific mechanisms by which desert plant functional groups (PFGs) adjust their ecological adaptation strategies to cope with harsh environments remain unclear, particularly in ecologically fragile farming–pastoral zones. To address this gap, this study investigates and analyzes the morphological and chemical characteristics of 13 desert plant species in the farming–pastoral zone of the northern Tarim Basin. Through cluster analysis, these desert plants were categorized into distinct PFGs to elucidate their ecological response strategies at a higher organizational level. The results were as follows: (1) Based on plant functional traits, the 13 desert plant species were classified into acquisitive, medium, and conservative PFGs. These groups exhibited significant differences in chemical element content and proportion, as well as morphological adjustments (p < 0.05). (2) The acquisitive functional group maintained high resource acquisition and turnover through high specific leaf area and leaf phosphorus content; the medium functional group occupied limited resources through greater plant height and canopy width, whereas the conservative functional group exhibited low growth rates but high morphological investment to ensure survival. Moreover, these differences in ecological adaptation strategies led to the selection of divergent central traits by different PFGs. (3) Low soil nutrient availability and soil salinization, rather than groundwater depth, were identified as the primary environmental factors driving the differentiation of PFGs in the farming–pastoral zone. These findings suggest that desert plants in arid regions employ diverse ecological adaptation strategies to cope with environmental pressures. This research study provides valuable insights and recommendations for the conservation and restoration of desert plant communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact and Adaptation of Climate Change on Natural Ecosystems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 4294 KiB  
Article
Revealing the Exacerbated Drought Stress Impacts on Regional Vegetation Ecosystems in Karst Areas with Vegetation Indices: A Case Study of Guilin, China
by Zijian Gao, Wen He, Yuefeng Yao and Jinjun Huang
Sustainability 2025, 17(3), 1308; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17031308 - 6 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1001
Abstract
Global warming has exacerbated the impact of regional drought on vegetation ecosystems, especially in typical karst areas with fragile ecosystems that are more severely affected by drought. However, the response mechanisms of vegetation ecosystems in karst areas to drought stress are still uncertain. [...] Read more.
Global warming has exacerbated the impact of regional drought on vegetation ecosystems, especially in typical karst areas with fragile ecosystems that are more severely affected by drought. However, the response mechanisms of vegetation ecosystems in karst areas to drought stress are still uncertain. With drought stress in the summer of 2022, we examined the spatiotemporal patterns of drought in a World Heritage karst site, Guilin, China, and revealed the exacerbated drought impacts on vegetation ecosystems in karst areas with various vegetation indices. Firstly, we analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics of drought from 2000 to 2022, utilizing the temperature vegetation dryness index (TVDI), highlighting the intra-annual variability of drought in 2022. Additionally, we compared the responses of different vegetation types to drought stress in karst and non-karst areas and explored the exacerbated impacts of drought stress on vegetation ecosystems within the same year with three vegetation indices, namely, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Leaf Area index (LAI), and Gross Primary Production (GPP) in karst areas. The results showed that drought started in July and persisted from August to November at moderate to severe levels (with severe drought in September), eventually easing in December. Karst areas exhibited severe drought (TVDI = 0.76), which more significantly impacted regional vegetation ecosystems than those in non-karst areas. Different vegetation types also experienced greater drought stress in karst areas compared to non-karst areas. The vegetation indices increased at the early- to mid-stages of drought (July to September) compared to those in the baseline year (2020–2021), mainly due to the increase in non-karst areas. However, vegetation indices decreased at the late drought stage (October to November), primarily due to the decrease in karst areas, indicating that the karst topography exacerbated the impact of drought on regional vegetation ecosystems. Since LAI and GPP exhibited similar changing patterns to TVDI, with GPP showing particularly strong alignment, they can be used to reveal the response mechanisms of ecosystems to drought stress in karst areas. We emphasize the importance of monitoring the responses of vegetation ecosystems to climate-induced droughts stress and enhancing their resilience to future climatic challenges, particularly in karst areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact and Adaptation of Climate Change on Natural Ecosystems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 984 KiB  
Article
Muddling through Climate Change: A Qualitative Exploration of India and U.S. Climate Experts’ Perspectives on Solutions, Pathways, and Barriers
by Landon Yoder, Alora Cain, Ananya Rao, Nathaniel Geiger, Ben Kravitz, Mack Mercer, Deidra Miniard, Sangeet Nepal, Thomas Nunn, Mary Sluder, Grace Weiler and Shahzeen Z. Attari
Sustainability 2024, 16(13), 5275; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135275 - 21 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1599
Abstract
Climate solutions related to mitigation and adaptation vary across the United States and India, given their unique current socio-political–technological abilities and their histories. Here, we discuss results from online face-to-face interviews undertaken with 33 U.S.-based climate experts and 30 India-based climate experts. Using [...] Read more.
Climate solutions related to mitigation and adaptation vary across the United States and India, given their unique current socio-political–technological abilities and their histories. Here, we discuss results from online face-to-face interviews undertaken with 33 U.S.-based climate experts and 30 India-based climate experts. Using qualitative grounded theory, we explore open-ended responses to questions related to mitigation and adaptation and find the following: (1) there is broad agreement among experts in both countries on the main mitigation solutions focused on the decarbonization of energy systems, but (2) there are a diversity of views between experts on what to prioritize and how to achieve it. Similarly, there is substantial agreement that adaptation solutions are needed to address agriculture, water management, and infrastructure, but there is a wide variety of perspectives on other priorities and how best to proceed. Experts across both countries generally perceived mitigation as needing national policies to succeed, while adaptation is perceived as more local and challenging given the larger number of stakeholders involved in planning and implementation. Our findings indicate that experts agree on the goals of decarbonization, but there was no consensus on how best to accomplish implementation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact and Adaptation of Climate Change on Natural Ecosystems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop