Coupling Analysis of Ecosystem Functions and Water Resources in a Changing Environment

Dear Colleagues,

Against the backdrop of intensifying global climate change and increasing human activities, the structure, processes, and service functions of ecosystems are undergoing rapid and profound transformations. The dynamic interactions between ecosystems and water resource systems have increasingly emerged as critical core issues affecting regional and even global sustainable development. Water resources serve not only as key drivers of ecosystem succession, but their spatiotemporal distribution and availability are also profoundly influenced by the feedback regulation of ecosystem functions such as vegetation dynamics, soil hydrological processes, and biogeochemical cycles. Together, they form a highly complex, nonlinear, and multi-scale coupled system. Understanding the operational mechanisms, evolutionary patterns, and responses of this coupled system to natural and anthropogenic disturbances has become a frontier scientific challenge in interdisciplinary fields such as hydrology, ecology, geography, and environmental science.

While significant progress has been made in areas like ecohydrological processes, water resource carrying capacity, and ecosystem service assessments, the coupled eco–hydrological relationships are exhibiting new characteristics and uncertainties under the driving forces of global change. For instance, how do changes in precipitation patterns, increased frequency of extreme droughts and floods driven by climate change—combined with human interventions such as land use changes and water resource regulation projects—affect the stability of ecosystem functions and their regulatory capacity in the water cycle? Conversely, how do ecosystem degradation or restoration alter watershed runoff processes, water purification functions, and water resource renewability? Addressing these questions urgently requires breakthroughs at theoretical and methodological levels, moving beyond the limitations of traditional single-discipline research. There is a need to develop systematic frameworks capable of integrating multi-process and multi-scale coupling analyses, as well as to enhance predictive capabilities regarding tipping points, hysteresis effects, and threshold behaviors in complex systems.

To this end, this column, themed "Coupling Analysis of Ecosystem Functions and Water Resources in a Changing Environment," aims to gather the latest research findings from around the world, promoting theoretical exploration, methodological innovation, and case studies in this field. The column encourages interdisciplinary and multi-method integrated research, with a focus on the following directions:

1. Theoretical Frameworks and Model Development for Coupled Systems​

Explore the theoretical foundations of interactions between ecosystem functions and water resources. Develop integrated models capable of representing bidirectional eco-hydrological feedbacks, scale transitions, and human impacts, including process-based mechanistic models, data-driven machine learning models, and hybrid modeling approaches.

2. Eco-Hydrological Response Mechanisms Under Global Change Drivers​

Investigate the combined effects of climate change (e.g., temperature rise, precipitation variability, extreme events) and land use/cover changes on ecosystem functions (e.g., productivity, carbon sequestration, water conservation) and hydrological processes (e.g., evapotranspiration, runoff, groundwater recharge). Uncover key pathways and sensitive factors in their interactions.

3. Synergistic Optimization of Ecosystem Services and Water Resource Management​

Analyze trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem regulating services (e.g., flood mitigation, water purification) and water resource supply and allocation. Explore the potential of nature-based solutions (NbS) and eco–hydrological regulation in enhancing water sustainability and ecosystem resilience.

This column aspires to provide a high-level academic exchange platform for scholars in related fields. By sharing cutting-edge discoveries and methodological advancements, we aim to deepen the scientific understanding of eco–hydrological coupled systems and offer scientific foundations for achieving harmonious coexistence between humans and nature in water resource management and ecological conservation. We sincerely welcome original research articles, reviews, and perspective papers from hydrology, ecology, geography, environmental science, and related interdisciplinary fields.

Dr. Chuanfu Zang
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Water 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 2600 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.