Since the Industrial Revolution, the global economy has developed rapidly, and simultaneously the global population has also grown dramatically. Urbanization and industrialization are continuing to disrupt the forest ecosystems, resulting in less forest land. According to statistics, the global forest area per capita has declined by more than 60% over the previous 60 years, impacting 1.6 billion people globally, particularly in all forest-dependent developing countries. Both natural and human factors impact the sustainable development of forests. Among them, the pollution caused by anthropogenic disturbance to the forest is long-term and difficult to self-repair.
Pollutants from human activities, such as heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, microplastics, etc., often interfere with microbial material conversion and nutrient cycling. High concentrations of pollutants directly affect plant physiological activities, adversely affecting forest tree root growth and function, photosynthesis, and enzyme activity, promoting ATP degradation, changing the permeability of cell membranes, and damaging genetic material, which in turn affects tree growth and reproduction. Moreover, the continuous transport, accumulation, and transformation of pollutants in the forest will also cause changes in the composition of forest species and community structure and even lead to reverse succession of forest ecosystems. Therefore, a greater comprehension of the detailed sources of forest disturbance due to anthropogenic pollution, the degree of source risk, and how forests respond to disturbances from various sources is required for sustainable forestry. Only in this way can the authorities reduce these disturbances at the source to accurately prevent and control them.
This Research Topic focuses on identifying and quantifying the anthropogenic sources of forest disturbance, which may involve pollutants (such as heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, microplastics, etc.) generated by industrial emissions, road construction, pesticide abuse, and domestic effluents. Adverse shifts in the structure and function of forest ecosystems with increasing pollutant concentrations are a long-term process that should be controlled. Additionally, based on the quantification of the sources, the potential risks posed by the sources should be evaluated, allowing for the prioritization of the prevention and control of disturbance sources with significant consequences. The Research Topic also includes forest biome, forest nutrient cycling, and forest landscape responses to various disturbances.
Topics may include, but are by no means limited to:
- To establish models that can accurately identify different anthropogenic pollution sources and evaluate the disturbance risk of the forest caused by these pollutants.
- Comprehensive assessment of pollution risk and pollutant compound risk zoning in the forest.
- Response mechanisms of forest biomes to forest disturbances caused by various anthropogenic pollution.
Since the Industrial Revolution, the global economy has developed rapidly, and simultaneously the global population has also grown dramatically. Urbanization and industrialization are continuing to disrupt the forest ecosystems, resulting in less forest land. According to statistics, the global forest area per capita has declined by more than 60% over the previous 60 years, impacting 1.6 billion people globally, particularly in all forest-dependent developing countries. Both natural and human factors impact the sustainable development of forests. Among them, the pollution caused by anthropogenic disturbance to the forest is long-term and difficult to self-repair.
Pollutants from human activities, such as heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, microplastics, etc., often interfere with microbial material conversion and nutrient cycling. High concentrations of pollutants directly affect plant physiological activities, adversely affecting forest tree root growth and function, photosynthesis, and enzyme activity, promoting ATP degradation, changing the permeability of cell membranes, and damaging genetic material, which in turn affects tree growth and reproduction. Moreover, the continuous transport, accumulation, and transformation of pollutants in the forest will also cause changes in the composition of forest species and community structure and even lead to reverse succession of forest ecosystems. Therefore, a greater comprehension of the detailed sources of forest disturbance due to anthropogenic pollution, the degree of source risk, and how forests respond to disturbances from various sources is required for sustainable forestry. Only in this way can the authorities reduce these disturbances at the source to accurately prevent and control them.
This Research Topic focuses on identifying and quantifying the anthropogenic sources of forest disturbance, which may involve pollutants (such as heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, microplastics, etc.) generated by industrial emissions, road construction, pesticide abuse, and domestic effluents. Adverse shifts in the structure and function of forest ecosystems with increasing pollutant concentrations are a long-term process that should be controlled. Additionally, based on the quantification of the sources, the potential risks posed by the sources should be evaluated, allowing for the prioritization of the prevention and control of disturbance sources with significant consequences. The Research Topic also includes forest biome, forest nutrient cycling, and forest landscape responses to various disturbances.
Topics may include, but are by no means limited to:
- To establish models that can accurately identify different anthropogenic pollution sources and evaluate the disturbance risk of the forest caused by these pollutants.
- Comprehensive assessment of pollution risk and pollutant compound risk zoning in the forest.
- Response mechanisms of forest biomes to forest disturbances caused by various anthropogenic pollution.
