Radiation-vegetation regulation of water-soil ecosystem services in coastal transition zone based on high-resolution...

Understanding the regulatory mechanisms of water-soil ecosystem services is essential for managing ecologically fragile coastal transition zones. From a short-term exploratory perspective, this study focused on Dongying City in the Yellow River Delta and assessed the dynamics of water retention (WR) and soil conservation (SC) from 2020 to 2024. Their synergy and trade-off patterns were identified using hotspot analysis, and a Radiation-Vegetation-Ecosystem Services structural equation model was developed to explore the potential pathways through which net radiation and vegetation regulate these services across different ecosystem types. The results showed that both WR and SC declined markedly in 2023. Potential synergy dominated the WR-SC relationship, while potential trade-offs occurred locally. Although synergy and trade-off hotspots were largely spatially separated, both were observed along the two banks of the Yellow River in northeastern Dongying. Net radiation was negatively associated with WR, whereas vegetation played a key mediating role in regulating both WR and SC. The dominant pathways varied among ecosystem types: wetlands were more strongly constrained by radiation, forests were primarily regulated by vegetation, and grasslands were influenced by both factors. This study provides a fine-resolution diagnostic framework for exploring short-term water-soil ecosystem service dynamics and offers new insights into the coupled regulation of these services by physical energy input and vegetation, thereby supporting targeted ecological management in fragile coastal regions.