Spatio-temporal assessment of urbanization impacts on ecosystem services: Case study of Nanjing City,China

Rapid urbanization is a global phenomenon that has altered many ecosystems, causing a decline in many ecosystem services, generating ecological risks such as water shortages, air pollution, and soil pollution. Here, we present a conceptual framework quantifying how urbanization influences the ecosystem services in a typical city (Nanjing) of China. Between 2000 and 2010, we separated the city into three urbanization categories (developing urban, developed urban, and rural areas) and quantified the status of six critical ecosystem services (food supply, carbon sequestration, soil water storage, air pollution removal, habitat suitability, and recreation potential). Our results show that urbanization significantly impacted all ecosystem services, with detected changes in ecosystem services being spatially heterogeneous due to urban expansion and population mobility. Developed areas contained greater amounts of green infrastructure, which improved carbon storage and reduced air pollution. In contrast, the rapid expansion of urban and industrial land in developing urban areas led to lower food supply, carbon sequestration, soil water storage, and habitat suitability. The expansion of rural residential areas led to lower soil water storage, carbon sequestration, and food supply, while greater amounts of abandoned cropland resulted in increased carbon sequestration, but decreased food supply in rural areas. Analysis of the interactions between pairs of ecosystem services identified urbanization development problems, including abandoned cropland and the expansion of rural residential land. Lastly, we proposed four key urban planning measures to mitigate the loss of ecosystem services during rapid urbanization. Acquiring quantitative knowledge about how rapid urbanization drives changes to ecosystem changes may help guide sustainable urban planning with respect to ecosystem service use, urban development, and human welfare benefits.     

北京市麻雀体质水平沿城市化梯度的变化

麻雀是城市和乡村均有分布的鸟类物种.快速的城市化正在使城市麻雀的栖息地和食物资源大量减少.以北京市为例,研究了麻雀的体质水平沿城市化梯度的变化,以期为我国城市化过程中的鸟类保护提供参考.研究结果表明城市高层楼房居民区、低层楼房居民区以及大学校园中麻雀的体质指数显著低于郊区环境,而城市公园和平房居民区麻雀的体质水平则与郊区环境的差异较小.随采样点城市化水平的增加,麻雀的体质水平呈下降趋势,高度城市化的环境导致麻雀的体质水平下降.在城市化过程中,增加城市公园的数量及居民区的植被覆盖量可为麻雀等鸟类提供必要的生活资源,从而实现城市化过程中的生物多样性保护.     

人文因素对中国灰水经济生产率的影响

促进水资源环境与经济的可持续发展,已成为当前我国亟待解决的问题。以灰水经济生产率为研究主体,将其定义为GDP与灰水足迹之比,基于对我国31个省市(香港、澳门特别行政区和台湾省数据尚未统计)2000—2014年灰水经济生产率区域特征和空间相关性的分析,利用空间Durbin模型对人文因素与灰水经济生产率的关系进行了研究。结果显示:(1)我国灰水经济生产率整体呈现上升趋势,东部地区显著高于中、西部,西部地区最低;(2)各省区灰水经济生产率在空间分布上存在显著正自相关性且空间集聚程度较高,近年来区域间的分化加剧;(3)从全国范围来看,提升产业结构优化度、城镇化水平及社会福利有利于本地灰水经济生产率增长,提高受教育程度和社会福利对邻近地区灰水经济生产率具有正向影响;(4)从各分区情况来看,提升民众受教育程度、产业结构优化度、城镇化水平和社会福利都对东部地区灰水经济生产率具有显著积极效用,城镇化建设的发展和社会福利水平的提高有利于西部地区灰水经济生产率增加;在间接效应结果中,东部民众受教育程度的提高,中部社区服务机构的减少,西部社会福利的改善都对相应邻近地区灰水经济生产率产生了显著正向影响;此外,各地需缩小城乡差距,提高农村地区GDP,促进经济与环境健康发展。提出了推动我国水环境与经济协调发展的建议。     

Identifying the contradiction between the cultivated land fragmentation and the construction land expansion from the perspective of urban-rural differences

Land use contradictions and conflicts between arable and construction land areas have long been major topics in the field of land use research. However, few studies have explored the impact of differences in development between urban and rural areas on the amount and landscape level of arable land. In this study, two decades of data were combined to classify the Yangtze River Delta mega-city cluster area, where urbanization has been evident in China, into urban and rural areas. Based on this, we analyzed the differences in the changes in the amount of arable land caused by the expansion of urban and rural construction land. In this study, a comprehensive framework of arable land fragmentation indicators was constructed and the geographically weighted regression model was introduced to detect spatial and temporal dynamic change patterns of arable land fragmentation caused by different urbanization processes in urban and rural areas. The results show the following: (a) The expansion of urban and rural construction land caused arable land loss, and both contributed non-negligibly to arable land loss. (b) The distribution of the arable land fragmentation index showed obvious spatial heterogeneity, and its low-value area corresponded to a lower level of urban/rural construction land development. However, its high-value area did not show a stable dependence on the level of urban/rural construction land development. (c) Changes in urban and rural built-up land were the driving factors for changes in the degree of arable land fragmentation. In general, the expansion of the urban fringe increased the fragmentation of arable land, and the intensive expansion of urban centers curbed the fragmentation of arable land. However, rural construction land exhibited a stronger and more widespread impact than urban areas as a whole. This study contributes new ideas for arable land conservation policies under the growing mechanization of agriculture, especially in areas with large differences in development between urban and rural areas. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for rational planning of construction land in rural areas. The results of this study can provide references for urban-rural development planning, rural revitalization, and implementation of arable land protection.     

城镇化发展对呼包鄂地区生态系统服务功能的影响

城镇化是社会经济发展和现代文明的重要标志。城镇化的发展对区域生态系统产生巨大的影响,进而影响了区域生态系统为人类提供生态系统服务的能力。以呼包鄂地区为研究对象,选取防风固沙功能、土壤保持功能,运用冗余分析方法(RDA)探讨快速城镇化对生态系统服务功能的影响机制。结果表明:(1)2000—2010年,呼包鄂地区城镇化发展迅速,城镇人口、常住人口城镇化率、国内生产总值、建设用地面积分别增加83.39%、35.52%、1150.00%、51.91%;(2)防风固沙功能、土壤保持功能10年呈增强趋势,分别增加20.17%和4.39%;(3)RDA分析结果表明,温度、降雨天数、风速、常住人口城镇化率、建设用地指数是呼包鄂地区防风固沙功能变化的主要影响因素,5个因子的共同解释信息量达68.3%;其中常住人口城镇化率和建设用地指数的解释信息量较高,分别为21.5%、34.2%;(4)常住人口城镇化率与防风固沙功能、土壤保持功能呈显著正相关(P0.05),建设用地指数与防风固沙功能呈极显著负相关(P0.01)。因此,有序推进农村人口转移,提高常住人口城市化率;集约利用土地资源,抵制建设用地的无序扩张是实现呼包鄂地区生态系统与城镇可持续发展的重要途径。     

成渝城市群城镇化与生态环境耦合协调及交互影响

以成都-重庆(简称成渝)城市群为研究对象,从经济、社会、生态和城乡协调4个子系统构建城镇化综合评价指标体系,将生态环境承载力和生态弹性结合构建生态环境综合评价指标体系,应用耦合协调度模型测度2005—2018年成渝城市群各地级市城镇化与生态环境的耦合协调度,借助GIS空间分析法、象限分析法和Tapio模型,分析成渝城市群各地级市城镇化与生态环境交互作用的类型、演化路径及其解耦路径。结果表明: 研究期间,成渝城市群的城镇化质量呈现波动上升趋势,以成都、重庆为高值区呈“双核”向四周辐射;生态环境质量缓慢提升,呈四周高、中部低,开口向北的“U”型空间格局。城镇化系统和生态环境系统耦合协调水平较高,总体呈上升的趋势,协调类型由以濒临失调和勉强协调为主逐渐向以中度协调为主演变,呈现中部低、东西高的空间格局。城镇化与生态环境交互作用的演化路径呈现稳定型和变化型2个大类。稳定型包括5个亚类20个城市,成都、德阳、绵阳等城市始终是良好协调型;变化型包括9个亚类16个城市,重庆主城区、铜梁等多数城市的协调度提升,呈“上升式”发展;合川、自贡等少数城市呈“下沉式”发展。生态环境增长率和城镇化增长率均为正,城镇化与生态环境的解耦路径以弱脱钩和扩张连接为主。     

Non‐linearities in bird responses across urbanization gradients: A meta‐analysis

Urbanization is one of the most extreme forms of environmental alteration, posing a major threat to biodiversity. We studied the effects of urbanization on avian communities via a systematic review using hierarchical and categorical meta‐analyses. Altogether, we found 42 observations from 37 case studies for species richness and 23 observations from 20 case studies for abundance. Urbanization had an overall strong negative effect on bird species richness, whereas abundance increased marginally with urbanization. There was no evidence that city size played a role in influencing the relationship between urbanization and either species richness or abundance. Studies that examined long gradients (i.e. from urban to rural) were more likely to detect negative urbanization effects on species richness than studies that considered short gradients (i.e. urban vs. suburban or urban vs. rural areas). In contrast, we found little evidence that the effect of urbanization on abundance was influenced by gradient length. Effects of urbanization on species richness were more negative for studies including public green spaces (parks and other amenity areas) in the sampled landscapes. In contrast, studies performed solely in the urban matrix (i.e. no green spaces) revealed a strong positive effect on bird abundance. When performing subset analyses on urban–suburban, suburban–rural and suburban–natural comparisons, species richness decreased from natural to urban areas, but with a stronger decrease at the urban–suburban interface, whereas bird abundance showed a clear intermediate peak along the urban–rural gradient although abundance in natural areas was comparable to that in suburban areas. This suggests that species loss happens especially at the urban–suburban interface, and that the highest abundances occur in suburban areas compared to urban or rural areas. Thus, our study shows the importance of suburban areas, where the majority of birds occur with fairly high species richness.     

基于区域城市化LUCC的人类生态过程定量研究——以上海市区典型城市化样带为例

借鉴流域研究的范例,根据上海市1987年、1995年和2003年3期Landsat5 TM遥感影像记录的土地利用／覆被数据和有关的社会经济统计数据,运用Rs和GIS技术在上海市中心西南城市边缘建立典型城市化样带。采用生态足迹法分析该样带内人类的生态供给与需求;提出一城市化区域人类生态过程的新研究方法,得出城市化过程中区域的人类生态质量指数与波动指数,并根据模型计算出的指数值,对样带区域总体及其中城乡区域在城市化中的人类生态状况进行了动态分析,以尝试对区域城市化中人类生态过程进行定量化研究。     

城市景观破碎化格局与城市化及社会经济发展水平的关系——以北京城区为例

快速城市化引发的景观破碎化加剧对于城市生态系统的过程、功能及其所提供的生态服务功能具有显著的影响。以北京市五环内中心城区为例,采用移动窗口分析、梯度分析与景观指数相结合的方法研究了城市景观破碎化的空间分布格局和内部水平差异,并以此为基础,探究景观破碎化与城市化及社会经济发展水平的关系。结果表明:类型水平上,城市建筑用地景观比例达63%,斑块连通性好,破碎化程度低,而绿地景观占33%,斑块分布不均匀,破碎化程度较高。景观水平上,城市中心和郊区的景观破碎化程度要明显低于城市边缘的城乡过渡区,沿城市化梯度从中心向外围呈现出先上升后下降的趋势。回归分析结果表明,景观破碎化程度与城市化水平之间表现出一种倒"U"型关系,并在城市化水平达42%—45%之间,景观破碎化程度达到峰值。进一步研究表明,人口密度和家庭户数是导致景观破碎化加剧的直接驱动因素,而经济的快速增长对景观破碎化程度的提高具有间接的影响。该研究结果不仅能作为城市生态系统监测的重要指标,还能为城市景观的合理规划提供科学依据,而且对于促进城市的可持续发展具有重要的意义。     

The heat is on: Genetic adaptation to urbanization mediated by thermal tolerance and body size

Worldwide, urbanization leads to tremendous anthropogenic environmental alterations, causing strong selection pressures on populations of animals and plants. Although a key feature of urban areas is their higher temperature (“urban heat islands”), adaptive thermal evolution in organisms inhabiting urban areas has rarely been studied. We tested for evolution of a higher heat tolerance (CT_MAX) in urban populations of the water flea Daphnia magna, a keystone grazer in freshwater ecosystems, by carrying out a common garden experiment at two temperatures (20°C and 24°C) with genotypes of 13 natural populations ordered along a well‐defined urbanization gradient. We also assessed body size and haemoglobin concentration to identify underlying physiological drivers of responses in CT_MAX. We found a higher CT_MAX in animals isolated from urban compared to rural habitats and in animals reared at higher temperatures. We also observed substantial genetic variation in thermal tolerance within populations. Overall, smaller animals were more heat tolerant. While urban animals mature at smaller size, the effect of urbanization on thermal tolerance is only in part caused by reductions in body size. Although urban Daphnia contained higher concentrations of haemoglobin, this did not contribute to their higher CT_MAX. Our results provide evidence of adaptive thermal evolution to urbanization in the water flea Daphnia. In addition, our results show both evolutionary potential and adaptive plasticity in rural as well as urban Daphnia populations, facilitating responses to warming. Given the important ecological role of Daphnia in ponds and lakes, these adaptive responses likely impact food web dynamics, top‐down control of algae, water quality, and the socio‐economic value of urban ponds.     

Springtime in the city: exotic shrubs promote earlier greenup in urban forests

Despite the widespread recognition that urban areas are frequently dominated by exotic and invasive plants, the consequences of these changes in community structure have not been explicitly considered as an explanation for the pattern of advanced leaf phenology, or early greenup, reported in many urban areas. As such, we evaluated two hypotheses that could account for advanced greenup in forests along an urban to rural gradient: advanced phenology within individual species or differences in woody plant community. We monitored the spring leafing phenology of Aesculus glabra (Ohio buckeye), Lonicera maackii (Amur honeysuckle), and Acer negundo (box elder) in 11 forests spanning an urban to rural gradient in central Ohio, USA. From February to April 2006, we monitored these species, recorded woody plant composition, and documented daily minimum and maximum temperatures at each site. We found a weak but general trend of advanced phenology within species in more urban landscapes. Monthly average minimum temperatures were higher with increasing urbanization while monthly average maximum temperatures were similar across the urban to rural gradient. We also found evidence for shifts in woody plant communities along the urbanization gradient, mainly driven by the abundance of L. maackii, an invasive exotic species, in the more urban forests. Because L. maackii leafs out weeks earlier than native woody species and is very abundant in urban forests, we suggest that the invasion of forests by this species can generate earlier greenup of urban forests.     

Response of vegetation phenology to urbanization in the conterminous United States

The influence of urbanization on vegetation phenology is gaining considerable attention due to its implications for human health, cycling of carbon and other nutrients in Earth system. In this study, we examined the relationship between change in vegetation phenology and urban size, an indicator of urbanization, for the conterminous United States. We studied more than 4500 urban clusters of varying size to determine the impact of urbanization on plant phenology, with the aids of remotely sensed observations since 2003–2012. We found that phenology cycle (changes in vegetation greenness) in urban areas starts earlier (start of season, SOS) and ends later (end of season, EOS), resulting in a longer growing season length (GSL), when compared to the respective surrounding urban areas. The average difference of GSL between urban and rural areas over all vegetation types, considered in this study, is about 9 days. Also, the extended GSL in urban area is consistent among different climate zones in the United States, whereas their magnitudes are varying across regions. We found that a tenfold increase in urban size could result in an earlier SOS of about 1.3 days and a later EOS of around 2.4 days. As a result, the GSL could be extended by approximately 3.6 days with a range of 1.6–6.5 days for 25th ~ 75th quantiles, with a median value of about 2.1 days. For different vegetation types, the phenology response to urbanization, as defined by GSL, ranges from 1 to 4 days. The quantitative relationship between phenology and urbanization is of great use for developing improved models of vegetation phenology dynamics under future urbanization, and for developing change indicators to assess the impacts of urbanization on vegetation phenology.     

山水林田湖草健康发展时空异质性及其驱动力——以广西北部湾经济区为例

深入评估典型资源要素生态健康的时空异质性及其社会经济自然驱动机理,对实现可持续发展目标具有重要意义。然而,探究区域山水林田湖草(海)健康发展时空异质性及其驱动力的研究案例较少。广西北部湾经济区覆盖内陆与沿海6市,定位为生态环境综合治理先行区。以此为研究区,运用正态云模型、Dagum基尼系数、主成分分析和时空地理加权回归等模型,在综合评价的基础上,分析其2005-2020年山水林田湖草(海)健康发展的时空异质性,并依据系统论深入解析驱动力。结果表明:(1)除北海市的山水林田湖草(海)为亚健康外,其他均为健康状态,经济区内陆3市健康指数的基尼系数(0.095)高于沿海3市(0.016),存在时空非均衡性,超变密度(46.71%)和市域间差异(44.93%)是主要原因;(2)影响健康发展的驱动因子主要为:城镇土地利用率(0.427)>城乡居民可支配收入(0.397)>年均降水量(0.377)>房地产开发投资规模(-0.333)>建成区绿化覆盖度(0.261);(3)影响健康发展的驱动要素表现为:土地投入程度(0.611)>土地利用程度(0.442)>经济城镇化(-0.393)>自然条件(0.23),各因素均存在时空非平稳性。研究表明土地集约利用、城镇化发展和自然环境条件是广西北部湾经济区山水林田湖草(海)健康发展的主要驱动力,表现为自然环境条件起基础保障、土地集约利用起正向促进、经济城镇化起负向抑制的作用机理,提高城镇土地利用率、提升城乡居民可支配收入、扩大建成区绿化覆盖度并控制房地产开发规模是促进健康发展的关键抓手。     

Urbanization and its effects on personality traits: a result of microevolution or phenotypic plasticity?

Human‐altered environmental conditions affect many species at the global scale. An extreme form of anthropogenic alteration is the existence and rapid increase of urban areas. A key question, then, is how species cope with urbanization. It has been suggested that rural and urban conspecifics show differences in behaviour and personality. However, (i) a generalization of this phenomenon has never been made; and (ii) it is still unclear whether differences in personality traits between rural and urban conspecifics are the result of phenotypic plasticity or of intrinsic differences. In a literature review, we show that behavioural differences between rural and urban conspecifics are common and taxonomically widespread among animals, suggesting a significant ecological impact of urbanization on animal behaviour. In order to gain insight into the mechanisms leading to behavioural differences in urban individuals, we hand‐raised and kept European blackbirds (Turdus merula) from a rural and a nearby urban area under common‐garden conditions. Using these birds, we investigated individual variation in two behavioural responses to the presence of novel objects: approach to an object in a familiar area (here defined as neophilia), and avoidance of an object in a familiar foraging context (defined as neophobia). Neophilic and neophobic behaviours were mildly correlated and repeatable even across a time period of one year, indicating stable individual behavioural strategies. Blackbirds from the urban population were more neophobic and seasonally less neophilic than blackbirds from the nearby rural area. These intrinsic differences in personality traits are likely the result of microevolutionary changes, although we cannot fully exclude early developmental influences.     

Independent colonization of multiple urban centres by a formerly forest specialist bird species

Urban areas are expanding rapidly, but a few native species have successfully colonized them. The processes underlying such colonization events are poorly understood. Using the blackbird Turdus merula, a former forest specialist that is now one of the most common urban birds in its range, we provide the first assessment of two contrasting urban colonization models. First, that urbanization occurred independently. Second, that following initial urbanization, urban-adapted individuals colonized other urban areas in a leapfrog manner. Previous analyses of spatial patterns in the timing of blackbird urbanization, and experimental introductions of urban and rural blackbirds to uncolonized cities, suggest that the leapfrog model is likely to apply. We found that, across the western Palaearctic, urban blackbird populations contain less genetic diversity than rural ones, urban populations are more strongly differentiated from each other than from rural populations and assignment tests support a rural source population for most urban individuals. In combination, these results provide much stronger support for the independent urbanization model than the leapfrog one. If the former model predominates, colonization of multiple urban centres will be particularly difficult when urbanization requires genetic adaptations, having implications for urban species diversity.     

Stochasticity in Natural Forage Production Affects Use of Urban Areas by Black Bears: Implications to Management of Human-Bear Conflicts

The rapid expansion of global urban development is increasing opportunities for wildlife to forage and become dependent on anthropogenic resources. Wildlife using urban areas are often perceived dichotomously as urban or not, with some individuals removed in the belief that dependency on anthropogenic resources is irreversible and can lead to increased human-wildlife conflict. For American black bears (Ursus americanus), little is known about the degree of bear urbanization and its ecological mechanisms to guide the management of human-bear conflicts. Using 6 years of GPS location and activity data from bears in Aspen, Colorado, USA, we evaluated the degree of bear urbanization and the factors that best explained its variations. We estimated space use, activity patterns, survival, and reproduction and modeled their relationship with ecological covariates related to bear characteristics and natural food availability. Space use and activity patterns were dependent on natural food availability (good or poor food years), where bears used higher human density areas and became more nocturnal in poor food years. Patterns were reversible, i.e., individuals using urban areas in poor food years used wildland areas in subsequent good food years. While reproductive output was similar across years, survival was lower in poor food years when bears used urban areas to a greater extent. Our findings suggest that bear use of urban areas is reversible and fluctuates with the availability of natural food resources, and that removal of urban individuals in times of food failures has the potential to negatively affect bear populations. Given that under current predictions urbanization is expected to increase by 11% across American black bear range, and that natural food failure years are expected to increase in frequency with global climate change, alternative methods of reducing urban human-bear conflict are required if the goal is to prevent urban areas from becoming population sinks.     

Cultural differences in investing in others and in the future: why measuring trust is not enough

Standard measures of generalized trust in others are often taken to provide reliable indicators of economic attitudes in different countries. Here we compared three highly distinct groups, in Kenya, China and the US, in terms of more specific attitudes, [a] people's willingness to invest in the future, [b] their willingness to invest in others, and [c] their trust in institutions. Results suggest that these measures capture deep differences in economic attitudes that are not detected by standard measures of generalized trust.     

The 1918-1919 influenza pandemic in England and Wales: spatial patterns in transmissibility and mortality impact

Spatial variations in disease patterns of the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic remain poorly studied. We explored the association between influenza death rates, transmissibility and several geographical and demographic indicators for the autumn and winter waves of the 1918-1919 pandemic in cities, towns and rural areas of England and Wales. Average measures of transmissibility, estimated by the reproduction number, ranged between 1.3 and 1.9, depending on model assumptions and pandemic wave and showed little spatial variation. Death rates varied markedly with urbanization, with 30-40% higher rates in cities and towns compared with rural areas. In addition, death rates varied with population size across rural settings, where low population areas fared worse. By contrast, we found no association between transmissibility, death rates and indicators of population density and residential crowding. Further studies of the geographical mortality patterns associated with the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic may be useful for pandemic planning.     

Changing bee and hoverfly pollinator assemblages along an urban-rural gradient

Background

The potential for reduced pollination ecosystem service due to global declines of bees and other pollinators is cause for considerable concern. Habitat degradation, destruction and fragmentation due to agricultural intensification have historically been the main causes of this pollinator decline. However, despite increasing and accelerating levels of global urbanization, very little research has investigated the effects of urbanization on pollinator assemblages. We assessed changes in the diversity, abundance and species composition of bee and hoverfly pollinator assemblages in urban, suburban, and rural sites across a UK city.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Bees and hoverflies were trapped and netted at 24 sites of similar habitat character (churchyards and cemeteries) that varied in position along a gradient of urbanization. Local habitat quality (altitude, shelter from wind, diversity and abundance of flowers), and the broader-scale degree of urbanization (e.g. percentage of built landscape and gardens within 100 m, 250 m, 500 m, 1 km, and 2.5 km of the site) were assessed for each study site. The diversity and abundance of pollinators were both significantly negatively associated with higher levels of urbanization. Assemblage composition changed along the urbanization gradient with some species positively associated with urban and suburban land-use, but more species negatively so. Pollinator assemblages were positively affected by good site habitat quality, in particular the availability of flowering plants.

Conclusions/Significance

Our results show that urban areas can support diverse pollinator assemblages, but that this capacity is strongly affected by local habitat quality. Nonetheless, in both urban and suburban areas of the city the assemblages had fewer individuals and lower diversity than similar rural habitats. The unique development histories of different urban areas, and the difficulty of assessing mobile pollinator assemblages in just part of their range, mean that complementary studies in different cities and urban habitats are required to discover if these findings are more widely applicable.     

经济快速增长区城市用地空间扩展对生态安全的影响

目前我国正处于经济快速发展、城市化进程加快阶段,承受着生态环境恶化的巨大压力,大多数城市已为环境污染、空间拥挤、绿化率低、秩序混乱等严重的城市问题所困扰.昆山市作为我国经济发展最为活跃的地区之一,其城市化过程与生态环境安全之间的矛盾更为突出.在总结国内外生态安全和城市生态研究的基础上,分析城市用地扩展对城市生态安全产生的影响.昆山市城市用地空间扩张经历了缓慢发展期(1949～1977年)、老城区改造期(1977～1985年)、新区开发期(1985～1999年)和快速扩展期(1999年至今)4个阶段,针对城市土地利用变化特征及其城市土地利用存在的问题,对昆山市城市用地空间扩展进程和模式及扩展的主要特征方面进行剖析.从城市废水、废气和固废排放量几个方面分析了昆山城市用地空间扩展过程中生态环境变化情况,指出高速工业化、城市化过程,快速增长的经济可能威胁到昆山城市的生态安全.同时建立城市生态安全评价模式,构建城市生态安全评价的指标体系,探讨城市生态安全评价的方法,评价了昆山市1985～2004年的城市生态安全,最后对昆山市未来城市生态安全进行预警.为维护昆山市的生态安全,实现可持续发展提供科学依据.