Spatial and temporal non-stationary relationship between habitat quality and landscape pattern in Ganzhou City of China

Landscape fragmentation has threatened the habitat quality in the context of rapid urbanization. A tradeoff between economic development and ecological protection has been achieved in Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, China. This study aims to clarify the driving mechanisms of landscape patterns on habitat quality. Land use data was also collected from 2000 to 2020. The optimal landscape patterns were then proposed for ecological protection and decision-making. An InVEST model was applied to measure the spatiotemporal distribution of the quality of the settlement environment using a transition matrix. Furthermore, the global and local spatial autocorrelation of habitat quality was calculated using the GeoDa software. Additionally, the evolution of habitat quality was constructed to balance the LISA time paths and spatiotemporal transition dynamics using scatter plots. The spatiotemporal differentiation of landscape patterns was explored with a 10 km×10 km grid as the measurement unit. A systematic evaluation was implemented to determine the impact of various indices on the habitat quality at the class of land landscape on both time and space using the geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model. Finally, the optimal threshold intervals were established to regulate regional landscape patterns. Some insights were offered into the interplay between landscape configurations and habitat quality at different spatial scales over time. The results were as follows. The spatial distribution of habitat quality was characterized by 'high in the periphery, low in the center' at an overall high level from 2000 to 2020, indicating positive and synergistic spatial dynamics. There were remarkably stable landscape patterns with the human-driven land expansion to selectively encroach on non-forested and non-aquatic areas. A better agreement was also found on the spatial increment in water bodies, indicating a complex and variable interaction between anthropogenic and natural landscape elements. There was a significantly spatiotemporal non-stationarity in the relationship between habitat quality and landscape patterns. The Index of Interspersion and Juxtaposition (IJI) revealed that the mixed distribution of artificial land, forests, and water bodies was utilized to mitigate the negative impacts of urban expansion on habitat quality. Optimal threshold intervals were identified for the various indices of landscape patterns for better habitat quality in the study area. The landscape configurations had the promising potential to support ecological conservation. The relationship between landscape patterns and habitat quality greatly contributed to sustainable development and integrated management under environmental challenges. The key influencing factors on the habitat quality were determined from the perspective of landscape pattern reconstruction. The findings can provide a strong reference to maintaining a stable ecosystem and sustainable development.