Abstract:

The changes in landscape patterns in the Loess Plateau gully region reflect the variations in regional ecological functions and processes. Their spatial differentiation reveals the spatial disparities in landscape processes and their driving forces， aiding in the spatial understanding of the dynamic changes and characteristics of regional landscape patterns. Taking Qingyang City， Gansu Province， as an example， this study systematically analyzed the spatiotemporal dynamics of regional land use changes and landscape patterns， as well as their ecological responses， based on land use data from 2000 to 2020， using ArcGIS and Fragstats software. The aim was to uncover the spatial differentiation characteristics of land use and landscape pattern changes in a typical Loess Plateau gully region. The results indicate： （1） From 2000 to 2020， the land use structure in the study area underwent significant transformations， showing an overall trend of "continuous decrease in cropland， initial increase followed by stabilization in forest and grassland， and expansion of construction land." The primary transitions of reduced cropland were to grassland， forest， and construction land. （2） The landscape pattern indices did not exhibit a clear temporal trend， but the study area displayed distinct spatial differentiation in landscape patterns. Specifically， patches in the northwestern region showed relatively higher ecological dominance， the central area exhibited greater fragmentation in patch size distribution， and the southeastern edge had relatively homogeneous landscape types with more regular patch shapes. （3） Changes in cropland and grassland areas correlated with landscape pattern indices， while gross domestic product（GDP） and total population were the main drivers of changes in landscape indices. This suggests that over time， the integration of ecological and socio-economic spaces in the study area has been deepening.

Key words: land use changes, landscape pattern, spatio-temporal dynamics, Qiangyang City