Abstract:

Deciphering the spatiotemporal organization of the “mountains-waters-farmlands-forests-lakes-grasslands-deserts” system is central to understanding ecosystem evolution and multi-element coordination. Addressing the limitations of studies that isolate single elements or emphasize functional assessment over process， we adopt “community of life” perspective and develop an integrated pattern-drivers-responses framework. Using CNLUCC datasets （1980-2023）， we couple landscape dynamics with the Optimal GeoDetector （OPGD） to characterize elementwise trajectories， class transitions， and their determinants across the Qilian Mountains. Results show grassland and desert dominate the regional mosaic， with a pronounced southeast grassland contraction and northwest desert retreat. High-elevation zones， structured by forests and alpine grasslands， exhibit comparatively stable ecosystem functions， whereas intensifying human activities at mid-low elevations increase landscape fragmentation and compositional complexity. Among natural controls， humidity， precipitation， and evapotranspiration exert primary influence； topographic factors have modest marginal effects but substantially amplify explanatory power through interactions with climate variables. Socioeconomic drivers， especially population density and nighttime lights， strongly condition the distributions of croplands and settlements. Overall， Qilian landscape reconfiguration reflects the joint imprint of climate change and human activity. We recommend grassland-centered conservation as a keystone strategy and coordinated regulation of meteorological and anthropogenic drivers to curb undesirable conversions， offering a decision-oriented template for optimizing regional ecological security patterns and zoning control.

Key words: spatiotemporal pattern, driving mechanism, mountains-water-forest-farmland-lakes-grassland-desert, community of life, Qilian Mountains