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Persimmon is a popular food around our country. The nutrient composition profiles and dynamics of gene expression in persimmon are poorly understood till now. Our research found total soluble sugar, fructose and glucose accumulated gradually, and tannin content decreased during the persimmon ripening. Furthermore, we analyzed the temporal transcriptome data and identified the transcriptional changes during persimmon fruit development. Incredibly, 232 WRKY, 143 bHLH, 112 MYB, and 102 C2H2 were explicitly differentially expressed in five typical development stages of persimmon. Specifically, 11 condensed tannins (procyanidins) biosynthesis-related gene expressions analysis, and 13 critical genes, involved in starch and sucrose metabolism were identified. Our results provide insights into gene networks during Persimmon fruit development and generate a valuable resource for further Persimmon breeding studies.

As a typical grain base with a dense population and high-level urbanization, the North China Plain (NCP) faces a serious threat to its sustainable development due to water shortage. Surface water area (SWA) is a key indicator for continuously measuring the trends of regional water resources and assessing their current status. Therefore, a deep understanding of its changing patterns and driving forces is essential for achieving the sustainable management of water resources. In this study, we examined the interannual variability and trends of SWA in the NCP from 1990 to 2023 using annual 30 m water body maps generated from all available Landsat imagery, a robust water mapping algorithm, and the cloud computing platform Google Earth Engine (GEE). The results showed that the SWA in the NCP has significantly increased over the past three decades. The continuous emergence of artificial reservoirs and urban lakes, along with the booming aquaculture industry, are the main factors driving the growth of SWA. Consequently, the expansion of artificial water bodies resulted in a significant increase in water evaporation (0.16 km3/yr). Moreover, the proportion of water evaporation to regional evapotranspiration (ET) gradually increased (0–0.7%/yr), indicating that the contribution of water evaporation from artificial water bodies to ET is becoming increasingly prominent. Therefore, it can be concluded that the ever-expanding artificial water bodies have become a new hidden danger affecting the water security of the NCP through evaporative loss and deserve close attention. This study not only provides us with a new perspective for deeply understanding the current status of water resources security in the NCP but also provides a typical case with great reference value for the analysis of water resources changes in other similar regions.

Water conservation (WC) is a critical ecological service function in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). There is currently a lack of detailed exploration of WC development processes and the impact mechanisms of driving factors at spatiotemporal scales in the YRB. By collecting data on DEM, land use, soil, meteorology, reservoirs, and observed discharge, this study established a large-scale WC model using the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT). The abrupt change test, empirical orthogonal function (EOF), wavelet analysis, hierarchical partitioning analysis (HPA), geodetectors, and aridity index were employed to analyze the multi-spatiotemporal characteristics and driving forces of WC calculated using the water balance method. The results are as follows: (1) The average WC among the YRB was 9.11 mm (74.68 × 10 8 m 3 ) from 1960 to 2020. Pasture and forests contributed to 48.65% and 22.05% of the average annual WC, respectively. (2) WC exhibited four forms: less/more in the YRB, more in the southeast (northwest), and less in the northwest (southeast). (3) Forests and pastures in land use had higher average WC capacity, while Gansu, Shaanxi, and Qinghai ranked in the top three for average WC among the nine provinces. (4) Precipitation was the major driving force affecting WC variations, with the interaction between precipitation and actual evapotranspiration being the most significant. (5) Drought was a significant cause of negative WC. Protecting and managing crucial WC areas was essential for improving the ecological environment. This research elucidates the driving forces of WC in the YRB, providing scientific support for improving regional WC and promoting sustainable development.

The watershed system has a complex game relationship between the benign operation and coordinated development of various elements of flood-sediment transportation, eco-environment, and socio-economy (FES). With the increasing breadth, depth, and intensity of human activities in watersheds, it is urgent to coordinate the FES. The relationship of water–sediment in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) is complex, with a prominent contradiction in water supply and a fragile ecosystem. This research tries to build a comprehensive evaluation model for FES and explore the complex interaction between FES in the YRB from 2000 to 2020. The results demonstrated that (1) the comprehensive flood-sediment transportation index (CFTI) and comprehensive eco-environment index (CEI) presented fluctuating growth. In contrast, the comprehensive socio-economy index (CSI) revealed a linear growth trend. The CFTI of Sanmenxia, CEI of Toudaokuan, and CSI of Ningxia had the highest growth rates, with 36.03%, 6.48%, and 107.5%, respectively. (2) FES's positive and negative effects were alternating, with heterogeneity in both time and space. (3) The coupling coordination degree (CCD) in the YRB indicated an increasing trend, ranging from 0.53 to 0.87, from reluctantly coordinated development to good coordinated development. The lagging subsystem was CFTI (2000–2001 and 2008–2020) and CSI (2002–2007), and the CEI was not lagging. (4) Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) demonstrated significant differences in the CCD of the YRB, and areas with similar CCD within the basin tend to be centrally distributed in space. At the same time, there was negative spatial autocorrelation in coordination. The results provide a scientific theoretical and methodological framework for strategic research on the YRB system's governance, protection, and management.

Global climate change (GCC) and reservoir operations impact basin-scale hydrological conditions, altering river-scale hydrodynamics and aquatic habitats. This study designed a numerical evaluation methodology framework that integrates GCC, downscaling, hydrological, hydrodynamic, water temperature (WT), and habitat suitability models across global, basin, river, and habitat to predict the impacts of GCC on the hydrology and aquatic ecological environment of the reservoir-river system (RRS). The framework was applied to the Xiaolangdi Reservoir (XLDR) and its downstream river reach. In the study area, runoff, water level, WT, and weighted usable area (WUA) were predicted for the baseline and four scenarios, and the impact of GCC on the inflow, WT, and WUA of the RRS was evaluated. The results proved that the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model, the statistical downscaling model (SDSM), three-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic, and WT models met requirements. Runoff remained sufficient to meet system demands under the four GCC scenarios. WT surface, middle, and bottom in the XLDR showed increasing trends. Compared to the baseline scenario, the decrease in WUA for the spawning and juvenile Yellow River carp ( Cyprinus carpio haematopterus ) (YRC) was mainly influenced by hydrodynamic conditions and rising WT changes. The impacts of GCC were likely to exacerbate the adverse effects of reservoir regulation on YRC’s breeding season.

The effects of check dam reservoirs on variations in hydrological regimes commonly result in nonlinear runoff-sediment relationships, which are difficult to describe using current reservoir indicators, particularly for watersheds where floods rise rapidly and huge sediment loads occur. In this study, the evolution of the runoff-sediment relationship was investigated through tests for tendencies and abrupt changes in the Xiliu Valley, a typical hyperconcentrated tributary of the Upper Yellow River on the Northern Loess Plateau, China. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were used to simulate runoff and sediment loads as smooth functions of significant physical covariates including reservoir indices. In comparison with the existing reservoir index (RI) and its additional version (ARI), a sediment-associated reservoir index (SARI) was developed to highlight the advantages of more information on reservoir capacities for both flood control and sediment deposition. The results showed significant downward trends in both annual runoff and sediment series. Alterations in runoff-sediment relationships appeared in approximately 1990, and were mostly dominated by the factors of short-duration storm floods and check dams. GAMs including the SARI exerted more negative effects on sediment yield than on runoff and outperformed the models embracing the RI or ARI. Accordingly, incorporation of the SARI could be advocated under changing environments that are mainly influenced by check dams.

Managed freshwater replenishment is a significant restoration method in the Yellow River Delta. However, their impacts on plankton communities, which are key bioindicators of aquatic ecosystem health and sensitive to the changes in the environment, remain poorly quantified. In this study, we conducted plankton surveys across wetlands subjected to freshwater restoration durations ranging from 5 to 22 years. We assessed shifts in phytoplankton and zooplankton community structure, biomass, diversity, and their relationships with environmental drivers. Results revealed distinct temporal dynamics: phytoplankton biomass and diversity followed a “U-shaped” trajectory (initial decline followed by recovery), while zooplankton biomass decreased but diversity increased with restoration duration. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) and Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM) identified salinity (Cl−, SO42−) and dissolved nitrate (NO3−) as primary environmental controls for both groups. Cyanobacteria dominated phytoplankton biomass initially but declined with restoration age, while rotifers replaced copepods as the dominant zooplankton taxon over time. These findings demonstrate that freshwater restoration restructures plankton communities through salinity-mediated physiological constraints and altered nutrient availability, with implications for ecosystem function and adaptive management in anthropogenically influenced deltas.

Evolution of the river channel downstream of reservoirs is a complex process that is closely related to the operational mode of the reservoirs and the channel boundary conditions Numerous studies have been carried out on the fluvial processes of downstream reservoirs. However, only a few of them have focused on the relationship between runoff-sediment con- ditions and channel pattern indicators. Also, the impacts of river training works on fluvial processes are seldom dealt with. In this paper, the evolutionary processes of three sections in the Lower Yellow River, including Tiexie-Yiluo River mouth reach, Huayuankou-Heigangkou reach and Jiahetan-Gaocun reach, were analyzed for variations in the channel boundary line and the mainstream between 1960 and 2015. Channel pattern indicators such as sinuosity, mainstream wandering range and width/depth ratio were analyzed based on field measure- ments obtained by the Hydrological Department of the Yellow River Conservancy Commis- sion. The effects of river training works on the channel evolution are then described. Since 1960, numerous medium- and large-sized reservoirs have been built on the Yellow River, including Longyangxia Reservoir, Liujiaxia Reservoir and Xiaolangdi Reservoir. These res- ervoirs impound the runoff from upstream and retain the sediment, which changes the runoff and sediment conditions in the downstream reach. As a consequence, annual runoff and the frequency and peak of flooding have all decreased. As a result, the flow dynamics and their action on the river channel are also reduced, which changes the dynamic state of the river course. The discrimination results obtained using the single parameter discrimination rule and the discrimination equation show that the degree of wandering is weakened in the reaches studied. The variations in the channel pattern indicators show that the sinuosity in- creases and the wandering range decreases with a reduction in the total annual volume of water. However, the degree of wandering has little relationship to the sediment concentration. In addition, river training works play an important role in controlling the river course. Due to improvements in the river training works, the river course has become more stable under the same runoff and sediment conditions. A new discrimination rule that takes into account the impacts of the river training works is proposed. The discrimination results were found to fit well with the actual river pattern, which shows that the discrimination rule is applicable to the Lower Yellow River. The results show that the runoff and sediment conditions are the most important factors in the evolution of the river course. The river training works have at the same time limited the wandering range of the mainstream and played an important role in the fluvial processes. Both factors combined lead to the stabilization of the river.

The absence of a compiled large-scale catchment characteristics dataset is a key obstacle limiting the development of large-sample hydrology research in China. We introduce the first large-scale catchment attribute dataset in China. We compiled diverse data sources, including soil, land cover, climate, topography, and geology, to develop the dataset. The dataset also includes catchment-scale 31-year meteorological time series from 1990 to 2020 for each basin. Potential evapotranspiration time series based on Penman's equation are derived for each basin. The 4911 catchments included in the dataset cover all of China. We introduced several new indicators that describe the catchment geography and the underlying surface differently from previously proposed datasets. The resulting dataset has a total of 125 catchment attributes and includes a separate HydroMLYR (hydrology dataset for machine learning in the Yellow River Basin) dataset containing standardized weekly averaged streamflow for 102 basins in the Yellow River Basin. The standardized streamflow data should be able to support machine learning hydrology research in the Yellow River Basin. The dataset is freely available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5729444 (Zhen et al., 2021). In addition, the accompanying code used to generate the dataset is freely available at https://github.com/haozhen315/CCAM-China-Catchment-Attributes-and-Meteorology-dataset (last access: 26 November 2021) and supports the generation of catchment characteristics for any custom basin boundaries. Compiled data for the 4911 basins covering all of China and the open-source code should be able to support the study of any selected basins rather than being limited to only a few basins.

The Yellow River Basin (YRB) serves as a critical ecological functional and economic zone in China. However, due to the rapid economic and social development, the YRB has encountered dual pressure from the anthropogenic disturbances and climate change, leading to intensified conflicts among production, living, and ecological spaces (PLES). In this study, we examined the spatiotemporal evolution pattern and transition mode of the PLES from 1980 to 2020 at the county level, evaluated the eco-environmental effects, and identified the key driving factors. The results indicate that land-use changes in the YRB are marked by a continuous increase in living space, while ecological spaces initially decreased before increasing, and production spaces initially increased before decreasing, with the year 2000 serving as a pivotal point in these transitions. At the county level, land-use transformations in the YRB have significant spatial differentiation. The north region of the Hu Line is predominantly characterized by a reduction in ecological space, whereas the south primarily exhibits declines in production space and increases in living space in the downstream region. Consequently, the environmental quality index (EQI) also exhibits a trend of an initial decline followed by an increase. Frequent mutual conversions between production and ecological spaces influenced by major national ecological conservation policies after 2000, as well as pressure from living spaces on production spaces influenced by population and GDP growth, have been the primary manifestations of spatial transformation in the region. These findings suggest that with the implementation of appropriate governance measures, exploring the transformation of PLES at a finer county level can provide a clearer pattern of spatiotemporal changes, supporting detailed basin management for sustainable development.