Trends and priority areas in ecosystem research of China

Ecosystem research has experienced important progress since the beginning of the 21st century.A series of hot scientific themes have aroused much attention of the academic realm such as biodiversity and ecosystem functioning,ecosystem management,ecological risks and ecological security,the ecological responses and effects of global change.The general trend of contemporary ecological research is multidimensional and can be summarized as deepening the scientific understanding on ecological mechanisms,ecosystem monitoring and modeling across spatiotemporal scales,integrative ecosystem assessment and management with consideration of both socioeconomic and biophysical factors.The socioeconomic development in China is faced with serious challenges for the limited natural resource reserve and disturbing environmental problems.In response to these challenges,large scale ecological conservation and restoration projects have already been implemented across the country,for which many scientific questions in ecosystem research are urgently needed for resolution.This paper proposed some priority areas and important directions for ecosystem science in China based on the integrative analysis of the trends and frontiers of international level ecological research and the practical needs for the relationship between environmental and development in China.