Transboundary algal migration-induced systemic environmental risk in the Yangtze River Basin, China.

Qingsong Jiang, Haiping Huang, Zhen Wu, Kaikui Cai, Lian Hu, Yue Qin, Zhen Guo, Yong Liu

Abstract readReview

In one paragraph

Review in Fundamental research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

Advancing the science of systemic environmental risk in an era of global change.Fundamental research · 2026
Article

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Qingsong JiangCollege of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Material Fluxes in River Ecosystems, Institute of Tibetan Plateau, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.

Haiping HuangLihe Technology (Hunan) Co., Ltd., Changsha 410205, China.

Zhen WuCollege of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Material Fluxes in River Ecosystems, Institute of Tibetan Plateau, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.

Kaikui CaiCollege of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Material Fluxes in River Ecosystems, Institute of Tibetan Plateau, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.

Lian HuCollege of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Material Fluxes in River Ecosystems, Institute of Tibetan Plateau, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.

Yue QinCollege of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Material Fluxes in River Ecosystems, Institute of Tibetan Plateau, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.

Zhen GuoLihe Technology (Hunan) Co., Ltd., Changsha 410205, China.

Yong LiuCollege of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Material Fluxes in River Ecosystems, Institute of Tibetan Plateau, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The horizontal transport of algal biomass or populations across administrative or ecosystem boundaries via hydrological connectivity poses systemic environmental risks in the Yangtze River Basin, despite recent improvements in river or lake water quality. Here, we investigated the dynamics of algal biomass along the Yangtze River mainstream through high-resolution monitoring spanning from February 2023 to December 2024. Results demonstrated a consistent increase in average chlorophyll-a concentrations from 4 µg/L to 8 µg/L between the Three Gorges Dam and Lake Dongting outlet. Random Forest and SHAP analysis identified water temperature as the strongest driver of algal biomass variation (36.6%), followed by total nitrogen (25.9%) and total phosphorus (23.6%). Interestingly, ship traffic generated previously overlooked thermal pollution, with navigational channels exhibiting ∼1 °C higher temperatures than adjacent shorelines. As a result, bidirectional hydrological connections between the Yangtze River and connected lakes facilitate transboundary algal migration, undermining lake-specific restoration efforts and exacerbating basin-wide ecological instability. These findings necessitate a paradigm shift from localized to integrated, basin-scale management. Furthermore, a framework that synergistically addresses algal migration, thermal pollution, and nutrient dynamics is urgently needed to mitigate systemic environmental risks in the Yangtze River Basin.

Indexed as

River-lake continuumSystemic environmental riskThermal pollutionTransboundary algal migrationYangtze River basin

Identifiers

PMID41971812

DOI10.1016/j.fmre.2025.12.003

PMCPMC13069836

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.