Abstract: Coastal zone ecosystems in Jiangsu have produced different degrees of spatial response and degradation characteristics under complex external disturbances, especially significant spatiotemporal evolution of landscape pattern in recent decades. It is urgent to carry out comprehensive assessment on landscape ecology covering landscape composition, configuration, and function at multiple scales. We analyzed the spatial and temporal variations of landscape ecological condition index (LECI) in large-scale coastal zone of Jiangsu Province from 1990 to 2020, assessed landscape ecological conditions of 14 county-level districts, and selected evaluation units with side lengths of 100, 200,…, 1000 m to understand the spatial scale effects of LECI. The results showed that the indicators of landscape composition, configuration and function could sensitively reflect the changes of LECI, which could comprehensively evaluate landscape ecological condition of Jiangsu coastal zone during the study period, with 300 m evaluation unit being the best spatial scale. The LECI value in the study area fluctuated. Landscape ecological condition was the best in 1990 and the worst in 2020. Landscape composition and configuration had a greater impacts on the changes of landscape ecological condition. The fluctuation of LECI in different counties and cities was closely related to intense human activities. Human activities, such as industrial development and urban expansion, had damaged landscape ecological status. The establishment of nature reserves had restored landscape ecological status to a certain extent. LECI could effectively indicate the changes of landscape ecological status of large-scale coastal zone, and provide multi-perspective suggestions for space utilization and protection.

Key words: Jiangsu coastal zone, landscape pattern, landscape ecological condition, spatiotemporal scale