Delineation of rural ecological pattern and evaluation of network priority from the perspective of multi-functional coupling: a case study of the Yangtze river in Anhui Province

In response to the environmental challenges posed by rapid population growth and socio-economic development, this study focuses on the Anhui section of the Yangtze River. It integrates Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA), the delta of Probability of Connectivity (dPC), and the coupling coordination degree of Production-Living-Ecological Space (PLES) to identify key ecological sources. The Minimum Cumulative Resistance (MCR) model and Circuit Theory were employed to construct and optimize ecological corridors and critical nodes, while Space Syntax theory was applied to evaluate and prioritize corridor hierarchies. The results indicate: (1) PLES analysis identified four types of coupling patches, with highly coupled areas accounting for 25.51% of the total region; (2) a total of 57 ecological sources were selected, covering 14,944.27 km 2 , characterized by a “periphery-dense, center-sparse” spatial distribution; 133 ecological corridors were delineated, with a combined length of 1,652.49 km, many of which intersect riverine zones, thereby supporting the integrated development of blue-green infrastructure; (3) Space Syntax analysis categorized the corridors into seven hierarchical levels and proposed targeted measures for constructing an ecological network. This study provides a replicable framework for developing and optimizing ecological security patterns in regions with similar landscape and functional characteristics.