Impact of soil development and land use on heavy metal concentrations in soils: Insights from a multi-scale study

Soil heavy metals (HMs) are crucial indicators of soil quality and ecological risk, especially in areas with complex pedogenesis and intensive anthropogenic activities. However, how soil development and land use jointly shape HMs distribution across multiple scales remains unclear. A multi-scale framework encompassing regional, sub-regional, and riparian scales was employed to examine the impacts of soil development and land use on HMs (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, As, Hg) distribution and their dominant drivers in the lower Yangtze River basin's alluvial soils.