面向黄河三角洲生态经济区发展战略需求和学术前沿，针对上下游重大人类活动和气候变化对三角洲湿地水文连通的胁迫以及进而产生的生态效应，深入分析水文连通格局变化特别是纵向、横向和垂向水文连通变化型式和驱动因素，建立水文连通类型、强度与湿地生境格局定量关系，揭示水文连通变化对生境格局同质性和异质性作用规律；探讨不同类型水文连通格局变化对典型湿地动植物连通性的影响，分析食物链各营养级间作用强度转变的关键水文连通阈值，评估水文连通格局变化对关键生态系统的长期影响；通过对受损水文连通核心结构进行调整、重建或替代分析，构建水文连通多维湿地网络优化模型，对网络中水文连通和生物连通的关键节点、流路或路径、功能属性进行剖析，模拟不同水文连通和生物连通各类组合模式，以增强湿地对干扰的抵抗力和恢复力。研究为解决黄河三角洲生态经济区面临的基础科学问题提供支持，并推动我国生态水利基础科学理论的发展。

Understanding anthropogenic impacts on wetland hydrological connectivity and their ecological effects in estuaries and deltas is not only an emerging frontier in hydrological and environmental sciences under intensifying watershed human activities and climate change, but is also urgently required for sustainable development of coastal economic zones such as the Yellow River Delta Eco-economic Zone recently approved the Central Government. Focusing on wetland hydrological connectivity issues in the Yellow River Delta, this proposal is to (1) conduct an in-depth analysis of patterns and drivers of changes in wetland hydrological connectivity, develop quantitative relationships between hydrological connectivity types/strength and wetland habitat patterns, and reveal the effects of changes in wetland hydrological connectivity on habitat homogeneity and heterogeneity; (2) explore the effects of changes in different types of hydrological connectivity on wetland biological connectivity (typical wetland plants and animals), analyze hydrological connectivity thresholds in the strength of trophic interactions in wetland food chains, and assess long-term impacts of changes in wetland hydrological patterns on key ecosystem processes; and (3) build multi-dimensional optimization models of wetland hydrological networks using adjustment, reconstruction, and replacement analysis of core components of impaired wetland hydrological networks, identify key nodes, paths, or functional properties of hydrological and biological connectivity networks, and simulate different combinations of these connectivity models, in order to strengthen wetland assistance to and recovery potential from disturbances. The proposed research here will provide support for resolving fundamental scientific questions faced by the development of the Yellow River Delta Eco-economic Zone and other coastal economic zones, and will also contribute to advancing basic scientific theories in ecohydraulics.