Abstract
Roadside vegetation strips are critical ecotones that provide essential ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, while being constantly exposed to anthropogenic stress from traffic emissions. This study assesses the ecological state and carbon assimilation capacity of roadside plant communities along three classes of motorways (Class 1–3, total length 684.4 km) in the Penza region, Russia, based on field surveys and remote sensing data from 2024. We found significant non-compliance with standard roadside widths, with the actual width of Class 1 highway strips reaching only 57.5% of the required value. This spatial deficit is linked to visible biotic stress responses: canopy closure in forest belts follows a second-order parabolic function of belt width, reaching levels typical of regional forests (70–80%) only when the belt width exceeds 30 meters. Carbon assimilation by forest vegetation is best described by a logistic growth curve, reflecting biological productivity limits under varying width and density conditions. Herbaceous communities exhibited an average carbon sequestration rate of 2.81 t/ha, with biomass dynamics perpendicular to the road described by a third-order parabola, indicating a gradient of stress and recovery. The compensatory capacity of existing strips for traffic carbon emissions ranged from only 11.9% on heavily used Class 1 highways to 57.3% on Class 3 roads. Our integrated mathematical model, based on biological response curves, reveals an optimal forest belt width of 35 meters, beyond which marginal gains in assimilation plateau. Using this model, we derived a practical parabolic function linking the required grassy strip width to traffic intensity (up to 5000 vehicles/day) to achieve carbon neutrality. This study provides a quantitative framework for understanding how anthropogenic pressure shapes roadside plant communities and offers biologically sound guidelines for designing resilient green infrastructure
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Class 1 roadside strips reached only 57.5% of required width, with significant non-compliance.
- Outcome
- actual width of Class 1 highway stripse0
- Direction
- lowerinferrede0
- Value
- 57.5%e0
- Comparator
- required valuee0
- Setting
- Penza region, Russiae1
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“We found significant non-compliance with standard roadside widths, with the actual width of Class 1 highway strips reaching only 57.5% of the required value.”
e1“Penza region, Russia”
Claim · model-written summary
Forest belt canopy closure followed a second-order parabolic relation with width and reached 70–80% only above 30 meters.
- Taxon
- forestse0
- Treatment
- belt widthe0
- Outcome
- canopy closuree0
- Value
- 70–80%e0
- Qualifier
- only when the belt width exceeds 30 meterse0
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“canopy closure in forest belts follows a second-order parabolic function of belt width, reaching levels typical of regional forests (70–80%) only when the belt width exceeds 30 meters”
Claim · model-written summary
Forest vegetation carbon assimilation was best described by a logistic growth curve under varying width and density.
- Taxon
- forest vegetatione0
- Outcome
- Carbon assimilatione0
- Direction
- best describede0
- Qualifier
- under varying width and density conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Carbon assimilation by forest vegetation is best described by a logistic growth curve, reflecting biological productivity limits under varying width and density conditions.”
Claim · model-written summary
Herbaceous communities averaged carbon sequestration of 2.81 t/ha.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“Herbaceous communities exhibited an average carbon sequestration rate of 2.81 t/ha”
Claim · model-written summary
Herbaceous biomass dynamics perpendicular to the road were described by a third-order parabola indicating stress and recovery gradients.
- Taxon
- Herbaceous communitiese0
- Outcome
- biomass dynamics perpendicular to the roade0
- Qualifier
- a gradient of stress and recoverye0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Herbaceous communities exhibited an average carbon sequestration rate of 2.81 t/ha, with biomass dynamics perpendicular to the road described by a third-order parabola, indicating a gradient of stress and recovery.”
Claim · model-written summary
Existing strips compensated for 11.9% of traffic emissions on Class 1 highways.
- Taxon
- existing stripse0
- Outcome
- compensatory capacity of existing strips for traffic carbon emissionse0
- Value
- 11.9%e0
- Setting
- Class 1 highwayse0
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“The compensatory capacity of existing strips for traffic carbon emissions ranged from only 11.9% on heavily used Class 1 highways to 57.3% on Class 3 roads.”
Claim · model-written summary
Existing strips compensated for 57.3% of traffic emissions on Class 3 roads.
- Taxon
- existing stripse0
- Outcome
- compensatory capacity of existing strips for traffic carbon emissionse0
- Value
- 57.3%e0
- Setting
- Class 3 roadse0
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“The compensatory capacity of existing strips for traffic carbon emissions ranged from only 11.9% on heavily used Class 1 highways to 57.3% on Class 3 roads.”
Claim · model-written summary
The model indicated an optimal forest belt width of 35 meters, with assimilation gains plateauing beyond it.
Verbatim
e0“Our integrated mathematical model, based on biological response curves, reveals an optimal forest belt width of 35 meters, beyond which marginal gains in assimilation plateau.”
Claim · model-written summary
The model yielded a parabolic function relating grassy strip width needed for carbon neutrality to traffic intensity up to 5000 vehicles/day.
Verbatim
e0“Using this model, we derived a practical parabolic function linking the required grassy strip width to traffic intensity (up to 5000 vehicles/day) to achieve carbon neutrality.”