Abstract: As a special land use in landscape, road plays a “corridorbarrier” role and affects surrounding landscapes. The research on road landscape ecology is of an important significance in arid area where the ecology is fragile. Based on the results interpreted from the Landsat TM/ETM+ images of Jiuquan and Jiayuguan cities in 1986, 1996, 2006 and 2010, the land use change and landscape change along the Jiuquan-Jiayuguan section of National Highway 312 (G312) and its ecological effects in different road buffers including 1 000, 2 000 and 3 000 m in width were analyzed using the means of GIS and landscape ecology. The results were as follows: (1) Landscape pattern was significantly changed during the period from 1986 to 2010. The area of construction land was rapidly enlarged, that of unused land was reduced, unused land was promptly converted to construction land, and the dominance of unused land was weakened. The aggregation and radiation effects of the G312 were quite difference from different road buffers; (2) Change of the corridor structure of the Jiuquan-Jiayuguan section of the G312 was significant, and the connectivity and channel function of the Jiuquan-Jiayuguan section of the G312 were increased; (3) Because of the infrastructural construction of G312 and its neighboring highway G30, the patch density and heterogeneity of landscapes along these highways were increased. A certain aggregation of some patches in different buffers was brought about, and the fragmentation, diversification and homogenization of landscapes along the G312 occurred; (4) Effects of the G312 on landscape pattern were the most significant within a buffer width zone of 2 000 m but over 3 000 m in central Jiuquan and Jiayuguan cities. Urban expansion, economic development and landscape pattern change were the important factors affecting the ecology along the G312.

Key words: National Highway 312, landscape pattern, buffer, road corridor, Jiuquan-Jiayuguan section