Abstract: Clarifying the scale effects of ecosystem services and the driving mechanisms is of great importance for improving regional ecological governance and sustainable development. With Shanxi Province as the research area, we calculated the values of four typical ecosystem services (carbon sequestration, soil conservation, food production, and recreational services). We used correlation analysis to clarify the trade-off and synergy relationships among the four ecosystem services, and used PLS-SEM model to analyze the driving mechanisms of four ecosystem services at four different spatial scales (1 km×1 km, 5 km×5 km, 10 km×10 km, and 15 km×15 km). The results showed that: (1) The spatial distribution of the four ecosystem services exhibited obvious spatial differentiation, which tended to become more uniform with increasing scales. Carbon sequestration, soil conservation, and recreational services showed similar distributional patterns, with high values concentrated in mountainous areas with extensive vegetation coverage, while low values were observed in urban areas with intensive human activities. The high value areas of food production service were mostly distributed in cultivated areas, while the low value areas were located in mountainous and urban areas. (2) Trade-offs and synergies relationships among ecosystem services were significantly influenced by spatial scale, and the direction did not change with increasing scale, but the intensity varied greatly. (3) Terrain was the main factor influencing the four types of ecosystem services. The relationship among ecosystem services and drivers also changed with scales. This study can provide theoretical basis for hierarchical ecosystem management and landscape pattern regulation.

Key words: ecosystem services, spatial distribution, tradeoffs and synergies, driving factor, multiple scales