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Landscape Ecology

Important fields of Conservation.

Landscape Ecology

• A marriage of ecology and geography.
• Studies how

differences and changes

in

landscape affects biota and ecology.

• How they affect distribution, energy flow,

survival, reproduction, recruitment, etc…

Landscape Ecology

• Assesses how habitat integrity,

patchiness, fragmentation, connectivity,
etc. affect population viability.

• In other words, it addresses the causes

and consequences of spatial
heterogeneity

Landscape Ecology

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

has become very important in the study of
Landscape Ecology.

Landscape Ecology

• Normal ecology studies homogeneous

community units such as species or
population or community within one kind of
habitat type.

• Landscape ecology studies these in various

interconnecting habitats.

• Frequently, habitat variation is anthropogenic

and continuing.

Landscape Ecology

• Landscape ecology emphasizes heterogeneity as a

method to promote stability in an ecosystem.
Heterogeneity increases types of resistances to
catastrophes through genetic diversity, habitat
diversity, and strain of species distribution.

• Landscape ecology always understands that

systems change and are hierarchical (i.e. one large
is composed of many small in turn composed of
smaller units of similar structure but varying function
(different streams in a valley of many in a forest).

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Landscape Ecology: What it means
to us.

1. Development and dynamics of spatial

heterogeneity.

2. Biotic interactions across those different

landscapes.

3. How spatial variations affect biotic

development and processes over time.

4. How to manage the changes over time

and their effects on biota.

Landscape Ecology: Definitions.

1. Landscape: an area that consists of

more than one ecosystem.

2. Ecosystem: A group of various

populations in one area and their
interactions among each other and with
their environment.

Landscape Ecology: Definitions.

3. Heterogeneity: A landscape with many

different ecological patterns and

structures.

4. Pattern: The ordered contents of a

landscape.

5. Structure: Is a definition of the size and

distribution of pattern.

6. Scale is a representation of actual

distances and/or time frame of events.

Landscape Ecology: Definitions.

7. Patch: A homogeneous area different

from other areas around it. A patch is the
lowest ranked unit of a landscape.

8. Mosaic: is a series of patches connected

together directly or via corridors.

9. Corridor: A particular kind of patch

connecting two separate patches.

Landscape Ecology: Definitions.

10.Edge: In ecology, an edge is the area on

the perimeter of a patch.

11.Boundary: The area including the edges

of two adjacent, intersecting patches.

Edge effect and boundary effect are very

important concepts in landscape
ecology

.

Landscape Ecology: Definitions.

10.Types of boundaries:

1. Ecotone: Transitional zone between two

communities. Notice that here we have a
biotic definition not a geographical one.

2. Ecoline: The lines of different communities

that exist within an ecotone.

3. Ecotope: similar area in an ecotone. They

might be distinct and relatively far spaced
but have similar characteristics and thus life
structure.

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Landscape Ecology: Definitions.

11.Disturbance: an event that alters the

process of change or stability of a patch
or a mosaic of patches.

12.Fragmentation: The cutting and breaking

up of a large patch into many smaller
ones separated by a new and different
kind of patch.

Fragmentation

Fragmentation

Landscape Ecology.

Landscape Ecology is not really an

independent self sufficient field of
science. It is a multidisciplinary field
within ecology, geography, forestry,
agriculture, urban development and the
new field of eco-tourism. The most
important concept to remember though is
that:

Landscape Ecology.

Landscape ecology deals with a changing

and developing vibrant environment that
needs constant monitoring and changes
in management to suit newly developing
situations.