Landscape Ecology &
Ecosystem Management
Photo of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania from Wikimedia Commons
Landscape Ecology
The study of the causes & consequences of landscape-level
(i.e., intermediate- to large-scale) ecological patterns
E.g., Lodgepole pine stand
age classes (stand ages
since last major firedisturbance) in Yellowstone
National Park
Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 24.5, after Tinker et al. (2003) Landscape Ecology
Landscape
An area in which at least one landscape element is spatially
heterogeneous and in which the elements form a
dynamic mosaic of interacting ecosystems
E.g., Lodgepole pine stand
age classes (stand ages
since last major firedisturbance) in Yellowstone
National Park
Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 24.5, after Tinker et al. (2003) Landscape Ecology
Landscape Elements
E.g., forest stands, bogs, meadows, lakes, streams, etc.
E.g., Lodgepole pine stand
age classes (stand ages
since last major firedisturbance) in Yellowstone
National Park
Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 24.5, after Tinker et al. (2003) Landscape Ecology
Landscape Composition
The kinds & relative proportions of elements
or patches in a landscape
E.g., Lodgepole pine stand
age classes (stand ages
since last major firedisturbance) in Yellowstone
National Park
Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 24.5, after Tinker et al. (2003) Landscape Ecology
Landscape Structure
The physical configuration of landscape elements,
e.g., patch size distributions, patch dispersion, patch shapes,
patch connectivity / isolation, etc.
E.g., Lodgepole pine stand
age classes (stand ages
since last major firedisturbance) in Yellowstone
National Park
Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 24.5, after Tinker et al. (2003) Landscape Ecology
Scale
Grain – the size of the smallest homogeneous unit;
determines resolution
E.g., landscape
elements in
Yellowstone
National Park
Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 24.6, after Turner et al. (2001)
Scale
Extent – the area (or time period) encompassed by a study
E.g., landscape
elements in
Yellowstone
National Park
Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 24.6, after Turner et al. (2001)
Habitat Loss & Fragmentation
E.g., Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project
(Manaus, Brazil)
Photo of a forest fragment, surrounded by newly created cattle pasture in Brazil
Habitat Loss & Fragmentation
E.g., Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project
(Manaus, Brazil)
NASA false-color remotely sensed image of the confluence of Río Negro & Río Solimões (Amazon)
Habitat Loss & Fragmentation
E.g., Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project
(Manaus, Brazil)
NASA false-color remotely sensed image of BDFFP
Habitat Loss & Fragmentation
Edge effects – negative
effects of a habitat edge
on interior conditions
Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 24.15
Habitat Loss & Fragmentation
Edge effects – negative
effects of a habitat edge
on interior conditions
Some species can only
inhabit the interior or
core, and some are
specifically attracted to the
edge
Figure from Laurance et al. (2006) PNAS
Habitat Loss & Fragmentation
Edge effects – negative
effects of a habitat edge
on interior conditions
Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. Analyzing Data 24.1, after Laurance et al. (2002) Conservation Biology
Habitat Loss & Fragmentation
Loss & fragmentation of
U. S. old-growth forests;
note how fragmentation
increases the ratio of
edge:core
Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 24.12
Design Principles for Protected Areas
Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 24.17, after Diamond (1975) & Williams et al. (2005)
Design Principles for Protected Areas
Corridors facilitated movement
between patches
Corridors facilitated pollination
between patches
Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 24.19, after Tewksbury et al. (2002) PNAS
Adaptive Ecosystem Management or Restoration
Management treated as
an experiment
Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 24.21