Landscape Ecology Flashcards

Flashcards about Landscape Ecology

Landscape Ecology

• Examines spatial patterns and their relationship to ecological processes.

• how landscape elements can influence an area

• Bowman et al., 2018

Habitat Loss and Fragmentation

• Decrease habitat area, isolate populations, and alter conditions at habitat edges.

• Bownman et al., 2018

Biodiversity Sustainability

• Best sustained by large reserves connected across the landscape and buffered from areas of intense human use.

• Bownman et al., 2018

Landscape Ecology Origin

• Evolved from a fusion of theoretical backgrounds in geography, ecology, planning, and landscape architecture, originating in central Europe.

• Turner, 2005

Contemporary Landscape Ecology

• An interdisciplinary systems science which aims to integrate ecological, geophysical, social, and analytical approaches.

• focus on natural processes

• incorporated into planning - conservation

• Turner, 2005

Landscape Ecology Term Introduction

• Introduced by German biogeographer, Carl Troll (1939).

• fairly new

Landscape

• Area in which at least one element is spatially heterogeneous; often includes multiple ecosystems.

• Bowman et al., 2018

Landscape Patterns

• Spatial configuration (arrangement) of habitats and the habitat composition.

• what types of habitat are present ?

• in what abundance is each habitat type ?

• Turner et al., 2001

Remote Sensing Satellites - Landscape Ecology tools

• Provide images of Earth that expand our view of large-scale ecological patterns.

• Bownman et al., 2018

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) - Landscape Ecology tools

• Computer-based systems used in landscape planning, conservation, and urban development for storage, analysis, and display of spatial data.

• Bownman et al., 2018

Global Positioning Systems (GPS) - Landscape Ecology tools

• Allow ecologists in the field to document precise locations of species and other variables.

• Bowman et al., 2018

Radiotelemetry

• Allows tracking of animal movements and migration patterns.

• Bowman et al., 2018

Connectivity

• Spatial continuity of a habitat type across the landscape.

• Weins, 2007

Landscape Composition

• Number of elements or patches and how much of each element is present.

• Weins, 2007

Movements across Heterogenous Landscape

• may include many ecosystems that are dynamic and interact with eachother

• interactions occur through - water, energy, nutrients

• biotic movement across corridors

• Weins, 2007

Habitat Connectivity

• The degree to which the landscape facilitates or impedes movement amongst different resource patches.

• High = close proximity

• Low = habitat patches being isolated

• Weins, 2007

Connectivity influences …

• Species composition and interactions

• productivity

• nutrient cycling

• ecosystem resilience

• Weins, 2007

Structural Connectivity

• Continuity among habitat patches.

• Weins, 2007

Functional Connectivity

• Actual habitat use by organisms; species-specific.

• Weins, 2007

Habitat Corridors

• Linear patches that connect blocks of habitat.

• Weins, 2007

Influence of surrounding landscape

• landscape structure - plays a role in ecological dynamics

• landscape structure - influences biogeochemical cycling

• Weins, 2007

Disturbance shares landscape patterns

• human change nature + disturb it

• E.g. Yellowstone National Park 1988 fires burned 1/3 of area leading to complex mosaic of patches

Habitat Loss and Fragmentation

• Human activities - urbanisation, roads etc

• reduction in habitat available for other species

• many species go extinct

• Bownman et al., 2018

Habitat loss and fragmentation - Case study

• Lago Guri, Venezuela

• formation of islands in matrix of water

• opportunity to study fragmentation

• Bownman et al., 2018

Habitat loss creates edge effects

• deforestation creates new edges - exposing trees once surrounded by forest edge

• can have different abiotic and biotic system

• Bownman et al., 2018

Connectivity and protected area design

Terrestrial Example: Trumpeter hornbills in KwaZulu– Natal, South Africa

Steep slopes, gorges, & subtropical forests

• Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve

• Mbumbasi Nature Reserve KwaZulu-Natal

Fragmentation

•  Sugarcane plantations

• Rural areas & roads

• Farm gardens

• Indigenous fruit-bearing trees rely on frugivorous birds for seed transport

• Bownman et al., 2018

Designing nature reserves

• certain designs better than others

• connectivity important t- but if too close - increases risk of disease spread

Marine Example: Reef fishes in Moreton Bay Marine Park, Australia

Network of no-take reserves

○ Coral reef, mangrove, seagrass Moreton Bay - heterogenous

● Reserves revised in 2008

● Guiding questions:

○ Are key seascape connections being protected?

○ Could the reserve network be updated to improve conservation outcomes?

• Bownman et al., 2018