Landscape ecology
Interdisciplinary science of landscape diversity integrating pattern, process, and scale.
Landscape ecology is the science of studying and improving relationships between ecological processes in the environment and particular ecosystems, conducted within a variety of landscape scales, spatial patterns, and organizational levels of research and policy. It is a highly interdisciplinary field in systems science that integrates biophysical and analytical approaches with humanistic and holistic perspectives across the natural and social sciences. The most salient characteristics of landscape ecology are its emphasis on the relationship among pattern, process, and scales, and its focus on broad-scale ecological and environmental issues, necessitating the coupling between biophysical and socioeconomic sciences.
- field
- Landscape ecology
- known_for
- Emphasis on relationship among pattern, process, and scales; focus on broad-scale ecological and environmental issues; integration of biophysical and socioeconomic sciences
- key_concepts
- Heterogeneity, spatial pattern, ecological flows, land use and land cover change, scaling, landscape conservation and sustainability
Lore & Background
He developed this terminology and many early concepts of landscape ecology as part of his early work, which consisted of applying aerial photograph interpretation to studies of interactions between environment and vegetation. Landscape ecology developed in Europe from historical planning on human-dominated landscapes, while concepts from general ecology theory were integrated in North America. Landmark book publications defined the scope and goals of the discipline, including Naveh and Lieberman and Forman and Godron.
Reader's Guide
Landscape ecology's significance lies in its unique focus on the relationship among pattern, process, and scales, addressing broad-scale ecological and environmental issues that require coupling biophysical and socioeconomic sciences. Key research topics include ecological flows in landscape mosaics, land use and land cover change, scaling, relating landscape pattern analysis with ecological processes, and landscape conservation and sustainability. The field also studies the role of human impacts on landscape diversity in the development and spreading of new human pathogens that could trigger epidemics. One central theory originated from MacArthur & Wilson's The Theory of Island Biogeography, which considered biodiversity on islands as the result of colonization and extinction. This was generalized to abstract patches of habitat by Levins' metapopulation model, providing conservation biologists a new tool to assess how habitat fragmentation affects population viability. Recent growth owes much to the development of geographic information systems (GIS) and the availability of large-extent habitat data. Today, landscape ecology relies on advanced technologies such as remote sensing, GIS, and models, with associated development of powerful quantitative methods to examine interactions of patterns and processes.
Did You Know?
- Landscape ecology integrates biophysical and analytical approaches with humanistic and holistic perspectives across natural and social sciences.
- One central theory originated from MacArthur & Wilson's The Theory of Island Biogeography, generalized by Levins' metapopulation model.
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