Landscape Ecology in Theory and Practice - Pattern and Process

An ideal text for students taking a course in landscape ecology. The book has been written by very well-known practitioners and pioneers in the new field of ecological analysis. Landscape ecology has emerged during the past two decades as a new and exciting level of ecological study. Environmental problems such as global climate change, land use change, habitat fragmentation and loss of biodiversity have required ecologists to expand their traditional spatial and temporal scales and the widespread availability of remote imagery, geographic information systems, and desk top computing has permitted the development of spatially explicit analyses. In this new text book this new field of landscape ecology is given the first fully integrated treatment suitable for the student. Throughout, the theoretical developments, modeling approaches and results, and empirical data are merged together, so as not to introduce barriers to the synthesis of the various approaches that constitute an effective ecological synthesis. The book also emphasizes selected topic areas in which landscape ecology has made the most contributions to our understanding of ecological processes, as well as identifying areas where its contributions have been limited. Each chapter features questions for discussion as well as recommended reading.

List of contents

1. Introduction to Landscape Ecology.
What is Landscape Ecology? Why has Landscape Ecology Emerged as a Distinct Area of Study? The Intellectual Roots of Landscape Ecology. Objectives of this Book. Summary.
2. The Critical Concept of Scale.
Scale Terminology and its Practical Application. Scale Problems. Scale Concepts and Hierarchy Theory. Identifying the 'Right' Scale(s). Reasoning about Scale. Scaling Up. Summary.
3. Introduction to Models.
What's and Why's about Models. Steps in Building a Model. Landscape Models. Caveats in the Use of Models. Summary.
4. Causes of Landscape Pattern.
Abiotic Causes of Landscape Pattern. Biotic Interactions. Human Land Use. Disturbance and Succession. Summary.
5. Quantifying Landscape Pattern.
Why Quantify Pattern? Data used in Landscape Analyses. Caveats for Landscape Pattern Analysis, or 'READ THIS FIRST.' Metric for Quantifying Landscape Pattern. Geostatistics or Spatial Statistics. Summary.
6. Neutral Landscape Models.
Random Maps: the Simplest Neutral Model. Maps with Hierarchical Structure. Fractal Landscapes. Neutral Models Relating Pattern to Process. General Insights from the Use of NLMs. Summary
7. Landscape Disturbance Dynamics.
Disturbance and Disturbance Regimes. Influence of the Landscape on Disturbance Pattern. Influence of Disturbance on Landscape Pattern. Concepts of Landscape Equilibrium. Summary.
8. Organisms and Landscape Pattern.
Conceptual Development of Organisms Space Interactions. Scale-dependent nature of organism responses. Effect of Spatial Pattern on Organisms. Spatially Explicit Population Models. Summary
9. Ecosystem Processes in the Landscape.
Spatial Heterogeneity in Ecosystem Processes. Effects of Landscape Position on Lake Ecosystems. Land-water Interactions. Linking Species and Ecosystems. Searching for General Principles. Summary.
10. Applied Landscape Ecology.
Land Use. Forest Management. Regional Risk Assessment. Continental-scale Monitoring. Summary.
11. Conclusions and Future Directions.
What Have we Learned? Research directions. Conclusion.
Literature cited.
Index.

Report

From the reviews:

"Having a thorough textbook that explains the principles and techniques of landscape ecology is an important resource. ... This book takes a North American approach at an introductory level, filling a void in the landscape ecology literature. ... The discussion questions and recommended readings at the end of each chapter guide teaching and learning. ... The text is a real boon to professors and students. ... The book is a thorough treatment of the current activities of landscape ecology, and I recommend it highly." (Nancy E. McIntyre, Ecology, 83 (1), 2002)

"An ecologist's viewpoint on the theories and uses of a burgeoning multidisciplinary subject is proffered. ... It is an informative, comprehensive, up-to-date and generally well-written account which will be of considerable use to its target readership of advanced undergraduate, postgraduate and professional ecologists." (Robert Jones, Geography, October, 2002)

"All chapters end with a series of stimulating questions for discussion and some well-selected recommendations for further reading. ... This is not an introductory text; it assumes, for example, a background knowledge of GIS, fractal geometry, and modelling principles. It will therefore prove useful for advanced undergraduate or postgraduate courses in this discipline." (Bulletin of the British Ecological Society, Vol. 33 (1), 2002)

Product details

• Authors: Robert Gardner, Robert H. Gardner, Robert V. ONeill, Robert O'Neill, Robert V. O'Neill, Monica Turner, Monica G. Turner
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2001
• EAN: 9780387951232
• ISBN: 978-0-387-95123-2
• No. of pages: 406
• Weight: 770 g
• Illustrations: 28 Tabellen
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Ecology; Non-fiction book > Nature, technology > Nature and society: general, reference works