Landscape Ecology Basics

A branch of ecology that focuses on the interaction between spatial patterns and ecological processes in landscapes, considering both cause and effect of heterogeneity across different scales.

An interconnected set of relationships that exists among the landscape's elements, such as patches of forests, fields, or water bodies.

The types and abundance of different landscape elements, such as forests, grasslands, or urban areas. It can also include living components like animals and plants.

The spatial arrangement and geometry of landscape elements, including their shape, size, and connectivity. It describes how these elements are positioned and connected to each other.

The movement of organisms, materials, or disturbances through the landscape. This includes processes like energy flow, nutrient cycling, and the spread of species.

The study of how systems, whether biological, ecological, or social, should be studied not in isolation, but as interconnected parts of a whole. This perspective aligns with the principles of landscape ecology.

A theory that emphasizes the interconnectedness of different landscape elements and how their interactions create a complex and dynamic system.

The concept of how small changes in landscape structure and composition can have large and unpredictable effects on ecological processes.

A theory that views landscapes as interconnected systems comprised of patches, corridors, and the matrix, emphasizing how these components interact to shape ecological processes.

GST helps understand how actions at one scale within a landscape can influence other scales, illustrating the interconnectedness of ecological processes.

A strength of GST in landscape ecology, enabling the study of how complex interactions between landscape components contribute to factors like ecosystem resilience and habitat connectivity.

A criticism of GST in landscape ecology, suggesting that its broad approach may not adequately capture the specific complexities of localized ecological phenomena.

A theory that defines living systems as self-organizing entities that maintain their boundaries through internal regulatory processes.

Autopoiesis helps us understand landscapes as dynamic systems capable of self-organization and resilience, adapting to change through internal mechanisms.

A strength of Autopoiesis in landscape ecology, highlighting the importance of internal processes that allow ecosystems to retain their integrity over time, aligning with sustainability goals.

The ability of an ecosystem to adapt and restructure in response to internal and external changes, crucial for understanding landscape responses to disturbances like climate change, deforestation, or development.

A concept in ecology that emphasizes the self-organizing nature of living systems, highlighting how interconnected processes maintain their structure and function.

A criticism of autopoiesis in ecological studies, arguing that its focus on internal dynamics may neglect the influence of external forces, such as human interventions.

A framework for understanding the relationships and processes that shape ecological systems, considering various spatial and temporal scales.

A key strength of Ecological Theory, allowing insights into how ecological interactions vary across different spatial scales, from local to regional.

The ability of Ecological Theory to integrate insights from various ecological subfields, considering the interplay of multiple factors within an ecosystem.

A criticism of Ecological Theory, arguing that its broad scope may lead to complex models that are hard to test or apply in specific situations.

A potential shortcoming of Ecological Theory, where the focus on general principles may overshadow unique features or local factors that are important in specific ecosystems.

A theory that explains how complex systems can behave unpredictably, even with tiny changes in initial conditions.

Chaos Theory helps us understand how ecosystems, which are complex systems, respond to changes and how they can change over time even with small variations in things like temperature or rain.

Chaos Theory acknowledges that natural ecosystems are not perfectly predictable. It encourages ecologists to create flexible models, recognizing that ecosystems are always changing.

Chaos Theory helps us understand how ecosystems can adapt and stay healthy even when things change. It can help us find patterns in seemingly messy systems.

While useful, Chaos Theory can sometimes be difficult to apply in real-world conservation and management because it focuses on unpredictable changes.

A model that suggests species exist as a network of smaller, semi-isolated populations (subpopulations) spread across different patches in a landscape. Each subpopulation can go extinct, but they are connected by dispersal and recolonization, ensuring the species' survival.

In the context of the Meta-Population Model, these are smaller, semi-isolated populations that exist within a larger network of subpopulations. They are connected by movement of individuals and can go extinct, but recolonization from other patches is possible.

The movement of individuals from one subpopulation to another in a meta-population. This movement is essential for maintaining genetic diversity and recolonizing patches where local extinctions occurred.

The process by which a subpopulation that has gone extinct is re-established by individuals from other subpopulations in the meta-population network.

The ability of a landscape to support a meta-population, relying on connectivity between habitat patches to ensure survival.

An abstract representation of a system or process used to simplify real-world complexities.

A framework that organizes ecological systems into nested levels, each with unique processes and interactions.

A strength of the Hierarchy Model that allows focus on specific scales within a landscape, avoiding the vastness.

A criticism of the Hierarchy Model - real-world processes often cross levels, making rigid boundaries unrealistic.

A model that analyzes spatial connectivity and fragmentation in landscapes, focusing on areas where habitat changes significantly impact species.

A key concept within the Percolation Model, representing points where habitat structure drastically changes, affecting species survival.

A benefit of the Percolation Model - it provides quantifiable measures to model habitat fragmentation and connectedness.

A criticism of the Hierarchy Model - it can be difficult to define and measure boundaries between levels in the natural world.