The main processes
The three main
processes are:
- ecosystem
processes, relating to the living components of the landscape such as
population dynamics, life history, dispersal, foraging behaviour,
natural selection patterns, co-existence of species, predation
and species diversity,
- hydrological
processes, relating to water and waterways
- processes that
relate to the earths surface, like soils.
In this topic we are concerned mainly with
ecological processes. The spatial patterning of landscape elements is
thought to affect ecological (Addicott et al., 1987) and other landscape
processes.
If we can relate pattern to process,
the study of landscape patterning and how species respond to it,
becomes a very important aspect of environmental management. Imbalance
in landscape functioning is caused by disturbance of natural processes:
see the topic Change and dynamics.
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Reading 1.8
Lavers and Haines-Young 'Equilibrium landscapes and their
aftermath: spatial heterogeneity and the role of the new
technology. |
|
 |
Kareiva
and Wennergren 'Connecting landscape patterns to ecosystem and
population processes' For an overview of Landscape Ecological Concepts you could read Reading 1.9 Land Mosaics: The ecology of landscapes and regions by Forman, Part 1. |
|
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Linking changes in function to changes in structure |
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| From what you have learned in this topic, list the changes in landscape functioning that can be attributed to structural changes. | ||
