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ENV510 Landscape Ecology and GIS
Definitions
& descriptions | Structure
& pattern | Function
& process | Change
& dynamics | Management
implications
Processes
| Elements | Transformation
| Fragmentation
| Ecosystem
| Equilibrium
| Dynamics
| Source
sink | Metapopulations
| Relationships
| Other
The spatial
distribution of habitats, barriers to movement etc affects the spatial distribution
of populations. Changing landscape pattern can therefore have serious consequences
on species population dynamics and the management of species.
Source
sink dynamics
Metapopulations
Fragmentation and metapopulations
Spatial
structure in the landscape influences the way populations are structured. If
populations are spatially structured, this means that individuals are clustered
in some locations and absent from others (Ritchie,
1997).
The Theory
of Island Biogeography (MacArthur
and Wilson, 1967) and the idea of metapopulation dynamics (Andrewartha
and Birch, 1954) presented the notion that population dynamics depend on
spatial variability in habitat, the location of habitats relative to others
and the relative size of habitat patches. These ideas form the basis of understanding
population dynamics in a landscape context.
Landscape features define the distribution of habitats and individuals, meaning that population dynamics need to consider the distribution of individuals in space, and the interactions between populations from different locations.
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