Patches

Patches are significant elements in many landscapes.

Patch formation
Patch characteristics
Scale and patches
Patch and geometry
Types of patches

A patch is 'a non linear surface area differing in appearance from its surroundings' (Forman and Godron, 1986). Patch size depends on the phenomenon being investigated and will vary with the perception of the organism.

Normally patches equate to plant or animal communities, that is, they are assemblages of species. These can usually be identified from aerial photographs and satellite imagery because they differ in structure and composition from the communities around them (Forman and Godron, 1986). Patches tend to vary in 'shape, size, type, heterogeneity and boundary characteristics' (Forman and Godron, 1986).

	Label patches
Refer to the landscape drawing you made earlier. Use the descriptions above to work out which features of your drawing are patches and label them. Read the description of patches in the wheatbelt to check your labelling.