What is the matrix?
The matrix is the area in the landscape in which patches
are embedded. In other words, the surrounding area that has a different
species composition and structure to the patches within it.
The matrix is the most extensive and most connected
landscape element. It plays the most dominant role in the functioning
of the landscape, or it is the most dominant land cover type (Wickham
and Norton, 1994).
The matrix has been described as:
- 'the homogeneous mass in which
small differentiated elements appear'
- 'the binding material that
surrounds and cements independent elements'
- 'the extensive, relatively
homogeneous element that includes scattered distinct patches or corridors
of a different type'
The matrix is the most connected landscape element so
it has an important role in the flow of energy, materials and species
within the landscape (Goosens
et al., 1993)
