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ENV510 Landscape Ecology and GIS
Definitions
& descriptions |
Structure & pattern |
Function
& process | Change
& dynamics | Management
implications
Structure
| Features
| Patches | Formation
| Characterisitics
| Scale | Geometry
| Types | Matrix
| Corridors | Measurements
| Appearance | Complexity
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).
Do this - Label patches - Why?
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.
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