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Landscape Ecology and GIS RESM 493q Wed Dec 9

Landscape Ecology and GIS RESM 493q Wed Dec 9. Overview. Landscapes and landscape ecology Regional assessments and GIS use Indicators Examples (Bird Community Index) and Landform analysis or ecological land units. What is a landscape?.

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Landscape Ecology and GIS RESM 493q Wed Dec 9

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  1. Landscape Ecology and GISRESM 493qWed Dec 9

  2. Overview • Landscapes and landscape ecology • Regional assessments and GIS use • Indicators • Examples • (Bird Community Index) and • Landform analysis or ecological land units

  3. What is a landscape? • To most people, the term landscape suggests either a scenic vista or a backyard improvement project. • Many ways to define a landscape depending on the phenomenon under consideration • Not easily defined by its size

  4. Definition of a landscape • An area of land (at any scale) containing an interesting pattern that affects and is affected by an ecological process of interest.

  5. Landscape • To ecologists and other environmental scientists, a landscape is a conceptual unit for the study of spatial patterns in the physical environment and the influence of these patterns on important environmental resources.

  6. Why is a landscape perspective useful? • Ecology strives to understand the interactions of organisms and their environment • The environment is inherently spatial

  7. What is Landscape Ecology? • Study of landscapes • Composition, structure, function • Relationship to important species Keystone species: One that is crucial to supporting an entire food web and whose extinction would lead to the extinction of other species. A keystone species' impact on an ecosystem is disproportionately larger than its abundance suggests. Umbrella species: Typically a large species requiring a lot of habitat. Protecting an umbrella species' habitat protects other species as well. (National Wildlife Federation, 2005)

  8. Regional assessment • EPA Landscape Atlas: • Assessing indicators of regional ecosystem health http://www.epa.gov/maia/

  9. Indicators http://www.epa.gov/maia/

  10. Measuring spatial patterns as an indicator of stream conditions • Spatial patterns of land cover in relation to streams for a county in the mid–Atlantic region. Stream segments are colored green, yellow, or red, depending on whether the segments are adjacent to forest, agriculture, or urban land cover.

  11. Common landscape indicators • Population change and density • Human use index • Road density • Forest and agriculture along streams • Roads along streams • Impoundment density • Crop land on steep slopes • Forest land cover percentage • Forest fragmentation • Forest edge habitat • Forest interior habitat And now a local or large map scale example….

  12. Bird community index • Bird Community Index: • Based on extensive Mid-Atlantic environmental monitoring work (EPA, Penn State) • Assumes ecological condition correlates with land cover • High proportion of birds with specialized requirements indicates healthy natural forest habitat • BCI Score: • Based on amount of forested land cover within 200 acre window • Accounts for edge effects from disturbed land cover • Indicates overall ecological condition as poor, average, or good/excellent

  13. Bird community index Relationship to keystone or umbrella species

  14. References • Benedic, M. A. and E. T. McMahon. 2000. Green infrastructure: smart conservation for the 21st century. The Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse Monograph Series, The Conservation Fund. • Grayson, R. B., I. D. Moore, and T. A. McMahon. 1992. Physically based hydrologic modeling: 1. A terrain based model for investigative purposes. Water Resources Research 28(10):2639-2658. • Loehle, C. 1999. Optimizing wildlife habitat mitigation with a habitat defragmentation algorithm. Forest Ecology and Management 120 (1999) 245-251 • Mitasova, H. J. Hofieka, M., Zlocha, L. R. Iverson. 1996. Modeling topographic potential for erosion and deposition using GIS. International Journal of Geographic Information Systems 10:629-641. • Riters, K. H. 1995. A Factor Analysis of Landscape Pattern and Structure Metrics. Landscape Ecology 10:23-39. • Wickham, J. D. Jones, K. B. Ritters, K. H. O’Neill, R. V. Tankersley, R. D. Smith, E. R. Neale, A. C. and Chaloud, D. J. 1999. An integrated environmental assessment of the US Mid-Atlantic Region. Environ Manag 24: 553-560. • Wickham, J. D., R. V. O’Neill, and K. B. Jones. 2000. Forest fragmentation as an economic indicator. Landscape Ecology 15: 171-179. • Wiens, J. 1976. 1976. Population responses to patchy environments. Ann. Rev. Ecol Syst. 7:81-120 • Boyce, M.S., and A. Haney. 1997. Ecosystem Management: Applications for Sustainable Forest and Wildlife Resources. Yale University Press, New Haven & London. 361 pages • Forman, R.T. T., and M. Godron. 1986. Landscape Ecology. Wiley, New York. • Grumbine, R. E. 1994. What is Ecosystem Management. Conservation Biology8:27-38. • Hobbs, R. 1997. Future Landscapes and the Future of Landscape Ecology. Landscape and Urban Planning 37:1-9. • Jones, B.K, K.H. Ritters, J. D. Wickham, R.D. Tankersley, R.V. ONeill, D.J. Chaloud, E. R. Smith, and A.C. Neale. 1997 An Ecological Assessment of United States Mid-Atlantic Region: A Landscape Atlas.

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