Transcript 6108 Lecture 1 - Carmela Canzonieri

• What Is Ecology?
• What is Landscape?
• What is Landscape Ecology?
A road to Landscape Ecological Planning
• word ECOLOGY from
Ernst Haeckel,
Germany, 1869.
• derived from the Greek
oikos, meaning "home,"
or "place to live"
• and logos, "the study
of.“
•
"...investigation of the
total relationships of
the animal both to its
inorganic and its organic
environment..
An illustration by Haeckel “Discomedusae”
• "...the scientific study of the distribution and
abundance of animals."
(Andrewartha 1961)
• "...the study of the structure and function of
nature”
(Odum 1971)
• "...the study of the adaptations of organisms to
their environment"
(Emlen 1973)
• "...the scientific study of the relationships
between organisms and their environments"
(McNaughton and Wolfe 1979)
• "...the scientific study of the interactions that
determine the distribution and abundance of
organisms."
(Krebs 1985)
• "...the study of the principles which govern
temporal and spatial patterns for assemblages of
organisms"
(Fenchel 1987)
• "...the study of the relationships between organisms
and the totality of the physical and biological factors
affecting them or influenced by them"
(Pianka 1988)
Experimental papers submitted to the journal Ecology
between 1980-86
>50% of studies used experimental plots <1m in diameter
>95% used plots <100m in diameter
WHAT IS LANDSCAPE ?
Any definition of landscape has to be broad. Landscape is the changing human
and natural habitat; it is also the topographical form and visual appearance
of land. Landscapes are perceived through the way these components
combine in a way that is distinctive to particular localities and the way they
are informed the cultural and historical associations of place.
publication Parliament UK , 1998
The study of larger areas
• Landscape is a heterogeneous land area composed
of a cluster of interactive ecosystems
(Forman 1986)
• How large is a landscape? No hard and fast rules. “…a
kilometers-wide mosaic over which local
ecosystems recur”
(Forman 1995)
• A more general definition that does not require an
absolute scale: “…..an area that is spatially
heterogeneous in at least one factor of interest”
(Turner et al. 2001; p. 7)
“Small scale”?
“Large scale”?
Coarse-scale
or coarse-grained
Fine-scale
or fine-grained
What is Landscape Ecology?
• …..focuses on (1) spatial relationships among landscape
elements, (2) flows of energy, mineral nutrients, and species
among the elements, and (3) ecological dynamics of the
landscape mosaic through time (Forman 1983)
• ….focuses explicitly upon spatial patterns. Specifically,
landscape ecology considers the development and dynamics of
spatial heterogeneity, spatial and temporal interactions and
exchanges across heterogeneous landscapes, influence of
spatial heterogeneity on biotic and abiotic processes, and
management of spatial heterogeneity (Risser et al. 1984)
• ….is motivated by a need to understand the development and
dynamics of pattern in ecological phenomena, role of
disturbance in ecosystems, and characteristic spatial and
temporal scales of ecological events (Urban et al. 1987)
• ….emphasizes broad spatial scales and the ecological effects
of the spatial patterning of ecosystems (Turner 1989)
Landscape ecology does not define, a priori, specific scales to
apply; aims to identify scales that best describe spatial
heterogeneity and the process of interest.
Examples of issues needing
large scale
• populations of native plants and animals over large
areas as land use or climate changes
• effects of habitat fragmentation or loss
• human settlement and natural disturbance regime
• effects of nonpoint source pollution in aquatic
ecosystems
The importance of scale was not recognized until
the 1980's. Different problems require different
scales of study, and most problems require
multiple scales of study.
European school
• German biogeographer, Carl Troll coined the term
landscape ecology in 1939
• Focus on typology, classification, nomenclature
and the “built” (human) environment
• In the U.S., this perspective is found in Landscape
Architecture, Planning or Design schools
American school
• more focused on natural or semi-natural
systems
• more emphasis on theory and models
• most used in biology, environmental
science, ecology, natural resources,
geography programs
• natural resource management agencies
Landscape Ecology is
Interdisciplinary
–Ecology
–Conservation biology
–Geography & GIS
–Mapping & remote sensing
–Landscape architecture
–Planning
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Landscape Ecology & Planning
• The main objective of physical planning is the
optimization of the distribution of land uses.
• Promoting sustainability can be considered the
ultimate goal of landscape planning
• Planning for conservation, protection and
appropriate use of land.
Landscape Ecology & Planning (cont.)
• explicit attention to the spatial dimension of
ecological processes
• demanded a stronger interaction between
ecologists and planners.
• The connection of parts (topology) was integrated
with horizontal relationships (chorology)
• human activities included as part of the system.
• Now landscape ecology is recognized as the
scientific basis for landscape planning,
management, conservation and reclamation.
Landscape Design & Planning
Landscape design expressed in a plan must:
• incorporate the necessary patterns and derived
functions critical for the ecological sustainability
• include current and proposed future landscapes.
• take a proactive attitude toward landscape through
compatible placing and design in planning process
in order to anticipate consequences on ecological
systems.