Landscape ecology - Definition and Overview

Landscape ecology is a subdiscipline of ecology and geography that is interested in the spatial arrangement of elements in the landscape (such as fields, hedgerows, woodlots, rivers or towns) and how their distribution affects the distribution and flow of energy and individuals in the environment (which, in turn, may influence the distribution of the elements themselves). Landscape ecology typically deals with problems in an applied and holistic context.

The theory originates from MacArthur & Wilson's The Theory of Island Biogeography. This work considered the assembly of flora and fauna on islands as the result of colonization from a mainland stock and stochastic extinction. The concepts of island biogeography were generalized from physical islands to abstract patches of habitat by Levins' metapopulation model. This generalization spurred the growth of landscape ecology by providing conservation biologists a new tool to assess how habitat fragmentation affects population viability. Recent growth of landscape ecology owes much to the development of geographic information systems (GIS) technology and the availability of large-extent habitat data (e.g. remotely sensed satellite images or aerial photography).

See Also

Biogeography

References

• MacArthur, Robert H. and Wilson, Edward O. The Theory of Island Biogeography Princeton University Press. 2001 (reprint) ISBN: 0-691-08836-5

External links

• International Association for Landscape Ecology (http://www.landscape-ecology.org/)
• Landscape Ecology (http://www.kluweronline.com/issn/0921-2973) - A major scientific journal on Landscape Ecology
• U.S. Regional Association of the International Association for Landscape Ecology (http://www.usiale.org/)