Ecology of Multiple Ecosystems

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Ecology of Multiple Ecosystems in Time and Space
Jiquan Chen
Landscape Ecology Ecosystem Science LEES
Lab University of Toledo
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An agricultural landscape
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If you could perceive the patterns in a scene,
you could then look beyond the patterns to the
underlying structure that supports them. If you
could see and grasp the methods by which a
surface harmony had been achieved, you eventually
could understand the deepest meaning and
mechanisms of any subject and then make a good
painting of it (Page 66) Koontz 1980
Whispers
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Understanding a landscape
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Understanding a landscape
Are we satisfied with this product?
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Understanding a landscape
Is this structure of the landscape interesting
and how was it created?
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Understanding a landscape
Is this structure of the landscape interesting
and how was it created?
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Understanding a landscape
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Eight Major Elements of Landscape Ecology

• Sensing or generating landscape structure
• Quantitative/Qualitative analysis of landscape
  and dynamics
• Scale analysis of structure and function
• Causes of spatial patterns
• Consequences of spatial patterns
• Experimental design test a hypothesis
• Simulations of landscapes and changes
• Landscape management

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Edges
Matrix
Streams Roads
Patch
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The patch-corridor-matrix dogma -- a landscape is
composed of multiple ecosystems. It is theorized
that new structural and functional features would
emerge when gt2 ecosystems are placed together
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Changes in NEP with age (a) and the age structure
of a hypothetical landscape (b) together
determine the cumulative NEP of the landscape (c)
(a)
Chen et al. (2004)
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Pattern and Process
Chen et al. 2004
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Pattern-Process
Simulated fire spreads in different parts of a
managed forest landscape in Northern Wisconsin.
(LEES Lab)
Lacroix et al. (in press)
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Pattern-Process
Landform effects on ecosystem patterns and
processes
Swanson et al. 1988
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Challenges
Accuracies of landscape delineation Landscape ?
?(Ecosystems) Ecological responses to landscapes
at multiple scales Areas of edge influence
(AEIs) as landscape elements Hypothesis-oriented
ecological research lack of theories
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Global forest cover based on different sources of
satellite data. The differences in patch patterns
are related to sensor type, resolution,
classification methods, legend development, and
insufficient evaluation. Herold et al. (2005)
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Challenges
Accuracies of landscape delineation Landscape ?
?(Ecosystems) Ecological responses to landscapes
at multiple scales Areas of edge influence
(AEIs) as landscape elements Hypothesis-oriented
ecological research lack of theories
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Once upon a time, there
Key Points

• Structure needs to be defined by objective,
  proper scale, and variable of interests
• All structural elements are dynamic (i.e.,
  constantly changing over time)

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Challenges
Accuracies of landscape delineation Landscape ?
?(Ecosystems) Ecological responses to landscapes
at multiple scales Areas of edge influence
(AEIs) as landscape elements Hypothesis-oriented
ecological research lack of theories
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Landscape Level (Four Landscapes)
Do differences among landscape-level disturbance
regimes influence patterns of understory plant
diversity or composition?
Large-Block Pine Oak
Pine Barrens
Small-Block Pine
Pine-Oak-Aspen Forest
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Wavelet Analysis of Shannon Diversity (H)
1500
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Challenges
Accuracies of landscape delineation Landscape ?
?(Ecosystems) Ecological responses to landscapes
at multiple scales Areas of edge influence
(AEIs) as landscape elements Hypothesis-oriented
ecological research lack of theories
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Conventional landscapes (a) should be decomposed
into a more complex land mosaic (b) by
identifying and delineating patch interior,
transitional zones on both sides of a corridor,
area-of-edge influence (AEI), and
area-of-multiple edge influence (AMEI) as
distinct landscape elements in structure analysis.
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Distribution of area-of-edge influences (AEI)
around older clearcut, showing a complex AEI
composition.
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Challenges
Accuracies of landscape delineation Landscape ?
?(Ecosystems) Ecological responses to landscapes
at multiple scales Areas of edge influence
(AEIs) as landscape elements Hypothesis-oriented
ecological research lack of theories
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Developing innovative field and lab experiments
for testing sound hypotheses
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Ecological Theories
Sanders Harris (2000)
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Advancing landscape ecology by developing sound
theories, principles, and applications
Tress et al. (2005)
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Advancing landscape ecology by developing sound
theories, principles, and applications
Silbernagel et al. (in press)
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Advancing landscape ecology by developing sound
theories, principles, and applications
Silbernagel et al. (in press)
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Advancing landscape ecology by developing sound
theories, principles, and applications
Silbernagel et al. (in press)
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Advancing landscape ecology by developing sound
theories, principles, and applications
Moving toward application
Modeling visualization - methods have led to
progress in science
Silbernagel et al. (in press)
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Finally, landscape managers need cook books, not
fancy theories without straightforward
translations!
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Ryu et al. (2006
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Animations of A Simulated Fire (FARSITE) in N. WI
Wang et al. (2006)
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Questions?
Song et al. (2006)