2001 Progress Report: A Hierarchical Patch Dynamics Approach to Regional Modeling and Scaling
EPA Grant Number: R827676Title: A Hierarchical Patch Dynamics Approach to Regional Modeling and Scaling
Investigators: Wu, Jianguo , Green, Douglas
Institution: Arizona State University
Current Institution: Arizona State University - West
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: October 15, 1999 through October 14, 2002
Project Period Covered by this Report: October 15, 2000 through October 14, 2001
Project Amount: $629,540
RFA: Regional Scale Analysis and Assessment (1999) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Aquatic Ecosystems , Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration
Objective:
The major objectives of this research project are to: (1) develop and test a hierarchical patch dynamics modeling and scaling approach to regional analysis and assessment by linking ecosystem processes to land use and land cover change; and (2) develop an understanding of how urbanization and related land use and land cover change affect ecosystem production and carbon and nitrogen dynamics at the regional scale.Progress Summary:
Results from landscape analysis and modeling indicate: (1) with increasing urbanization since 1912, the Phoenix landscape has increased dramatically in the diversity of land cover types, patch density, edge density, and structural complexity–these changes are closely correlated with human population increase in this region; (2) landscape metrics can be used with a gradient analysis approach to quantify urbanization patterns, which can be related to ecological variables; and (3) structural aspects of landscapes show three types of changes in response to a changing scale (grain and extent) of observation (or analysis).
Understanding these responses is important for the development of effective spatial scaling rules:
• Type I: Metrics showing predictable changes and simple scaling relationships. The response curves of these metrics show consistent, unique general scaling relationships across landscapes. Therefore, extrapolation and interpolation of Type I metrics across different extents can be done simply and accurately based on a few data points.
• Type II: Metrics showing staircase-like responses. The response curves of these metrics do not show unique simple scaling relationships, but some general patterns across landscapes are identifiable. In contrast with Type I metrics, the values of Type II metrics at different extents cannot be accurately predicted based on only a few data points.
• Type III (Extent): Metrics showing erratic responses. The response curves of these metrics do not show consistent patterns across different landscapes. As a result, general scaling functions seem impossible to derive. Thus, the extrapolation or interpolation of these metrics must explicitly consider the spatial structure of the landscapes of study, which must be done a posteriori, not a priori.
Future Activities:
We will continue to perform analyses and modeling, as we further our developments of hierarchical patch modeling and scaling to more accurately assess current data in relation to newly discovered information in respect to ecosystem processes, land use, and land cover change.Journal Articles on this Report : 6 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 73 publications | 44 publications in selected types | All 33 journal articles |
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Fagan WF, Meir E, Carroll SS, Wu J. The ecology of urban landscapes: modeling housing starts as a density-dependent colonization process. Landscape Ecology 2001;16(1):33-39.
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R827676 (2001) R827676 (Final) |
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Gao Q, Yu M, Yang X, Wu J. Scaling simulation models for spatially heterogeneous ecosystems with diffusive transportation. Landscape Ecology 2001;16(4):289-300.
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R827676 (2001) R827676 (Final) |
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Jenerette GD, Wu J. Analysis and simulation of land-use change in the central Arizona-Phoenix region, USA. Landscape Ecology 2001;16(7):611-626.
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R827676 (2000) R827676 (2001) R827676 (Final) |
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Luck MA, Jenerette GD, Wu JG, Grimm NB. The urban funnel model and spatially heterogeneous ecological footprint. Ecosystems 2001;4(8):782-796. |
R827676 (2001) |
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Musacchio LR, Wu J. Collaborative landscape-scale ecological research: emerging trends in urban and regional ecology. Urban Ecosystems 2004;7(3):175-178.
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R827676 (2000) R827676 (2001) R827676 (2002) R827676 (2003) R827676 (Final) |
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Wu J, David JL. A spatially explicit hierarchical approach to modeling complex ecological systems: theory and applications. Ecological Modeling 2002;153(1-2):7-26.
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R827676 (2001) R827676 (2002) R827676 (Final) |
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