| Contents Notes |
This work presents the perspective of three ecologists, Monica G. Turner, Robert H. Gardner, and Frank B. Golley, on the concepts and applications of landscape ecology, representing nearly 15 years of collaborative research, including research from a 7-year period during which they worked together at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The book provides in-depth analysis of the origins of landscape ecology and its close alignment with the understanding of scale, the causes of landscape pattern, and the interactions of spatial pattern with a variety of ecological processes. The text covers the quantitative approaches that are applied widely in landscape studies, with emphasis on their appropriate use and interpretation. The field of landscape ecology has grown rapidly during this period, its concepts and methods have matured, and the published literature has increased exponentially. Landscape research has enhanced understanding of the causes and consequences of spatial heterogeneity and how these vary with scale, and they have influenced the management of natural and human-dominated landscapes. Landscape ecology is now considered mainstream, and the approaches are widely used in many branches of ecology and are applied not only in terrestrial settings but also in aquatic and marine systems. In response to these rapid developments, an updated edition of Landscape Ecology in Theory and Practice provides a synthetic overview of landscape ecology, including its development, the methods and techniques that are employed, the major questions addressed, and the insights that have been gained. Introduction to Landscape Ecology and Scale -- Causes of Landscape Pattern -- Introduction to Models -- Landscape Metrics -- Spatial Statistics -- Landscape Disturbance Dynamics -- Organisms and Landscape Pattern -- Ecosystem Processes in Heterogeneous Landscapes -- Landscape Dynamics in a Rapidly Changing World -- Conclusions and Future Directions. |
