Ecology of Hierarchical Landscapes from Theory to Application

Authors: ZHENG, DAOLAN - UNIV. OF TOLEDO; Hunt Jr, Earle; Doraiswamy, Paul; McCarty, Gregory; RYU, SOUNG-RYOUL - UNIV. OF TOLEDO

Submitted to: Linking Ecology to Landscape Hierarchies
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/30/2005
Publication Date: 6/30/2006
Citation: Zheng, D., Hunt, E.R., Doraiswamy, P.C., McCarty, G.W., Ryu, S. 2006. Ecology of hierarchical landscapes from theory to application. In: Chen, J., Saunders, S.C., Brosofske, K.D., Crow, T.R. Linking Ecology to Landscape Hierarchies. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Publishers. p. 125-166.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Landscape ecological processes are an emergent property that can not be directly extrapolated from observations at small scales. Remote sensing is a process of gathering information about the Earth's surface using reflected or radiant electromagnetic radiation. Computer simulation models test understanding of ecological processes by generating predictions and projections. These two techniques combined are a powerful method to study the emergent properties of landscapes. This book chapter provides five case studies showing how remote sensing and computer simulation provide insight to ecological processes at the landscape scale. The first studies land use change in relation to patch dynamics in Korea and China. The second case study presents how Landsat data may be used for estimating above-ground biomass. The third examines the effects of erosion and agricultural management on soil carbon sequestration. The fourth case study shows the effects of decades-long fire suppression by modeling fuel loading based on remote sensing. The last case study uses forest inventory data to test remote sensing and modeling approaches. These studies are aiming to the ultimate goal of spatial ecological models where the different units on a landscape interact with each other.