Cultivation and dynamic cropping processes impart land-cover heterogeneity within agroecosystems: a metrics-based case study in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta (USA)

Authors: Heintzman, Lucas; MCINTYRE, NANCY - Texas Tech University; LANGENDOEN, EDDY - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA); READ, QUENTIN - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)

Submitted to: Landscape Ecology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/19/2023
Publication Date: 2/14/2024
Citation: Heintzman, L.J., Mcintyre, N.E., Langendoen, E.J., Read, Q.D. 2024. Cultivation and dynamic cropping processes impart land-cover heterogeneity within agroecosystems: a metrics-based case study in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta (USA). Landscape Ecology. 39(29). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-024-01797-0.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-024-01797-0

Interpretive Summary: Farming practices cause land surface changes, which can influence the distribution of natural resources. Farming practices also change through time. It is important to identify locations, types, and durations of land surface changes in agricultural environments. Our study examined these patterns within northwestern Mississippi. We documented agricultural areas with high rates of land surface change, areas with few changes, and highlighted the importance of crop rotation strategies. Our results can help guide efficient production techniques and support conservation efforts.

Technical Abstract: Context. Cultivation and crop rotation are significant sources of land-cover heterogeneity. Characterization of heterogeneity is required to identify areas and trends of stability or change. Objectives. We analyzed a time series of land cover within a prominent industrialized agricultural system (IAS) in the U.S., the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta (the Delta), as a case study of which metrics capture dynamic changes in terms of landscape composition, configuration, connectivity, and context. Methods. An assessment of land cover was conducted from 2008-2021. Twelve out of 23 metrics (including three new ones presented herein) examined were useful in characterizing land-cover heterogeneity. Results. Although there was no increase in cultivated land, relative amounts of land-cover types fluctuated. Contextual metrics indicated that >72% of the Delta experienced a change in land-cover type. About 3% of the Delta consisted of spatio-temporal monocultures. Configurational metrics varied across years for soybeans, cotton, and rice, further indicating the prevalence of field-level changes in composition; connectivity metrics revealed isolation of upland forest and rice. Coverage of corn increased with the previous year’s price and decreased with precipitation, whereas coverage of soybean was lower in high-precipitation years and more dependent on commodity prices. Conclusions. The Delta experienced land-cover change but with no net loss or gain of cultivated lands. Using metrics that captured temporal shifts in spatial patterns, we were able to characterize this IAS as a shifting mosaic. Our approach may be a useful model for identifying areas of spatiotemporal heterogeneity or stability, with implications on resource management.