Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Patch Dynamics: The Transformation of Landscape Structure and Function

  • Chapter
Wildlife and Landscape Ecology

Abstract

One of the most important developments in modern ecology is the recognition that heterogeneity, or spatial pattern, is a key part of the structure and functioning of nature. No person working to understand the natural world or to manage natural resources can afford to neglect the fact that habitats, physical environments, resources, organisms, and other ecological objects have a complex spatial diversity (Bell et al. 1991 Caldwell and Pearcy 1994). However, ecologists and wildlife biologists have recognized spatial heterogeneity primarily at coarser scales. Coarse scale heterogeneity appears in such patterns as elevational gradients of plant and animal distribution, the contrast between different climatic zones with latitude, and contrasts between such community types as bogs and uplands, grassland, and forest (McIntosh 1991).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Abbott, I. 1980. Theories dealing with land birds on islands. Advances in Ecological Research 11:329–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, M. 1991. The ecology of mycorrhizae. Cambridge University Press, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alverson, W.S., W. Kuhlmann, and D.M. Waller. 1994. Wild forests: conservation biology and public policy. Island Press, Washington, DC, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Angelstam, P. 1992. Conservation of communities—the importance of edges, surroundings and landscape mosaic structure. Pp. 9–70 in L. Hanson, editor. Ecological principles of nature conservation: applications in temperate and boreal environments. Elsevier Applied Science, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker, W.L. 1992. The landscape ecology of large disturbances in the design and management of nature reserves. Landscape Ecology 7:181–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beatty, S.W. 1984. Influence of microtopography and canopy species on spatial patterns of forest understory plants. Ecology 65:1406–1419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell, S.S., E.D. McCoy, and H.R. Mushinsky, editors. 1991. Habitat structure: the physical arrangements of objects in space. Chapman and Hall, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bormann, F.H., and G.E. Likens. 1979. Pattern and process in a forested ecosystem. Springer-Verlag, New York, New York, USA.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Breen, C.M., K.H. Rogers, and P.J. Ashtoe1988. Vegetation processes in swamps and flooded areas. Pp. 223–247 in J.J. Symoens, editor. Vegetation of inland waters. Kluwer, Dordrecht, Holland.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J.H. 1986. Two decades of interaction between the MacArthur—Wilson model and the complexities of mammalian distributions. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 28:231–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burgess, R.L., and D.M. Sharpe, editors. 1981. Forest island dynamics in man-dominated landscapes. Springer-Verlag, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell, M.M., and R.W. Pearcy, editors. 1994. Exploitation of environmental heterogeneity by plants: ecophysiological processes above and below ground. Academic Press, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, N.L. 1997. Managing for heterogeneity and complexity on dynamic landscapes. Pp. 167–186 in S.T.A. Pickett, R.S. Ostfeld, M. Shachak, and G.E. Likens, editors. The ecological basis of conservation: heterogeneity, ecosystems, and biodiversity. Chapman and Hall, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dale, V.H., F. Southworth, R.V. O’Neill, A. Rose, and R. Frohn. 1993. Simulating spatial patterns of land-use change in central Rondonia, Brazil. In R.H. Gardner, editor. Some mathematical questions in biology. American Mathematical Society, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunn, C.P., D.M. Sharpe, G.R. Guntenspergen, F. Stearns, and Z. Yang. 1991. Methods for analyzing temporal changes in landscape pattern. Pp. 173–198 in M.G. Turner and R.H. Gardner, editors. quantitative methods in landscape ecology: the analysis and interpretation of landscape heterogeneity. Springer-Verlag, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forman, R.T.T., and M. Godron. 1986. Landscape ecology. John Wiley and Sons, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forman, R.T.T., and P.N. Moore. 1992. Theoretical foundations for understanding boundaries in landscape mosaics. Pp. 236–258 in A.J. Hansen and F. di Castri, editors. Landscape boundaries, consequences for biotic diversity and ecological flows. Volume 92. Springer-Verlag, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster, R.B. 1980. Heterogeneity and disturbance in tropical vegetation. Pp. 75–92 in M.E. Soulé and B.A. Wilcox, editors. Conservation biology: an evolutionary-ecological perspective. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Franklin, J.F. 1993. Preserving biodiversity: species ecosystems, or landscapes. Ecological Application 3:202–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, L.E. 1980. Food web organization and the conservation of neotropical diversity. Pp. 11–33 in M.E. Soulé and B.A. Wilcox, editors. Conservation biology: an evolutionary-ecological perspective. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Groffman, P.M., D.R. Zak, S. Christensen, A.R. Mosier, and J.M. Tiedje. 1993. Early spring nitrogen dynamics in a temperate forest landscape. Ecology 74:1579–1585.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grumbine, R.E. 1994. What is ecosystem management? Conservation Biology 8:2738.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, L.D. 1984. The fragmented forest: island biogeography theory and the preservation of biodiversity. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, L.D. 1988. Edge effects and conservation of biotic diversity. Conservation Biology 2:330–332.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, S. 1994. Metapopulations and conservation. Pp. 111–128 in P.J. Edwards, R.M. May and N.R. Webb, editors. Large-scale ecology and conservation biology. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, S., and L. Fahrig. 1995. Landscape pattern and population conservation. Pp. 293–308 in L. Hansson, L. Fahrig, and G. Merriam, editors. Mosaic landscapes and ecological processes. Chapman and Hall, New York, New York, USA.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Heinselman, M.L. 1973. Fire in the virgin forests of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Minnesota. Journal of Quaternary Research 3:329–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hibbs, D.E. 1982. Gap dynamics in a hemlock-hardwood forest. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 12:522–527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holland, M.M., P.G. Risser, and R.J. Naiman, editors. 1991. Ecotones: the role of landscape boundaries in the management and restoration of changing environments. Chapman and Hall, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holling, C.S. 1978. Adaptive environmental assessment and management. John Wiley and Sons, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huston, M.A. 1994. Biological diversity: the coexistence of species in changing landscapes. Cambridge University Press, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ims, R.A. 1995. Movement patterns related to spatial structures. Pp. 85–109 in L. Hansson, L. Fahrig, and G. Merriam, editors. Mosaic landscapes and ecological processes. Chapman and Hall, New York, New York, USA.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, C.G., J.H. Lawton, and M. Shachak. 1994. Organisms as ecosystem engineers. Oikos 69:373–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kingsland, S.E. 1985. Modeling nature: episodes in the history of population ecology. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolasa, J., and S.T.A. Pickett. 1989. Ecological systems and the concept of organization. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America 86:8837–8841.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kolasa, J., and S.T.A. Pickett, editors. 1991. Ecological heterogeneity. Springer-Verlag, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kotliar, N.B., and J.A. Wiens. 1990. Multiple scales of patchiness and patch structure—a hierarchical framework for the study of heterogeneity. Oikos 59:253–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levins, R. 1970. Extinction. Lectures on Mathematics in the Life Sciences. American Mathematical Society, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. 2:75–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Little, S. 1979. Fire and plant succession in the New Jersey pine barrens. Pp. 297–314 in R.T.T. Forman, editor. Pine barrens: ecosystem and landscape. Academic Press, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacArthur, R.H., and E.O. Wilson. 1967. The theory of island biogeography. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonnell, M.J., and S.T.A. Pickett, editors. 1993. Humans as components of ecosystems: the ecology of subtle human effects and populated areas. Springer-Verlag, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • McIntosh, R.P. 1991. Concept and terminology of homogeneity and heterogeneity. Pp. 24–46 in J. Kolasa and S.T.A. Pickett, editors. Ecological heterogeneity. Springer-Verlag, New York, New York, USA.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Murcia, C. 1995. Edge effects in fragmented forests: implications for conservation. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 10:58–62.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council. 1986. Ecological knowledge and environmental problem-solving: concepts and case studies. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council. 1995. Science and the endangered species act. National Academy of Sciences Press, Washington, DC, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niering, W.A. 1987. Vegetation dynamics (succession and climax) in relation to plant community management. Conservation Biology 1:287–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Neill, R.V., R.H. Gardner, B.T. Milne, M.G. Turner, and B. Jackson. 1991. Heterogeneity and spatial hierarchies. Pp. 85–96 in J. Kolasa and S.T.A. Pickett, editors. Ecological heterogeneity. Springer-Verlag, New York, New York, USA.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Pearson, S.M. 1993. The spatial extent and relative influence of landscape-level factors on wintering bird populations. Landscape Ecology 8:3–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pickett, S.T.A. 1976. Succession: an evolutionary interpretation. American Naturalist 110:107–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pickett, S.T.A. 1996. Natural processes. Pp. 1–22 in P.A. Opler, editor. National status an trends of our living resources. National Biological Service, Washington, DC, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pickett, S.T.A., and M.L. Cadenasso. 1995. Landscape ecology: spatial heterogeneity in ecological systems. Science 269:331–334.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pickett, S.T.A., and P.S. White, editors. 1985. The ecology of natural disturbance and patch dynamics. Academic Press, Orlando, Florida, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pickett, S.T.A., J. Kolasa, J.J. Armesto, and S.L. Collins. 1989. The ecological concept of disturbance and its expression at various hierarchical levels. Oikos 54:129–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pielke, R.A., and R. Avissar. 1990. Influence of landscape structure on local and regional climate. Landscape Ecology 4:133–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pulliam, H.R. 1988. Sources, sinks, and population regulation. American Naturalist 132:652–661.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, K.H. 1997. Operationalizing ecology under a new paradigm: examples from African savannas and their rivers. Pp. 60–77 in S.T.A. Pickett, R.S. Ostfeld, M. Shachak, and G.E. Likens, editors. The ecological basis for conservation: heterogeneity, ecosystems, and biodiversity. Chapman and Hall, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shachak, M., and S. Brand. 1991. Relations among spatiotemporal heterogeneity, population abundance, and variability in a desert. Pp. 202–223 in J. Kolasa and S.T.A. Pickett, editors. Ecological heterogeneity. Springer-Verlag, New York, New York, USA.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Shafer, C.L. 1990. Nature reserves: island theory and conservation practice. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, B.L., W.C. Clark, R.W. Kates, J.F. Richards, J.T. Matthews, and W.B. Meyer, editors. 1990. The Earth as transformed by human action: global and regional changes in the biosphere over the past 300 years. Cambridge University Press, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, M.G., and R.H. Gardner, editors. 1991. Quantitative methods in landscape ecology: the analysis and interpretation of landscape heterogeneity. Springer-Verlag, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, M.G., R.H. Gardner, V.H. Dale, and R.V. O’Neill. 1989. Predicting the spread of disturbance across heterogeneous landscapes. Oikos 55:121–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner, S.J., R.V. O’Neill, W. Conley, M.R. Conley, and H.C. Humphries. 1991. Pattern and scale: statistics for landscape ecology. Pp. 17–49 in M.G. Turner and R.H. Gardner, editors. Quantitative methods in landscape ecology: the analysis and interpretation of landscape heterogeneity. Springer-Verlag, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waring, R.H., and W.H. Schlesinger. 1985. Forest ecosystems: concepts and management. Academic Press, Orlando, Florida, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watt, A.S. 1947. Pattern and process in the plant community. Journal of Ecology 35:1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, P.S. 1979. Pattern, process, and natural disturbance in vegetation. Botanical Review 45:229–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, P.S. 1994. Synthesis: vegetation pattern and process in the Everglades ecosystem. Pp. 445–458 in S.M. Davis and J.C. Ogden, editors. Everglades: the ecosystem and its restoration. St. Lucie Press, Delray Beach, Florida, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, P.S., and S.P. Bratton. 1980. After preservation: philosophical and practical problems of change. Biolgical Conservation 18:241–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiens, J.A. 1989. Spatial scaling in ecology. Functional Ecology 3:385–397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiens, J.A. 1992. Ecological flows across landscape boundaries: a conceptual over-view. Pp. 216–235 in F. di Castri and A.J. Hansen, editors. Landscape boundaries.Volume 92. Springer-Verlag, New York, New York, USA.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wiens, J.A. 1995. Landscape mosaics and ecological theory. Pp. 1–26 in L. Hansson, L. Fahrig, and G. Merriam, editors. Mosaic landscapes and ecological processes. Chapman and Hall, New York, New York, USA.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wiens, J.A. 1997. The emerging role of patchiness in conservation biology. Pp. 93–107 in S.T.A. Pickett, R.S. Ostfeld, M. Shachak, and G.E. Likens, editors. The ecological basis for conservation: heterogeneity, ecosystems, and biodiversity. Chapman and Hall, New York, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiens, J.A., C.S. Crawford, and J.R. Gosz. 1985. Boundary dynamics: a conceptual framework for studying landscape ecosystems. Oikos 45:421–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, J., and S.A. Levin. 1994. A spatial patch dynamic modeling approach to pattern and process in an annual grassland. Ecological Monographs 64:447–464.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, J., and J.L. Vankat. 1995. Island biogeography, theory and applications. Pp. 371–379 in W.A. Nierenberg, editor. Encyclopedia of environmental biology. Volume 2. Academic Press, orlando, Florida, USA.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. S. T. A. Pickett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kevin H. Rogers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (U.S. Geological Survey—Biological Resources Devision) Department of Fisheries and Wildlife College of Natural Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322-5290, USA

    John A. Bissonette

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Pickett, S.T.A., Rogers, K.H. (1997). Patch Dynamics: The Transformation of Landscape Structure and Function. In: Bissonette, J.A. (eds) Wildlife and Landscape Ecology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1918-7_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1918-7_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7338-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-1918-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation