Relationships between lake macrophyte cover and lake and landscape features

We examined the ability of lake and landscape features to predict a variety of macrophyte cover metrics using 54 north temperate lakes. We quantified submersed cover, emergent cover, floating leaf cover, Eurasian watermilfoil cover and total macrophyte cover. Measured lake features included lake physio-chemical and morphometric variables and landscape features included hydrologic, catchment and land use/cover variables. Univariate regression analyses demonstrated that these macrophyte cover metrics are predicted by a wide range of predictor variables, most commonly by: Secchi disk depth, maximum or mean depth, catchment morphometry, road density and the proportion of urban or agricultural land use/cover in the riparian zone or catchment (r² = 0.06–0.46). Using a combination of lake and landscape features in multiple regressions, we were able to explain 29–55% of the variation in macrophyte cover metrics. Total macrophyte cover and submersed cover were related to Secchi disk depth and mean depth, whereas the remaining metrics were best predicted by including at least one land use/cover variable (road density, proportion local catchment agriculture land use/cover, proportion cumulative catchment urban land use/cover, or proportion riparian agriculture land use/cover). The two main conclusions from our research are: (1) that different macrophyte growth forms and species are predicted by a different suite of variables and thus should be examined separately, and (2) that anthropogenic landscape features may override patterns in natural landscape or local features and are important in predicting present-day macrophytes in lakes.     

千岛湖生态保护与建设对景观格局的影响研究

生态保护和生态建设过程对景观格局产生影响并使之发生变化,这种变化又会影响景观的生态过程。应用3s技术和景观指数分析了39年(1964-2003年)内千岛湖库区土地利用和土地覆盖格局的变化。结果显示,斑块总数和景观破碎度基本保持不变,但是各斑块类型的斑块数量、面积和优势度变化非常显著。最优势斑块类型由荒山(占陆地面积的47．44％)演变为马尾松( Pinus massoniana)林(占陆地面积的52．8l％),研究区域内森林植被覆盖率增加。研究还发现景观多样性指数略微下降。景观多样性是对土地利用和覆盖类型丰富度和均匀度的概要度量,并不一定总是和景观功能呈正相关关系。上述变化归因于多项生态保护措施的实施使得自然演替得以实现。景观格局的优化使生态系统的生态功能得到提高,包括生境恢复、生物多样性增加、水土流失减少。森林植被恢复以后,马尾松林斑块的单一化趋势应在今后的生物多样性保护、生态规划和可持续发展中得到重视。     

Characterizing a tropical deforestation wave: a dynamic spatial analysis of a deforestation hotspot in the Colombian Amazon

Tropical deforestation is the major contemporary threat to global biodiversity, because a diminishing extent of tropical forests supports the majority of the Earth's biodiversity. Forest clearing is often spatially concentrated in regions where human land use pressures, either planned or unplanned, increase the likelihood of deforestation. However, it is not a random process, but often moves in waves originating from settled areas. We investigate the spatial dynamics of land cover change in a tropical deforestation hotspot in the Colombian Amazon. We apply a forest cover zoning approach which permitted: calculation of colonization speed; comparative spatial analysis of patterns of deforestation and regeneration; analysis of spatial patterns of mature and recently regenerated forests; and the identification of local‐level hotspots experiencing the fastest deforestation or regeneration. The colonization frontline moved at an average of 0.84 km yr^?1 from 1989 to 2002, resulting in the clearing of 3400 ha yr^?1 of forests beyond the 90% forest cover line. The dynamics of forest clearing varied across the colonization front according to the amount of forest in the landscape, but was spatially concentrated in well‐defined ‘local hotspots’ of deforestation and forest regeneration. Behind the deforestation front, the transformed landscape mosaic is composed of cropping and grazing lands interspersed with mature forest fragments and patches of recently regenerated forests. We discuss the implications of the patterns of forest loss and fragmentation for biodiversity conservation within a framework of dynamic conservation planning.     

重庆岩溶区土壤景观多样性

不同土壤发生类型塑造了异质的景观格局,而土壤类型上不同的土地利用实践又对原有景观格局进行重构。研究的目的是利用景观指数识别重庆岩溶区土壤多样性的景观特征。结果表明：重庆市岩溶区土壤景观多样化和空间异质化程度不高,各景观分布比例不均匀;土壤景观嵌块体呈现复杂的几何形状,黄壤、石灰土和黄棕壤是主要的土壤类型;除山地草甸土以林地和草地,棕壤以林地为主要景观外,其余9种土壤类型都以耕地和林地为主要景观;农、林用地在重庆岩溶区土壤景观空间格局的结构和功能中起主导作用;但因各类土壤性质和分布特点的不同,耕地和林地在各类土壤上的分配比例上存在明显差异;人类活动在诱导耕地嵌块体数急剧增多的同时,居民工矿用地、林地、未利用地嵌块体数目也相应增加;研究可为岩溶区土地利用决策与调控提供科学依据,加深人们对岩溶区土壤多样性的理解。     

Towards a core set of landscape metrics for biodiversity assessments: A case study from Dadia National Park,Greece

Spatial heterogeneity has an important influence on a wide range of ecological patterns and processes, and many landscape metrics in GIS environment are used to facilitate the investigation of the relation between landscape structure and biodiversity. Data reduction analyses have been applied to tackle the problem of highly correlated indices, but valid landscape predictors for fine scale Mediterranean forest-mosaics are still missing. Therefore, we analyzed the landscape structure of Dadia National Park, Greece, a Mediterranean forest landscape of high biodiversity, characterized by pine, oak and mixed woodland. By distinguishing nine land cover classes, 119 variables were computed and factor analysis was applied to detect the statistical dimensions of landscape structure and to define a core set of representative metrics. At landscape level, diversity of habitats, fragmentation and patch shape and at class level dominance of mixed forest and the gradient from one pure forest type to another turned out to be the crucial factors across three different scales. Mapping the encountered dimensions and the representative metrics, we detected that the pattern of landscape structure in Dadia National Park was related to dominating habitat types, land use, and level of protection. The evaluated set of metrics will be useful in establishing a landscape monitoring program, to detect the local drivers of biodiversity, and to improve management decisions in Dadia NP and similar mosaic-landscapes.     

Exploring the spatiotemporal dynamics of habitat suitability to improve conservation management of a vulnerable plant species

Ongoing declines in biodiversity caused by global environmental changes call for adaptive conservation management, including the assessment of habitat suitability spatiotemporal dynamics potentially affecting species persistence. Remote sensing (RS) provides a wide-range of satellite-based environmental variables that can be fed into species distribution models (SDMs) to investigate species-environment relations and forecast responses to change. We address the spatiotemporal dynamics of species’ habitat suitability at the landscape level by combining multi-temporal RS data with SDMs for analysing inter-annual habitat suitability dynamics. We implemented this framework with a vulnerable plant species (Veronica micrantha), by combining SDMs with a time-series of RS-based metrics of vegetation functioning related to primary productivity, seasonality, phenology and actual evapotranspiration. Besides RS variables, predictors related to landscape structure, soils and wildfires were ranked and combined through multi-model inference (MMI). To assess recent dynamics, a habitat suitability time-series was generated through model hindcasting. MMI highlighted the strong predictive ability of RS variables related to primary productivity and water availability for explaining the test-species distribution, along with soil, wildfire regime and landscape composition. The habitat suitability time-series revealed the effects of short-term land cover changes and inter-annual variability in climatic conditions. Multi-temporal SDMs further improved predictions, benefiting from RS time-series. Overall, results emphasize the integration of landscape attributes related to function, composition and spatial configuration for improving the explanation of ecological patterns. Moreover, coupling SDMs with RS functional metrics may provide early-warnings of future environmental changes potentially impacting habitat suitability. Applications discussed include the improvement of biodiversity monitoring and conservation strategies.     

Monitoring ecological indicators of rangeland functional integrity and their relation to biodiversity at local to regional scales

Abstract Functional integrity is the intactness of soil and native vegetation patterns and the processes that maintain these patterns. In Australia's rangelands, the integrity of these patterns and processes have been modified by clearing, grazing and fire. Intuitively, biodiversity should be strongly related to functional integrity; that is, landscapes with high functional integrity should maintain biodiversity, and altered, less functional landscapes may lose some biodiversity, defined here as the variety and abundance of the plants, animals and microorganisms of concern. Simple indicators of biodiversity and functional integrity are needed that can be monitored at a range of scales, from fine to coarse. In the present paper, we use examples, primarily from published work on Australia's rangeland, to document that at finer patch and hillslope scales several indicators of landscape functional integrity have been identified. These indicators, based on the quantity and quality of vegetation patches and interpatch zones, are related to biodiversity. For example, a decrease in the cover and width (quantity) and condition (quality) of vegetation patches, and an increase in bare soil (quantity of interpatch) near cattle watering points in a paddock are significantly related to declines in plant and grasshopper diversity. These vegetation patch‐cover and bare‐soil indicators have been monitored traditionally by field‐based methods, but new high‐resolution, remote‐sensing imagery can be used in specific rangeland areas for this fine‐scale monitoring. At intermediate paddock and small watershed scales, indicators that can be derived from medium‐resolution remote‐sensing are also needed for efficient monitoring of rangeland condition (i.e. functional integrity) and biodiversity. For example, 30–100‐m‐pixel Landsat imagery has been used to assess the condition of rangelands along grazing gradients extending from watering‐points. The variety and abundance of key taxa have been related to these gradients (the Biograze project). At still larger region and catchment scales, indicators of rangeland functional integrity can also be monitored by coarse‐resolution remote‐sensing and related to biodiversity. For example, the extent and greenness (condition) of different regional landscapes have been monitored with 1‐km‐pixel satellite imagery. This regional information becomes more valuable when it indicates differences as a result of land management. Finally, we discuss potential future developments that could improve proposed indicators of landscape functional integrity and biodiversity, thereby improving our ability to monitor rangelands effectively.     

Fragmentation in the Legal Amazon,Brazil: Can landscape metrics indicate agricultural policy differences?

Large-scale land conversion for agriculture in Brazilian Amazonia is occurring at persistently high rates. Basin-wide net land use and land cover changes imply substantially different situations between distinct regions and states due to different agricultural policies. This research used eight landscape metrics to quantify and investigate the spatial patterns of cattle pasture and cropland throughout the states of Pará, Mato Grosso, Rondônia, and Amazonas. These metrics were patch density (DEN), mean patch size (MPS), largest patch index (LPI), mean edge density (MED), mean twist number (TWI), corrected perimeter-to-area ratio (CPA), fractal dimension (FDI), and fragmentation index (FRG). A total of 1852 patches were analyzed, originating from 86 samples in 71 different plots, covering a total of 177,500 km² throughout all four states.Principal component analysis showed a partial overlap in the spatial pattern of agricultural patches between all states. The largest percentage of variance was explained by patch area metrics, which can be related to the different approaches in agricultural policies, but no clear division between the states was identified in this dimension. The metrics quantifying patch shape were de facto independent of deforestation area, and related to the second principal component axis. Although some overlap in this dimension was present as well, these metrics proved a possible measure for discerning the patterns of agriculture attached to a certain state. Different land use policies are hypothesized to lead to more heterogeneity in landscape patterns in an early stage, yet the increasing influence of both cropland and pasture agriculture eventually leads to more uniform landscapes in which spatial differences gradually disappear.     

景观指数耦合景观格局与土壤侵蚀的有效性

景观格局分析是景观生态学中揭示景观变化及其生态效应的主要方法,而景观指数是景观格局分析中广泛使用的工具。土壤侵蚀是土壤物质在景观中的迁移和再分配过程,受地形、植被和人类活动及其空间格局的调控。运用景观格局分析揭示景观格局变化特别是土地利用/覆被格局变化对土壤侵蚀的影响是土壤侵蚀研究中应用景观生态学原理和方法的典型。在当前的研究中,斑块-廊道-基质范式下建立的景观指数对侵蚀过程的解释能力不断受到质疑,建立筛选适用的景观指数的原则和方法十分必要。以延河流域碾庄沟小流域为例,利用WATEM/SEDEM模型模拟多个年份流域侵蚀产沙和输沙量;基于土地利用/覆被数据,利用Fragstat4.2软件,计算了相应年份流域斑块、边界密度、形状、集聚与分散和斑块类型多样性4个方面的代表性景观指数。在此基础上,分析了景观指数与流域侵蚀产沙和输沙之间的关系,讨论了景观指数在土壤侵蚀研究中的有效性,在景观和斑块类型水平上分析了景观指数表达"源"、"汇"两大类景观类型的空间格局与侵蚀产沙和输沙之间的关系的一致性。结果表明:斑块-廊道-基底范式下发展的景观指数在指示景观格局的土壤侵蚀效应时存在局限。相对而言,斑块类型尺度的景观指数更能有效表达景观格局与土壤侵蚀的关系。基于景观类型在土壤侵蚀过程中的"源"、"汇"功能,提出了在土壤侵蚀研究中筛选适用的景观指数的原则:(1)对"源"、"汇"两类景观类型,景观指数与土壤侵蚀状况表征变量的相关系数符号相反;(2)对同为"源"或"汇"景观类型的多个景观类型,景观指数与土壤侵蚀表征变量的相关系数应具有符号一致性。尽管景观指数在斑块类型水平上具有一定的有效性,但用其预测景观格局变化的侵蚀效应有很大的不确定性。因此,基于土壤侵蚀过程与景观格局的作用机制发展新型的景观指数是增强景观格局分析预测土壤侵蚀过程的能力的途径。     

On the relationship between a resource based measure of geodiversity and broad scale biodiversity patterns

Geodiversity, (diversity of the geosphere) incorporates many of the environmental patterns and processes that are considered drivers of biodiversity. Components of geodiversity (climate, topography, geology and hydrology) can be considered in terms of their resource giving potential, where resources are taken as energy, water, space and nutrients. The total amount of these resources, along with their spatial and temporal variation, is herein proposed as a compound index of geodiversity that has the potential to model broad scale biodiversity patterns. This paper outlines potential datasets that could be used to represent geodiversity, and then reviews the theoretical links between each element of the proposed compound index of geodiversity (overall resource availability, temporal variation and spatial variation in those resources) and broad-scale patterns of biodiversity. Support for the influence of each of the elements of geodiversity on overall biodiversity patterns was found in the literature, although the majority of relevant research focuses on resource availability, particularly available energy. The links between temporal and spatial variation in resources and biodiversity have been less thoroughly investigated in the literature. For the most part, it was reported that overall resource availability, temporal variation and spatial variation in those resources do not act in isolation in terms of controlling biodiversity. Overall there are sufficient datasets to calculate the proposed compound index of geodiversity, and evidence in the literature for links between the geographical distribution of biodiversity and each of the elements of the compound index defined. Since data for measuring geodiversity is more spatially consistent and widely available (thanks to satellite remote sensing) geodiversity has potential as a conservation planning tool, especially where biological data are not available or sparsely distributed.     

Landscape connectivity dynamics based on network analysis in the Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve,China

Lack of landscape connectivity and habitat loss is major threats to biodiversity and ecosystem integrity in nature reserves aimed at conservation. In this study, we used structural pattern and functional connectivity metrics to analyze the spatial patterns and landscape connectivity of habitat patches for the Shangyong sub-reserve of the Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve from 1970, 1990, and 2000. On the basis of vegetation and land cover data, we applied the equivalent connected area ECA(PC) indicator to analyze the changes in forest connectivity. Four distance thresholds (2, 4, 8, 12 km) were considered to compare the patch importance of connectivity by dECA values. The results showed the declining trends of landscape connectivity measured by ECA(PC) index from 1970 to 2000. The importance of connectivity in each forest patch varied with the increment of dispersal distances at the patch level, and some important habitat patches, which exhibit a potential to enhance landscape connectivity, should be given more attention. The least-cost pathways based on network structure were displayed under four dispersal distances in three periods. The results showed that the number of paths among the fragments of forest patches exhibited radical increases for larger dispersal distances. Further correlation analyses of AWF, ECA (IIC), and ECA (PC) showed the weakest and least-frequent correlations with the structural pattern indices, while H presented more significant correlations with the PD fragmentation metric. Furthermore, Kendall's rank correlations between the forest patch area and functional connectivity indicators showed that dECA (PC) and dAWF indicators should provided the area-based prioritization of habitat patches. Moreover, the low-rank correlations showed that dF and dLCP can be considered as effective and appropriate indicators for the evaluation of habitat features and network patterns.     

毛乌素沙化景观内斑块间的多种边界

1　引　　言时空异质性是自然系统的普遍特征 ,陆地景观镶嵌体由许多不同的具有内部相对同质性的斑块组成 .因此 ,当考虑整个景观时 ,相邻斑块之间的边界就成为一个不容忽视的景观组分[13 ] .长期以来 ,与边界有关的生态学问题在基础和应用生态学研究的不同领域中备受关注[5,9,10 ,15] .Ｗｉｅｎｓ等[16]提出一个研究景观生态系统空间斑块性的概念框架———边界动态 ,通过对景观镶嵌体中相邻斑块间的边界的研究 ,来揭示生态系统功能的空间结构 .为了增强对形成和维持生态学边界的各种过程的理解 ,首先应确定边界的空间位置[6] .因此许多确…     

A new view on EU agricultural landscapes: Quantifying patchiness to assess farmland heterogeneity

Mapping and assessment of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes as required by the EU biodiversity policy need a better characterization of the given landscape typology according to its ecological and cultural values. Such need should be accommodated by a better discrimination of the landscape characteristics linked to the capacity of providing ecosystem services and socio-cultural benefits. Often, these key variables depend on the degree of farmland heterogeneity and landscape patterns. We employed segmentation and landscape metrics (edge density and image texture respectively), derived from a pan-European multi-temporal and multi-spectral remote sensing dataset, to generate a consistent European indicator of farmland heterogeneity, the Farmland Heterogeneity Indicator (FHI). We mapped five degrees of FHI on a wall-to-wall basis (250 m spatial resolution) over European agricultural landscapes including natural grasslands. Image texture led to a clear improvement of the indicator compared to the pure application of Edge Density, in particular to a better detection of small patches. In addition to deriving a qualitative indicator we attributed an approximate patch size to each class, allowing an indicative assessment of European field sizes. Based on CORINE land cover, we identified pastures and heterogeneous land cover classes as classes with the highest degree of FHI, while agroforestry and olive groves appeared less heterogeneous on average. We performed a verification based on a continental and regional scale, which resulted in general good agreement with independently derived data.     

干旱半干旱区坡面覆被格局的水土流失效应研究进展

植被恢复与建设是控制水土流失的重要措施.在干旱半干旱地区,植被在空间上的分布呈现离散特征,在坡面上形成的裸地-植被镶嵌和植被条带分布等覆被格局对水土流失过程具有重要影响.覆被格局与水土流失关系研究是景观生态学格局与过程研究的重要内容.从植被斑块、坡面覆被格局对水土流失的影响与耦合覆被格局与水土流失的手段和方法三个方面对国内外相关研究进行总结分析.从中发现,植被类型、层次结构和形态特征是植被斑块尺度上影响径流泥沙的关键因素;不同覆被类型的产流产沙特征与覆被格局的准确描述是研究覆被格局水土流失效应的重要基础;坡面覆被格局对水土流失的影响关键在于其改变了径流泥沙运移和汇集的连续性,应重点关注径流泥沙源汇区的连通性和空间分布在水土流失中的作用;以坡面的精确覆被制图为基础,建立基于水土流失过程的覆被格局指数和耦合格局信息的径流与侵蚀模型是定量研究覆被格局影响的有效手段.今后应加强以下研究:以动态系统的观点研究覆被格局的变化对水土流失的影响,系统理解覆被格局与水土流失之间的相互联系与反馈机制,探讨两者间动态关系随尺度变化的规律性并发展尺度上推方法;构建过程意义明确且简单实用的格局指数,将覆被格局与水土流失过程有机联系起来;发展覆被格局的动态信息与产流产沙过程相结合的水文模型,加强对格局与径流泥沙反馈系统的耦合,建立真正意义上的覆被格局-水土流失过程耦合模型.     

Agricultural mosaics maintain significant flower and visiting insect biodiversity in a global hotspot

Agricultural expansion requires mitigation to conserve biodiversity and maintain functional interactions across the transformed mosaic. Conservation outside protected areas (PAs) means providing increased spatial opportunities for populations to survive over the long-term. Here we assess the capacity of agricultural mosaics for maintaining indigenous biodiversity against the benchmark levels in neighbouring PAs. We do this in three geographical areas in the major biodiversity hotspot, the Cape Floristic Region. We focus on two functionally related groups, indigenous flowers and their associated native insects, to assess the biodiversity value of certain components of agricultural mosaics. These components include agriculturally disturbed land, semi-transformed, disturbed land, and remnant patches of natural land, as well as adjacent PAs as reference sites. Overall, species richness across the agricultural mosaics outside PAs was similar to that within PAs for insects, although more variable for plants. Nevertheless, sites outside PAs still retained great diversity of flowering plants. Across the agricultural mosaic, sites shared 20–38 % of their insect species, and 12–28 % of plant species, indicating substantial species turnover. Each particular agricultural component retained species not sampled elsewhere in the landscape, indicating that habitats outside PAs can make a significant contribution to the compositional biodiversity of an area. Our findings are positive for biodiversity conservation across these agricultural mosaics, with these semi-natural components within the production landscape, in effect, extending the size of the PAs for many species. Conservation planning should recognize the value of such agricultural mosaics.     

Integrating the spatial proximity effect into the assessment of changes in ecosystem services for biodiversity conservation

The assessment of the value of ecosystem services is a valuable tool for biodiversity conservation that can facilitate better environmental policy decision-making and land management, and can help land managers develop interventions to compensate for biodiversity loss at the patch level. Previous studies have suggested that it is appropriate to assess the value of biodiversity for conservation planning by considering both the condition of the landscape and the spatial configuration of adjacent land uses that can be reflected as a proximity effect. This research examines the influence of spatial proximity on biodiversity conservation from the ecosystem service perspective based on the assumption that the variation in the proximity effect caused by land cover change has positive or negative impacts on ecological services. Three factors related to the spatial characteristics of the landscape were considered in this approach: the relative artificiality of the land cover types, the distance decay effect of patches and the impact of one land cover type on others. The proximity effect change (PE_C) parameter reflected the relationship between the spatial proximity effect and biodiversity conservation. The results of a quantitative and spatial comparative analysis of the proposed method and the conventional method in Yingkou for the periods of 2000–2005 and 2005–2010 showed that the former can account for the temporal and spatial changes in ecosystem services for biodiversity conservation that were caused by patch-level changes as well as the interaction between the altered and adjacent patches from a spatial perspective. The metric can also identify the most critical areas for biodiversity protection and inform the efficient allocation of limited land resources for nature conservation to maximize the benefit to biodiversity by guiding the process of land-use change, particularly urbanization and agriculture. Future studies should focus on the other important factors that are applicable to the assessment of the value of biodiversity conservation in socio-ecological systems, where society and nature are mutually capable of fulfilling their roles.     

Quantifying surface gradients with a 2-band Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2)

Quantification of spatial and temporal heterogeneity has been given much attention in order to link ecological patterns to processes. The patch mosaic model, as an operational paradigm, has led to major advances in the field of quantitative landscape ecology. However, it is more realistic to conceptualize landscapes based on continuous rather than discrete spatial heterogeneity. While a conceptual shift has been proposed to supplement the patch mosaic model, few studies use the surface gradient model as a context. This paper explores some comparatively less-utilized metrics to quantify surface gradients in a protected landscape in Central India. Since surface metrics would require continuous variables capable of representing landscape characteristics, this study also explores the utility of a 2-band Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2) as a gradient surface. Findings suggest EVI2 relates strongly with discrete land cover classes and thus has potential to describe landscape characteristics without incorporating error through subjectivity. Surface metrics used in this study show potential to be effectively used in landscape level studies. However, these metrics were not developed for landscape level studies and should be used with caution, especially when dealing with multi-scale patterns and processes. Nevertheless, with the rapidly emerging field of surface metrology more studies need to apply these tools to quantify surface gradients and test the robustness of such metrics.     

景观格局-土壤侵蚀研究中景观指数的意义解释及局限性

景观格局分析是景观生态学研究的重要组成部分。景观指数是景观格局分析的有力工具。近年来,景观格局与土壤侵蚀关系的相关研究增多,常规景观格局指数得到应用。但针对土壤侵蚀过程的景观指数意义解释不足,景观指数在刻画景观格局-土壤侵蚀过程关系存在局限。选择了连接性、多样性、边界/斑块密度、形状4个方面的12个常用景观指数,对这些指数在景观格局-土壤侵蚀过程关系研究中的意义进行阐述,对指数应用的局限性及其原因进行了分析。景观数据属性、景观指数本身性质和土壤侵蚀过程的复杂性使得常规景观格局指数在景观格局-土壤侵蚀关系研究中存在不足。这3方面的影响使得常规景观格局指数与土壤侵蚀表征变量之间不存在确定的关系,从而难以通过景观指数来表征景观土壤侵蚀特征。缺乏土壤侵蚀过程基础是常规景观指数在土壤侵蚀研究应用中存在局限的主要原因。因此,构建基于土壤侵蚀过程的景观指数是景观格局-土壤侵蚀关系研究的需要和新的发展方向。     

Can we measure ecological sustainability? Landscape pattern as an indicator for naturalness and land use intensity at regional,national and European level

European landscapes have been shaped over the centuries by processes related to human land use, which are reflected in regionally distinct landscape patterns. Since landscape pattern has been linked to biodiversity and other ecological values of the landscapes, this paper explores landscape pattern as a tool for ecological sustainability assessments at the regional (Austrian Cultural Landscapes), national (Austria) and European (European Union + Norway, Switzerland) level with focus on agricultural landscapes. A set of landscape metrics served as a basis to assess naturalness and geometrisation of Austrian and European landscapes as a proxy for their sustainability. To achieve an accurate spatially explicit assessment, we applied a spatial reference framework consisting in units that are homogeneous in biophysical and socio-economic contexts, adapted the regional approach for its application at European level, and developed relative sustainability thresholds for the landscape metrics. The analyses revealed that several landscape metrics, particularly the “Number of Shape Characterising Points” showed a high correlation with the degree of naturalness. The sustainability map of Austria based on an ordinal regression model revealed well-known problem regions of ecological sustainability. At the European level, the relative deviation from the average pattern showed clearly the simplification processes in the landscapes. However, a better spatial resolution of land cover data would add to the refinement of pattern analysis in regions and therefore the assessment of sustainability. We recommend the combination of information of different scales for the formulation and implementation of sustainability policies.