Control of landscape diversity by catastrophic disturbance: A theory and a case study of fire in a Canadian boreal forest

A landscape may be envisioned as a space partitioned by a number of ecosystem types, and so it conforms to a neo-Clementsian model of succession. A corollary is that intermediate disturbance rates should maximize landscape (beta) diversity. This was confirmed using eight boreal forest landscapes in northwestern Ontario, Canada, where intermediate rates of forest fire were associated with highest landscape diversity. Because current measures of evenness subsume a richness measure, it is not, as yet, feasible to assess the relative contributions of evenness and richness to biological diversity, and thus it was not possible to determine the roles of numbers of habitat types and relative amounts of habitat types in the above situation. Both theory and observations suggest that forest fire control in fire-prone landscapes increases landscape diversity, but that it is lowered by fire control in landscapes of intermediate to low diversity.     

The reversible process concept applied to the environmental management of large river systems

The wetland ecosystems occurring within alluvial floodplains change rapidly. Within the ecological successions, the life span of pioneer and transient stages may be measured in several years or decades depending on the respective influences of allogenic (water dynamics, erosion, and deposition) and autogenic developmental processes (population dynamics, eutrophication, and terrestrialization). This article emphasizes the mechanisms that are responsible for the ecosystem changes and their importance to environmental management. Two case studies exemplify reversible and irreversible successional processes in reference to different spatial and temporal scales. On the scale of the former channels, the standing-water ecosystems with low homeostasis may recover their previous status after human action on the allogenic processes. On the scale of a whole reach of the floodplain, erosion and deposition appear as reversible processes that regenerate the ecological successions. The concepts of stability and reversibility are discussed in relation to different spatiotemporal referential frameworks and different levels of integration. The reversible process concept is also considered with reference to the energy inputs into the involved subsystems. To estimate the probability of ecosystem regeneration or the cost of restoration, a concept of degrees of reversibility is proposed.     

Nodes,networks, and MUMs: Preserving diversity at all scales

The present focus of practical conservation efforts is limited in scope. This narrowness results in an inability to evaluate and manage phenomena that operate at large spatiotemporal scales. Whereas real ecological phenomena function in a space-time mosaic across a full hierarchy of biological entities and processes, current conservation strategies address a limited spectrum of this complexity. Conservation typically is static (time-limited), concentrates on the habitat content rather than the landscape context of protected areas, evaluates relatively homogeneous communities instead of heterogeneous landscapes, and directs attention to particular species populations and/or the aggregate statistic of species diversity. Insufficient attention has been given to broad ecological patterns and processes and to the conservation of species in natural relative abundance patterns (native diversity).The authors present a conceptual scheme that evaluates not only habitat content within protected areas, but also the landscape context in which each preserve exists. Nodes of concentrated ecological value exist in each landscape at all levels in the biological hierarchy. Integration of these high-quality nodes into a functional network is possible through the establishment of a system of interconnected multiple-use modules (MUMs). The MUM network protects and buffers important ecological entities and phenomena, while encouraging movement of individuals, species, nutrients, energy, and even habitat patches across space and time. An example is presented for the southeastern USA (south Georgia-north Florida), that uses riparian and coastal corridors to interconnect existing protected areas. This scheme will facilitate reintroduction and preservation of wide-ranging species such as the Florida panther, and help reconcile species-level and ecosystem-level conservation approaches.     

In search of greener towns

Around 1970 a quiet revolution occurred in several European countries involving the use of naturalistic design approaches and ecological principles in the design and management of urban green spaces. The objective was to bring the qualities of nature into peoples’ daily lives and provide a richer external living environment. Parallel programmes of community participation and environmental education were involved. Successful projects in Holland, Sweden and Britain are described. These indicate that despoiled urban and urban‐fringe land can be quickly and economically transformed into green environments which are attractive for living and commercial investment. A reorganisation of Local Authority landscape resources is recommended.     

Housing areas — factors that need to be considered in the site layout and design process

The lack of any particular character in much new low‐rise housing is seen as resulting in the lack of attention paid to the detailing of space between buildings. The landscape architect's role in overcoming “placelessness” is considered, and the information needs of designers is discussed. The paper also offers some notes for the designer on user needs.     

How does agricultural intensification modulate changes in plant community composition?

Agricultural intensification, at local and landscape scales, has caused a decrease in plant diversity and changes in species composition in cereal fields. To better understand the role of landscape complexity and farming systems in shaping plant assemblages, it is of interest to focus on functional traits rather than on floristic composition, which may help to highlight trends in vegetation patterns. We analysed the relative abundance of various functional attributes (different life forms, growth forms, wind-pollinated species and wind-dispersed species) at three contrasted field positions (boundary, edge and centre) of 29 organic and 29 conventional cereal fields distributed in 15 agrarian localities of NE Spain. Agricultural intensification affected the biological attributes of the vegetation in dryland Mediterranean cereal fields; local factors (farming system and position) had a more prominent role in affecting plant functional composition than the surrounding landscape. Local factors were important for life form distribution, growth form and pollination type, whereas landscape complexity mainly affected the proportion of wind-dispersed species. Therefore, depending on the objective of the study, it is important to select functional attributes sensitive to the different scales of agricultural intensification, especially because landscape complexity and land-use intensity are commonly related.     

Video panorama assessment of beach landscape aesthetics on the coast of Wales

70 beaches in Wales, UK, were investigated with regard to the quality of beach scenery using video panoramas. Beaches were given a score from zero to 20 by a panel of 24 coastal managers (National Park and Heritage Coast Wardens, etc.) and 42 final year Degree or Master of Science students specializing in environmental sciences. Mean scores of coastal managers ranged from 16.1 (Broadhaven, S. Pembrokeshire; 80%) to 3.8 (Prestatyn, North Wales; 19%), while scores of students ranged from 16.0 (Barafundle, S. Pembrokeshire; 80%) to 6.1 (Trecco Bay, Porthcawl; 31%). Wave height, number of people present on the beach and position on the final videotape did not have significant effects on mean scores generated by either group. With both groups a strong preference was observed for undeveloped beaches over those where anthropogenic structures were prominent (p=0.00), but beach commercialization level had an independent effect only on scores from the student group (p=0.02). Cloud cover at time of filming had a significant effect (p=0.00) on scoring, so a correction was applied for final score calculation and ranking. The findings contribute to management of coastal aesthetic resources by providing a quantitative evaluation scheme. It is proposed to use these scores for beach scenery/aesthetic quality in a novel, comprehensive beach rating system.     

Detecting general plant functional type responses in fragmented landscapes using spatially-explicit simulations

Habitat loss and increasing landscape fragmentation are known to be key forces driving the ongoing loss of plant species diversity. While the combined effects of increasing isolation and decreasing population size have been studied intensively; it is less understood how plant population performance in heterogeneous landscapes is affected by changes in fragmentation alone.     

城市景观河流夏季污染状况及营养水平动态分析--以天津市津河为例

以CODMn、氨氮、总氮、总磷和叶绿素a等为主要指标。对天津市一条典型的景观河流——津河进行了调查分析。结果表明,津河水质介于地表水环境标准(GB3838—2002)的Ⅳ和Ⅴ类之间,营养状态为重富营养。且在多个采样点出现蓝藻水华。水体中的各项指标的变化趋势为,CODMn与叶绿素a都是在7月达到最高,随后逐渐降低。总溶解性氮夏季变化曲线呈倒“S’形。7月最低。8月最高。河道上游总溶解性磷一直比较稳定,而下游在8月上旬急剧升高。藻类演替过程大致为粉末微囊藻-皮状席藻-多种蓝藻。与改造之初相比。水质状况有所改善。     

金坛区景观格局时空变化及驱动力分析

基于2010—2015年江苏省常州市金坛区高分辨率遥感影像,综合分析了生态系统空间分布格局及其演变特征,初步揭示了生态系统的驱动力及其对生态系统格局变化的影响。结果表明,金坛区生态系统类型主要由农田、湿地、城镇构成,3者合占总面积的87. 8%; 2010年以来,金坛加快实施城市"东扩南移"战略,原有农田不断被蚕食,生态系统的聚集度、边界密度有所上升,城镇更加连片分布,城镇面积已接近2020年18 604. 7 hm~2的建设红线。