Biophysical landscape interactions: Bridging disciplines and scale with connectivity

Abstract

Landscape composition and land use impact the interactions between soil and vegetation. Differences in micro‐behaviour, driven by the interplay of heterogeneous soil and vegetation dynamics, affect emergent characteristics across a landscape. Scaling approaches to understand the drivers of these emergent characteristics have been attempted, but the blueprint of interacting biophysical processes in landscapes is inherently messy and often still unknown. A complicating factor is single disciplinary focus in environmental sciences. Integrated knowledge is vital especially in view of future challenges posed by climate change, population growth, and soil threats. In this paper, we give examples of biophysical interactions that occur across various temporal and spatial scales and discuss how connectivity can be useful for bridging disciplines and scales to increase our understanding.

Anatomy of the 2018 agricultural drought in the Netherlands using in situ soil moisture and satellite vegetation indices

“…This study determined the θ critical with data that were already available. The method would in principle allow root water uptake regimes to be identified during droughts without the need for (difficult to obtain) vegetation-driven biophysical landscape interactions (for example (Prentice et al, 2014;Warren et al, 2015;v. d. Ploeg et al, 2018)).…”

Anatomy of the 2018 agricultural drought in The Netherlands using in situ soil moisture and satellite vegetation indices

“…This study determined the θ critical with already available data. The method would in principle allow to identify root water uptake regimes during droughts without the need for (difficult to obtain) vegetation-driven biophysical landscape interactions (for example (Prentice et al, 2014;Warren et al, 2015;van der Ploeg et al, 2018)). However, within the Raam and Twenthe networks the maximum measurement depth of θ (80 and 40 cm respectively) may have been insufficient to capture the complete propagation of soil moisture anomalies in the root zone, and their possible link to root water uptake dynamics.…”

Web of interactions among diversity approaches to identify ecosystem essential variables: Negev Highlands case study

“…These studies describe geodiversity as a measure of environmental resource availability and variability (Parks and Mulligan 2010). Geomorphology influences runoff connectivity and soil properties (van der Ploeg et al 2018). Abiotic processes that determine geodiversity include climate, which is the source of precipitation and solar radiation, both of which regulate ecological system processes.…”

“…Geomorphology (the physical features of the Earth's crust) regulates over-ground water and soil flows, influences radiation balances, and creates surface heterogeneity, all of which influence soil hydrology and properties that support ecosystem functions (R€ as€ anen et al 2016). Geomorphology influences runoff connectivity and soil properties (van der Ploeg et al 2018). Hydrology includes the relationship between rainfall-runoff and soil moisture, which influences water availability to all ecosystem components and affects the distribution of nutrients throughout the system.…”