Relationships between landcover proportion and indices of landscape spatial pattern

Abstract

Recent studies have related percolation theory and critical phenomena to the spatial pattern of landscapes. We generated simulated landscapes of forest and non-forest landcover to investigate the relationship betxveen the proportion of forest (Pi) and indices of patch spatial pattern. One set of landscapes was generated by randomly assigning each pixel independently of other pixels, and a second set <','as generated b\ randotnlv assigrfing rectilinear clumps of pixels. Indices of spatial pattern were calculated and plotted against Pl" The random-clump landscapes were also compared with real agricultural landscapes.The restihs support the use of percolation models as neutral models in landscape ecology, and the pcrformance of the indices studied with these neutral models can be used to help interpret those indices calculated for real landscapes.

Transition from Connected to Fragmented Vegetation across an Environmental Gradient: Scaling Laws in Ecotone Geometry

“…The significance of percolation theory for ecology was recognized in the late 1980s (Gardner et al 1987). Since then, a number of papers have investigated habitat maps with simulations and field data (Gustafson and Parker 1992;Milne 1992;Loehle et al 1996;Li 2002;He and Hubbell 2003;Solé et al 2005). Effects of percolation on population dynamics have also been investigated (Andrén 1994;With and Crist 1995;Bascompte and Solé 1996;Oborny et al 2007).…”

Characterizing forest fragmentation: Distinguishing change in composition from configuration

“…Alternatively, distributions for P y could be generated using a large database of real landscapes that have undergone change. Landscape simulation has previously been used with LPIs to examine topics such as the relationship between landscape composition and configuration (Gustafson and Parker, 1992), statistically compare LPI values (Remmel and Csillag, 2003), and to develop spatially local measures (Boots, 2006).…”

Intermediate landscape disturbance maximizes metapopulation density

“…In these models, a critical transition occurs from a continuous habitat to a fragmented habitat as the overall habitat density is reduced (Gustafson and Parker 1992;. Models based on percolation maps have also proved useful in studies on the effects of habitat heterogeneity on the dynamics of spatially distributed populations (see, e.g., Intermediate disturbance maximizes metapopulation density Neuhauser 1998;Hiebler 2000;Hovestadt et al 2001;Oborny and Kun 2002;Kun and Oborny 2003).…”

“…In these settings, the capacity of populations to disperse from habitable sites to other habitable sites is seriously limited. The number of isolated habitat clusters is maximal at around 0.5923 Gustafson and Parker 1992;, and is still high at . Without landscape disturbance, however, most of the isolated habitat clusters remain uncolonized (Fig.…”