Different Causal Factors Occur between Land Use/Cover and Vegetation Classification Systems but Not between Vegetation Classification Levels in the Highly Disturbed Jing-Jin-Ji Region of China

Land use/cover and vegetation patterns are influenced by many ecological factors. However, the effect of various factors on different classification systems levels same system is unclear. We conducted a redundancy analysis with 10 landscape metrics in four periods (1986–2005/2007, 1991–2005/2007, 1996–2005/2007, 2001–2005/2007) to explore their effects land system, group type, formation subformation Jing-Jin-Ji region. Soil, temperature precipitation from 1986–2005, 1991–2005, 2001–2005 were important causal factors, anthropogenic disturbance atmospheric 1996–2005 at level. The total explained variance was higher than that 1986–2005 1991–2005 Causal group, similar but system. Geography, soil most three levels, 2001–2007 1986–2007, 1991–2007, 1996–2007 levels. In environmental research, natural resource management urban or rural planning, geographic should be considered type while