Linking landscape patterns with ecological functions: A case study examining the interaction between landscape heterogeneity and carbon stock of urban forests in Xiamen, China

The relationship between landscape patterns and functions is the central research theme of landscape ecology and forest management. This study assesses the interactive relationship of landscape heterogeneity with the carbon stock of urban forests in the city of Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, using spatial and statistical analyses. The objectives of this study are to explore the most appropriate scale for studying urban landscape patterns in Xiamen, analyze the dynamics of forested landscape heterogeneity at different scales, and identify suitable landscape metrics that are closely related to and can be used to describe vegetation carbon density. This study is based on data from 31,933 plots measured during the years 1972, 1996, and 2006 and collected as part of the Chinese National Forest Resource Planning and Inventory Program. A total of 12 landscape metrics were used to quantify spatial patterns and were subsequently related to vegetation carbon density. The results show that the most appropriate scale for landscape pattern analysis is 80 km. With urbanization advancing between 1972 and 1996, landscape heterogeneity at both class and landscape levels showed a significant increase and then remained stable from 1996 to 2006. Shannon’s diversity index was the most sensitive landscape metric among all selected landscape heterogeneity metrics, and its ability to explain the variation of carbon density was better than that of forest types. This study clearly shows that information on spatial patterns of landscape heterogeneity is important for urban forest landscape planning to achieve forest carbon objective. 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.