Modeling Dynamics of Patchy Landscapes: Linking Metapopulation Theory, Landscape Ecology and Conservation Biology

The only thing about Nature that is certain and absolute is patchiness in space and time. All landscapes are patchy over a range of scales as consequences of natural and anthropogenic processes. To understand the dynamics of hierarchically structured, heterogeneous systems, models are important in several ways. Models can be used to generate new hypotheses, to clarify and test existing hypotheses, to identify key components in complex systems, to suggest critical experiments, to synthesize knowledge, and to make assessments or predictions for the purpose of decision making. Most traditional paradigms in ecology deemphasize or completely ignore spatial patchiness in ecological systems. As an emerging integrative paradigm, patch dynamics emphasizes spatial heterogeneity and multiplicity of scales and provides a conceptual framework for linking metapopulation theory, landscape ecology and conservation biology. Metapopulation dynamics lays a cornerstone for landscape ecology which in turn offers knowledge about the context in which the behavior of metapopulations must be understood. Conservation biology may guide the development of metapopulation theory and landscape ecology by posing real-world problems concerning the sustainability of ecological systems and the human society. On the other hand, metapopulation theory and landscape ecology wil l continue to provide fundamental theoretical elements and applicable approaches for conservation biology.