Ecology of Multiple Ecosystems in Time and Space

1. ABSTRACT Landscape ecology has advanced with rapid developments in technology, increasing knowledge exchange among scientific disciplines, and a growing number of modern scientists across disciplines. The science of landscape ecology represents a unique discipline examining biophysical and social processes across multiple ecosystems and multiple dimensions of time and space. This discipline requires a solid theoretical foundation to mature. A central focus of the discipline should be the consideration of why a landscape cannot simply be decomposed into spatially-discernible ecosystems, and what new features will emerge when characteristics of component ecosystems are grouped within a landscape. Four facets of study that could advance this understanding include: conscious delineation of landscape structure, consideration of areas-of-edge influence (AEI) as critical landscape elements, examination of the functional consequences of landscape pattern and determination of mechanisms that create and maintain various landscape components, and development of hypothesis-oriented ecological investigations as a research priority. We propose a conceptual framework for working toward a more complex and realistic landscape analysis, by including the AEI created by interactions among neighboring ecosystems within depictions, measurement, and experimentation of landscapes. Studies of different approaches to delineating landscape elements, and of the role of elements such as AEI, can increase our understanding of the spatial variation of ecological processes across landscapes. We present eight core components and four associated processes to perform a thorough landscape analysis. Sound experiments are urgently needed to test hypotheses for the development of theoretical principles for landscape ecology. We provide examples of large-scale field projects designed to test hypotheses in landscape ecology by integrating empirical (field) data with modeling exercises and remotely-sensed information.