Ecosystem Function in Heterogeneous Landscapes

by Lovett, Gary M.; Jones, Clive G.; Turner, Monica G.; Weathers, Kathleen C.

• ISBN13: 9780387240893
• ISBN10: 0387240896
• Edition: Illus.
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-01-30
• Publisher: Springer Verlag

Summary

The study of ecosystems, fundamental to ecology, has been complemented by the growing field of landscape ecology. Ecosystem Function in Heterogeneous Landscapes addresses how interactions among ecosystems affect the functioning of individual ecosystems and the larger landscape. This groundbreaking synthesis unites ecosystem ecology's knowledge of system function with landscape ecology's knowledge of spatial structure. Practical concerns about scaling up from individual ecosystems to larger landscapes require an understanding of how networks of interacting ecosystems function together. The book elucidates the challenges faced by ecosystem scientists working in spatially heterogeneous systems, relevant conceptual approaches used in other disciplines and in different ecosystem types, and the importance of spatial heterogeneity in conservation resource management. The distinguished authors discuss how how much heterogeneity needs to be taken into account for specific types of scientific and management issues. Their chapters cover the spectrum from proposing novel conceptual approaches to detailing the practical implications of heterogeneous landscapes for fire management, water management and conservation planning.

Table of Contents

Foreword	v
Acknowledgments	vii
Contributors	xiii
Participants in the 2003 Cary Conference	xix
1 Ecosystem Function in Heterogeneous Landscapes	1	(4)
Gary M. Lovett, Clive G. Jones, Monica G. Turner, and Kathleen C. Weathers
Section I Challenges and Conceptual Approaches	5	(86)
Editors' Introduction to Section I	7	(2)
2 Causes and Consequences of Spatial Heterogeneity in Ecosystem Function	9	(22)
Monica G. Turner and F. Stuart Chapin III
3 The Template: Patterns and Processes of Spatial Variation	31	(18)
Ethan P. White and James H. Brown
4 Thoughts on the Generation and Importance of Spatial Heterogeneity in Ecosystems and Landscapes	49	(18)
John Pastor
5 Reciprocal Cause and Effect Between Environmental Heterogeneity and Transport Processes	67	(24)
William A. Reiners
Section II Perspectives from Different Disciplines	91	(92)
Editors' Introduction to Section II	93	(2)
6 Population Ecology in Spatially Heterogeneous Environments	95	(24)
Lenore Fahrig and William K. Nuttle
7 Heterogeneity in Hydrologic Processes: A Terrestrial Hydrologic Modeling Perspective	119	(18)
Christina Tague
8 Spatial Heterogeneity in Infectious Disease Epidemics	137	(28)
David L. Smith
9 Spatial Heterogeneity and Its Relation to Processes in the Upper Ocean	165	(18)
Amala Mahadevan
Section III Illustrations of Heterogeneity and Ecosystem Function	183	(166)
Editors' Introduction to Section III	185	(4)
10 Heterogeneity in Arid and Semiarid Lands	189	(18)
David J. Tongway and John A. Ludwig
11 Formation of Soil-Vegetation Patterns	207	(22)
Marcel Meinders and Nico van Breemen
12 Spatial Patterning of Soil Carbon Storage Across Boreal Landscapes	229	(28)
Merritt R. Turetsky, Michelle C. Mack, Jennifer W. Harden, and Kristen L. Manies
13 Heterogeneity in Urban Ecosystems: Patterns and Process	257	(22)
Larry E. Band, Mary L. Cadenasso, C. Susan Grimmond, J. Morgan Grove, and Steward T.A. Pickett
14 Origins, Patterns, and Importance of Heterogeneity in Riparian Systems	279	(32)
Robert J. Naiman, J. Scott Bechtold, Deanne C. Drake, Joshua J. Latterell, Thomas C. O'Keefe, and Estelle V. Balian
15 Flowpaths as Integrators of Heterogeneity in Streams and Landscapes	311	(18)
Stuart G. Fisher and Jill R. Welter
16 Causes and Consequences of Spatial Heterogeneity in Lakes	329	(20)
Timothy K. Kratz, Sally MacIntyre, and Katherine E. Webster
Section IV Application of Frameworks and Concepts	349	(58)
Editors' Introduction to Section IV	351	(2)
17 The Importance of Multiscale Spatial Heterogeneity in Wildland Fire Management and Research	353	(14)
William H. Romme
18 The Role of Spatial Heterogeneity in the Management of Freshwater Resources	367	(22)
Alan D. Steinman and Rodney Denning
19 The Roles of Spatial Heterogeneity and Ecological Processes in Conservation Planning	389	(18)
Hugh P. Possingham, Janet Franklin, Kerrie Wilson, and Tracey J. Regan
Section V Synthesis	407	(64)
Editors' Introduction to Section V	409	(2)
20 Challenges in Understanding the Functions of Ecological Heterogeneity	411	(16)
David L. Strayer
21 Spatial Pattern and Ecosystem Function: Reflections on Current Knowledge and Future Directions	427	(16)
Jerry F. Franklin
22 Spatial Heterogeneity: Past, Present, and Future	443	(8)
Gaius R. Shaver
23 Heterogeneity and Ecosystem Function: Enhancing Ecological Understanding and Applications	451	(12)
Judy L. Meyer
24 Conceptual Frameworks: Plan for a Half-Built House	463	(8)
Gary M. Lovett, Clive G. Jones, Monica G. Turner, and Kathleen C. Weathers
Index	471