Coupling Landscape Patterns and Ecological Processes - Landscape Ecology for Sustainable Environment and Culture - page 5

Hierarchical patch dynamics theory and scaling strategy are the key theoretical
bases for the spatially-explicit hierarchical modeling of landscape patterns and
ecological processes (Wu and David 2002 ). According to the hierarchy theory,
complex systems are characterized by vertical organization and horizontal
arrangement of sub-systems. These sub-systems at different levels interact with
each other and demonstrate a relatively stable state. The hierarchical patch
dynamics theory holds that the ecosystem is a dynamic patch-mosaic characterized
by conspicuous general features formed by the cumulative effects of the interac-
tions at patch level. Scaling is a key issue in landscape ecology. Coupling research
on landscape ecology and ecological processes needs to balance the relationships
among core scale and small-scale components and large-scale backgrounds.
Integrating the studies of multiple scales can help reduce the uncertainties of
research and reveal the coupling mechanisms between landscape patterns and
ecological processes accurately.
A framework for coupling landscape patterns and ecological processes can be
proposed as follow (Fig. 1.1 ). The details of the framework include: (1) deter-
mining the study area and defining research objectives, e.g., the sustainable
management of crop production, habitat and wildlife conservation, control of soil
and water loss; (2) delineating land units at specific resolutions—natural factors,

(1) Study area and objectives

(2) Division of land unit (ecosystem)

(4) Land assessment and model
integration at small scales

(6) Research of models on coupling
landscape pattern and ecological process

(7) Regional target achievement
and adaptability of coupling model

Fig. 1.1 Framework on coupling landscape pattern and ecological process (Lü et al. 2007 )