Journal: Landscape Ecology

Abbreviation

Landsc. Ecol.

Publisher

Springer

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ISSN

0921-2973
1572-9761

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Publications 1 - 10 of 33
  • Sensitivity of ecosystem goods and services projections of a forest landscape model to initialization data
    Item type: Journal Article
    Temperli, Christian; Zell, Jürgen; Bugmann, Harald; et al. (2013)
    Landscape Ecology
  • Saproxylic species are linked to the amount and isolation of dead wood across spatial scales in a beech forest
    Item type: Journal Article
    Haeler, Elena; Bergamini, Ariel; Blaser, Stefan; et al. (2021)
    Landscape Ecology
    Context Dead wood is a key habitat for saproxylic species, which are often used as indicators of habitat quality in forests. Understanding how the amount and spatial distribution of dead wood in the landscape affects saproxylic communities is therefore important for maintaining high forest biodiversity. Objectives We investigated effects of the amount and isolation of dead wood on the alpha and beta diversity of four saproxylic species groups, with a focus on how the spatial scale influences results. Methods We inventoried saproxylic beetles, wood-inhabiting fungi, and epixylic bryophytes and lichens on 62 plots in the Sihlwald forest reserve in Switzerland. We used GLMs to relate plot-level species richness to dead wood amount and isolation on spatial scales of 20–200 m radius. Further, we used GDMs to determine how dead wood amount and isolation affected beta diversity. Results A larger amount of dead wood increased beetle richness on all spatial scales, while isolation had no effect. For fungi, bryophytes and lichens this was only true on small spatial scales. On larger scales of our study, dead wood amount had no effect, while greater isolation decreased species richness. Further, we found no strong consistent patterns explaining beta diversity. Conclusions Our multi-taxon study shows that habitat amount and isolation can strongly differ in the spatial scale on which they influence local species richness. To generally support the species richness of different saproxylic groups, dead wood must primarily be available in large amounts but should also be evenly distributed because negative effects of isolation already showed at scales under 100 m.
  • Is Nutrient Contamination of Groundwater Causing Eutrophication of Groundwater-Fed Meadows?
    Item type: Journal Article
    Pieterse, N.M.; Venterink, H. Olde; Schot, P.P.; et al. (2005)
    Landscape Ecology
  • Preface: Integrating historical ecology and ecological modeling
    Item type: Other Journal Item
    Gimmi, Urs; Bugmann, Harald (2013)
    Landscape Ecology
  • On the relative importance of land use, landscape characteristics, bird and plant assemblages as drivers of Mediterranean ecosystem functioning
    Item type: Journal Article
    Lopezosa, Paula; Berdugo, Miguel; Soliveres, Santiago (2023)
    Landscape Ecology
    Context: Mediterranean landscapes are undergoing severe transformations (land-use change and homogenization) that threatens biodiversity and the services these ecosystems provide. These effects can differ amongst biodiversity facets (plants vs. birds, taxonomic vs. functional) and ecosystem functions (e.g., seed dispersal, forest regeneration, pest control), although these are still poorly understood in Mediterranean landscapes. Objectives: Our study aims at understanding how Mediterranean landscape characteristics and land use (tree croplands, shrublands and pine, oak and mixed forest) affect the diversity of birds and plants, and how these changes in biodiversity could affect ecosystem functioning. Methods: In 2020–2021, we sampled 49 (5 × 5 m) plots in South-eastern Spain and from five different land uses: tree croplands, shrublands, and pine, oak and mixed forests. We measured land use, habitat diversity and size, together with birds and plant diversity. We assessed both direct and indirect (via bird and plant diversity) effects of landscape characteristics on 6 different ecosystem functions related to forest regeneration, predation, herbivory or aboveground biomass, which imply interactions between birds, plants and their environment. Results: Plant communities responded mainly to local features (land use), whereas birds did so to habitat size and landscape diversity (within 500 m radius). Seed and caterpillar predation were more affected by bird’s diversity, whereas regeneration capacity of woody species was driven by both plants and birds. Land use was amongst the most important drivers of all measured functions, with generally higher functioning levels in oak and mixed forests than in the rest of land uses. Conclusions: Our results emphasize the complementary information obtained when considering multiple biodiversity facets in studying the consequences of landscape transformation. We also show that these multiple biodiversity changes can be as important as those of land-use or landscape characteristics for ecosystem functioning.
  • Present and historical landscape structure shapes current species richness in Central European grasslands
    Item type: Journal Article
    Scherreiks, Pascal; Gossner, Martin M.; Ambarlı, Didem; et al. (2022)
    Landscape Ecology
    Context Current diversity and species composition of ecological communities can often not exclusively be explained by present land use and landscape structure. Historical land use may have considerably influenced ecosystems and their properties for decades and centuries. Objectives We analysed the effects of present and historical landscape structure on plant and arthropod species richness in temperate grasslands, using data from comprehensive plant and arthropod assessments across three regions in Germany and maps of current and historical land cover from three time periods between 1820 and 2016. Methods We calculated local, grassland class and landscape scale metrics for 150 grassland plots. Class and landscape scale metrics were calculated in buffer zones of 100 to 2000 m around the plots. We considered effects on total species richness as well as on the richness of species subsets determined by taxonomy and functional traits related to habitat use, dispersal and feeding. Results Overall, models containing a combination of present and historical landscape metrics showed the best fit for several functional groups. Comparing three historical time periods, data from the 1820/50s was among the most frequent significant time periods in our models (29.7% of all significant variables). Conclusions Our results suggest that the historical landscape structure is an important predictor of current species richness across different taxa and functional groups. This needs to be considered to better identify priority sites for conservation and to design biodiversity-friendly land use practices that will affect landscape structure in the future.
  • Open areas in a landscape enhance pollen-mediated gene flow of a tree species
    Item type: Journal Article
    Kamm, U.; Gugerli, F.; Rotach, P.; et al. (2010)
    Landscape Ecology
  • How multiple and interacting disturbances shape tree diversity in European mountain landscapes
    Item type: Journal Article
    Schuler, Laura J.; Bugmann, Harald; Petter, Gunnar; et al. (2019)
    Landscape Ecology
    Context: The relationship between disturbances and diversity remains uncertain, especially in forest landscapes where large spatial extents need to be considered, dynamics are slow, and disturbance interactions are common. Objectives: To analyse the individual and combined effects of ungulate browsing and wind disturbance on tree species diversity at the landscape scale. Methods: We used a dynamic forest landscape model to simulate the effects of browsing and wind disturbances (i.e., frequency and windthrow size) on tree species diversity in four mountain landscapes in Central Europe. Using boosted regression trees, we analysed the relative importance of each disturbance type for diversity at different layers (i.e., regeneration versus overstorey, and all tree sizes), the shapes of the diversity–disturbance relationships and the combined effect of wind and browsing disturbances on diversity. Results: Across all landscapes, browsing and windthrow were equally important for tree species diversity when considering all forest layers, but no consistent patterns could be observed for the regeneration and overstorey layer. The shape of the disturbance–diversity relationships differed between disturbance types. More frequent and severe windthrow events typically increased diversity almost linearly, while browsing showed a non-linear response with the highest diversity at intermediate browsing pressure. However, these relationships were not consistent across the four landscapes. Conclusions: Tree species diversity can be influenced by both browsing and windthrow disturbances. Forested landscapes are likely to experience multiple disturbances, and their relative influence on diversity needs to consider their different spatial and temporal scales.
  • Erosion regulation as a function of human disturbances to vegetation cover
    Item type: Journal Article
    Vanacker, Veerle; Bellin, Nicolas; Molina, Armando; et al. (2014)
    Landscape Ecology
  • On the importance of non-linear relationships between landscape patterns and the sustainable provision of ecosystem services
    Item type: Journal Article
    Grêt-Regamey, Adrienne; Rabe, Sven-Erik; Crespo, Ricardo; et al. (2014)
    Landscape Ecology
    Marginal land use changes can abruptly result in non-marginal and irreversible changes in ecosystem functioning and the economic values that the ecosystem generates. This challenges the traditional ecosystem services (ESS) mapping approach, which has often made the assumption that ESS can be mapped uniquely to land use and land cover data. Using a functional fragmentation measure, we show how landscape pattern changes might lead to changes in the delivery of ESS. We map changes in ESS of dry calcareous grasslands under different land use change scenarios in a case study region in Switzerland. We selected three ESS known to be related to species diversity including carbon sequestration and pollination as regulating values and recreational experience as cultural value, and compared them to the value of two production services including food and timber production. Results show that the current unceasing fragmentation is particularly critical for the value of ESS provided by species-rich habitats. The article concludes that assessing landscape patterns is key for maintaining valuable ESS in the face of human use and fluctuating environment.
Publications 1 - 10 of 33