Lecture 6

Question 1

What is Landscape ecology?

Answer 1

Integrative study of the relationship between spatial patterns and ecological processes at various scales.

Question 2

What are the core themes?

Answer 2

1. Detecting and quantifying spatial patterns of
   ecosystems (how does the ecology of different levels impact other levels)
2. Characterizing biotic and abiotic influences on those patterns (low does reduced rainfall effect forest growth)
3. Understanding implications of those
   patterns for populations and communities
4. Characterizing ecosystem patterns in space and time (how can seasonal changes in rainwater effect growth)
5. Managing landscapes to achieve conservation and economic objective

Question 3

What is a landscape?

Answer 3

• Landscapes varies tremendously in size
• The landscape for an ant is small (several square meters)
• Fox landscape can be up to tens of kilometres
• geographic boundaries
  Landscape ecologists study ecology at coarse
  scales (large scale) and fine scales (small scale)

Question 4

Case study: tent caterpillars

Answer 4

• Case study: tent caterpillars that irrupt
  periodically in temperate forests
• They defoliate entire stands of aspen trees,
  causing a serious ecological impact
• # of aspens didn’t predict how long irruption was
• Instead, how fragmented the aspen trees are from each other predicted the length of irruption and how many tent caterpillars
• Caterpillar mobility is limited
  Landscape ecology approach: measure
  fragmentation as amount of forest
  edge per km2 of habitat
• make patches connect so caterpillars aren’t stuck in one spot

Question 5

Patch

Answer 5

Contiguous area of similar habitat
- Patch shape influence ecology
- shape and size of patch influence ecological process
5 patches can have the same area
- but some could have no interior area

Question 6

Edge

Answer 6

• Patches are bordered by edges! Area of steep transition between patches.
• Abrupt

Question 7

Ecotones

Answer 7

Gradual transition between patches.

Question 8

Interior

Answer 8

Central patch bounded by edge or
ecotone.

Question 9

Corridor

Answer 9

Linear feature that differs from the area
on either side.
ex. river
* Natural (streams) or anthropogenic (roads)
* Corridors facilitate connectivity
* Populations in different patches connected by corridors are called metapopulation (Account for populations living in different patches)
disperse along linear corridors- If they do this then this creates a meta population

ex. chipmunk use corridors to move between patches They are a metapopulation

Question 10

Network

Answer 10

Multiple corridors interacting together
ex. road and river
Series of interconnected linear elements, often
surrounding patches of another type
* Networks of hedgerows are an anthropogenic example
Ex. Ice-wedge ecosystems, lots of topography

Question 11

Mosaic

Answer 11

An integrated complex of patches,
corridors and networks
- Everything working together

Question 12

Corridors vs obstacles

Answer 12

Whether a linear feature is a corridor or obstacle depends on the organism
ex. A river can increase connectivity for some
organisms (as a corridor)(muskrat) and decrease it for others (as an obstacle) (rabbit)

Question 13

Corridors and innovative experiments

Answer 13

• Grizzly bear, goes down to road then retreats
• our roads are an edge for this bear
• The populations are becoming genetically unique (less gene flow)
• Splitting single pop into metapopulation
• What does Canada do to help?
  -Creating overpass and underpass for animals
• landscape ecologists decide where to put corridors

Question 14

The transitional zone between two adjacent
communities is called ___________________.
a.) a blended community
b.) a hybrid community
c.) an ecozone
d.) an ecotone
e.) none of the above

Answer 14

d.) ecotone

Question 15

Which of the following statements about army-ants
are TRUE?
o Army-ants build a nest called a bivouac in a good foraging area, and remain in that location for their entire lives.
o Army-ants only take prey items that are smaller than themselves.
o Army-ant swarms play a key role in the community of ant-following birds.
o Army-ants forage solitarily but mate in large groups
with several hundred queens.
o All of the other statements are true.

Answer 15

o Army-ant swarms play a key role in the community of ant-following birds.

Question 16

Pinery Provincial Park teaches us a lot about disturbance and succession. Which of the following statements about Pinery is TRUE?
o In the 1960’s three million pine trees were planted in Pinery, and these trees help maintain the native oak savannah ecosystem.
o Before human intervention, fire was not part of the normal cycle of disturbance and succession at Pinery.
o Mottled Duskywing butterflies were extirpated from Pinery but have recently been re-introduced.
o Mature oak trees are the keystone species within the native oak savannah ecosystem.
o All of the other statements are true.

Answer 16

Mottled Duskywing butterflies were extirpated from Pinery but have recently been re-introduced

Question 17

Landscape change

Answer 17

• Disturbance and succession bring about changes to landscapes, as do longer-term changes such as climate change
• Landscape ecologists describe this change

Question 18

Habitat fragmentation

Answer 18

• Human activity often causes a decrease of landscape connectivity for many organisms,
  leading to fragmentation
• This can result in a decline of indigenous
  biodiversity

Question 19

Corridors and barriers

Answer 19

Human-made corridors serve as barriers for
many animals, but can act as a corridor for
invasive species
* For example: Phragmites (tall grases) has spread throughout Canada using roadways
as dispersal corridors
- outcompetes all the other plants

Question 20

Remote sensing

Answer 20

Aerial photographs and satellite images are an
important tool for landscape ecology
* Information conveyed by different wavelengths helps to analyze landscape patterns, land use, and ecological processes

Question 21

Geographic information system (GIS)

Answer 21

Computer software that overlays map
information and photographic images
* Each overlaid map is called a “layer”
* Comparisons across layers may identify
critical habitats for organisms of interest, or
reveal patterns of ecological relationships