A leakiness index for assessing landscape function using remote sensing |
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Authors: | Ludwig John A Eager Robert W Bastin Gary N Chewings Vanessa H Liedloff Adam C |
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Institution: | (1) Tropical Savannas Management Cooperative Research Centre and CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Atherton, 4883, Australia;(2) Tropical Savannas Management Cooperative Research Centre and CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Darwin, 0822, Australia;(3) Alice Springs, 0871, Australia |
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Abstract: | The cover, number, size, shape, spatial arrangement and orientation of vegetation patches are attributes that have been used
to indicate how well landscapes function to retain, not ‘leak’, vital system resources such as rainwater and soil. We derived
and tested a directional leakiness index (DLI) for this resource retention function. We used simulated landscape maps where
resource flows over map surfaces were directional and where landscape patch attributes were known. Although DLI was most strongly
related to patch cover, it also logically related to patch number, size, shape, arrangement and orientation. If the direction
of resource flow is multi-directional, a variant of DLI, the multi-directional leakiness index (MDLI) can be used. The utility
of DLI and MDLI was demonstrated by applying these indices to three Australian savanna landscapes differing in their remotely
sensed vegetation patch attributes. These leakiness indices clearly positioned these three landscapes along a function-dysfunction
continuum, where dysfunctional landscapes are leaky (poorly retain resources).
This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. |
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Keywords: | Landscape metrics Patch cover Patch orientation Patch size Spatial pattern Tropical savanna Vegetation patchiness |
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