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1.
Context
Landscape metrics represent powerful tools for quantifying landscape structure, but uncertainties persist around their interpretation. Urban settings add unique considerations, containing habitat structures driven by the surrounding built-up environment. Understanding urban ecosystems, however, should focus on the habitats rather than the matrix.Objectives
We coupled a multivariate approach with landscape metric analysis to overcome existing shortcomings in interpretation. We then explored relationships between landscape characteristics and modelled ecosystem service provision.Methods
We used principal component analysis and cluster analysis to isolate the most effective measures of landscape variability and then grouped habitat patches according to their attributes, independent of the surrounding urban form. We compared results to the modelled provision of three ecosystem services. Seven classes resulting from cluster analysis were separated primarily on patch area, and secondarily by measures of shape complexity and inter-patch distance.Results
When compared to modelled ecosystem services, larger patches up to 10 ha in size consistently stored more carbon per area and supported more pollinators, while exhibiting a greater risk of soil erosion. Smaller, isolated patches showed the opposite, and patches larger than 10 ha exhibited no additional areal benefit.Conclusions
Multivariate landscape metric analysis offers greater confidence and consistency than analysing landscape metrics individually. Independent classification avoids the influence of the urban matrix surrounding habitats of interest, and allows patches to be grouped according to their own attributes. Such a grouping is useful as it may correlate more strongly with the characteristics of landscape structure that directly affect ecosystem function.2.
Context
Landscape-scale studies of ecosystem services (ES) have increased, but few consider land-use history. Historical land use may be especially important in cultural landscapes, producing legacies that influence ecosystem structure, function, and biota that in turn affect ES supply.Objectives
Our goal was to generate a conceptual framework for understanding when land-use legacies matter for ES supply in well-studied agricultural, urban, and exurban US landscapes.Methods
We synthesized illustrative examples from published literature in which landscape legacies were demonstrated or are likely to influence ES.Results
We suggest three related conditions in which land-use legacies are important for understanding current ES supply. (1) Intrinsically slow ecological processes govern ES supply, illustrated for soil-based and hydrologic services impaired by slowly processed pollutants. (2) Time lags between land-use change and ecosystem responses delay effects on ES supply, illustrated for biodiversity-based services that may experience an ES debt. (3) Threshold relationships exist, such that changes in ES are difficult to reverse, and legacy lock-in disconnects contemporary landscapes from ES supply, illustrated by hydrologic services. Mismatches between contemporary landscape patterns and mechanisms underpinning ES supply yield unexpected patterns of ES.Conclusions
Today’s land-use decisions will generate tomorrow’s legacies, and ES will be affected if processes underpinning ES are affected by land-use legacies. Research priorities include understanding effects of urban abandonment, new contaminants, and interactions of land-use legacies and climate change. Improved understanding of historical effects will improve management of contemporary ES, and aid in decision-making as new challenges to sustaining cultural landscapes arise.3.
Poliana Mendes Kimberly A. With Luciana Signorelli Paulo De MarcoJr. 《Landscape Ecology》2017,32(4):745-762
Context
Species site-occupancy patterns may be influenced by habitat variables at both local and landscape scales. Although local habitat variables influence whether the site is suitable for a given species, the broader landscape context can also influence site occupancy, particularly for species that are sensitive to land-use change.Objectives
To examine the relative importance of local versus landscape variables in explaining site occupancy of eight bat species within the Brazilian Cerrado, a Neotropical savanna that is experiencing widespread habitat loss and fragmentation.Methods
Bats were surveyed within 16 forest patches over two years. We used a multi-model information-theoretic approach, adjusted for species detection bias, to assess whether landscape variables (percent cover and number of patches of natural vegetation within a 2- and 8-km radius of each forest site) or local site variables (canopy cover, understory height, number of trees, and number of lianas) best explained site occupancy in each species.Results
Landscape variables were among the best models (ΔAICc or ΔQAICc < 2) for four species (top-ranked model for black myotis), whereas local variables were among the best for five species (top-ranked model for vampire bats). Neither local nor landscape variables explained site occupancy in two frugivorous species.Conclusion
Species associated with a particular habitat type will not respond similarly to the amount, distribution or relative suitability of that habitat, or even at the same scale. This reinforces the challenge of species distribution modelling, especially in the context of forecasting species’ responses to future land-use or climate-change scenarios.4.
Context
An ecosystem service approach for land-use or conservation decisions normally uses economic or biophysical assessments for valuating nature’s services. In contrast, even though ecosystem services are required for human well-being, the actual use of services by differing stakeholder groups are rarely considered in typical ecosystem service assessments, especially the more intangible, cultural ecosystem services.Objectives
The aim of this research was to quantify different uses for 15 cultural and provisioning ecosystem service indicators across seven stakeholder groups in a watershed proposed with large hydroelectric dam development.Methods
We used a large-scale survey to quantify use and frequency of use for ecosystem services.Results
We demonstrate that different stakeholder groups use ecosystem services differently, both in terms of specific ecosystem service indicators, as well as for frequency of ecosystem service use. Across all stakeholder groups, specific cultural ecosystem services were consistently more important to participants when compared to provisioning ecosystem services, especially aesthetic/scenic values.Conclusions
This work is of global importance as it highlights the importance of considering cultural ecosystem services (e.g. aesthetic/scenic, sense-of-place values) along with multiple stakeholder groups to identify the trade-offs and synergies during decision-making processes for land-use or conservation initiatives.5.
Laura R. Musacchio 《Landscape Ecology》2018,33(6):847-860
Context
One of the key challenges for landscape planners is to reframe the meaning of ecosystem services. In this context, alternative concepts such as ecologies have potential to complement ecosystem services when applied to human–nature relationships in changing landscapes.Objectives
The objectives of this article are: (1) to review how landscape planners use major critical approaches to translate the meaning of ecosystem services and (2) to introduce why ecologies provides helpful insights to complement ecosystem services.Methods
A conceptual framework examines how landscape planners use critique to reframe the meaning of ecosystem services. This framework is then revised as a scenario to reframe the meanings of ecologies and ecosystem services.Results
Landscape planners use three critical approaches to reframe the meaning of ecosystem services to advance the understanding of human–nature relationships in changing landscapes. Yet, they identify some important issues and gaps that emerge when it is applied. These issues and gaps are part of the rationale for why landscape planning is at a crossroads with ecosystem services. This rationale is then extended to create a scenario for why a revised conceptual framework is needed for landscape planners to reframe the meanings of ecologies and ecosystem services.Conclusion
The translational challenge of ecologies and ecosystem services is an example of the key role that landscape planners play in developing a deeper understanding of human–nature relationships.6.
Fangyan Cheng Shiliang Liu Xiaoyun Hou Yueqiu Zhang Shikui Dong 《Landscape Ecology》2018,33(5):783-798
Context
Dramatic land-use change has taken place in the tropical region of southwestern China. However, quantitative evaluation of changes in landscape sustainability and the provision of biodiversity ecosystem services (BESVs) of the region has seldom been attempted.Objectives
This study was designed to: (1) assess bioenergy landscape dynamics based on graph theory; (2) predict bioenergy landscape sustainability in response to land-use changes, and (3) explore the effects of land-use changes on BESVs’ variation based on bioenergy modeling.Methods
The PANDORA model, a bioenergy-based integrated evaluation of BESV related to landscape connectivity, was employed to analyze variations in landscape’s bioenergy and BESV in Jinghong County, southwestern China. In addition, we applied this model and several indices (change extent, change rate, and growth type) to evaluate responses of bioenergy and BESV to land-use changes.Results
The bioenergy and bioenergy fluxes of the regional landscape have decreased since the 1970s, while the landscape has remained sustainable with a high level of bioenergy. The BESVs overall fluctuated from $8.41 m?2 year?1 in the 1970s to $8.54, 7.45, and 5.71 m?2 year?1 in 1990, 2000, and 2010, respectively. Further, both changes in the land-use area and patterns, including change extent, change rate, and change pattern, affected the variation in BESVs.Conclusions
The PANDORA model can evaluate bioenergy dynamics, sustainability, and BESV variations on the landscape scale effectively. Further, the BESV is sensitive to changes in landscape composition and pattern, and thus, increasing natural vegetation and landscape connectivity could improve provisions to conserve the landscape’s biodiversity.7.
Context
In tropical landscapes, dominant land-use changes involve conversion of intact forest to an agricultural matrix with embedded fragments of remnant forest. However, most research to date has focused on how these land-use changes affect species within the fragmented ecosystem, rather than the flux of energy and nutrients within these different landscape elements.Objectives
We examined how forest fragmentation and conversion to orange fields impact the potential for litter decomposition in a Costa Rican landscape, in particular via effects on macroinvertebrates (MIs) and microclimate.Methods
We measured mass losses of a standard leaf litter in four habitats: orange fields, small forest fragments, large forest fragments and intact forest. Litter bags were constructed of mesh that either excluded or allowed MIs. Decomposition rates were measured in wet and dry seasons, and at different distances from the forest edge.Results
Forest fragmentation and forest conversion had divergent effects on decomposition rates. Decomposition rates were 7 % slower in forest fragments during the dry season than in intact forest, and this result was mediated by forest fragmentation effects on MIs. Decomposition rates were 9 % higher in orange fields during the wet season, relative to intact forest, and this pattern was explained by effects of the litter microenvironment on leaching rates or smaller invertebrates. Fragment area and distance from forest edge had minor or undetectable effects on decomposition in fragments.Conclusions
We conclude that land-use changes affect decomposition processes in both forest and agroecosystems, and these effects can vary in mechanism and direction across disturbed landscapes.8.
Context
As global landscapes continue to change, the sustainability of the ecosystem services they support are increasingly coming into question. In the rapidly changing neotropics, multiple-use plants epitomize sources of ecosystem services. To sustain the relationship that exists between such plants and human populations, a sound understanding of their well-being is required.Objectives
Density data on multiple-use plants were compared across forest types and land tenure classes to understand the implications of these two spatial frames of reference for landscape sustainability.Methods
The density of an aggregate sample of seventeen multiple-use and a sub-sample of five species were examined relative to forest type and land tenure class across fourteen Rupununi, Southern Guyana, study sites. The examination of plant density based on the two sample sizes was used to make inferences on how the two frames of reference may impact landscape sustainability.Results
The mean density of the aggregate sample was highest in three of six forest types, but showed no statistical difference across land tenure classes. When individual species were considered mean densities showed no statistical difference across land tenure classes, but differences were observed for three species across forest types. Mean densities were highest in forest types within which swidden agriculture occurs and in the protected area where logging is prohibited.Conclusions
Our findings suggested that in changing tropical landscapes plant species distribution can be predicted by forest types, but land tenure classes may provide clearer signals as to where a species well-being and hence ecosystem services may be compromised.9.
William D. Dijak Brice B. Hanberry Jacob S. Fraser Hong S. He Wen J. Wang Frank R. ThompsonIII 《Landscape Ecology》2017,32(7):1365-1384
Context
Global climate change impacts forest growth and methods of modeling those impacts at the landscape scale are needed to forecast future forest species composition change and abundance. Changes in forest landscapes will affect ecosystem processes and services such as succession and disturbance, wildlife habitat, and production of forest products at regional, landscape and global scales.Objectives
LINKAGES 2.2 was revised to create LINKAGES 3.0 and used it to evaluate tree species growth potential and total biomass production under alternative climate scenarios. This information is needed to understand species potential under future climate and to parameterize forest landscape models (FLMs) used to evaluate forest succession under climate change.Methods
We simulated total tree biomass and responses of individual tree species in each of the 74 ecological subsections across the central hardwood region of the United States under current climate and projected climate at the end of the century from two general circulation models and two representative greenhouse gas concentration pathways.Results
Forest composition and abundance varied by ecological subsection with more dramatic changes occurring with greater changes in temperature and precipitation and on soils with lower water holding capacity. Biomass production across the region followed patterns of soil quality.Conclusions
Linkages 3.0 predicted realistic responses to soil and climate gradients and its application was a useful approach for considering growth potential and maximum growing space under future climates. We suggest Linkages 3.0 can also can used to inform parameter estimates in FLMs such as species establishment and maximum growing space.10.
Théophile Olivier Reto Schmucki Benoit Fontaine Anne Villemey Frédéric Archaux 《Landscape Ecology》2016,31(4):865-876
Context
Understanding the factors contributing to maintaining biodiversity is crucial to mitigate the impact of anthropogenic disturbances. Representing large proportions of green area in highly modified landscapes, residential gardens are often seen as local habitats that can contribute to larger networks of suitable environments at the landscape scale.Objectives
We investigated the impact of the landscape context on butterfly communities observed in residential gardens, taking into account garden characteristics, land-use types and presence of linear features in the surrounding landscape. We examined how species traits affected butterflies’ response to landscape context and habitat quality.Methods
We performed a cross-scale study, based on citizen science data documenting butterfly species composition and abundance in 920 gardens across France. We examined the effect of garden quality, the area of different land-use types and the length of linear elements measured at three scales within the surrounding landscape. Species were grouped according to their habitat preference and mobility.Results
Urbanization negatively affected total species richness and the abundance of butterfly in each group. This was related to declining habitat quality and reduced area of suitable habitat in the surrounding landscape. The magnitude of this effect, however, was negatively correlated with mobility, a trait related to habitat preference. The spatial scale at which landscape context best explained variation in butterfly abundance changed with species’ habitat preference.Conclusions
This study highlights the importance of preserving high quality habitats in altered landscapes and considering species’ mobility and habitat preference when assessing the impact of landscapes on butterfly communities.11.
Context
In modern agricultural landscapes, fragmentation of partial habitats is a significant filter for multi-habitat users, reducing local taxonomic and functional diversity. There is compelling evidence that small species are more susceptible than large species. The impact of habitat fragmentation on intraspecific body-size distribution, however, is yet unexplored.Objectives
We tested habitat fragmentation, a major driver of pollinator loss, for its impact on intraspecific body-size distributions of solitary wild-bee species. Subsequently, we tested individual body size for its impact on pollination services.Methods
We sampled 1272 individuals of the four most common Andrena wild bee species in 22 newly established flowering fields (0.21–0.41 ha) in Hessen, Central Germany, over two consecutive years. Study sites were located in a ca. 80 ha landscape context of increasing habitat fragmentation. We analysed the pollen loads of the most abundant species.Results
Body size within local populations of the two medium-sized bees increased with fragmentation, suggesting intraspecific selection for higher dispersal capacity. Pollen analysis carried out for the most common species revealed that larger individuals visited a significantly smaller plant spectrum. Habitat fragmentation may thus alter pollination services without necessarily affecting species richness or composition.Conclusions
Systematic body-size variation at the population level thus explains the considerable variability between simple community measures and ecosystem functioning. Filtering processes at the individual level require increased understanding for targeting pollination services under current and future land-use change.12.
Context
A challenging issue in landscape ecology is the evaluation of changes in a forest landscape following a disturbance. This evaluation usually entails examining changes in the forest inventory, which represents the best information available for a given forest region.Objectives
Our aim was to extend existing methods used to evaluate forest inventory to include additional variables, such as value-based forest product options, wood fibre attributes, and ecosystem services. Inclusion of such variables in forest inventory evaluations would allow research results to be presented from an economic perspective, which is often required for policy development and forest management decision-making.Methods
We developed a value-based framework to evaluate forest inventory and implemented it in the wood fibre value simulation model. We then used a local data set from Manitoba, Canada, to show how the model can be applied to the mapping of new inventory layers to facilitate the evaluation of landscape changes.Results
Five new inventory layers are mapped including bioenergy and heating value that can be directly used for evaluating landscape changes, and wood density, fibre length, and pulp yield, which can be combined with total wood volume to derive new variables or indices to express changes in landscape conditions.Conclusions
Our model can contribute to the assessment of landscape changes by indicating the values a forest can have when it is used for different conservation or utilization purposes. The model can also support improved decision-making with respect to the management of forest resources.13.
Context
Land use change and forest degradation have myriad effects on tropical ecosystems. Yet their consequences for low-order streams remain very poorly understood, including in the world´s largest freshwater basin, the Amazon.Objectives
Determine the degree to which physical and chemical characteristics of the instream habitat of low-order Amazonian streams change in response to past local- and catchment-level anthropogenic disturbances.Methods
To do so, we collected field instream habitat (i.e., physical habitat and water quality) and landscape data from 99 stream sites in two eastern Brazilian Amazon regions. We used random forest regression trees to assess the relative importance of different predictor variables in determining changes in instream habitat response variables.Results
Multiple drivers, operating at multiple spatial scales, were important in determining changes in the physical habitat and water quality of the sites. Although we found few similarities in modelled relationships between the two regions, we observed non-linear responses of specific instream characteristics to landscape change; for example 20 % of catchment deforestation resulted in consistently warmer streams.Conclusions
Our results highlight the importance of local riparian and catchment-scale forest cover in shaping instream physical environments, but also underscore the importance of other land use changes and activities, such as road crossings and upstream agriculture intensification. In contrast to the property-scale focus of the Brazilian Forest code, which governs environmental regulations on private land, our results reinforce the importance of catchment-wide management strategies to protect stream ecosystem integrity.14.
Javier Babí Almenar Benedetto Rugani Davide Geneletti Tim Brewer 《Landscape Ecology》2018,33(12):2047-2059
Context
The study of ecosystem services has extended its influence into spatial planning and landscape ecology, the integration of which can offer an opportunity to enhance the saliency, credibility, and legitimacy of landscape ecology in spatial planning issues.Objectives
This paper presents a conceptual framework suitable for spatial planning in human dominated environments supported by landscape ecological thinking. It seeks to facilitate the integration of ecosystem services into current practice, including landscape metrics as suitable indicators.Methods
A literature review supported the revision of existing open questions pertaining to ecosystem services as well as their integration into landscape ecology and spatial planning. A posterior reflection of the current state-of-the-art was then used as a basis for developing the spatial planning conceptual framework.Results and conclusion
The framework is articulated around four phases (characterisation, assessment, design, and monitoring) and three concepts (character, service, and value). It advocates integration of public participation, consideration of “landscape services”, the inclusion of ecosystem disservices, and the use of landscape metrics for qualitative assessment of services. As a result, the framework looks to enhance spatial planning practice by providing: (i) a better consideration of landscape configuration in the supply of services (ii) the integration of anthropogenic services with ecosystem services; (iii) the consideration of costs derived from ecosystems (e.g. disservices); and (iv) an aid to the understanding of ecosystem services terminology for spatial planning professionals and decision makers.15.
Context
Despite the key role of biological control in agricultural landscapes, we still poorly understand how landscape structure modulates pest control at different spatial scales.Objectives
Here we take an experimental approach to explore whether bird and bat exclusion affects pest control in sun coffee plantations, and whether this service is consistent at different spatial scales.Methods
We experimentally excluded flying vertebrates from coffee plants in 32 sites in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, encompassing a gradient of forest cover at landscape (2 km radius) and local (300 m) spatial scales, and quantified coffee leaf loss, as an indicator of herbivory, and fruit set.Results
Leaf loss decreased with higher landscape forest cover, but this relation was significantly different between treatment and control plants depending on local forest cover. On the other hand, fruit set responded to the interaction between treatment and local forest cover but was not affected by landscape forest cover. More specifically, fruit set increased significantly with local forest cover in exclusion treatments and showed a non-significant decrease in open controls.Conclusions
These results suggest that services provided by flying vertebrates are modulated by processes occurring at different spatial scales. We posit that in areas with high local forest cover flying vertebrates may establish negative interactions with predaceous arthropods (i.e. intraguild predation), but this would not be the case in areas with low local forest cover. We highlight the importance of employing a multi-scale analysis in systems where multiple species, which perceive the landscape differently, are providing ecosystem services.16.
Context
Human driven land-use and land-cover change (LULC) is considered to be among the greatest ecological pressures in mountain regions. Over the past century, across the European Alps, extensive LULC changes have been observed, affecting ecosystem goods and services (ESs).Objectives
For eight case study sites across the Alpine arc we aimed to provide a spatiotemporal explicit assessment of the impacts of LULC dynamics on ES provision and interactions, including cultivated crops, plant material, climate regulation, soil erosion control and aesthetics.Methods
We quantified ES provision in biophysical terms at four time periods (1850, 1955, 1985, 2005) using spatially explicit LULC based assessment models. ES interactions were identified by statistically analyzing the spatiotemporal pattern among ES capacities.Results
Over the past century forested areas have increased mainly at the cost of grasslands, while on easily accessible sites and fertile valley floors agricultural intensification occurred. ES provision shifted between 1850 and 2005, from a predominance of production ESs in 1850 to a landscape characterized by regulating ESs in 2005. Spatiotemporal analyses of ES interactions revealed trade-offs between regulating and cultural ESs and within the provisioning ES bundle and allowed to derive three different ES trajectories: regions developing from single to multifunctional sites in terms of service provision, sites reducing their service capacities and sites with rather stationary patterns over broad time periods.Conclusions
We demonstrated that ES capacities in complex agro-ecological mountain regions are highly sensitive to long-term landscape dynamics. We conclude that assessing ES capacities and interactions in an explicitly spatiotemporal manner can help to guide evidence-based environmental measures.17.
Context
Habitat loss and fragmentation may alter habitat occupancy patterns, for example through a reduction in regional abundance or in functional connectivity, which in turn may reduce the number of dispersers or their ability to prospect for territories. Yet, the relationship between landscape structure and habitat niche remains poorly known.Objectives
We hypothesized that changes in landscape structure associated with habitat loss and fragmentation will reduce the habitat niche breadth of forest birds, either through a reduction in density-dependent spillover from optimal habitat or by impeding the colonization of patches.Methods
We surveyed forest birds with point counts in eastern Ontario, Canada, and analyzed their response to loss and fragmentation of mature woodland. We selected 62 landscapes varying in both forest cover (15–45%) and its degree of fragmentation, and classified them into two categories (high versus low levels of loss and fragmentation). We determined the habitat niche breadth of 12 focal species as a function of 8 habitat structure variables for each landscape category.Results
Habitat niche breadth was narrower in landscapes with high versus low levels of loss and fragmentation of forest cover. The relative occupancy of marginal habitat appeared to drive this relationship. Species sensitivity to mature forest cover had no apparent influence on relative niche breadth.Conclusions
Regional abundance and, in turn, density-dependent spillover into suboptimal habitat appeared to be determinants of habitat niche breadth. For a given proportion of forest cover, fragmentation also appeared to alter habitat use, which could exacerbate its other negative effects unless functional connectivity is high enough to allow individuals to saturate optimal habitat.18.
Ine Dorresteijn Jannik Schultner Neil French Collier Kristoffer Hylander Feyera Senbeta Joern Fischer 《Landscape Ecology》2017,32(11):2151-2165
Context
Cultural landscapes provide essential ecosystem services to local communities, especially in poor rural settings. However, potentially negative impacts of ecosystems—or disservices—remain inadequately understood. Similarly, how benefit–cost outcomes differ within communities is unclear, but potentially important for cultural landscape management.Objectives
Here we investigated whether distinct forest ecosystem service–disservice outcomes emerge within local communities. We aimed to characterize groups of community members according to service–disservice outcomes, and assessed their attitudes towards the forest.Methods
We interviewed 150 rural households in southwestern Ethiopia about locally relevant ecosystem services (provisioning services) and disservices (wildlife impacts). Households were grouped based on their ecosystem service–disservice profiles through hierarchical clustering. We used linear models to assess differences between groups in geographic and socioeconomic characteristics, as well as attitudes toward the forest.Results
We identified three groups with distinct ecosystem service–disservice profiles. Half of the households fell into a “lose–lose” profile (low benefits, high costs), while fewer had “lose–escape” (low benefits, low costs) and “win–lose” (high benefits, high costs) profiles. Location relative to forest and altitude explained differences between the “lose–escape” profile and other households. Socioeconomic factors were also important. “Win–lose” households appeared to be wealthier and had better forest use rights compared to “lose–lose” households. Attitudes towards the forest did not differ between profiles.Conclusions
Our study demonstrates the importance of disaggregating both ecosystem services and disservices, instead of assuming that communities receive benefits and costs homogenously. To manage cultural landscapes sustainably, such heterogeneity must be acknowledged and better understood.19.
Juan Luis H. Cardós Isabel Martínez Gregorio Aragón Christopher J. Ellis 《Landscape Ecology》2018,33(10):1757-1768
Context
The anthropocene is characterised by global landscape modification, and the structure of remnant habitats can explain different patterns of species richness. The most pervasive processes of degradation include habitat loss and fragmentation. However, a recovery of modified landscape is occurring in some areas.Objectives
The main goal is to know how lichen and bryophyte epiphytic richness growing on Mediterranean forests is influenced not only by fragments characteristics but also by the structure of the landscape. We introduce a temporal dimension in order to evaluate if the historical landscape structure is relevant for current epiphytic communities.Methods
40 well-preserved forest fragments were selected in a landscape with a large habitat loss over decades, but with a recovery of forest surface in the last 55 years. The most relevant fragment and landscape-scale attributes were considered. Some of the variables were measured in three different years to incorporate a temporal framework.Results
The results showed that variables at fragment scale had a higher influence, whereas variables at the landscape scale were irrelevant. Among all the historical variables analyzed, only the shift in forest fragment size had influence on species richness.Conclusions
Mediterranean forests had suffered fragmentation along centuries. Their epiphytic communities also suffer the hard conditions of Mediterranean climate. Our results indicate that Mediterranean epiphytic communities may be in a threshold since it they will never be similar to those communities existing previous fragmentation process even a recovery habitat occur or, they may require more time to response to this habitat recovery.20.
Jennifer L. Reidy Frank R. ThompsonIII Courtney Amundson Lisa O’Donnell 《Landscape Ecology》2016,31(2):365-382