Examines how spatial patterns of habitat patches and corridors affect ecological processes.
Patch, matrix and corridor structure; edge effects, fragmentation and connectivity influence species. Metrics are derived from GIS data.
Fragmentation increases edge, reducing core habitat. Matrix quality influences movement. Connectivity enables gene flow and range shifts.
Example: road underpasses reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.
Examines how spatial patterns of habitat patches and corridors affect ecological processes.
Landscape Ecology is one of the 54 topics in Ecology. It is rated Advanced, so it suits learners who want specialist depth. Related topics in this area include Climate Change Ecology, Island Biogeography, Macroecology.
Wildlife overpasses help animals cross roads.
Work through the Beginner topics in Ecology first, such as Ecology, Ecosystem, Biotic and Abiotic Factors, then return to Landscape Ecology. Advanced topics assume the Intermediate vocabulary.
The closest topics to Landscape Ecology are Climate Change Ecology, Island Biogeography, Macroecology, Metapopulations. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Landscape Ecology. To practise the whole of Ecology, use the Ecology quiz.
Landscape Ecology: Examines how spatial patterns of habitat patches and corridors affect ecological processes. Climate Change Ecology: Warming shifts species ranges, phenology and interactions, creating mismatches in ecosystems. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Climate Change Ecology and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Ecology quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
Warming shifts species ranges, phenology and interactions, creating mismatches in ecosystems.
🌍 EcologyPredicts species richness on islands from island size and distance to the mainland.
🌍 EcologyStudies large-scale patterns of abundance, range and diversity, such as the latitudinal diversity gradient.
🌍 EcologyA set of spatially separated populations linked by dispersal, with local extinction and recolonisation.
🌍 Ecology