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Theories on the Origins, Maintenance, Dynamics, and Functioning of Banded Landscapes

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Banded Vegetation Patterning in Arid and Semiarid Environments

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 149))

Abstract

In this chapter, we explore the whys and hows of banded landscapes: (1) why do they form? (2) how are they maintained? (3) how do they move? (4) how do they work to conserve resources? In addition, we discuss how understanding these processes contributes to advancing heterogeneity theory in landscape ecology generally. Where banded landscapes occur and what forms they take were described in chapter 1. Such landscapes occur in Africa, Australia, and the Americas, and perhaps elsewhere, and are often called two-phase mosaics because they form bands of bare soil alternating with bands of perennial vegetation. They tend to be situated on low planar slopes and are characterized by the long axis of the bands being oriented along the contours of these slopes.

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Authors
  1. David J. Tongway
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  2. John A. Ludwig
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, GPO Box 284, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia

    David J. Tongway

  2. Institut de Recherche pou Développement (IRD), 213 rue La Fayette, F-75 480, Paris cedex 10, France

    Christian Valentin

  3. Laboratoire d’étude du Comportement des Sols Cultivés (LCSC), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), 911 avenue Agropolis, BP 5045, F-34 032, Montpellier cedex 1, France

    Josiane Seghieri

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Tongway, D.J., Ludwig, J.A. (2001). Theories on the Origins, Maintenance, Dynamics, and Functioning of Banded Landscapes. In: Tongway, D.J., Valentin, C., Seghieri, J. (eds) Banded Vegetation Patterning in Arid and Semiarid Environments. Ecological Studies, vol 149. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0207-0_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0207-0_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-6559-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-0207-0

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