Abstract
We review the different roles of theory, models and data in landscape science. The need for science at the landscape scale is argued. Landscape theory is considered as a repository of probabilistic patterns rather than as a collection of laws of nature. We present a typology of such patterns for five distinct landscape features: land cover, land use, patch properties, patch interactions and exogenous influences. We show how theory for these features can support landscape modelling, and we provide a checklist of questions for model developers. The limited availability of data on landscapes is discussed, and how that leads to uncertainties in theoretical patterns as well as models. We analyse how probability theory can be used to account for these uncertainties, strengthening the links between theory, models and data, and facilitating decision support.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Abbreviations
- ALS:
-
Agricultural landscapes
- ES:
-
Ecosystem services
- FLS:
-
Forest landscapes
References
Baker WL (1989) A review of models of landscape change. Landsc Ecol 2:111–133
Baker WL, Cai Y (1992) Ther.Le programs for multiscale analysis of landscape structure using the GRASS geographical information system. Landsc Ecol 7:291–302. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00131258
Baker W, Egbert SL, Frazier GF (1991) A spatial model for studying the effects of climatic change on the structure of landscapes subject to large disturbances. Ecol Model 56:109–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3800(91)90195-7
Bealey WJ, Loubet B, Braban CF, Famulari D, Theobald MR, Reis S, Reay DS, Sutton MA (2014) Modelling agro-forestry scenarios for ammonia abatement in the landscape. Environ Res Lett 9:125001. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/9/12/125001
Begg GS, Cook SM, Dye R, Ferrante M, Franck P, Lavigne C, Lövei GL, Mansion-Vaquie A, Pell JK, Petit S, Quesada N, Ricci B, Wratten SD, Birch AE (2017) A functional overview of conservation biological control. Crop Prot 97:145–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2016.11.008
Bertalanffy LV (1968) General system theory: foundations, development, applications. George BrazillerInc, New York
Bertram J, Dewar RC (2013) Statistical patterns in tropical tree cover explained by the different water demand of individual trees and grasses. Ecology 94:2138–2144
Bormann FH, Likens GE (1967) Nutrient cycling. Science 155:424–429. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.155.3761.424
Cabell J, Oelofse M (2012) An indicator framework for assessing agroecosystem resilience. Ecol Soc 17. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-04666-170118
Chaplin-Kramer R, O’Rourke ME, Blitzer EJ, Kremen C (2011) A meta-analysis of crop pest and natural enemy response to landscape complexity. Ecol Lett 14:922–932. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01642.x
Dalgaard T, Bienkowski JF, Bleeker A, Dragosits U, Drouet JL, Durand P, Frumau A, Hutchings NJ, Kedziora A, Magliulo V, Olesen JE, Theobald MR, Maury O, Akkal N, Cellier P (2012) Farm nitrogen balances in six European landscapes as an indicator for nitrogen losses and basis for improved management. Biogeosciences 9:5303–5321. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-5303-2012
Dinsmore KJ, Billett MF, Skiba UM, Rees RM, Drewer J, Helfter C (2010) Role of the aquatic pathway in the carbon and greenhouse gas budgets of a peatland catchment. Glob Chang Biol 16:2750–2762. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.02119.x
Duretz S, Drouet J, Durand P, Hutchings N, Theobald M, Salmon-Monviola J, Dragosits U, Maury O, Sutton M, Cellier P (2011) NitroScape: a model to integrate nitrogen transfers and transformations in rural landscapes. Environ Pollut 159:3162–3170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2011.05.005
Erikstad L et al (2017) LandskapstyperiNorge: Nymetodikk for kartleggingavlandskap. https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/8eebe3a246ee4baa8b6eb94ef9827eab/erikstad.pdf. Accessed on 17 Mar 2019
Forman RTT (1995) Land mosaics: the ecology of landscapes and regions. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York, p 632
Gonzalez-Redin J, Luque S, Poggio L, Smith R, Gimona A (2016) Spatial Bayesian belief networks as a planning decision tool for mapping ecosystem services trade-offs on forested landscapes. Environ Res 144(Part B):15–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2015.11.009 (The provision of ecosystem services in response to global change)
Holling C, Gunderson L, Ludwig D (2002) In quest of a theory of adaptive change. In: Gunderson L, Holling C (eds) Panarchy: understanding transformations in human and natural systems. Island Press, Washington, pp 3–22
Kennedy MC, O’Hagan A (2001) Bayesian calibration of computer models. J R Stat Soc: Ser B (Stat Methodol) 63:425–464
Kleidon A, Zehe E, Ehret U, Scherer U (2013) Thermodynamics, maximum power, and the dynamics of preferential river flow structures at the continental scale. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 17:225–251. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-225-2013
Lee J, Bagheri B, Kao H-A (2015) A cyber-physical systems architecture for industry 4.0-based manufacturing systems. Manuf Lett 3:18–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mfglet.2014.12.001
Levy P, Van Oijen M, Buys G, Tomlinson S (2018) Estimation of gross land-use change and its uncertainty using a Bayesian data assimilation approach. Biogeosciences 15:1497–1513. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1497-2018
Odum EP (1968) Energy flow in ecosystems: a historical review. Am Zool 8:11–18
Roschewitz I, Gabriel D, Tscharntke T, Thies C (2005) The effects of landscape complexity on arable weed species diversity in organic and conventional farming. J Appl Ecol 42:873–882. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.01072.x
Thenail C, Baudry J (2004) Variation of farm spatial land use pattern according to the structure of the hedgerow network (bocage) landscape: a case study in northeast Brittany. Agr Ecosyst Environ 101:53–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(03)00199-3
Van Oijen M (2002) On the use of specific publication criteria for papers on process-based modelling in plant science. Field Crop Res 74:197–205
Van Oijen M (2009) Theory and models for managed ecosystems: from confusion to certainty and back again. 40 Years Theory and Model at Wageningen UR 25
Van Oijen M (2017) Bayesian methods for quantifying and reducing uncertainty and error in forest models. Curr For Rep 3:269–280. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40725-017-0069-9
Van Oijen M, Rougier J, Smith R (2005) Bayesian calibration of process-based forest models: bridging the gap between models and data. Tree Physiol 25:915–927. https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/25.7.915
Van Oijen M, Beer C, Cramer W, Rammig A, Reichstein M, Rolinski S, Soussana J-F (2013) A novel probabilistic risk analysis to determine the vulnerability of ecosystems to extreme climatic events. Environ Res Lett 8:015032. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/1/015032
Van Oijen M, Cameron D, Levy PE, Preston R (2017) Correcting errors from spatial upscaling of nonlinear greenhouse gas flux models. Environ Model Softw 94:157–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2017.03.023
Van Oijen M, Bellocchi G, Höglind M (2018) Effects of climate change on grassland biodiversity and productivity: the need for a diversity of models. Agronomy 8:14. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy8020014
von Thünen J (1826) Die isolierte Staat in Beziehung auf Landwirtshaft und Nationalökonomie. Perthes, Hamburg
West G (2018) Scale: the universal laws of life and death in organisms, cities and companies. W&N.320 pp, ISBN 9781780225593
Whipple AV, Holeski LM (2016) Epigenetic inheritance across the landscape. Front Genet 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2016.00189
Acknowledgements
I thank the organizers of the Landscape 2018 meeting in Berlin for their invitation to participate, and for the stimulating discussions about the future of landscape science.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
van Oijen, M. (2019). Tools for Landscape Science: Theory, Models and Data. In: Mueller, L., Eulenstein, F. (eds) Current Trends in Landscape Research. Innovations in Landscape Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30069-2_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30069-2_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-30068-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-30069-2
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)