Ecosystem Function in Heterogeneous Landscapes

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxiv

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2. Challenges and Conceptual Approaches

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 5-8

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   2. Ecosystem Function in Heterogeneous Landscapes

      • Gary M. Lovett, Clive G. Jones, Monica G. Turner, Kathleen C. Weathers

      Pages 1-4

   3. Causes and Consequences of Spatial Heterogeneity in Ecosystem Function

      • Monica G. Turner, F. Stuart Chapin III

      Pages 9-30

   4. The Template: Patterns and Processes of Spatial Variation

      • Ethan P. White, James H. Brown

      Pages 31-47

   5. Thoughts on the Generation and Importance of Spatial Heterogeneity in Ecosystems and Landscapes

      • John Pastor

      Pages 49-66

   6. Reciprocal Cause and Effect Between Environmental Heterogeneity and Transport Processes

      • William A. Reiners

      Pages 67-89

3. Perspectives from Different Disciplines

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 91-94

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   2. Population Ecology in Spatially Heterogeneous Environments

      • Lenore Fahrig, William K. Nuttle

      Pages 95-118

   3. Heterogeneity in Hydrologic Processes: A Terrestrial Hydrologic Modeling Perspective

      • Christina Tague

      Pages 119-136

   4. Spatial Heterogeneity in Infectious Disease Epidemics

      • David L. Smith

      Pages 137-164

   5. Spatial Heterogeneity and Its Relation to Processes in the Upper Ocean

      • Amala Mahadevan

      Pages 165-182

4. Illustrations of Heterogeneity and Ecosystem Function

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 183-188

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   2. Heterogeneity in Arid and Semiarid Lands

      • David J. Tongway, John A. Ludwig

      Pages 189-205

   3. Formation of Soil-Vegetation Patterns

      • Marcel Meinders, Nico Van Breemen

      Pages 207-227

   4. Spatial Patterning of Soil Carbon Storage Across Boreal Landscapes

      • Merritt R. Turetsky, Michelle C. Mack, Jennifer W. Harden, Kristen L. Manies

      Pages 229-255

   5. Heterogeneity in Urban Ecosystems: Patterns and Process

      • Larry E. Band, Mary L. Cadenasso, C. Susan Grimmond, J. Morgan Grove, Steward T. A. Pickett

      Pages 257-278

   6. Origins, Patterns, and Importance of Heterogeneity in Riparian Systems

      • Robert J. Naiman, J. Scott Bechtold, Deanne C. Drake, Joshua J. Latterell, Thomas C. O'Keefe, Estelle V. Balian

      Pages 279-309

   7. Flowpaths as Integrators of Heterogeneity in Streams and Landscapes

      • Stuart G. Fisher, Jill R. Welter

      Pages 311-328

   8. Causes and Consequences of Spatial Heterogeneity in Lakes

      • Timothy K. Kratz, Sally MacIntyre, Katherine E. Webster

      Pages 329-347

Among the most dif?cult problems in the life sciences is the challenge to understand the details of how ecosystems/watersheds/landscapes function. Yet,the welfare of all life,not just the human species,depends upon the s- cessful functioning of diverse and complicated ecosystems, each with va- ous dimensions and compositions. Central to this “working” is the dominance, and to a major extent control, of ecosystems by organisms, which means that these systems are constantly changing as the component organisms change and evolve. Such changes increase the challenge to understand the functioning of ecosystems and landscapes. Moreover,und- standing the interactions among the myriad components of these systems is mind-boggling as there are scores of biotic (probably many thousands of species when the microbial components are fully enumerated through genomics) and countless abiotic (ions, molecules, and compounds) entities, all simultaneously interacting and responding to diverse external factors to produce functional or dysfunctional environments for life. This book focuses on the problems of connectedness and ecosystem fu- tioning. It is dif?cult enough to understand how an ecosystem functions when it is considered in isolation, but all ecosystems are open and c- nected to everything else. Clearly, the inputs to any ecosystem are the o- puts from others and vice versa, and as such the ?uxes represent major, if not critical, points for managing or changing the overall functioning of an ecosystem or landscape. A major challenge is to ?nd appropriate conceptual frameworks to address these complicated problems.

• Function
• Heterogeneous
• Jones
• Landscapes
• Lovett
• Turner
• Weathers
• ecology
• ecosystem
• ecosystem ecology
• environment
• landscape ecology
• ocean
• population ecology

From the reviews:

"Ecosystems Function in Heterogeneous Landscapes is an edited volume from the 10th Cary conference held in 2003. … This volume attempts to cover a lot of topics and will be particularly relevant to graduate students of Landscape Ecology trying to grasp some of the landscape to regional organizing frameworks that may provide fruitful avenues of research. It may also be helpful to researchers and managers … ." (K. B. Pierce Jr., Landscape Ecology, Vol. 22, 2007)

• Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, USA

  Gary M. Lovett, Clive G. Jones, Kathleen C. Weathers

• Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA

  Monica G. Turner

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