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Spatial Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems pp 171–184Cite as

Spatial Resilience, Landscape Experiments, and Fragmentation

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Abstract

The majority of theoretical development and the testing of principles relating to the influence of spatial variation on processes in social-ecological systems has been either on paper or in silico (which is to say, through analytical mathematics and/or the use of computer-based models). This chapter provides a counterpoint to mathematical and model-oriented approaches by discussing rigorous empirical studies of spatial effects in ecosystems. Its primary goal is to offer an overview of the body of work in ecology that uses different forms of experimentation to test ideas about the relevance of space for resilience (as discussed in the previous four chapters). It also offers an introduction to a set of concepts that provide important background for Chapter 9.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Percy FitzPatrick Institute, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, Cape Town, South Africa

    Graeme S. Cumming

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  1. Graeme S. Cumming
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Correspondence to Graeme S. Cumming .

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Cumming, G.S. (2011). Spatial Resilience, Landscape Experiments, and Fragmentation. In: Spatial Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0307-0_8

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