scholarly journals Contribution of landscape metrics to the assessment of scenic quality - the example of the landscape structure plan Havelland/Germany

2009 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helge Herbst ◽  
Michael Förster ◽  
Birgit Kleinschmit
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Metrics ◽  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Environmental Planning ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Structural Diversity ◽  
Objective Evaluation ◽  
Landscape Patterns ◽  
Edge Density ◽  
Aesthetic Quality ◽  
Important Indicator

The scenic quality of a landscape is a natural resource that is to be preserved according to German and international law. One important indicator for the evaluation of this value is the structural diversity of the landscape. Although Landscape Metrics (LM) represent a well-known instrument for the quantification of landscape patterns, they are hardly used in applied landscape and environmental planning. This study shows possibilities for the integration of LM into a commonly used method to assess scenic quality by the example of a Landscape Structure Plan. First results indicate that especially Shannon's Diversity Index and Edge Density are suitable to achieve an objective evaluation of the structural diversity as indicator for scenic quality. The addition of qualitative parameters to the objective structural analysis is discussed. Moreover, the use of landscape scenery units and raster cells as basic geometry has been compared. It shows that LM can support the evaluation of the aesthetic quality in environmental planning, especially when integrated into commonly used evaluation methods.

scholarly journals Anthropogenic landscape decreases mosquito biodiversity and drives malaria vector proliferation in the Amazon rainforest

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0245087
Author(s):  
Leonardo Suveges Moreira Chaves ◽  
Eduardo Sterlino Bergo ◽  
Jan E. Conn ◽  
Gabriel Zorello Laporta ◽  
Paula Ribeiro Prist ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Linear Mixed Model ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Malaria Risk ◽  
Malaria Vectors ◽  
Human Landing Catch ◽  
Edge Density ◽  
Rural Landscapes ◽  
Forest Fringe

Inter-relationships among mosquito vectors, Plasmodium parasites, human ecology, and biotic and abiotic factors, drive malaria risk. Specifically, rural landscapes shaped by human activities have a great potential to increase the abundance of malaria vectors, putting many vulnerable people at risk. Understanding at which point the abundance of vectors increases in the landscape can help to design policies and interventions for effective and sustainable control. Using a dataset of adult female mosquitoes collected at 79 sites in malaria endemic areas in the Brazilian Amazon, this study aimed to (1) verify the association among forest cover percentage (PLAND), forest edge density (ED), and variation in mosquito diversity; and to (2) test the hypothesis of an association between landscape structure (i.e., PLAND and ED) and Nyssorhynchus darlingi (Root) dominance. Mosquito collections were performed employing human landing catch (HLC) (peridomestic habitat) and Shannon trap combined with HLC (forest fringe habitat). Nyssorhynchus darlingi abundance was used as the response variable in a generalized linear mixed model, and the Shannon diversity index (H’) of the Culicidae community, PLAND, and the distance house-water drainage were used as predictors. Three ED categories were also used as random effects. A path analysis was used to understand comparative strengths of direct and indirect relationships among Amazon vegetation classes, Culicidae community, and Ny. darlingi abundance. Our results demonstrate that Ny. darlingi is negatively affected by H´ and PLAND of peridomestic habitat, and that increasing these variables (one-unit value at β0 = 768) leads to a decrease of 226 (P < 0.001) and 533 (P = 0.003) individuals, respectively. At the forest fringe, a similar result was found for H’ (β1 = -218; P < 0.001) and PLAND (β1 = -337; P = 0.04). Anthropogenic changes in the Amazon vegetation classes decreased mosquito biodiversity, leading to increased Ny. darlingi abundance. Changes in landscape structure, specifically decreases in PLAND and increases in ED, led to Ny. darlingi becoming the dominant species, increasing malaria risk. Ecological mechanisms involving changes in landscape and mosquito species composition can help to understand changes in the epidemiology of malaria.

scholarly journals ANALYZING LAND USE PATTERN CHANGES IN MUKIM PENGERANG, JOHOR, MALAYSIA

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 229
Author(s):  
Noordini Binti Che Man ◽  
Anis Farhan Binti Salihin
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Urban Land Use ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Landscape Patterns ◽  
Edge Density ◽  
Spatiotemporal Pattern ◽  
Land Use Pattern ◽  
Use Pattern

Urbanization and urban land-use transition have a competitive environment to ensure and provide good facilities for citizen benefit. The landscape patterns resulting from urbanization effect processes at local, regional, and global scales. Quantifying the spatiotemporal pattern of urbanization is important for understanding its ecological impacts and can provide basic information for appropriate decision-making. The growth of urbanization in Mukim Pengerang, Johor, has undergone rapid changes in agriculture, settlements, townships and various activities. The changes of land use take place in Mukim Pengerang due to the rapid economic development, especially in industrializations which are Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) project and Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC). The industrialization boosts the growth in land property and commercial which progressing in rapid development since the year 2012, in resulting whether it can give good, bad or both impact to the human and surrounding. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to quantify the changes in landscape pattern or land use pattern between the year 2008 and 2017 occurred in Mukim Pengerang. In monitoring the spatial pattern changes, and the changes of landscape structure, the metrics landscape were analyzed with determination of the Shanon Diversity Index (SHDI), the number of patches (NP), Edge Density (ED) and Total Edge (TE) in the period of 8 years. The results show that the changes occurred with the three types of land use showed significant changes in the types of land use which are forest, agricultural and built-up area. The result of SHDI analysis shows the increment value between the year 2008 and 2017. This situation illustrates that the higher value of SHDI for an area, resulting in the higher level of land use. This is because the growing pattern of land use is reflected by a large number of patches due to the diversification of land use activities in the area. As a result, from the metrics statistics test verifies there was a significant change in land use that took place within 8 years.

Relationships between landscape patterns and fire occurrence within a successional gradient in sagebrush steppe–juniper woodland

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron D. Roth ◽  
Stephen C. Bunting ◽  
Eva K. Strand
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Metrics ◽  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Spatial Arrangement ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Landscape Patterns ◽  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Fire Occurrence ◽  
Surface Fire ◽  
Western Juniper

Expansion of western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis Hook. var. occidentalis) has altered vegetation composition, fire behaviour and fire potential throughout south-western Idaho and eastern Oregon. Utilising GIS-derived products and fire-simulation software, the influence of the spatial arrangement of different woodland developmental stages on simulated surface fire occurrence was evaluated. Custom fuel models and a recent vegetation map processed in FARSITE under moderate fire conditions were used to create a fire-occurrence grid in three sixth-order watersheds on the Owyhee Plateau of south-western Idaho. Landscape pattern metrics were selected to quantify the spatial arrangement of plant communities within a neighbourhood around points from each successional stage randomly placed within each watershed. Linear regression analysis of fire occurrence and each of the selected landscape metrics was compared for four successional stages of western juniper encroachment to assess the effect of landscape-scale vegetation arrangement on fire occurrence. The landscape structure had little influence on whether an early-successional area burns in a surface fire, whereas the surrounding landscape structure influenced whether a late-successional or mature woodland area burned. Landscape metrics that showed significance in late-successional and mature woodland stages include patch density, mean area and Simpson’s diversity.

scholarly journals Landscape structure affects the sunflower visiting frequency of insect pollinators

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Károly Lajos ◽  
Ferenc Samu ◽  
Áron Domonkos Bihaly ◽  
Dávid Fülöp ◽  
Miklós Sárospataki
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Edge Density ◽  
Wild Bees ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Mass Flowering ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Pollinator Community ◽  
Foraging Ranges

AbstractMass-flowering crop monocultures, like sunflower, cannot harbour a permanent pollinator community. Their pollination is best secured if both managed honey bees and wild pollinators are present in the agricultural landscape. Semi-natural habitats are known to be the main foraging and nesting areas of wild pollinators, thus benefiting their populations, whereas crops flowering simultaneously may competitively dilute pollinator densities. In our study we asked how landscape structure affects major pollinator groups’ visiting frequency on 36 focal sunflower fields, hypothesising that herbaceous semi-natural (hSNH) and sunflower patches in the landscape neighbourhood will have a scale-dependent effect. We found that an increasing area and/or dispersion of hSNH areas enhanced the visitation of all pollinator groups. These positive effects were scale-dependent and corresponded well with the foraging ranges of the observed bee pollinators. In contrast, an increasing edge density of neighbouring sunflower fields resulted in considerably lower visiting frequencies of wild bees. Our results clearly indicate that the pollination of sunflower is dependent on the composition and configuration of the agricultural landscape. We conclude that an optimization of the pollination can be achieved if sufficient amount of hSNH areas with good dispersion are provided and mass flowering crops do not over-dominate the agricultural landscape.

scholarly journals Assessment of Tuscany Landscape Structure According to the Regional Landscape Plan Partition

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5424
Author(s):  
Martina Venturi ◽  
Francesco Piras ◽  
Federica Corrieri ◽  
Beatrice Fiore ◽  
Antonio Santoro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Edge Density ◽  
Regional Government ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Landscape Mosaic ◽  
Landscape Complexity ◽  
Economic Role ◽  
Patch Density ◽  
Landscape Units

The landscape is considered a strategic asset by the Tuscan regional government, also for its economic role, meaning that a specific Landscape Plan has been developed, dividing the region into 20 Landscape Units and representing the main planning instrument at the regional level. Following the aims of the Landscape Plan and the guidelines of the European Landscape Convention, it is necessary to develop an adequate assessment of the landscape, evaluating the main typologies and their characteristics. The aim of this research is to carry out an assessment of the landscape diversity in Tuscany based on 20 study areas, analyzing land uses and landscape mosaic structures through the application of landscape metrics: number of land uses, mean patch size (MPS), Hill’s diversity number, edge density (ED), patch density (PD), land use diversity (LUD). The results highlight a correlation between the landscape typologies (forest, agricultural, mixed, periurban) and the complexity of the landscape structure, especially in relation to MPS and PD, while the combination of PD and LUD calculated on the basis of a hexagonal grid allows obtaining landscape complexity maps. Despite the phenomena of reforestation and urban sprawl of recent decades, Tuscany still preserves different landscape typologies characterized by a good level of complexity. This is particularly evident in mixed landscapes, while agricultural landscapes have a larger variability because of different historical land organization forms. The methodology applied in this study provided a large amount of data about land uses and the landscape mosaic structure and complexity and proved to be effective in assessing the landscape structure and in creating a database that can represent a baseline for future monitoring.

Geosystems of Middle Siberia southern part: mapping methodology and results

2021 ◽  
Vol 970 (4) ◽  
pp. 35-44
Author(s):  
G.I. Lysanova ◽  
Ju.M. Semenov ◽  
A.A. Sorokovoi ◽  
I.V. Balyazin
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Landscape Patterns ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Space Images ◽  
Earth Remote Sensing ◽  
Horizontal Structure ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Geographical Regionalization ◽  
Middle Siberia

The сlassification of geosystem used in mapping is based on a system-hierarchic approach to detecting the co-involvement of landscape taxons. At the same time, we took into account the positioning of individual territories in the system of physical- geographical regionalization. The complexity of the landscape structure of the studied territory is due to its location at the junction of high- and lowland regions belonging to four physical-geographical areas. In the area under study, we identified and described more than 200 groups of fairies, which were then typed into classes of facies, geomes, and groups of geomes. Geoinformation mapping is performed using vector topographic basis and Earth remote sensing data. The decryption of synthesized space images was carried out manually and was based on field landscape surveys data. Digitization and indexing of landscape contours, creation, design and layout of the map were carried out in GIS MapInfo Professional. The cartographical analysis revealed regional differences in the complexity of landscape horizontal structures of high- and lowland regions, as well as the composition and structure of typological spectra of regional geosystems. Lowland geosystems mostly have a fairly uniform horizontal structure and large areas of landscape patterns. At the same time, mountain areas are characterized by considerable complexity and contrast of landscape structure.

scholarly journals SPATIO-TEMPORAL ANALYSIS OF LANDSCAPE PATTERNS IN THE CATOLÉ WATERSHED, NORTHERN MINAS GERAIS1

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Nogueira Martins ◽  
Selma Alves Abrahão ◽  
Danilo Pereira Ribeiro ◽  
Ana Paula Ferreira Colares ◽  
Marco Antonio Zanella
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Metrics ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Landscape Patterns ◽  
Core Area ◽  
Sparse Vegetation ◽  
Dense Vegetation ◽  
Processing Level ◽  
Spatio Temporal

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to quantify the spatio-temporal changes in land use/ cover (LULC), as well as analyze landscape patterns over a 20-year period (1995 - 2015) in the Catolé watershed, northern Minas Gerais State, using landscape metrics. The LULC maps were obtained using Landsat 5 and 8 data (Processing level 1) through supervised classification using the maximum likelihood classifier. Seven thematic classes were identified: dense vegetation, sparse vegetation, riparian vegetation, cropland, planted forest, bare soil, and water. From the LULC maps, classes related to the natural landscape (dense, sparse, and riparian vegetation) were grouped into forest patches, which was then ordered by size: very small (< 5 ha); small (5 - 10 ha); medium (10 - 100 ha); large (100 ha); and a general class (no distinction of patch size). Then, metrics of area, size and density, edge, shape, proximity and core area were calculated. The dense vegetation portion of the study area decreased considerably within a given time, while the portion of cropland and bare soil increased. Overall, in the Catolé river basin, the total area of natural vegetation decreased by 3,273 hectares (4.62%). Landscape metrics analysis exhibited a reduction in the number of very small patches, although the study area was still considered as fragmented. Moreover, a maximum edge distance of 50 m is suggested for conducting studies involving core area metrics in the Catolé watershed, as values above this distance would eliminate the very small patches.

scholarly journals Modeling Land Use Changes and their Impacts on Non-Point Source Pollution in a Southeast China Coastal Watershed

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Zhang ◽  
Lin Zhou ◽  
Yuqi Liu
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Point Source ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Landscape Metrics ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Landscape Patterns ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Point Source Pollution ◽  
Coastal Watershed ◽  
Non Point Source Pollution

Changes in landscape patterns in a river basin play a crucial role in the change on load of non-point source pollution. The spatial distribution of various land use types affects the transmission of non-point source pollutants on the basis of source-sink theory in landscape ecology. Jiulong River basin in southeast of China was selected as the study area in this paper. Aiming to analyze the correlation between changing landscape patterns and load of non-point source pollution in this area, traditional landscape metrics and the improved location-weighted landscape contrast index based on the minimum hydrological response unit (HRULCI) were applied in this study, in combination with remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) technique. The results of the landscape metrics showed the enhanced fragmentation extent and the decreasing polymerization degree of the overall landscape in the watershed. High values of HRULCI were concentrated in cultivated land, while low HRULCI values mostly appeared in forestland, indicating that cultivated land substantially enhanced non-point source pollution, while forestland inhibited the pollution process.

scholarly journals Landscape structure and climate seasonality affect the amount, richness and diversity of pollen collected by honeybees in a Neotropical region of Colombia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula María Montoya-Pfeiffer ◽  
Guiomar Nates-Parra
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Forest Area ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Monthly Precipitation ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Pollen Species

AbstractPollen is the main food for honeybee broods and young workers and so colony development and reproduction rely heavily on pollen availability, both spatially and temporally, in the environment. Intensification of agriculture and climate seasonality are known to alter honeybee foraging patterns and pollen intake through changes in resource availability in temperate regions; however, little is known about how honeybees respond to such environmental factors in tropical regions.Pollen species collected by honeybees in a Neotropical agricultural region of Colombia were identified. The effects of landscape structure (landscape Shannon Diversity Index, forest area in 1000 m around the apiary) and climate seasonality (mean monthly precipitation) on the amount, richness and diversity of pollen collected by the honeybees were evaluated for all pollen species together and pollen species segregated according to forest and anthropic areas (croplands, grasslands, woodlands, urban areas).Honeybees were found to be much more associated with anthropic than forest pollen species regardless of landscape structure or precipitation. However, the amount, richness and diversity of pollen from all species and forest species responded positively to landscape diversity and forest area, suggesting an advantage for honeybees in obtaining small quantities of pollen from forest species, in spite of being well-adapted to forage in anthropic areas. Precipitation was found not to be related to the overall amount and overall richness of pollen collected by honeybees, suggesting that climate seasonality was not an important factor for pollen foraging. Nonetheless, overall pollen diversity was negatively affected by precipitation in less diverse landscapes, while anthropic pollen diversity was negatively affected in more forested landscapes. These findings are compared with those from temperate regions, and the implications for honeybee productivity and survival, and their interactions with Neotropical native species, are discussed.

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