Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-2xdlg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-28T04:33:40.171Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

6 - Disturbances and landscapes: the little things count

from PART II - Theory, experiments, and models in landscape ecology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2009

By
John A. Ludwig
Edited by
John A. Wiens  and
Michael R. Moss
John A. Ludwig
Affiliation:
Savannas Cooperative Research Centre and CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems Australia
John A. Wiens
Affiliation:
The Nature Conservancy, Washington DC
Michael R. Moss
Affiliation:
University of Guelph, Ontario
Get access

Summary

Disturbances are events that significantly change patterns in the structure and function of landscape systems (Forman, 1995). These events and changes may be small to large, minor to catastrophic, natural to anthropogenic, and short-term to long-lasting. It is almost trite to say that disturbances are a ubiquitous component of all landscapes. Volumes and reviews have been written on landscape disturbances and responses (e.g., Pickett and White, 1985; Turner, 1987; Rundel et al., 1998; Gunderson, 2000), and some aspect of disturbance permeates most of the other papers in this volume.

Rather than attempt another general review of disturbance impacts on landscapes, which in a short paper could only be superficial, my aim here is to present a special perspective, one focused on a framework for how disturbances impact on small landscape structures (vegetation patches) and, consequently, on vital processes that occur at this fine scale. I will illustrate the way these impacts flow on to affect two landscape functions: conserving resources and maintaining diversity. It is these impacts and functions that are of growing interest to ecologists (e.g., McIntyre and Lavorel, 1994, 2001) and of critical importance to a wide spectrum of land managers, from ranchers with economic production goals to park rangers with biodiversity conservation goals (Freudenberger et al., 1997). I hope to convince you, with two examples, that understanding the effect of disturbances on basic landscape functions at a fine scale can lead to principles with much broader implications for both landscape preservation and restoration.

Type
Chapter
Information
Issues and Perspectives in Landscape Ecology , pp. 42 - 51
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bunn, S. E., Davies, P. M., and Mosisch, T. D. (1999). Ecosystem measures of river health and their response to riparian and catchment degradation. Freshwater Biology, 41, 333–345.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burgess, T. L. (1995). Desert grassland, mixed shrub savanna, shrub steppe or semidesert scrub? The dilemma of coexisting growth forms. In The Desert Grasslands, ed. McClaran, M. P. and Devender, T. R.. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press, pp. 31–67.Google Scholar
Cavanagh, J. E., Burns, K. A., Brunskill, G. J., and Coventry, R. J. (1999). Organochlorine pesticide residues in soils and sediments of the Herbert and Burdekin river regions, North Queensland: implication for contamination of the Great Barrier Reef. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 39, 367–375.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
d'Herbies, J.-M., Valentin, C., Tongway, D. J., and Leprun, J.-C. (2001). Banded vegetation patterns and related structures. In Banded Vegetation Patterning in Arid and Semiarid Environments: Ecological Processes and Consequences for Management, ed. Tongway, D. J., Valentin, C., and Seghieri, J.. New York, NY: Springer, pp. 1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dick-Peddie, W. A. (1993). New Mexico Vegetation: Past, Present and Future. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press.Google Scholar
Forman, R. T. T. (1995). Land Mosaics: the Ecology of Landscapes and Regions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Freudenberger, D., Noble, J., and Hodgkinson, K. (1997). Management for production and conservation goals in rangelands. In Landscape Ecology, Function and Management: Principles from Australia's Rangelands, ed. Ludwig, J. A., Tongway, D., Freudenberger, D., Noble, J., and Hodgkinson, K.. Melbourne: CSIRO, pp. 93–106.Google Scholar
Grover, H. D. and Musick, H. B. (1990). Shrubland encroachment in southern New Mexico, U.S.A.: an analysis of desertification processes in the American Southwest. Climate Change, 17, 305–330.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gunderson, L. H. (2000). Ecological resilience: in theory and application. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 31, 425–439.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holling, C. S. (1973). Resilience and stability of ecological systems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 4, 1–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huenneke, L. F. (1996). Shrublands and grasslands of the Jornada long-term ecological research site: desertification and plant community structure in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. In Proceedings: Shrubland Ecosystem Dynamics in a Changing Environment, ed. Barrow, J. R., McArthur, E. D., Sosebee, R. E., and Tausch, R. J.. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report INT-GTR-338. Ogden, UT: USDA, pp. 48–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ludwig, D., Walker, B., and Holling, C. S. (1996). Sustainability, stability and resilience. Conservation Ecology, 1, 1–27.Google Scholar
Ludwig, J. A. and Tongway, D. J. (1993). Monitoring the condition of Australian arid lands: linked plant–soil indicators. In Ecological Indicators, Vol. 1, ed. McKenzie, D. H., Hyatt, D. E., and McDonald, V. J.. Essex: Elsevier, pp. 765–772.Google Scholar
Ludwig, J. A., and Tongway, D. J. (1996). Rehabilitation of semiarid landscapes in Australia. II. Restoring vegetation patches. Restoration Ecology, 4, 398–406.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ludwig, J. A., and Tongway, D. J. (1997). A landscape approach to rangeland ecology. In Landscape Ecology, Function and Management: Principles from Australia's Rangelands, eds. Ludwig, J. A., Tongway, D., Freudenberger, D., Noble, J., and Hodgkinson, K.. Melbourne: CSIRO, pp. 1–12.Google Scholar
Ludwig, J. A., and Tongway, D. J. (2000). Viewing rangelands as landscape systems. In Rangeland Desertification, ed. Arnalds, O. and Archer, S.. Dordrecht: Kluwer, pp. 39–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ludwig, J. A., Eager, R. W., Williams, R. J., and Lowe, L. M. (1999). Declines in vegetation patches, plant diversity, and grasshopper diversity near cattle watering-points in the Victoria River District, northern Australia. Rangeland Journal, 21, 135–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ludwig, J. A., Wiens, J. A., and Tongway, D. J. (2000a). A scaling rule for landscape patches and how it applies to conserving soil resources in savannas. Ecosystems, 3, 84–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ludwig, J. A., Eager, R. W., Liedloff, A. C., et al. (2000b). Clearing and grazing impacts on vegetation patch structures and fauna counts in eucalypt woodland, central Queensland. Pacific Conservation Biology, 6, 254–272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McIntyre, S. and Hobbs, R. (1999). A framework for conceptualising human effects on landscapes and its relevance to management and research models. Conservation Biology, 13, 1282–1292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McIntyre, S. and Lavorel, S. (1994). Predicting richness of native, rare, and exotic plants in response to habitat and disturbance variables across a variegated landscape. Conservation Biology, 8, 521–531.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McIntyre, S. and Lavorel, S. (2001) Livestock grazing in subtropical pastures: steps in the analysis of attribute response and plant functional types. Journal of Ecology, 89, 209–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Noble, J., MacLeod, N., and Griffin, G. (1997). The rehabilitation of landscape function in rangelands. In Landscape Ecology, Function and Management: principles from Australia's rangelands, ed. Ludwig, J. A., Tongway, D., Freudenberger, D., Noble, J., and Hodgkinson, K.. Melbourne: CSIRO, pp. 107–120.Google Scholar
Pahl-Wostl, C. (1995). The Dynamic Nature of Ecosystems: Chaos and Order Entwined. New York, NY: Wiley.Google Scholar
Pickett, S. T. A. and White, P. S. (eds.) (1985). The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and Patch Dynamics. New York, NY: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Prosser, I. P., Rutherford, I. D., Olley, J. M., Young, W. J., Wallbrink, P. J., and Moran, C. J. (2001). Large-scale patterns of erosion and sediment transport in river networks, with examples from Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research, 52, 81–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reynolds, J. F., Virginia, R. A., Kemp, P. R., Soyza, A. G., and Tremmel, D. C. (1999). Impact of drought on desert shrubs: effects of seasonality and degree of resource island development. Ecological Monographs, 69, 69–106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rietkerk, M., Bosch, F., and Koppel, J. (1997). Site-specific properties and irreversible vegetation changes in semi-arid grazing systems. Oikos, 80, 241–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roderick, M. L., Noble, I. R., and Cridland, S. W. (1999). Estimating woody and herbaceous vegetation cover from time series satellite observations. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 8, 501–508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rundel, P. W., Montenegro, G., and Jaksic, F. M. (eds.) (1998). Landscape Disturbance and Biodiversity in Mediterranean-type Ecosystems. Berlin: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schlesinger, W. H., Reynolds, J. F., Cunningham, G. L., et al.(1990). Biological feedbacks in global desertification. Science, 247, 1043–1048.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Seghieri, J. and Galle, S. (1999). Runon contribution to a Sahelian two-phase mosaic system: soil water regime and vegetation life cyclesActa Oecologia, 20, 209–218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tongway, D. J., and Hindley, N. (2000). Assessing and monitoring desertification with soil indicators. In Rangeland Desertification, ed. Arnalds, O. and Archer, S.. Dordrecht: Kluwer, pp. 89–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tongway, D. J. and Ludwig, J. A. (1996). Rehabilitation of semiarid landscapes in Australia. I. Restoring productive soil patches. Restoration Ecology, 4, 388–397.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tongway, D. J., and Ludwig, J. A. (1997). The conservation of water and nutrients within landscapes. In Landscape Ecology, Function and Management: Principles from Australia's Rangelands, ed. Ludwig, J. A., Tongway, D., Freudenberger, D., Noble, J., and Hodgkinson, K.. Melbourne: CSIRO, pp. 13–22.Google Scholar
Tongway, D. J., and Ludwig, J. A. (2001) Theories on the origins, maintenance, dynamics, and functioning of banded landscapes. In Banded Vegetation Patterning in Arid and Semiarid Environments: Ecological Processes and Consequences for Management, ed. Tongway, D. J., Valentin, C., and Seghieri, J.. New York, NY: Springer, pp. 20–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tongway, D. J., and Ludwig, J. A. (2002a). Australian semi-arid lands and savannas. In Handbook of Restoration Ecology, Vol. 2, ed. Perrow, M. R. and Davy, A. J.. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 486–502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tongway, D. J., and Ludwig, J. A. (2002b). Desertification, reversing. In Encyclopedia of Soil Science, ed. Lai, R.. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker, pp. 343–345.Google Scholar
Turner, M. G. (ed.) (1987). Landscape Heterogeneity and Disturbance. New York, NY: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Auken, O. W. (2000). Shrub invasions of North American semiarid grasslands. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 31, 197–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wardell-Johnson, G. and Horwitz, P. (1996). Conserving biodiversity and the recognition of heterogeneity in ancient landscapes: a case study from south-western Australia. Forest Ecology and Management, 85, 219–238.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiens, J. A. (1997). The emerging role of patchiness in conservation biology. In Enhancing the Ecological Basis of Conservation: Heterogeneity, Ecosystems, and Biodiversity, ed. Pickett, S. T. A., Ostfeld, R. S., Shachak, M., and Likens, G. E.. New York, NY: Chapman and Hall, pp. 93–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiens, J. A., Crist, T. O., With, K. A., and Milne, B. R. (1995). Fractal patterns of insect movement in microlandscape mosaics. Ecology, 76, 663–666.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
With, K. A. (1994). Ontogenetic shifts in how grasshoppers interact with landscape structure: an analysis of movement patterns. Functional Ecology, 8, 477–485.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woinarski, J. C. Z., Brock, C., Fisher, A., Milne, D., and Oliver, B. (1999). Response of birds and reptiles to fire regimes on pastoral land in the Victoria River District, Northern Territory. Rangeland Journal, 21, 24–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×