To link landscape pattern with soil erosion risk at watershed scale based on SPSM model in the loess hilly area

<p>Linking landscape patterns to specific ecological processes has been and will continue to be a key topic in landscape ecology. However, the traditional landscape pattern analysis by landscape metrics inspired by patch-matrix model (PMM) may be difficult to reach such a requirement, and thus landscape pattern analysis to denote the significance of ecological process is strongly hindered. To find conceptual and methodological innovations integrating ecological processes with landscape patterns is important. In this paper, we proposed a conceptual model, i.e., the source-pathway-sink model (SPSM) by defining the role of each landscape unit to a specific process before conducting landscape pattern analysis. The traditional landscape matrices derived from the patch-matrix model is visual- or geometrical-oriented but lack of linkage to ecological significance. The source-pathway-sink model is process-oriented, dynamic, and scale dependent. This model as a complementary to the patch-corridor-matrix model can provide a simple and dynamic perspective on landscape pattern analysis. Based on the SPSM model, a landscape index was developed in term of the process of soil erosion, and further testified by using on-site measurements. It was found the new landscape index based on SPSM is useful in evaluating the risk of soil erosion from landscape pattern at watershed. Finally, a case study was conducted in the loess hilly areas to define the risk area of soil erosion that will be useful for sustainable land use management and optimization in future.</p>

Landscape Pattern Analysis

The analysis of landscapes and other spatial patterns is a major focus of landscape ecology, being essential to the study of how landscape patterns affect ecological processes. Landscape pattern analysis has become a sine qua non for environmental monitoring, natural resource management, landscape planning, sustainable development, and species conservation. The intensification of human land use is a major global-change issue, requiring an in-depth analysis of how landscapes are being transformed over time, as well as how anthropogenic disturbances compare to the natural disturbance regime. This chapter covers the types and availability of landscape data, such as from historical land surveys and remote sensing; how spatial data are processed and manipulated within a Geographical Information System (GIS); and finally, how to analyze landscape structure using landscape metrics and spatial statistics, including a discussion of best practices.