BIO120H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Spatial Ecology, Landscape Ecology, Theoretical Ecology

• School: UTSG
• Department: Biology
• Course: BIO120H1
• Professor: Scott Browning

Document Summary

Spatial ecology investigates the immense variety of spatial patterns in nature + their ecological. Spatial + temporal variation in the distribution and abundance of vital resources, and geological and ecological processes, results in landscape spatial heterogeneity aka *habitat. Terrestrial systems: patchiness involves spatial variation in topography, bedrock, soils, nutrient, or water that affect plant distribution, and kind of determines animal ones too. Natural disturbances also create patchiness, by altering the structure of populations and causing changing in resource availability or physical environment. Species may generate their own patches by their clumped dispersal patterns (aka spatial. Spatial ecology = land scape ecology (causes and consequences of spatial heterogeneity for ecological processes) + research in pop/community ecology. Studies of habitat patchiness emphasize patterns and outcomes on human-caused landscape heterogeneity rather than naturally occurring. Natural patchiness and human activities interact to make spatial patterns we see. Several key ecological theories contribute to spatial ecology.