Ecosystem Function in Heterogeneous Landscapes

Among the most dif?cult problems in the life sciences is the challenge to understand the details of how ecosystems/watersheds/landscapes function. Yet,the welfare of all life,not just the human species,depends upon the s- cessful functioning of diverse and complicated ecosystems, each with va- ous dimensions and compositions. Central to this "working" is the dominance, and to a major extent control, of ecosystems by organisms, which means that these systems are constantly changing as the component organisms change and evolve. Such changes increase the challenge to understand the functioning of ecosystems and landscapes. Moreover,und- standing the interactions among the myriad components of these systems is mind-boggling as there are scores of biotic (probably many thousands of species when the microbial components are fully enumerated through genomics) and countless abiotic (ions, molecules, and compounds) entities, all simultaneously interacting and responding to diverse external factors to produce functional or dysfunctional environments for life. This book focuses on the problems of connectedness and ecosystem fu- tioning. It is dif?cult enough to understand how an ecosystem functions when it is considered in isolation, but all ecosystems are open and c- nected to everything else. Clearly, the inputs to any ecosystem are the o- puts from others and vice versa, and as such the ?uxes represent major, if not critical, points for managing or changing the overall functioning of an ecosystem or landscape. A major challenge is to ?nd appropriate conceptual frameworks to address these complicated problems.

Ecosystem Function in Heterogeneous Landscapes addresses how interactions among ecosystems affect the functioning of individual ecosystems and the larger landscape. This groundbreaking synthesis unites ecosystem ecology's knowledge of system function with landscape ecology's knowledge of spatial structure. The book elucidates challenges of working in spatially heterogeneous systems, approaches used in other disciplines and in different ecosystem types, and the importance of spatial heterogeneity in conservation resource management.

Challenges and Conceptual Approaches.- Ecosystem Function in Heterogeneous Landscapes.- Causes and Consequences of Spatial Heterogeneity in Ecosystem Function.- The Template: Patterns and Processes of Spatial Variation.- Thoughts on the Generation and Importance of Spatial Heterogeneity in Ecosystems and Landscapes.- Reciprocal Cause and Effect Between Environmental Heterogeneity and Transport Processes.- Perspectives from Different Disciplines.- Population Ecology in Spatially Heterogeneous Environments.- Heterogeneity in Hydrologic Processes: A Terrestrial Hydrologic Modeling Perspective.- Spatial Heterogeneity in Infectious Disease Epidemics.- Spatial Heterogeneity and Its Relation to Processes in the Upper Ocean.- Illustrations of Heterogeneity and Ecosystem Function.- Heterogeneity in Arid and Semiarid Lands.- Formation of Soil-Vegetation Patterns.- Spatial Patterning of Soil Carbon Storage Across Boreal Landscapes.- Heterogeneity in Urban Ecosystems: Patterns and Process.- Origins, Patterns, and Importance of Heterogeneity in Riparian Systems.- Flowpaths as Integrators of Heterogeneity in Streams and Landscapes.- Causes and Consequences of Spatial Heterogeneity in Lakes.- Application of Frameworks and Concepts.- The Importance of Multiscale Spatial Heterogeneity in Wildland Fire Management and Research.- The Role of Spatial Heterogeneity in the Management of Freshwater Resources.- The Roles of Spatial Heterogeneity and Ecological Processes in Conservation Planning.- Synthesis.- Challenges in Understanding the Functions of Ecological Heterogeneity.- Spatial Pattern and Ecosystem Function: Reflections on Current Knowledge and Future Directions.- Spatial Heterogeneity: Past, Present, and Future.- Heterogeneity and Ecosystem Function: Enhancing Ecological Understanding and Applications.- Conceptual Frameworks: Plan for a Half-Built House.