The curvilinear relationship between species richness and habitat area (species–area relationship (SAR)) is a fundamental ecological pattern. The relationship is often viewed from a long-term perspective across relatively large spatial scales, reflecting a balance between immigration and extinction dynamics. We explored whether predictions of SAR also manifest over short time periods (days) in ...

The interaction of prey distribution patterns and predator behavior can mediate predator–prey dynamics. Inter-patch distance (lag) may be especially important in the interacting effects of aggregation and interference among predators on their search and prey-handling ability. Interactions of blue crabs Callinectes sapidus preying upon thin-shelled clams Macoma balthica in Chesapeake Bay provide...

Ecological theory predicts that diversity decreases variability in ecosystem function. We predict that, at the landscape scale, spatial variability created by a mosaic of contrasting patches that differ in time since disturbance will decrease temporal variability in aboveground plant biomass. Using data from a multi-year study of seven grazed tallgrass prairie landscapes, each experimentally ma...

Edge effects are increasingly important in British Columbia forests, as cutblocks become smaller and harvesting options with retention patches are more commonly used. This note summarizes edge effects for  ecosystem variables, including microclimate, soil chemistry, snow depth, windthrow, regeneration, vegetation, and animals, at the Sicamous Creek Silvicultural Systems project in a high-elev...

9 10 Received: 20 March 2006 / Accepted: 21 February 2007 11 The Ecological Society of Japan 2007 23456 17 18 Abstract Habitat size, habitat isolation and habitat 19 quality are regarded as the main determinants of but20 terfly occurrence in fragmented landscapes. To analyze 21 the relationship between the occurrence of the butterfly 22 Cupido minimus and these factors, patch occupancy of 23 th...

Rapid fragmentation and degradation of large undisturbed habitats constitute major threats to biodiversity. Several studies have shown that populations in small and highly isolated habitat patches are prone to strong environmental and demographic stochasticity and increased risk of extinction. Based on community assembly theory, we predict recent rapid forest fragmentation to cause a decline in...

We study the evolution of resource utilization in a structured discrete-time metapopulation model with an infinite number of patches, prone to local catastrophes. The consumer faces a trade-off in the abilities to consume two resources available in different amounts in each patch. We analyse how the evolution of specialization in the utilization of the resources is affected by different ecologi...

We propose a general model to study the interplay between spatial dispersal and environment spatiotemporal fluctuations in metapopulation dynamics. An ecological landscape of favorable patches is generated like a Lévy dust, which allows to build a range of patterns, from dispersed to clustered ones. Locally, the dynamics is driven by a canonical model for the time evolution of the population de...

urban environments rely on the surrounding natural ecosystems remnants as providers of ecosystemfunctions, therefore these areas not only support a unique biodiversity but also have a social value for maintainingpublic health andwellbeing. for this reason, urbanization is considered to be one the biggest threats to ecosystems,leading to native biodiversity simplification and, thus, to a detrime...

Promoting biodiversity is a major issue in urban planning. Estimating the potential of patches landscape matrix often uses tools spatial analysis and ecology indices, especially large study areas. In this paper, we present construction composite index (CBPI) based on structural functional approaches ecology. The CBPI composed eight indices (quality: permeability, fragmentation, environmental ma...