A map of the native vegetation remaining in São Carlos County was built based on aerial images, satellite images, and field observations, and a projection of the probable original vegetation was made by checking it against soil and relief surveys. The existing vegetation is very fragmented and improverished, consisting predominantly of cerrados (savanna vegetation of various physiognomies), sem...

– Habitat quality and landscape structure are key factors that determine the distributions of animals. The general characteristics of the habitat of Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia) have been well studied, but little is known about how landscape structure affects this species. Other studies have suggested that food resources for owls should be higher in small patches because of increased edg...

This study investigated the effects of microhabitat characteristics on soil seed bank structure, regeneration strategies, and plant composition in a Mediterranean coastal sand dune in Israel. Three different microhabitats were selected: (a) open patches between shrubs, (b) shrub understorey, and (c) open, disturbed patches in pedestrian trails. In each microhabitat two types of sampling plots w...

Shifts in vegetation composition and cover are the result of processes acting at different levels such as landscapes, hill slopes, or plant interspaces. Analytical approaches designed for discrete objects which are based upon the inherently hierarchical nature of complex systems are well suited to research applications conducted across spatial scales. We quantified spatial and temporal vegetati...

Vegetation patchiness is common in degraded grasslands. enhances the spatial variability of grassland soil organic carbon and total nitrogen. Stripped vegetation patches have a great impact on ecosystem (C) nitrogen (N) storage. Using field surveys, we examined effects storage four typical alpine grass species (viz: Leymus secalinus, Koeleria pers, Stipa aliena, Leontopodium nanum ). The result...

Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. The MIT Faculty has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters. [1] The transport of fine sediment and organic matter plays an important role in the nutrient dynamics of shallow a...