Title	Boundary dynamics in landscapes
Publication Type	Book Chapter
Year of Publication	2009
Authors	Peters DC, Gosz J.R, Collins S.L.
Book Title	The Princeton Guide to Ecology
Chapter	5
Pagination	458-463
Publisher	Princeton University Press
City	Princeton, NJ
ARIS Log Number	213043
Keywords	book, boundaries, chapter, landscapes, mosaic, vegetation
Abstract	Landscapes consist of a mosaic of distinct vegetation types and their intervening boundaries with distinct characteristics. Boundaries can exist along abrupt environmental gradients or along gradual changes that are reinforced by feedback mechanisms between plants and soil properties. Boundaries can be defined based on the abundance, spatial distribution, and connectivity of the underlying patches. There are three major types of boundary dynamics that differ in the direction and rate of movement of the boundary in response to climatic fluctuations: stationary, directional, shifting. Future conditions in climate and the disturbance regime, including land use, may fundamentally alter the type of boundary as well as its location and composition through time.