Future Directions in Jornada Research: Applying an Interactive Landscape Model to Solve Problems

TitleFuture Directions in Jornada Research: Applying an Interactive Landscape Model to Solve Problems
Publication TypeBook Chapter
Year of Publication2006
AuthorsPeters DC, Schlesinger W.H, Herrick JE, Huenneke L., Havstad K
EditorHavstad K, Huenneke L., Schlesinger W.H
Book TitleStructure and Function of a Chihuahuan Desert Ecosystem: The Jornada Basin Long-Term Ecological Research Site
Chapter18
Pagination369-386
PublisherOxford University Press
CityNew York, NY
ARIS Log Number150218
KeywordsChihuahuan Desert, Jornada Basin, LTER, synthesis book
AbstractIn this book chapter, we propose a new model of arid and semiarid landscapes that focuses explicitly on the processes and properties that generate spatial variation in ecosystem dynamics. We are specifically interested in three interrelated aspects of landscapes: (1) feedbacks among plants, animals, and soils generated from interactions among biotic processes, a heterogeneous physical template, and the disturbance regime across a range of spatial and temporal scales, (2) neighborhood or contagious processes that generate fluxes and flows within and among spatial units, and (3) the landscape context and the condition of the study area of interest relative to its surroundings that modifies the transfers of materials. We first describe our spatially interactive model and compare it to previous models then introduce an approach to identify the landscape locations where spatial processes and information are needed in order to understand and predict ecosystem dynamics. The local, regional, and global implications of our interactive landscape model are also discussed.
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