Essentials of Landscape Ecology

Essentials of Landscape Ecology

Human activity during the Anthropocene has transformed landscapes worldwide on a scale that rivals or exceeds even the largest of natural forces. Landscape ecology has emerged as a science to investigate the interactions between natural and anthropogenic landscapes and ecological processes across a wide range of scales and systems: from the effects of habitat or resource distributions on the individual movements, gene flow, and population dynamics of plants and animals; to the human alteration of landscapes affecting the structure of biological communities and the functioning of entire ecosystems; to the sustainable management of natural resources and the ecosystem goods and services upon which society depends. This novel and comprehensive text presents the principles, theory, methods, and applications of landscape ecology in an engaging and accessible format that is supplemented by numerous examples and case studies from a variety of systems, including freshwater and marine "scapes". "With summarizes her extensive experience in researching and teaching landscape ecology, accompanied by great artwork, in a well-written and clear textbook that will likely make it a frequently consulted source of information for landscape ecology courses." -- Ezequiel González, Conservation Biology "Beautifully produced, with high quality full color figures and images throughout, together with lively tables and boxes, chapter summary points and questions, Essentials is the first landscape ecology textbook I've seen that feels completely prepared to serve as the only assigned text for an introductory undergraduatecourse in landscape ecology...with this textbook, landscape ecology is now finally ready to become the mainstream university subject it was always meant to be." -- Erle C. Ellis, Landscape Ecology Kimberly A. With, Professor, Division of Biology, Kansas State University, USA Kimberly A. With is a Professor in the Division of Biology at Kansas State University. She is a two-time recipient of the award for Outstanding Paper in Landscape Ecology and has been recognized as a Distinguished Landscape Ecologist , the most prestigious honour bestowed by the U.S. Regional Association of the International Association for Landscape Ecology (US-IALE), for her contributions to the field.