What does landscape ecology learn?

Landscape ecology studies the spatial structure, interaction, coordination function and dynamic changes of the whole (that is, landscape) composed of many different ecosystems in a certain area. The research focuses on the spatial pattern and ecological process of the ecosystem on a large spatio-temporal scale, including: the development and dynamics of landscape spatial heterogeneity; Interaction and change of heterogeneous landscape; The influence of spatial heterogeneity on biological and abiotic processes; Management of spatial heterogeneity; Theoretically, this paper discusses whether there is a critical value to control the disturbance in landscape dynamics and ecological processes; The shadow diffusion effect of different landscape indexes and different spatial and temporal scales on ecological processes; Predictability of landscape pattern and ecological process; And cross-scale extrapolation. The newly developed landscape theory emphasizes the hierarchical structure of the system, spatial heterogeneity, space-time scale effect, interference, human influence on the landscape and landscape management, and directly relates to human landscape themes such as urban landscape and agricultural landscape, making landscape ecology a bridge between biological ecology and human ecology. Main research contents: Landscape ecology mainly comes from landscape theory of geography and ecological theory of biology. It combines the horizontal research of geographers on the spatial interaction of natural phenomena with the vertical research of ecologists on the functional interaction of ecological regions. It studies landscape structure and function, landscape dynamic change and interaction mechanism, landscape beautification pattern, structural optimization, rational utilization and protection through the transmission and exchange of material flow, energy flow, information flow and value flow on the earth's surface, and through the interaction and transformation between living and non-living things and human beings, using ecosystem principles and systematic methods.

The research object of landscape ecology is landscape as a complex ecosystem, and landscape is the carrier of natural system and human system. Landscape ecologists have different understandings of "landscape". These views are related but not completely consistent, mainly in three aspects.

The first is to understand from the intuitive scene of the landscape. This is the most primitive and common landscape concept, mainly used in landscape architecture, where there are aesthetic factors. Although modern landscape architecture's understanding of landscape is not limited to this, it is still the main goal of landscape architecture.

The second is to understand the landscape from the individual attribute structure. In geology, geomorphology, soil science and vegetation science, landscape principle is used to explain the structural pattern of individual attributes of the surface, and it is the research object of these disciplines, such as rocks, surface morphology (topography), soil individuals, plant communities and so on. Geological landscape, landform landscape, soil landscape and vegetation landscape are commonly used to describe the pattern.

The third view is that landscape is a complex ecosystem, which is the most comprehensive concept, including the above two views. This view holds that landscape is a complex ecosystem formed by the interaction of natural, biological and intelligent factors on the earth's surface. Landscape ecosystem is different from general ecosystem, and they have different boundaries. General ecosystem is a continuum formed by the long-term interaction among organisms, environment and various biological groups, focusing on the relationship between producers, consumers and environment. Landscape ecosystem is a unified whole formed by the interaction and mutual restriction between natural elements on the surface and human beings. It mainly studies the interaction and connection between natural factors and socio-economic factors, material migration and energy transformation among plants, atmosphere, water, rocks, animals and humans, and the optimal utilization and protection of landscapes. Because of their different boundaries, the scope and content of the study are also different. One focuses on biology, studying the relationship between biology and environment, and the other studies the comprehensive function between natural elements on the surface and human utilization. As an ecosystem, landscape adheres to the overall concept of natural environment and emphasizes the position of human-land relationship in it. Taking people as an element of the landscape, we can comprehensively analyze all the elements, so as to study their interaction, mutual restriction and mutual connection, and overcome the one-sidedness and isolation in the analysis. At the same time, landscape ecology studies the objects of landscape with ecological viewpoints and methods, so as to study the dynamic changes of landscape, the material circulation and energy exchange between interactions and the succession process of the system on the basis of comprehensive analysis.

Landscape ecology should not only study the characteristics of the occurrence, development and evolution of landscape ecosystem itself, but also explore the ways and measures of rational utilization, protection and management of landscape. At present, we should follow the principles of overall system optimization, recycling and regional differentiation, and provide theoretical methods and scientific basis for rational development and utilization of natural resources, continuous improvement of productivity, and protection and construction of ecological environment. Explore ways and measures to solve the contradiction between development and protection, economy and ecology, and promote the sustainable development of ecological economy. The basic tasks of landscape ecology can be summarized as the following aspects.

The first is the research on the structure and function of landscape ecosystem. Including the study of natural landscape ecosystem and artificial landscape ecosystem. By studying the physical process, chemical process, biological process and socio-economic process in landscape ecosystem, the structure, function, stability and succession of various ecosystems are discussed. Study the material flow, energy flow, information flow and value flow in landscape ecosystem, simulate the dynamic changes of ecosystem, and establish the optimal structural models of various landscape ecosystems. The study of landscape ecosystem structure mainly includes the order degree of landscape spatial scale. The study of landscape function mainly includes the exchange of materials, energy and information within the landscape ecosystem and with the outside world, as well as the changes and manifestations within the landscape under the influence of this exchange. Special attention should be paid to the behavior and role of human beings as landscape elements in landscape ecosystem. Abiotic processes in urban ecosystems, industrial and mining ecosystems and other artificial landscape ecosystems should be considered. This research work is the basic research of landscape ecology, which enriches the theory of landscape ecology and guides its application and practice.

The second is the study of landscape ecological monitoring and early warning. This research is to monitor the changes of natural environment under the influence and intervention of human activities, and to predict the structure and function of landscape ecosystem and the possible changes of environmental changes. The task of landscape ecological monitoring is to constantly monitor the situation of natural and artificial ecosystems and other components of the biosphere, determine the direction and speed of change, and find out the role of various human activities in this change. Landscape ecological monitoring should establish monitoring stations in representative landscape ecosystem types, accumulate data, improve ecological database, dynamically monitor the changing trend of species and ecosystem conditions, and release them in time, so as to provide scientific basis for decision-making departments to formulate policies and measures for rational utilization of natural resources and protection of ecological environment. Landscape ecological early warning is the prediction and early warning of the ecological consequences of resource utilization and the coordinated development of ecological environment and social economy. Firstly, on the basis of monitoring, the landscape changes are predicted from the time and space scales. This kind of research should analyze the capacity and sustainable development ability of regional ecological environment through carrying capacity, stability, buffering capacity, productivity and adjustment, evaluate the coordination and adaptability of regional ecological environment to economic development, warn overloaded areas and major ecological environment problems, and take necessary measures. The second is to predict the ecological environment changes caused by various large-scale projects, such as the South-to-North Water Transfer Project and the Three Gorges Water Conservancy Project.

Third, landscape ecological design and planning research. Landscape ecological planning is to put forward the best utilization scheme of landscape through the analysis, interpretation, synthesis and evaluation of landscape characteristics. Its purpose is to coordinate social activities and landscape ecological characteristics in time and space, optimize the use of landscape, not only protect the environment, but also develop production, and rationally handle the dialectical relationship between production and ecology, resource development and protection, economic development and environmental quality, development speed, scale, capacity and bearing capacity. According to the requirements of regional ecological virtuous circle and environmental quality, the production and ecological structure coordinated with the region are designed, and the ways and measures of ecosystem management are put forward. Mainly includes: landscape ecological classification, landscape ecological evaluation, landscape ecological design, landscape ecological planning and implementation.

Fourthly, research on landscape ecological protection and management. Based on ecological principles and methods, this paper discusses the ways of rational utilization, protection and management of landscape ecosystem. Applying the theory of succession, through scientific experiments and establishing the mathematical model of the ecosystem, this paper studies the optimal combination, technical management measures and constraints of the landscape ecosystem, and adopts effective ways such as multi-level utilization of ecological engineering to improve the intensity of photosynthesis, maximize the use of primary heterotrophic production, and improve the economic benefits of using biological products with different nutritional levels. Establish natural landscape and human landscape protection zones to manage and protect resources and environment. Protect major ecological processes and life support systems; Protect the diversity of genetic genes; Protecting existing production species; Protect the cultural landscape, make it sustainable for human development, and constantly strengthen the functions of various ecosystems. Landscape ecological management should also strengthen the research of landscape ecological information system, including database, model base, landscape ecological expert system and knowledge base.