The third and fourth dimensions of landscape: Towards conceptual models of topographically complex landscapes

Lucian Drăguţ; Ulrich Walz; Thomas Blaschke

doi:10.3097/LO.201022

Authors

Lucian Drăguţ Department of Geography and Geology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; Department of Geography, West University of Timişoara, Blvd. V. Parvan 4, 300223 Timişoara, Romania https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2138-3288
Ulrich Walz Leibniz Institute of Ecological and Regional Development, Weberplatz 1, 01217 Dresden, Germany https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2001-2386
Thomas Blaschke Department of Geography and Geology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1860-8458

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3097/LO.201022

Keywords:

3D-metrics, Landscape dynamics, Landscape metrics, Scale, Spatial patterns

Abstract

Relating spatial patterns to ecological processes is one of the central goals of landscape ecology. The patch-corridor-matrix model and landscape metrics have been the predominant approach to describe the spatial arrangement of discrete elements ("patches") for the last two decades. However, the widely used approach of using landscape metrics for characterizing categorical map patterns is connected with a number of problems. We aim at stimulating further developments in the field of the analysis of spatio-temporal landscape patterns by providing both a critical review of existing techniques and clarifying their pros and cons as well as demonstrating how to extent common approaches in landscape ecology (e.g. the patch-corridor-matrix model). The extension into the third dimension means adding information on the relief and height of vegetation, while the fourth dimension means the temporal, dynamic aspect of landscapes. The contribution is structured around three main topics: the third dimension of landscapes, the fourth dimension of landscapes, and spatial and temporal scales in landscape analysis. Based on the results of a symposium on this theme at the IALE conference in 2009 in Salzburg and a literature review we emphasize the need to add topographic information into evaluations of landscape structure, the appropriate consideration of scales; and to consider the ambiguity and even contradiction between landscape metrics.

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