Long-term field studies in the scope of a multidisciplinary project in southern Ecuador revealed extraordinary high species
numbers of many organismic groups. This article discusses reasons for the outstanding vascular plant diversity using a
hierarchical scale-oriented top-down approach (Grüninger 2005), from the global scale to the local microscale. The global
scale explains general (paleo-) ecological factors valid for most parts of the humid tropics, addressing various hypotheses
Search results
Showing items 1 through 9 of 6.-
Library ResourcePeer-reviewed publicationJune, 2009Ecuador
-
Library ResourcePeer-reviewed publicationNovember, 2009
The present chaotic transformation from the industrial to the global information society is accelerating the ecological,
social and economic unsustainability. The rapidly growing unsustainable, fossil energy powered urbanindustrial
technosphere and their detrimental impacts on nature and human well-being are threatening the solar
energy powered natural and seminatural biosphere landscapes and their vital ecosystem services. A sustainability
revolution is therefore urgently needed, requiring a shift from the „fossil age“ to the „solar age“ of a new world -
Library ResourcePeer-reviewed publicationSeptember, 2009United States of America
The effects of landscape context on habitat quality are receiving increased attention in conservation biology. The objective of this research is to demonstrate a landscape-level approach to mapping and evaluating the anthropogenic risks of grassland and forest habitat degradation by examining habitat context as defined by intensive anthropogenic land uses at multiple spatial scales.
-
Library ResourcePeer-reviewed publicationMarch, 2009Germany
The scenic quality of a landscape is a natural resource that is to be preserved according to German and international law. One important indicator for the evaluation of this value is the structural diversity of the landscape. Although Landscape Metrics (LM) represent a well-known instrument for the quantification of landscape patterns, they are hardly used in applied landscape and environmental planning. This study shows possibilities for the integration of LM into a commonly used method to assess scenic quality by the example of a Landscape Structure Plan.
-
Library ResourcePeer-reviewed publicationMarch, 2009
This study investigates today’s plant species richness and composition in cultivated and recently abandoned
arable land of Kosovo. Relationships between these aspects of vegetation and both environmental features
and agricultural management measures are studied at the regional and plot scale. In 2006, 432 vegetation relevés
with a standard plot size of 25 m² were recorded in cultivated fields. In 2007, data collection focussed on 41 plots
in arable fields that had been abandoned the year before. With respect to the environment, data analysis accounts -
Library ResourcePeer-reviewed publicationDecember, 2009Germany
Landscapes differ in their capacities to provide ecosystem goods and services, which are the benefits humans obtain
from nature. Structures and functions of ecosystems needed to sustain the provision of ecosystem services are altered
by various human activities. In this paper, a concept for the assessment of multiple ecosystem services is proposed
as a basis for discussion and further development of a respective evaluation instrument. Using quantitative and
Land Library Search
Through our robust search engine, you can search for any item of the over 64,800 highly curated resources in the Land Library.
If you would like to find an overview of what is possible, feel free to peruse the Search Guide.