Natural Backround of Landscape Management Tomáš Koutecký Mendel University in Brno The Main Principles of Landscape Ecology (with examples from the Czech Republic) •Content of the Lecture: • • •Landscape in general •(landscape structure, history, perception…) • •Landscape Ecology Backround -Ecological niche concept -Metapopulation concept -Island biogeography -Landscape fragmentation -Ecological succession -Human impact and Ecosystem changes • • • • •Wikipedia Definition: •A landscape is the visible features of an area of land (…) •The Features: •hills, valleys, plains, rivers, lakes, forests, meadows, fields, settlement, transport infrastructure, industrial facilities… 1.Geophysically defined features 2.Biotic landscape cover (ecosystems) 3.Features connected with human society Landscape Natural Backround Landscape Human Utilization Climate Bedrock Geomorphology Soil Ecosystem Biological view: Landscape is a mosaic of ecosystems… Natural history Human impact Natural backround of Czech landscape Simplified geological map of the Czech Republic with the capital city Prague and marked samples localities (Krasno, Pribram, Panske Dubenky) (modified after Czech Geological Survey). https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lucie_Novakova3 1. Geological bedrock, relief, soils - Landscape utilization should be consistent with environmental conditions -Bedrock, relief and soils are one of the key factors detemining vegetation -Czech geological structure is complicated. Prevailing Hercynic bedrock covers whole Bohemia and western part of Moravia, the eastern part was formed by Alpine orogenesion. nsrz6190 www.chmu.cz Natural backround of Czech landscape 2. Climate Mean annual temperature (°C) Mean annual precipitation (mm) - Czech climate is transitional between oceanic and continental Oak-dominating forest Beech-dominating forests Moutain mixed forests Spruce forests Subalpine zone 300 400 500 700 900 1200 1350 Altitudinal Zonality of Natural Vegetation in Central Europe Altitude (m a. s. l.) After excluding of human impact the strong majority of Central Europe would be covered by forest P1120935 picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mKagfLANYYYYfh4JWU7kgQ Oak-dominating Forest (lower altitudes) Oak-hornbeam Forest (lower altitudes) DSC_3185 Beech Forest (middle altitudes) • 1119 Fir-beech forest (lower mountains) Mountain mixed forest (mountains) DSC_0183 Mountain spruce forest (mountains) lrg_dsc_6161 turistika.cz Subalpine zone (above tree line) Studniční Peak, Krkonoše Mts. Natural Backround Landscape Human Utilization Current processes Historical legacies Výsledek obrázku pro praha https://www.idnes.cz/zpravy/domaci/kolik-vezi-ma-stovezata-praha-nadsenci-jich-napocitali-pres-pet- set.A100805_115917_praha-zpravy_sfo Prague – Architectural mosaic of the last 1000 years In all landscapes you can find simillar patern… 1011 Example 1: South-Moravian landscape with natural protected areas Pouzdřanská steppe Pálava Hills Both localities are famous because of high species diversity Why species diversity is high right here? • P6163875 Altay, Kuray steppe, Southern Russia May be the landscape of Central Europe in Ice Age Taiga Steppe Far landscape history Výsledek obrázku pro osídlení neolit Neolithic (agricultural) Settlement 7000 BP → People due to landscape utilization stopped forest expansion. Especially in lowland, localities with relic species from Ice age and early Holocene were preserved. 1011 Pouzdřanská steppe Pálava → landscape with long continuity and relic habitats Example 1: South-Moravian landscape with nature protected areas • ostravsko-snimek Example 2: Legacies of historical developtment of settlement Moravia Silesia OSTRAVA Village with distinct margins Scattered houses Landsacape as a mirror of different law in landscape planning… Try to think about landscape of your home on this way… (you will find many examples like this) Franz Richter (1830): Svratka Valley in Brno-Žabovřesky Landscape History: Testimony of Old Paintings and Photography Your faculty Possition of painter > …180 years later, photo: Josef Ptáček (2012) - Aerial images and old maps are the most powerful tools in landscape analyses. - However, old paintings and photography provide real form of landscape with many details. Landscape History: Testimony of Old Paintings and Photography • Bohumír Kristýn (1972): Rudý říjen Coal Mine in Ostrava Actual view (2019) In less than 50 years, there is comletely different landscape. Changes could be surprisingly fast. Landscape History: Testimony of Old Paintings and Photography Landscape Structure Výsledek obrázku pro landscape ecology Clark, W. (2010) Principles of Landscape Ecology. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):34 1.Pathes 2.Corridors 3.Matrix The main landscape components: 1011 South-Moravian agricultural landscape Patch Matrix Mosaic Patch Corridor Corridor Forested landscape of Beskydy Mountains http://stromy.cea.cz/jedle/Beskydy_salajka_pohled.jpg stromy.cea.cz Matrix Patch - Forest cover of the Czech Republic: 34% - Natural or near-natural forests: less than 1% Subpatch (Salajka Natural Reserve) Perception of the landscape •1. Sensory perception •visual experience, sounds, tactical peception (heat, could, wind, wetness), smells… • …not only visual contact is important For example, the smell could be an integral part of some place… Mendlovo náměstí The Smell of Starobrno Brewery on Mendel Square Stinks Smells https://brnensky.denik.cz/galerie/brno-pivo-pivovar-starobrno-kometa-pivnice-exkurze-suroviny.html? photo=4 Malt with specific smell Brno Map of Smells Poll about Starobrno Brewery Perception of the landscape •1. Sensory perception •visual experience, sounds, tactical peception (heat, could, wind, wetness), smells… • •2. Knowledge •3. Memories and experiences •Both are important layers of our landscape perception. • Brno vybralo firmy na studii proveditelnosti podzemní železnice | eLogistika.info https://www.elogistika.info/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/plaza-catedral-brno.jpg https://d34-a.sdn.cz/d_34/c_C_D/L9eB9eu.jpeg?fl=res,667,500,1 https://d34-a.sdn.cz/d_34/c_C_D/L9eB9eu.jpeg?fl=res,667,500,1 Brno Ostrava Compared to Ostrava, Brno is usually more attractive for visitors. But the streets of Ostrava are my childhood sceneries. It makes this town very important for me… → Perception of the landscape is strongly individual Landscape Ecology Backround image Peterson, A.T. (2011) Ecological niche conservatism: a time-structured review of evidence. Journal of Biogeography, 38, 817-827. Ecological Niche Concept …a set of conditions that allow the existence of a population of a particular species. Climate conditions Soil and bedrock Dispersal ability Dispersal barriers Competition Mutualism Parasitism Potential niche Realized niche In Europe there are many species with potential niche in America. But because of barrier of Athlantic Ocean they are not able to reach this area. → Species pool: all species avaliable to colonize focal site. Ecosystem is the complex of living organisms, their physical environment, and all their interrelationships in a particular unit of space (britanica.com). Changes of particular components due to the internal or external influences could caused ecosystem change. Ecological Stability Concept Ecosystem is like a ball in the hole… -Removing of the ball from the hole imitate unreversible ecosystem change -Ecosystems with higher resilience (in deeper hole) are more stable resilience graphic https://ieampodcast.com/2018/10/11/finding-balance-resilience-in-era-with-marco-vighi-and-andreu-ri co/ Example of ecosystem change: The loss of former Mediterranean forests along coast Due to timber logging, pasture and intensive soil erosion during Antiquity a new secondary shrubby vegetation of macchia and garrique developed. The change is irreversible. Metapopulation / Metacommunity Concept Levins, R. (1969), "Some demographic and genetic consequences of environmental heterogeneity for biological control", Bulletin of the Entomological Society of America, 15 (3): 237–240. Metapopulation/metacommunity is described as a group of spatially separated populations of the same species/communities which interact at some level. - Also unoccupied suitable (potential) habitats could be involved. - Size of population/community and intensity of interactions are crutial for population/community developtment. - Small populations without interaction are more vulnerable to disturbances or inbreeding potentially causing extinction. https://sites.google.com/a/owu.edu/northern-spotted-owl/metapopulation-model Metapopulation / Metacommunity Concept METAPOPULATION MODEL - Northern Spotted Owl Levins, R. (1969), "Some demographic and genetic consequences of environmental heterogeneity for biological control", Bulletin of the Entomological Society of America, 15 (3): 237–240. One big source population supporting small island population Extinction is more probable Group of smaller populations with intensive interactions NOTES 1.The concept was derived from the butterfly communities …It better fit to the animals than to the plants 2.In plant kingdom a real migration is missing. „Migration“ is possible almost only via reproduction (propagules). 3.To capture a responce of plant communities to the changes a longterm observation is needed. https://coreybradshaw.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/ib.jpg https://coreybradshaw.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/ib.jpg The Theory of Island Biogeography MacArthur, R. H., Wilson, E. O. (1967) The Theory of Island Biogeography. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 203 p. The number of species on the island reflects balance between rate of colonisation and extinction. 1.Small islands have restricted resources compared to the larger ones, leading to lower species diversity. 2.Increasing distance from the mainland reduce colonisation intensity. The far islands therefore have less species. Výsledek obrázku pro island biogeography Islands are not only in the sea… …Landscape Islands http://hosho.ees.hokudai.ac.jp/~tsuyu/top/dct/island.html NOTE: The theory was derived from the newly formed volcanic islands. The general application to the terrestical ecosystems has its limits due to the complex interactions between „islands“ and surrounding landscapes. The history of „islands“ also plays an important role. https://www.slideserve.com/jovan/habitat-fragmentation-and-loss Landscape Fragmentation - Fragmentation causes extinction of species requiring larger interior habitats (brown bear on the picture) Process of dividing of habitat (or vegetation type) to the smaller sections. Fragmentation is accompained by the edge effects (forming the ecotones along margins reducing original habitats). Construction of the road through forest affects a much larger area than we would expect. https://www.slideserve.com/jovan/habitat-fragmentation-and-loss Landscape Fragmentation Options 3 and 4: There are no interior habitats in the small remnats of former natural landscape → only edge species can be found here and repatriation of extinct interior species is problematic (common in European landscape). https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/illustration-of-the-level-of/illustration-of-the-le vel-of/image_large https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/illustration-of-the-level-of/illustration-of-the-le vel-of/image_large Landscape fragmentation in EU Ecological Succession Wikipedia definition: …is the process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time due to internal or external factors -Internal: Competition, facilitation, parasitism… -External: Disturbance (natural or manmade) Primary succession -Colonisation of area non occupated by organisms before (Volcanos, mining areas, areas after deglaciation…) Secondary succession - Developtment of community after severe disturbance or removal of a pre-existing community -Areas after fire, insect outbreak, forest decline, abandoned agricutural land… Succession is accompained by increasing complexity of the community (establishing of self-perpetuating processes). • DSC_0453 Primary succession on spoil heaps (Ostrava-Karviná Coal District) 1. The starting point: bare stone …it was digged 1000 m below surface Věra_22 2. Initial stage of succesion and the first communites (1-10 years) -Prevail the ruderal and stress-tolerant species -Low level of competition at the biginning -Non-woody species dominate -High abundance of non-native plant species P1010283 P1011069 ema-kapr 3. The first forest generation (…15 years) -Pioneer woody species -Common light demanding species in the understorey -Later the first forest species appear P1010875 hlub-BRsmlHB Odval jámy Hlubina v Karviné - Dolech Odval Dolu Michal 4. Regeneration of late successional tree species (…30 years) PB296648 5. The second forest generation (50 – 70 years) DSC_0013 Successional Trajectories Concrete Compacted soil on playground -In the same place, the succession could run in different ways. -Example from the old Lužánky Arena in Brno, where the succession trajectory depends on „soil“ properties. Woody species Non-woody species Natural Cultural Anthropogenic Ecosystem changes due to the human impact Natural forest Artificial forest Arable land Settlement Model of Central-European non-aquatic ecosytem Succession Where you can find the most ecologicaly stable parts of landscape? Natural Cultural Anthropogenic Natural forest Artificial forest Arable land Settlement The most ecologicaly stable landscape segments = segments with long natural continuity - natural and semi natural forests - mires and wetlands - relic habitats (remnants od steppes, rocks…) - ecotones, extensive meadows and pastures Ecosystem changes due to human impact Landscape history: Czech landscape in 1950 and today - Landscape 70 years ago was more stable and with higher biodiversity value due to fine landscape structure. -Diversity loss was also caused by intensification of agriculture (soil consolidation, pesticides, mineral fertilisers). -Today crop production causes soil structure destruction and soil contamination. -Present landscape structure is vulnerable to extreme weather events. - Landscape needs great structural changes connected with utilization change -It will be very expensive, but without appropriate measures we will pay much more (loss of soil fertility, food and ground water contamination, floods…). Ecological Stability Framework -Landscape segments with higher ecological value than the landscape matrix -In Central Europe usually forests take part in the framework …but not only (meadows, wetlands, open relic habitats…) -Ecological stability of the segments differ according to landscape type (in national park ESF is consisted from the more stable segments than in intensively utilizated agricultural landscape) Demarcation of the ecological stability framework is a starting point for better landscape management. 14 Ecological Stability Framework Sýkoř Model Area 15 Territorial System of Ecological Stability …to be continued within the lecture of prof. Viturka