Selecting Graph Metrics with Ecological Significance for Deepening Landscape Characterization: Review and Applications

Abstract

The usual approaches to describing and understanding ecological processes in a landscape use patch-mosaic models based on traditional landscape metrics. However, they do not consider that many of these processes cannot be observed without considering the multiple interactions between different land-use patches in the landscape. The objective of this research was to provide a synthetic overview of graph metrics that characterize landscapes based on patch-mosaic models and to analyze the ecological meaning of the metrics to propose a relevant selection explaining biodiversity patterns and ecological processes. First, we conducted a literature review of graph metrics applied in ecology. Second, a case study was used to explore the behavior of a group of selected graph metrics in actual differentiated landscapes located in a long-term socioecological research site in Brittany, France. Thirteen landscape-scale metrics and 10 local-scale metrics with ecological significance were analyzed. Metrics were grouped for landscape-scale and local-scale analysis. Many of the metrics were able to identify differences between the landscapes studied. Lastly, we discuss how graph metrics offer a new perspective for landscape analysis, describe the main characteristics related to their calculation and the type of information provided, and discuss their potential applications in different ecological contexts.

ecochange: An R‐package to derive ecosystem change indicators from freely available earth observation products

“…The growing availability of freely shared remote sensing products has brought about new opportunities for scientists and decision‐makers to monitor ecosystems, deriving essential biodiversity variables and ecosystem indicators (Hardisty, Belbin, et al, 2019; Kissling et al, 2015; Kissling, Walls, et al, 2018; Lai et al, 2019; Pereira et al, 2013). A variety of products available in free‐shared global repositories (Table 1) enable the derivation of indicators of change in ecosystem structure such as ecosystem extent (Skidmore et al, 2015), fragmentation (Taubert et al, 2018) and configurational complexity (Nowosad & Stepinski, 2019), among others (de la Barra et al, 2022). These data products offer the opportunity to the assessment of biodiversity change at national and regional scales (Kissling et al, 2015).…”

“…, fragmentation (Taubert et al, 2018) and configurational complexity (Nowosad & Stepinski, 2019), among others (de la Barra et al, 2022). These data products offer the opportunity to the assessment of biodiversity change at national and regional scales (Kissling et al, 2015).…”