Cases Studies: Importance of Scales in Ecological Investigations

EEES 6760, University of ToledoJanuary 28, 2009

Reference Reading:Saunders, S.C., J. Chen, T.D. Drummer, E.J. Gustafson, and K.D. Brosofske. 2005. Identifying scales of pattern in ecological data: a comparison of Lacunarity, spectral and wavelet analyses. Ecological Complexity 2: 87-105. [PDF]

LeMoine & Chen 2003

0 50 100 150 200 250Distance

0

7

13

20

27

33

40

Soi

l Tem

pera

ture

(°C

)

Toward InteriorToward Clearcut

6:00 8:00 10:00 12:00 14:00

Time

0

7

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33

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Soi

l Tem

pera

ture

(°C

)

Clearcut (0 m)60 m180 mInterior (270 m)

Figure 1

1a

1b

Changes in temperature with distance from an edge and by time

120 m resolution30 m resolution

480 m resolution240 m resolution

1020 m resolutionMature mixed hardwoodsYoung mixed hardwoodsMature coniferMixed conifer/hardwoodsOld clear cutBare ground/ recent clear cut

Figure ###: Classified with successively coarser resolutions, similar to the approach of Turner et al. (2000).

LeMoine & Chen 2003

LeMoine & Chen 2003

Changes in carbon fluxes

Distance (m)

0 25 50 75 100

125

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275

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325

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Earthwatch/MTU Plot

MTU Plot

UW Plot

N

348 347 343344345346 341342349

356 357 361360359358 362355

381 382 386385384383 388387380

551 511521531541

336

501571

400 399 395396397398 393394401

407 408 412411410409 414413406

426 425 421422423424 419420427

771 761 721731741751 701711781

374 373 369370371372 367368

354

375

329 330 334333332331 335328

552 512522532542 502572

553 513523533543 503573

554 514524534544 504574

555 515525535545 505575

556 516526536546 506576

651 611621631641 601671

550 510520530540 500570

557 517527537547 507577

558 518528538548 508578 433 434 438437436435 440439432

772 762 722732742752 702712782602

773 763 723733743753 703713783603

770 760 720730740750 700710780600

652 612622632642672

653 613623633643673

650 610620630640670

561

562

563

564

565

566

661

560

567

568

662

663

660

Crane

Dis

tanc

e (m

)

Chen et al. 2004

The 16 ha stem-mapped plot at the Wind River Canopy Site

Chen et al 2004

9.375 18.75 37.5 75 150 300

Scales (m)

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

1.80

2.00

Shan

non I

ndex

Figure 3

Song et al. 2004

Changes in H’ with spatial scales

Your text

(a) Basal area (m2)

(c) Foliage biomass (kg.ha-1)

(b) Above-ground biomass (Mg.ha-1)

51.1 - 86.2

86.3 - 226.3

126.3 - 486.8

486.9 - 815.5

815.6 - 1652.4

5.5 - 15.6

15.7 - 22.1

22.2 - 38.5

Fig. 5

H2

< 51.0

Chen et al. 2004

The Mesocosms Facility near Duluth

600 1300 2000

Time (h)

0.0

-0.5

-1.0

-1.5

-2.0

-2.5

-3.0

Temperature (C)

HT0 HT1 HT2

Chen et al. 2008

Diurnal changes in soil temperature with heat loadings (HT)

0.0

3.0

6.0

9.0

0.0

3.0

6.0

9.0

C

0 60 120 180 240 300 360

0.0

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0 60 120 180 240 300 360 0 60 120 180 240 300 360 0 60 120 180 240 300 360

Julian Day

Julian Day

5 cm

10 c

m25

cm

40 c

m

Bog Fen

HT2-HT0HT1-HT0 HT2-HT0HT1-HT0

T(o C

)

1999 2000Chen et al. 2008

Changes in difference of daily mean temperature with heat loadings (HT) from the ambient temperature (T, °C at 25 cm depth) of the peatland mesocosms for each water level (WL) treatment in 1999 and 2000

Small-Block Pine Pine-Oak-Aspen Forest

Large-Block Pine OakPine Barrens

Landscape Level (Four Landscapes)

Do differences among landscape-level disturbance regimes influence patterns of understory plant diversity or composition?

Cumulative Species Richness

0

40

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0 1000 2000 3000

RR

P

MP TRP60 RJP RP12

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C

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7

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TRP60

CC

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MA B

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PA

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H2

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JPO SPB

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BYA

2OCC O

CC

OBCC OCCH H HF F2JPO

RP5 MP NC

C PO

AR

P15

OR

P15

0 1000 2000 3000H

2

MP

F2 H H H H HF2F H2 C

RP

60

Distance (m)

Num

ber o

f Spe

cies

Pine Barrens Large-Block PO

Small-Block Pine POA Forest

Old Harvest Landing

Sand Road- Mod. Use

Sand Road- Light Use

Clearing

Access Road

ATV Trail

Dry Streambed

Grassy Roadside

Brosofske et al. 2006

Wavelet Analysis of Shannon Diversity (H’)15

00

Old Harvest Landing

Sand Road- Mod. Use

Sand Road- Light Use

Clearing

Access Road

010

0050

0R

esol

utio

n (m

)

OPBBOPBOPB PASPB CC YA2 H2H1JPO SPB O

PBM

A

YA2

10000 2000 3000Distance (m)

H’

0

1.0

2.

0

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1500

500

00 0.6 1.2

W. Var.

Sca

le

W E

Datasets used in the comparison of lacunarity, spectral, and wavelet analysis.

Saunders et al. 2004.

Reconstruction of data series from the discrete wavelet.

Saunders et al. 2004.

Log(lacunarity) (1), spectral density (2), and wavelet variance (3) for air temperature at the ground surface every 5 m along a transect

Cases Studies: Importance of Scales in Ecological Investigations

Homework 1: Changes in Species Cover at Multiple Spatial Scales

Using: (1) moving window average; and (2) the gliding box method to examine the changes of species coverage of bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) along a 3000 m transect across the Moquah Pine Barrens in Northern Wisconsin. More instructions to be emailed.

Homework due: 2/16?