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The Interplay Between Landscape Structure and Biotic Interactions

Authors:
Phoebe Lehmann Zarnetske at Michigan State University
Phoebe Lehmann Zarnetske
Benjamin Baiser
Benjamin Baiser
Benjamin Baiser
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Angela Strecker at Western Washington University
Angela Strecker
Sydne Record at University of Maine
Sydne Record
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Abstract and Figures

Landscape structure and biotic interactions are closely linked. We identify five aspects of landscape structure that contribute to the co-occurrence of species and restrict or enable different types of biotic interactions: patch size and habitat amount, isolation of patches, barriers to dispersal and movement, persistence of landscape structure, and landscape complexity. In addition, these aspects of landscape structure influence the strength and outcome of biotic interactions. Whereas most research focuses on the effects of the abiotic environment on species and their biotic interactions, research on foundation species and ecosystem engineers demonstrates the important influence of biotic interactions on landscape structure itself, including effects on landscape complexity, extent of habitat, and the structure of landscape features. In this review, we describe ecological theories that lay the foundation for interplay between landscape structure and biotic interactions, and summarize these connections across an array of interacting species in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial systems. We end with suggestions for integrating the fields of landscape ecology and community ecology to better understand the connections between landscape structure and biotic interactions and better predict their dynamics in light of global change.
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EFFECTS OF LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE ON CONSERVATION OF SPECIES AND BIODIVERSITY (M BETTS, SECTION EDITOR)
The Interplay Between Landscape Structure
and Biotic Interactions
Phoebe L. Zarnetske
1,2,3
&Benjamin Baiser
4
&Angela Strecker
5
&Sydne Record
6
&
Jonathan Belmaker
7
&Mao-Ning Tuanmu
8
Published online: 24 February 2017
#Springer International Publishing AG 2017
Abstract Landscape structure and biotic interactions are closely
linked. We identify five aspects of landscape structure that con-
tribute to the co-occurrence of species and restrict or enable dif-
ferent types of biotic interactions: patch size and habitat amount,
isolation of patches, barriers to dispersal and movement, persis-
tence of landscape structure, and landscape complexity. In addi-
tion, these aspects of landscape structure influence the strength
and outcome of biotic interactions. Whereas most research fo-
cuses on the effects of the abiotic environment on species and
their biotic interactions, research on foundation species and eco-
system engineers demonstrates the important influence of biotic
interactions on landscape structure itself, including effects on
landscape complexity, extent of habitat, and the structure of land-
scape features. In this review, we describe ecological theories that
lay the foundation for interplay between landscape structure and
biotic interactions, and summarize these connections across an
array of interacting species in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial
systems. We end with suggestions for integrating the fields of
landscape ecology and community ecology to better understand
the connections between landscape structure and biotic interac-
tions and better predict their dynamics in light of global change.
Keywords Biotic interactions .Dispersal .Extent .Habitat .
Isolation .Metacommunity
Introduction
Biotic interactions are inherently coupled with the structure of
landscapes. “Landscape structure”encompasses the
This article is part of the Topical Collection on Effects of Landscape
Structure on Conservation of Species and Biodiversity
*Phoebe L. Zarnetske
plz@anr.msu.edu
Benjamin Baiser
bbaiser@ufl.edu
Angela Strecker
strecker@pdx.edu
Sydne Record
srecord@brynmawr.edu
Jonathan Belmaker
jbelmaker@post.tau.ac.il
Mao-Ning Tuanmu
mntuanmu@gate.sinica.edu.tw
1
Department of Forestry, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Rd,
East Lansing, MI 48864, USA
2
Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480
Wilson Rd, East Lansing, MI 48864, USA
3
Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Program, Michigan
State University, 480 Wilson Rd, East Lansing, MI 48864, USA
4
Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of
Florida, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
5
Department of Environmental Science and Management, Portland
State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97201, USA
6
Department of Biology, Bryn Mawr College, 101 North Merion Ave,
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010, USA
7
School of Zoology and The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History
and National Research Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978,
Israel
8
Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
Curr Landscape Ecol Rep (2017) 2:12–29
DOI 10.1007/s40823-017-0021-5
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
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