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Multiscalar analysis of the spatial pattern of forest ecosystems in central Africa justified by the pattern/process paradigm: Two case studies

par Bastin, Jean-François ;Kabulu Djibu, Jean-Pierre ;Haviarimana, F.;Alongo Longomba, Sylvain ;Kumba Lubemba, Sylvain ;Shalukoma Ndukura, Chantal ;Motondo, D.;Joiris, Véronique ;Stévigny, Caroline ;Duez, Pierre ;De Cannière, Charles ;Bogaert, Jan
Editeur scientifique Boehm, D.A.
Référence Forestry : research, ecology and policies, Nova Science Publishers, Hauppauge, NY, USA, page (79-98)
Publication Publié, 2011

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Résumé :

The pattern/process paradigm justifies the focus of ecological studies on spatial pattern. Two case studies are discussed in which spatial pattern is put forward. The first study analyzes the impact of the definition of forest as a land cover class on the quantification of the spatial pattern of the forest. For the Katanga Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is shown that the interplay of two factors deter-mines the outcome of a fragmentation analysis: the area considered as forested, and the landscape metrics used. The second study disentangles the relation between tree density and understory diversity in the Bururi Forest Nature Reserve in Burundi. The inter-mediate disturbance hypothesis is used to explain the nonlinear relationship between understory diversity and tree density. Cluster analysis and comparisons of understory vegetations from environments with different tree densities, confirmed this link between tree density and understory development. © 2011 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.