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Resource utilization scales and landscape pattern

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Abstract

The spatial patterning of resources constrains the movement of consumers on the landscape. Percolation theory predicts that an organism can move freely if its critical resource or habitat occupies 59.28% of the landscape. Sparse resources require an organism to operate on larger resource utilization scales. Multiple critical resources necessitate larger scales, while substitutable resources ease the scale requirements. Contagious spatial patterns require larger scales to permit movement between resource clusters. The study indicates a strong link between spatial pattern and ecological processes on a landscape.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 37831-6038, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA

    R. V. O'Neill, M. G. Turner & R. H. Gardner

  2. Biology Department, University of New Mexico, 87131, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

    B. T. Milne

Authors
  1. R. V. O'Neill
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  2. B. T. Milne
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  3. M. G. Turner
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  4. R. H. Gardner
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O'Neill, R.V., Milne, B.T., Turner, M.G. et al. Resource utilization scales and landscape pattern. Landscape Ecol 2, 63–69 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00138908

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