Li, B.L., 2000, Why is the holistic approach so important in landscape ecology?, in: Landscape and Urban Planning, ,
- Author : Li, B.L.
- Year : 2000
- Journal/Series : Landscape and Urban Planning
- Pages : 27-41
- Abstract in English : Landscape ecology is a way of thinking about the evolution and dynamics of heterogeneous landscapes. It is also viewed as the body of knowledge or facts about ecological space, spatial heterogeneity, and scaling. Studies in this field have been dominated by taking things apart and characterizing various attributes of spatial patterns. These studies generally do not address the intrinsic causality and underlying dynamics of the pattern. Therefore, they cannot explain why patterns change with biotic and abiotic conditions. The time is ripe for change; a holistic approach is needed. This paper gifs a mathematical formulation of the part-hole relation in ecological systems and show analytically why the ecological system cannot be understood by reducing it to its parts, which is the central theme for all holistic approaches
- Comments/Notes : KEYWORDS: landscape ecology, holistic approach, holism. UTILITY: lecturers/teachers, academic research.