The
Landscape Ecology Program includes an active research component. Several
independent and inter-related research projects fall under the auspices
of the Program, although the following larger and longer-term projects underpin
the Program.
FRAGSTATS:
Spatial Pattern Analysis Software for Quantifying Landscape Pattern
This project is
focused on the development of methods for quantifying landscape patterns
and has centered around the development of the computer software program
FRAGSTATS.
FRAGSTATS
is a computer software program designed to compute a wide variety of landscape
metrics for categorical map patterns. The
original software (version 2.0) was released in the public domain during
1995 in association with the publication of a USDA Forest Service General
Technical Report (McGarigal and Marks 1995). Since then, hundreds of professionals
have enjoyed the use of FRAGSTATS. Due to its growing popularity, we have
completely revamped the program. The purpose of this web site is to facilitate
dissemination of the new software (version 3) and to facilitate communication
among FRAGSTATS users.
Rocky Mountain
Landscape Simulator (RMLANDS): Quantifying Dynamics in Landscape Structure
and Wildlife Habitat Under Alternative Disturbance Scenarios
This project is
focused on the development and application of the Rocky Mountain Landscape
Simulator (RMLANDS) as an to aid the U.S. Forest Service, BLM, and other
land management agencies.
RMLANDS
is a computer software program designed to simulate natural (e.g., fire)
and anthropogenic (e.g., logging) disturbances and succession processes
in the Rocky Mountains. The software is being developed to aid Forest Service
planners evaluate the historic range of variation in landscape structure
and wildlife habitat, and to evaluate the potential consequences of alternative
future land management scenarios. The purpose of this web site is to facilitate
dissemination of the software and the results of simulation experiments,
and to generally facilitate the exchange of information among project collaborators.
Conservation
Assessment and Prioritization System (CAPS): Decision-Support for Biodiversity
Conservation Planning
This project is
focused on the development of a decision-support system (CAPS) for assessing
ecological integrity and biodiversity value and prioritizing lands for
conservation action.
CAPS
is a computer software program designed to assess the ecological integrity
and biodiversity value of every location based on natural community-specific
models, and prioritize lands for conservation action based on their assessed
biodiversity value in combination with other data relevant to their prioritization.
The purpose of this web site is to facilitate the use of CAPS in conservation
planning. Specifically, as the necessary geographic data is compiled and
expert analyses are completed, the results will be made available via this
web site.
Vernal pool
ecology and conservation in southern New England, including an intensive
field study on the metapopulation structure and dynamics of marbled
salamanders in central Massachusetts
This project is
broadly focused on the ecology and conservation of vernal pools in southern
New England, and more specifically on quantifying the spatial structure,
demographics, and dynamics of marbled salamander populations in a cluster
of vernal pools in central Massachusetts.
Marbled
salamanders (Ambystoma opacum) are listed as 'threatened' in the
state of Massachusetts at the northern edge of their range. Like several
other species, they are obligate vernal pool breeders; that is, they only
breed in these temporary forest ponds. Moreover, they spend most of thier
lifecyle in the uplands. Because of the small and patchy distribution of
the descrete breeding habitats, marbled salamander populations are likely
subdivided into many small, local subpopulations. The periodic exchange
of individuals among subpopulations and the balance of local extinctions
and recolonizations may be important for the species' persistence. The purpose
of this study is to quantify the population structure and dynamics of a
cluster of local populations in central Massachusetts. This study is unprecendented
in many respects and promises to greatly expand our understanding of whether
metapopulation theory applies to real populations in complex landscapes.
High Severity Fire in Forests of the Southwest:
Conservation Implications
This project is
focused on understanding the relationship of spatial patterns in high
severity fires to long-term changes in plant communities in southwest
ponderosa pine forests.
Fire has long been a dramatic force in shaping
landscapes of the southwestern United States. Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa),
a broad, open-crowned tree that is valued for its beauty as well as its
economic and ecological importance, has unique characteristics which operate
in concert with fires that historically burned frequently through the forest
understory. Our research project is motivated by the need to understand
how ponderosa pine forests respond to high severity fires, that is, fires
that cause extensive tree mortality. We hope to not only contribute to understanding
the resiliency of ponderosa pine forests, but also to elucidate the conservation
values intrinsic to the diverse communities that represent alternative successional
trajectories after severe fire. Specifically, we are examining the outcomes
of high severity fire in ponderosa pine forests and their neighboring communities
across an elevational gradient that encompasses pinon-juniper (Pinus
edulis-Juniperus spp.) woodlands, ponderosa pine and mixed conifer forests.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Kevin McGarigal Department of Natural Resources Conservation
University of Massachusetts
304 Holdsworth Natural Resources Center
Box 34210
Amherst, MA 01003
Fax: (413) 545-4358
Phone: (413) 577-0655
Email: mcgarigalk@forwild.umass.edu
