Phil Hurvitz Avian Conservation Lab Meeting 8. March. 2002 The FocalPatch Extension Phil Hurvitz Avian Conservation Lab Meeting 8. March. 2002

Overview Landscape Ecology Landscape Configuration Landscape Ecology Metrics Fragstats Focal Functions in GIS The FocalPatch Extension Patch Metrics and Utilization Distributions Fragstats Revisited

Overview Landscape Ecology Landscape Configuration Landscape Ecology Metrics Fragstats Focal Functions in GIS The FocalPatch Extension Patch Metrics and Utilization Distributions Fragstats Revisited

Landscape Ecology Background Landscape ecology emphasizes the interaction between spatial pattern and ecological process -- that is, the causes and consequences of spatial heterogeneity across a range of scales.  Two important aspects of landscape ecology distinguish it from other subdisciplines within ecology.  First, landscape ecology explicitly addresses the importance of spatial configuration for ecological processes.  Not only is landscape ecology concerned with how much there is of a particular component but also with how it is arranged.  Second, landscape ecology often focuses upon spatial extents that are much larger than those traditionally studied in ecology. Landscape ecology offers new concepts, theory and methods that are revealing the importance of spatial patterning on the dynamics of interacting ecosystems. http://ravel.zoology.wisc.edu/mgt/ (Monica G. Turner)

Landscape Ecology Background, continued Effect of spatial configuration on ecological process Ecological process across large spatial scale GIS must be a central (tool = language = environment) for investigation of landscape ecology issues

Overview Landscape Ecology Landscape Configuration Landscape Ecology Metrics Fragstats Focal Functions in GIS The FocalPatch Extension Patch Metrics and Utilization Distributions Fragstats Revisited

Landscape Configuration Varying configurations occur in both managed and unmanaged areas near Hanford (images from Terraserver) east of Seattle Yakima area

Landscape Configuration Different configurations can have very different effects on ecological function Movement of plants & animals (enhancement or inhibition) Edge/interior effects, isolation

Landscape Configuration Understanding landscape configuration and composition is a central problem in management of ecosystems Loss or maintenance of “natural” (“sustainable”?) ecological functionality Configuration and composition affect ecological processes

Landscape Configuration Varying scale of landscape configuration can have varying effects on different species (image from Fragstats manual)

Overview Landscape Ecology Landscape Configuration Landscape Ecology Metrics Fragstats Focal Functions in GIS The FocalPatch Extension Patch Metrics and Utilization Distributions Fragstats Revisited

Landscape Ecology Metrics Patterns and differences are immediately recognized by the eye + brain Landscape Ecology Metrics allow these patterns in space to be described quantitatively

Landscape Ecology Metrics Quantification of patch configuration on the landscape Central quantitative basis for much analysis & understanding in Landscape Ecology Attempt to quantify either individual patches, classes, or the entire landscape Assess continuity, contiguity, or fragmentation of landscape elements

Overview Landscape Ecology Landscape Configuration Landscape Ecology Metrics Fragstats Focal Functions in GIS The FocalPatch Extension Patch Metrics and Utilization Distributions Fragstats Revisited

Developed by Kevin McGarigal & Barbara Marks, OSU 1994 Fragstats Developed by Kevin McGarigal & Barbara Marks, OSU 1994 Computer program for calculating a number of patch, class, and landscape ecology metrics Integrated with ESRI GIS fragstats.aml from McGarigal & Marks ArcView Extension Patch Analyst (Rob Rempel)

Fragstats L.E. Metrics: Classes Area Patch density, patch size & variability Edge Shape Core area Nearest neighbor Diversity Contagion & interspersion

Fragstats Patch metrics (image from Fragstats manual)

Fragstats Class metrics (image from Fragstats manual)

Fragstats Landscape metrics (image from Fragstats manual)

Fragstats L.E. Metrics: Examples Landscape Similarity Index (LSIM) For each patch type, LSIM is the proportion (percentage) of the landscape in that class Indicates the relative dominance of each different class

Fragstats L.E. Metrics: Examples Edge Contrast Index (EDGECON) Edge contrast values [0, 1] are specified for each combination of patch types EDGECON is the sum of (patch perimeters * edge contrast values) Indicates a “weighted” perimeter

Fragstats L.E. Metrics: Examples Fractal Dimension Indication of the convolution of shape for each patch R: 1 £ FRACT £ 2 Approaches 1 for simple shapes (circle, square) Approaches 2 for highly convoluted shapes

Overview Landscape Ecology Landscape Configuration Landscape Ecology Metrics Fragstats Focal Functions in GIS The FocalPatch Extension Patch Metrics and Utilization Distributions Fragstats Revisited

Focal Functions in GIS Processing occurs on a central cell in conjunction with the values associated in its neighborhood “Moving window” “Kernel”

Focal Functions in GIS Example of the focal mean function

Focal Functions in GIS ArcInfo & ArcView focal functions are all “basic” statistical

Overview Landscape Ecology Landscape Configuration Landscape Ecology Metrics Fragstats Focal Functions in GIS The FocalPatch Extension Patch Metrics and Utilization Distributions Fragstats Revisited

FocalPatch Extension Application of focal processing on land cover grids Instead of using ArcInfo focal statistics, calculates Fragstats Landscape Ecology metrics on a focal basis

FocalPatch Extension New ArcView 3.x extension

FocalPatch Extension Creates point features

FocalPatch Extension Creates CWED file

FocalPatch Extension Runs on points

FocalPatch Extension

FocalPatch Extension Output files

On a cell-by-cell basis FocalPatch Extension On a cell-by-cell basis Creates a point feature at the cell center Extracts the region in a user-specified radius around the point Calculates landscape metrics for that circle Places metrics back into point attribute table

FocalPatch Extension Extract circle from habitat grid at user-defined radius

Calculate landscape metrics FocalPatch Extension Calculate landscape metrics Rempel’s interface Rempel’s batch script

FocalPatch Extension Calculates landscape metrics Values represent the landscape metrics for the focal region around the central cell

FocalPatch Extension Points can be used for interpolation of surfaces Surfaces can represent any of the landscape metrics

Overview Landscape Ecology Landscape Configuration Landscape Ecology Metrics Fragstats Focal Functions in GIS The FocalPatch Extension Patch Metrics and Utilization Distributions Fragstats Revisited

Patch Metrics and Utilization Distributions Some animal species respond to large regions of landscapes Typical animal-landscape relationships are explored either by point processes or by land cover types Is there a relationship between landscape metrics and actual animal usage of landscape? Which landscape characteristics do animals respond to ?

Patch Metrics and Utilization Distributions utilization distribution (UD) limit processing to UD

Patch Metrics and Utilization Distributions contrast-weighted edge surface

Patch Metrics and Utilization Distributions Regression techniques will be used to determine strength of relationship between utilization and landscape metrics Multiple regression Raster regression within GRID

Overview Landscape Ecology Landscape Configuration Landscape Ecology Metrics Fragstats Focal Functions in GIS The FocalPatch Extension Patch Metrics and Utilization Distributions Fragstats Revisited

Fragstats Revisited Version 3 of Fragstats: “ Analysis Type.–Chose between “standard” and “moving window” Moving Window.--If moving window mode is selected, then FRAGSTATS will conduct a moving window analysis and output a separate grid for each metric selected.”

Fragstats Revisited Does Fragstats v.3 actually perform moving window analysis?

Final Question Given that Fragstats v.3 might perform focal analysis of landscape data, is it worth it to continue development of an ArcView 3.X interface for focal Fragstats analysis? What are the benefits of having this within the ArcView environment? Can this be considered original work?