Theoretical landscape ecology

• Bruce T. Milne

Abstract
Among ecological disciplines, landscape ecology is especially concerned with the function, origin, dynamics, and consequences of spatial pattern and scale dependence. The deep theoretical bases for the organization of landscapes and the ecological systems they support have yet to be articulated, despite nearly two decades of research in this area. As a center fellow, I plan to write a book entitled "Theoretical Landscape Ecology". The book will enable ecologists to understand and apply insights from recent work in condensed matter physics, where profound theories and theory-generating tools have been developed to a high degree. Beginning with an exposition about scaling laws, the book will include renormalization group theory (with applications to diffusion, habitat use, and disturbance), a theory of ecotones based on percolation phase transitions, application of computation theory to landscape dynamics, and new theory of energy supply as a control on biodiversity. My ongoing collaboration with Frank Davis, via the Multiscale Assessment of the Columbia River Basin (CRB) project (P. Bourgeron, INSTAAR, PI) will enable me to incorporate extensive geographical and biophysical data as illustrations in the book.