UMBS Landscape Ecosystems and Natural Communities

Vegetation is seen as a phytometer that integrates the many abiotic factors and their interactions, and therefore reflects differences in ecosystem structure and function. When the three main ecosystem factors are analyzed simultaneously, one can perceive interrelationships that result in ecologically meaningful differences among segments of the ecosphere. Landscape ecosystems are spatial; they are volumetric, multi-dimensional segments of earth, whose components include soil, water, atmosphere, solar radiation, and biota. These segments can be identified, classified, described, and mapped at various scales. From the years of 1988 to 2001, various graduate students of Burton V. Barnes completed their masters thesis and dissertations in this pursuit. The attached data set is a culmination of these individual's work. Each plot has measurements at various scales within the 10 by 30 meet plot. A stratified random design was used to locate plot locations. The random design was stratified by major and minor landforms in the region. All trees within the plot where identified and dbh was measured. All individual shrubs where identified and abundance was counted within the entire plot. Soils pits locations for each plot where selected randomly within the vegetation plot. Soil pits where dug up to 3 meters and soil horizons where classified.植被可作为一种植物指示物（phytometer），整合多种非生物因子及其相互作用，从而反映生态系统结构与功能的差异。当同时分析三大核心生态系统因子时，可揭示出驱动地球生态圈各片段产生生态学意义差异的内在关联。景观生态系统具有空间属性，是地球的三维多维度片段，其组成要素涵盖土壤、水分、大气、太阳辐射与生物群落。此类生态片段可在不同尺度下完成识别、分类、描述与制图。 1988年至2001年间，伯顿·V·巴恩斯（Burton V. Barnes）的多名研究生以此为研究方向完成了硕士学位论文与博士学位论文。本附随数据集正是上述研究工作的集大成成果。 每个样地均在10×30米的样地范围内开展多尺度测量。研究采用分层随机设计（stratified random design）确定样地点位，分层依据为研究区域内的主要与次要地貌类型。对样地内所有树木进行物种鉴定，并测量其胸径（Diameter at Breast Height, DBH）；对样地内全部灌木开展物种鉴定，并统计其种群多度。 每个植被样地内随机选取土壤剖面坑点位，挖掘深度达3米，并对土壤发生层（soil horizons）进行分类。