On the interface between ecology and geomorphology

Abstract

The present prospects for increased collaboration between the fields of geomorphology and ecology are briefly reviewed. A substantial body of theory and techniques has evolved in parallel in the two disciplines during the past centuries, much of which is now ready to be merged in collaborative cross-disciplinary efforts. Both parties have much to gain from this integration: ecologists will benefit from increased insights into geographic information systems (GIS) and its uses, weathering and sediment flux, and geomorphologists can benefit from improved experimental design standards and harmonization with the concept of ‘ecosystem services’ as used in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. The spatial scale of the common arena for this exchange is the landscape, not the ecosystem as often advocated. Landscapes can often be well-defined in geomorphology, and if derived from hydrological complexity, they usually comprise an entire watershed or catchment. In ecology, the same scale is often reached when using the habitat range of the top predators of the regional food web.

Keywords:

• biogeomorphology
• GIS
• habitat
• landscape
• spatial scale

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank Nel Caine and Scott Lamoureux for valuable comments on an earlier draft of this essay.