ABSTRACT
Landscape is the perceived, dynamic, and heterogeneous environment where spatial patterns are continuously interacting with processes. The mosaic and patch-corridor-matrix models are two of many models used to reduce landscape complexity for better understanding. They are popular in landscape ecology and based on an organism-centered perspective. The mosaic model classifies the continuous landscape into discrete thematic zones of land units. The patch-corridor-matrix model reduces the landscape from the perspective of a specific organism or species, patches being favorable habitat connected by corridors in an unsuitable matrix background. Two basic landscape characteristics – composition and configuration – define the diversity, heterogeneity, connectivity, and information content of landscape patterns. Geostatistics and landscape metrics are used to describe and quantify spatial characteristics, which can be related to ecological processes and functions. First, this chapter presents the landscape ecological models and situates them in the broader context of landscape research. Second, it discusses the essential concepts and properties of the mosaic model and patch-corridor-matrix model. Third, it presents their origins and underlying theories. Next, specific tools for analyzing the landscape patterns, such as GIS, geostatistics, and landscape metrics, are discussed. Finally, an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of both models is given.
