Source

Definition

Troll, C., 1939, 1968, 1971

The German geographer Carl Troll coined the term "landscape ecology" in 1939, and defined it in 1968 as "the study of the main complex causal relationships between the life communities and their environment in a given section of a landscape.  These relationships are expressed regionally in a definite distribution pattern (landscape mosaic, landscape pattern) and in a natural regionalization at various orders of magnitude" (Troll 1968; cited in Troll 1971).

Zonneveld, I. S. 1972

"Landscape ecology is an aspect of geographical study which considers the landscape as a holistic entity, made up of different elements, all influencing each other.  This means that land is studied as the "total character of a region", and not in terms of the separate aspects of its component elements" (Zonneveld 1972).

Naveh, Z., and A. S. Lieberman. 1984, 1994

"Landscape ecology is a young branch of modern ecology that deals with the interrelationship between man and his open and built-up landscapes" based on general systems theory, biocybernetics, and ecosystemology (Naveh and Liberman 1984).  "Landscapes can be recognized as tangible and heterogeneous but closely interwoven natural and cultural entities of our total living space," and landscape ecology is "a holistic and transdisciplinary science of landscape study, appraisal, history, planning and management, conservation, and restoration" (Naveh and Liberman 1994).

Forman, R. T. T. 1981; Forman, R. T. T., and M. Godron. 1986

"A landscape is a kilometers-wide area where a cluster of interacting stands or ecosystems is repeated in similar form; landscape ecology, thus, studies the structure, function and development of landscapes" (Forman 1981).  Landscape structure refers to "the spatial relationships among the distinctive ecosystems;" landscape function refers to "the flows of energy, materials, and species among the component ecosystems;" and landscape change refers to "the alteration in the structure and function of the ecological mosaic over time" (Forman and Godron 1986).

Risser, P. G., J. R. Karr, and R. T. T. Forman. 1984

"Landscape ecology focuses explicitly upon spatial pattern.  Specifically, landscape ecology considers the development and dynamics of spatial heterogeneity, spatial and temporal interactions and exchanges across heterogeneous landscapes, influences of spatial heterogeneity on biotic and abiotic processes, and management of spatial heterogeneity" (Risser et al. 1984).  "Landscape ecology is not a distinct discipline or simply a branch of ecology, but rather is the synthetic intersection of many related disciplines that focus on the spatial-temporal pattern of the landscape" (Risser et al. 1984). 

Turner, M. G., R. H. Gardner, and R. V. O'Neill. 2001

"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" (Turner et al. 2001).  "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" and "second, landscape ecology often focuses on spatial extents that are much larger than those traditionally studied in ecology, often, the landscape as seen by a human observer" (Turner et al. 2001).

Wu, J., and R. Hobbs. 2007

"Landscape ecology is the science and art of studying and influencing the relationship between spatial pattern and ecological processes across hierarchical levels of biological organization and different scales in space and time" (Wu and Hobbs 2007).