![]() The study of ecosystems has continued to evolve into the current understanding of ecosystems as complex adaptive systems. Carex pensylvanica and Asarum canadense form a dense groundcover beneath Fothergilla gardenii that attracts and supports butterflies and birds. In 1942, Raymond Lindeman outlined the rules that govern the transference of energy from the sun, to producers, to consumers, to secondary consumers and to decomposers within all ecosystems (Beck, 2013, p. Arthur Tansley expanded upon the concept of interdependence in 1935 to include not only the plants and animals in a system, but the physical components of their environment such as soil, sunlight, and water that form an integrated system. He determined that to understand any one species one must study the species on which it depends, the species that it competes with, and all the conditions that affect these (Beck, 2013, p. In 1887, Stephen Forbes argued to the Peoria Scientific Association that no species could be studied in isolation. As Beck explains, “the idea that plants and animals and their environment form an integrated whole is at the root of the discipline of ecology.” He chronicles the early ecologists and their contributions. It is important to acknowledge the foundations of the study of ecosystems as the precursor for the current context of ecological landscape. The Study of Ecosystems and its Application to the Current Context of Ecological Landscape Design ![]() The courtyard over structure at the USCG Headquarters balances plant performance and habitat diversity by incorporating a variety of native plant materials and monitoring the plant communities as they establish and expand. ![]() He summarizes the ecological processes that determine food webs, nutrient cycles, plant and animal interactions, and other factors that affect species composition, function, and spatial organization in natural plant communities. Beck promotes a shift in the practice of landscape design that values ecosystems and encourages their establishment through targeted actions based on an understanding of how they develop, interact, and flourish. In the foreward to the book, Carol Franklin remarks that in the face of our current environmental crises, “ecological design, and in particular ecological planting design, is finally being understood as a critical tool for our ultimate survival” (Beck, 2013). The revelatory book by Travis Beck, The Principles of Ecological Landscape Design, is one of the foundations of this expanding body of knowledge. It will be necessary for landscape designers to build a body of knowledge based on the principles of ecology. The shift towards green infrastructure in the design and implementation of the built environment has opened a window through which landscape designers can employ ecologically-based strategies. Green infrastructure is crucial to combating climate change, creating healthy built environments, and improving our quality of life. The study of landscape ecology has had a significant impact on the way landscape designers and planners think about open space and connectivity at the regional scale, and has led to the promotion and implementation of green infrastructure to provide cost-effective systems that protect and restore natural resources. An understanding of ecological principles to guide the design, planting and maintenance of landscapes, and reliance on an adaptive management process based on observation and recalibration will result in landscapes that will take less energy and resources to maintain and provide the greatest environmental benefits. Instead, they are adopting the role of steward to a set of naturally occurring processes that govern the development of plant communities. Designers are backing away from the role of curator of gardens where plant species are selected and placed according to a theme in a created setting, without regard to how that species may be predisposed to behave in the setting. ![]() image: Kelly FlemingĪ trend is emerging within the profession that expands our approach to planting design and the role of vegetation. View of the roof gardens and courtyards at the US Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, DC.
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