Ecotone

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Wood-dominated ecotone density in Germany according to districts 2013. Source: Leibniz Institute for Ecological Spatial Development

A ecotone (also Saumbiotop or edge biotope ) is in the ecology , a transition region between two different ecosystems and landscapes. The term is sometimes also used for spacious, broad transition areas, for example forest steppe with interspersed woodland islands between forest and steppe . Often these are particularly species-rich and show a higher biodiversity than the sum of the species that occur in the adjacent areas. Ecotones can occur naturally, for example the banks of the lake or the alpine tree line , or they can be traced back to human influence, for example hedges and forest edges in the Central European cultural landscape.

Ecotones between forest and open land, called fringes , offer a large number of ecological niches . Another example is the mangrove forest , which represents a transition between land and water ecosystems. Other examples are forest edges , hedges, and river banks.

The more fringing biotopes there are in a landscape, the higher this landscape is to be assessed from a nature conservation point of view. For Germany, wood-dominated ecotones, i.e. forest edges, rows of trees and hedges, are calculated and displayed annually as part of the monitor of settlement and open space development . This makes the development of the seams visible over many time segments as part of a monitoring.

Individual evidence

  1. on research approaches in border and transition biotopes see: Matthew M. Yarrow & Victor H. Marin (2007): Toward Conceptual Cohesiveness: a Historical Analysis of the Theory and Utility of Ecological Boundaries and Transition Zones. Ecosystems 10 : 462-476. doi : 10.1007 / s10021-007-9036-9
  2. ^ Matthias Schaefer: Ecology. Biology dictionaries. 3. Edition. G. Fischer Verlag, Jena 1992. UTB Taschenbücher 430. ISBN 3-8252-0430-8 .
  3. ^ Biodiversity Monitoring Switzerland, Glossary ( Memento of March 24, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on August 24, 2009.
  4. Wood-dominated ecotone density. IOER monitor, indicator data sheet ( memento of the original from June 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ioer-monitor.de
  5. Leibniz Institute for Ecological Spatial Development (IOER): Monitor of Settlement and Open Space Development (IOER Monitor), indicator "Wood-dominated ecotone density on area" 2013. ( Memento of the original from December 15, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ioer-monitor.de