| If maintenance of natural ecosystem integrity is an objective of planning and design efforts, designated natural areas can no longer simply take the form of nature reserves but should maintain structural and functional integrity in the human influenced landscape. This study analyzes the spatial structure of three nominal classes of vegetation biomass, a biophysical component that largely determines ecosystem function, using fractal geometry as a measure of spatial form.;Remotely sensed satellite imagery data from four physiographically diverse landscapes were utilized in a quantitative assessment for homogeneity in fractal dimension values of moderate level vegetation biomass. The study results demonstrate that, at a regional scale of analysis, environmental variables do not manifest spatial form uniformity within moderate level vegetation biomass regions, a fundamental ecosystem structural component containing high species diversity. Results also indicate that the spatial forms of moderate level vegetation biomass are influenced by proximity to human development on the landscape. |
