A GEOMORPHIC-LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY APPROACH TO MAPPING AN ALPINE LANDSCAPE: YANKEE BOY BASIN, CO

Mapping is an invaluable tool for displaying and understanding the dynamic aspects of landscape change of the surface of Earth. Whereas various mapping themes have been developed to map geomorphology, ranging from mapping present-day surficial deposits to using point, line and area symbols to show static and dynamic geomorphic processes, landscape ecology mapping has focused on a single species or theme. Because landscape ecology, which recognizes four elements (i.e., patch, corridor, network, matrix), is the study of the spatial, horizontal relationships between the biological elements and the geomorphic landscape, we have expanded the methodology of geomorphic mapping to accommodate simultaneous mapping of geomorphology and landscape ecology. A GIS is used to composite the various layers to produce a geomorphic-landscape ecology map. The scale of the map is dictated by the scale at which the original data are collected. This mapping approach facilitates understanding flows of energy and mass. Dynamic components of the landscape are mapped through the use of four mapping elements (point (patch), line (corridor), grid (network), and polygon (matrix)). This mapping approach can incorporate temporal changes and changes over an area. Six steps are involved in the creation of a geomorphic-landscape ecology map: 1) construction of a base map, 2) construction of maps of the various components (i.e., geology, soils etc.), 3) entering layers into a GIS database, 4) construction of the geomorphic-landscape ecology map, 5)ground-truth the map, and 6) finalize the map. The geomorphic-landscape ecology map of Yankee Boy Basin displays the spatial relationships between the glacial, periglacial, gravity (mass movement) and fluvial landforms and the biological elements of the landscape.