Abstract
Past land use and spatial pattern affect present plant biodiversity patterns. However, this has not been verified using historical species patterns, as there are hardly any historical records. This project will use an internationally unique material with historical plant data from islands in the Baltic archipelago that have never been geographically analysed before. It is a cross-disciplinary project covering human and physical geography, systems ecology and more empirical ecology. The overall objective is to understand how past and present land use influence species diversity and dispersal in patchy landscapes with a high human impact, and to model effects of functional and spatial connectivity at local (within-site) and regional (landscape) on present and future biodiversity. Methods are: re-investigate islands with historical species data to analyse species turnover; historical sources and maps to analyse past land use; mapping present landscape and biodiversity and the dispersal of target plants that will be analysed and modelled in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). The results will provide a deeper understanding on how people and livestock have, and are, influencing vegetation patterns and dynamics in order to understand how these interactions affect future diversity. This project is highly relevant for biodiversity conservation and theoretical landscape ecology in all types of landscapes.
Sweden