During 1972-1992, the period consolidated the core idea that spatial configuration of landscapes—patch size, shape, edge arrangement, and connectivity—strongly shapes ecological processes, linking landscape structure to function across scales. Researchers integrated landscape ecology with geomorphology and hydrology, employing early Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and patch-based metrics to study how form governs processes such as runoff, erosion, species distributions, and population dynamics. Methodological emphasis moved toward scale-aware analyses and the separation of spatial structure from environmental signals, enabling more robust inference about spatial drivers, while riparian corridors and land-water interactions emerged as focal areas for understanding cross-boundary dynamics within integrated landscapes.