Pollution Effects on Intertidal Macrobenthic Communities

Abstract

By using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) technology combined with field investigation and correlation analysis, this study was aimed to explore the dynamics of forest landscape boundary at Changbai Mountain, and to reveal the relationships among landscape fragmentation and changes of landscape boundary indices. The results showed that in the last 20 years or so, tundra decreased by 3694.8 hm2, spruce and fir forest reduced by 130482.03 hm2, and Korean pine-hardwood and mountain birch forest increased by 41610.4 hm2 and 669.78 hm2, respectively. The forest landscapes at Changbai Mountain tended to be more fragmented, and the shape of the landscape boundary became more complicated due to timber harvesting, forest cutting for cropping, and other human activities such as tourism. The changes of landscape shape index (LSI), contrast weighted edge density (CWED), total weighted edge length (TE-WGT) and weighted landscape shape index (LSI-WGT) could be used as good indicators for the degrees of forest landscape fragmentations, which was approved by correlation analysis among landscape fragmentation and changes of landscape boundary indices. The degree of human activities on landscape could be reflected by landscape shape index.