Much ado about landscapes

Landscape ecology assesses when, why and where spatial pattern matters for ecological processes. The science has matured, and its themes (spatial heterogeneity, thresholds, reciprocal interactions between pattern and process, “to scale or not to scale”) have enriched the discipline of ecology. Ignoring spatial pattern is risky; “this is the short and long of it.” New research should elucidate landscape tipping points given multiple interacting drivers; anticipate future legacies of contemporary landscape patterns and land-use decisions; and use spatial patterns across scales to enhance landscape resilience. Frontiers of landscape ecology intersect many important societal challenges, and “thereby hangs a tale.”