Table 2. Differentiation of ecosystems at various scales.
Ecological units
Scale
Delcourt and
Canadian
Klijn and
Bailey (1997),
Delcourt
ECOMAP
(Wiken
Udo de Haes
Typical map
Typical areal
Differentiating characteristics
Forman (1997)
(1988)
(1993)
1981)
(1994)
scale
extent
used in this study
1012 m2
Continents with related climate.
Region
Continent
Domain
Ecozone
1:
1,000,000 km2
(Forman)
20,000,000
1011 m2
Ecoregion
Division
Ecoprovince
1:
Climatic subzones with broad
100,000 km2
10,000,000
vegetation regions.
1010 m2
(Bailey)
Macro-
Province
Ecoregion
Ecoregion
1:
Climate, a geographic group
10,000 km2
(macroscale)
region
5,000,000
of landscape mosaics (e.g.,
Interior Highlands).
109 m2
Landscape
Meso-
Section
Ecodistrict
Ecodistrict
1:
Major landforms or physio-
1,000 km2
(Forman)
region
1,000,000
graphic units within a
or Landscape
100,000 ha
climatic region (e.g., Tanana
Flats, SteeseWhite Mountains).
108 m2
Mosaic
Microregion Subsection
(Eco-
1:250,000
Physiographic units at larger
(Bailey)
subdistricts
scale based on associations of
(mesoscale)
by ABR)
geomorphic units (e.g.,
100 km2
grouping of weathered bedrock
10,000 ha
on crests, residual soil on upper
slopes, retransported lowland
deposits at toe of slopes, and
107 m2
Landtype
Ecosection
Ecosection
1:100,000
Geomorphic units with homo-
10 km2
Association
geneous lithology, mode of
100 ha
deposition, depth, texture, and
water properties. Similar concepts
include soil catena, toposequence,
and soil assocation (e.g., bedrock
or floodplain cover deposit).
104106
Local
Macrosite
Landtype
Ecosite
Ecoseries
1: 25,000
A subdivision of a geomorphic
1 km2
Ecosystem
50,000
unit that has a uniform topo-
(Forman)
10100 ha
climate based on elevation, aspect,
(Bailey)
or Site
Similar concepts include soil series,
(microscale)
homogeneous abiotic site condi-
tions climax vegetation, assem-
blages of vegetation types on
soil series (e.g., Ester soil series
on north slopes of bedrock soils).
102104
Mesosite
Landtype
Ecoulement
Ecotype
1: 5,000
Vegetation type or successional
Phase
(Ecotope)
25,000
0.110 ha
stage (e.g., balsam poplar on
floodplain cover deposit).
102102
Microsite
Site
Ecoulement
1: 1,000
Uniform microsites within stand
5,000
<0.1 ha
(e.g., polygon rim vs. center).
radation of permafrost, channel migration on
vegetation within a polygon (mapping region)
abandoned floodplains, and water track develop-
was covered by vegetation other than the domi-
ment on retransported deposits are geomorphic
nant type. Complexes of geomorphic units always
processes that cause highly interspersed ecosys-
required an associated complex of vegetation
tems that are functionally related. Areas were
types.
mapped as complexes if more than 30% of the
Geomorphic units were classified according to
8
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