LANDSCAPE-SCALE GEOMORPHIC INFLUENCES ON VEGETATION PATTERNS IN 4 ENVIRONMENTS

This paper reviews and synthesizes research about geomorphic influence s on vegetation patterns apparent at the landscape scala After an over view of the effects that landforms and geomorphic processes have on pl ant distributions, these relationships are discussed in more detail fo r each of four distinct physical settings: temperate riparian environm ents, slopes affected by landslides and other forms of mass movement, desert alluvial fans, and nonmountainous glaciated landscapes. These f our landscapes were selected because they encompass a broad range of t emporal and spatial scales at which the geomorphic processes most stro ngly linked with vegetation patterns operate; furthermore, they collec tively illustrate some of the more prominent themes in recent research on this topic. Finally, we identify four topics that particularly mer it future research on geomorphic-biogeographic interactions: (1) feedb ack between vegetation and landforms, (2) distinctions between landfor m characteristics and the associated geomorphic processes as controls of vegetation patterns, (3) the influence of scale on landform-vegetat ion relationships, and (4) geographic variation in those relationships .