Influences of landslide on forest ecosystem

Landslides are fascinating because they are dangerous and remind us how powerless we are in the face of overwhelming geological forces. Some progress has been made on how to predict their occurrence and how to avoid or reduce the damage that they cause, but humans are still vulnerable to landslides. They create a new surface of exposed rock and soil to which plants, animals, and microbes respond. The physical aspects of landslides are complex but well studied; the biological and ecological aspects are equally complex but poorly studied. The new field of landslide ecology examines the biological responses to landslides, including human responses because we avoid, use, cause, and manage landslides. For instance, landslides act as conduits of soil nutrients and organic matter down slopes and into aquatic habitats including rivers and oceans. Landslides also provide habitats for colonization by early successional species. Landslide risk assessment continues to improve, with new mapping and modeling tools. In addition, mitigation of landslide damage and restoration of ecosystem processes has become more successful, particularly by the inclusion of ecological principles into restoration plans. Landslide ecology provides opportunities for understanding temporal and spatial dynamics in heterogeneous habitats; opportunities for management to integrate these insights into improving prediction, prevention, mitigation, and restoration; and opportunities for cultural development through improved approaches to more sustainable use of erosion-prone slopes and education about the dangers posed and damages caused by landslides.

Keywords:

forest , landslide ecology , biological effects , effects of soil diversity