Spatial ecology

Spatial ecology is a specialization in ecology and geography that is concerned with the identification of spatial patterns and their relationships to ecological phenomena. Ecological events can be explained through the detection of patterns at a given spatial scale: local, regional, or global. Through the application of spatial statistical analysis, factors leading to ecological events can be determined and verified. Spatial ecology can be distinguished by two different approaches: the field of landscape ecology and, the field of metapopulation ecology.