Assessment of Hierarchical Structure and Approach To the Current Ecosystem Classification of Land

Abstract

The ecosystem classification of land (ECL) was developed, simplified as the structure level of organization, and investigated as the hierarchical system. We recently tried implementing hierarchical ecosystem classification in 300 Dry Domain of the United States, 100 Polar Domain of Canada, and 500 Plateau Domain of China. Studying the ecosystem classification of land was to analyze and examine the hierarchical theory in implementing the three special ecoregions. A full ECL case study was accomplished in Western Utah of the United States. Bailey's upper levels ECL [1-3] was applied to the United States, North America, and world continents. However, Canada's continental ecoregion framework was defined as the ecological Mozaic on a sub-continental scale, representing the hierarchical ecoregions characterized by interactive and adjusting abiotic and biotic factors. China's Eco-geographic classification was most likely fitted into Bailey's Ecosystem Classification regime. With a binary decision tree analysis, we demonstrated that the top-level, Domain has an empty entity between the U.S. and China ecoregion framework. The Plateau Domain 500 had been added into the top-level China ecoregion framework. Coordinately, it included H.I. and HII Divisions, and humid, dub-humid, semiarid, and arid Provinces. Furthermore, three cases of lower-level ecosystem classification were examined, evaluated, and implemented with the hierarchical theory. Theoretically, we can decompose a top-down hierarchical approach or bottom-up reconstruct [4]. Practically, once the dimension of the system is significantly reduced to less than ten levels, a typical result is easy to understand the level of organizational structure and implement the ecosystem classification.