Analysis the Relationship between Landscape Metrics and Soil Erosion of KoozehTopraghi Watershed, Ardabil Province

Abstract

The process of soil erosion as the central focus of soil and water conservation studies in sustainable ecosystems is influenced by various natural and human disturbances. Besides, the overall structure and composition of an ecosystem are affected by changes in its landscape. Therefore, the present study was planned to investigate the relationship between landscape metrics and soil erosion patterns in the KoozehTopraghi Watershed located in Ardabil Province. In this regard, the 14 landscape metrics including Patch Density (PD), Largest Patch Index (LPI), Total Edge (TE), Edge Density (ED), Landscape Shape Index (LSI), Mean Patch Area (AREA-MN), Mean Euclidean Nearest Neighbor Distance (END-MN), Landscape Division Index (DIVISION), Mean Patch Shape Index (SHAPE-MN), Splitting Index (SPLIT), Patch Cohesion Index (COHESION ), Effective Mesh Size (MESH), Aggregation Index (AI) and Percentage of Landscape (PLAND) were calculated using Fragstats 4.2.1 Software. Then, the severity of soil erosion in the study area was estimated using the Erosion Potential Method (EPM), which its performance has been confirmed by previous studies around the study area. Then, the results of landscape metrics and soil erosion calculation were interred to IBM SPSS Statistics software platform, and the established regression models were determined. The results indicate an inverse relationship between DIVISION, ED, and LPI landscape metrics with the specific soil erosion and a direct relationship between SHAPE-MN and AREA-MN with specific soil erosion of the KoozehTopraghi Watershed. The results of the present study confirm the different behavioral patterns of land features as a result of land degradation processes. These results can be used in effective and sound planning of land use management at watershed and landscape scales.