Landscape Structure of a Wetland: Tidal Creeks, Creek Networks and Habitat Distribution, Andros Island, Bahamas

Instead of attempting to isolate and evaluate the characteristics of individual processes active in such coastal environments, the focus of this study was a quantitative characterization of the spatial anatomy of a Bahamian tidal wetland system, exploring geomorphic and ecologic patterns caused by complex interactions of individual components of the ecohydrologic system.

Integrating high-resolution remote sensing data and field observations in a GIS facilitated the quantification of habitat and tidal creek network patterns. The quantitative results illustrate 1) the size-frequency distribution of habitats follows a power-law relationship; 2) the lengths of tidal creeks have a size-frequency distribution best characterized by an exponential distribution; 3) the structure of creek networks exhibit scaling patterns similar to those documented in fluvial systems, and active networks are less ordered than inactive, stabilized networks; and 4) the distribution and abundance of habitats are linked systematically and quantitatively to the characteristics of the associated creeks and networks.