landscape: A categorical raster object: SpatRaster; Raster* Layer, Stack, Brick; stars or a list of SpatRasters.
count_boundary: Count landscape boundary as edge.
directions: The number of directions in which patches should be connected: 4 (rook's case) or 8 (queen's case).
Returns
tibble
Details
ED=Ak=1∑meik∗10000
where eik is the total edge length in meters and A is the total landscape area in square meters.
ED is an 'Area and Edge metric'. The edge density equals the sum of all edges of class i in relation to the landscape area. The boundary of the landscape is only included in the corresponding total class edge length if count_boundary = TRUE. The metric describes the configuration of the landscape, e.g. because an aggregation of the same class will result in a low edge density. The metric is standardized to the total landscape area, and therefore comparisons among landscapes with different total areas are possible.
Because the metric is based on distances or areas please make sure your data is valid using check_landscape.
Units
Meters per hectare
Range
ED >= 0
Behaviour
Equals ED = 0 if only one patch is present (and the landscape boundary is not included) and increases, without limit, as the landscapes becomes more patchy
McGarigal K., SA Cushman, and E Ene. 2023. FRAGSTATS v4: Spatial Pattern Analysis Program for Categorical Maps. Computer software program produced by the authors; available at the following web site: https://www.fragstats.org