A habitat patch is any discrete area with a definite shape, spatial and configuration used by a species for breeding or obtaining other resources.
Mosaics are the patterns within landscapes that are composed of smaller elements, such as individual forest stands, shrubland patches, highways, farms, or towns.
[2] This focus centered on the idea that the status of a particular population, community, or ecosystem could be understood by studying a particular patch within a mosaic.
In 1979, Bormann and Likens coined the phrase shifting mosaic to describe the theory that landscapes change and fluctuate, and are in fact dynamic.
[4] Logging, fire, farming, and reforestation can all contribute to the process of colonization, and can effectively change the shape of the patch.
(Pickett, 2006) Recognizing the patch dynamics within a system is needed for conservation (ecology) efforts to succeed.