Abstract: A delineation method based on the idea of regarding urban-suburbansupporting area as a system was presented in this paper, with an ecological-social-economic database created. A total of five ecological suitability regions, four ecological sensitivity regions, four ecological service regions, and five economic development regions were plotted out, and the Changsha City ecosystem was divided into five ecological functional regions, according to the heterogeneity among ecological functional units and the similarity of interior units. The areas of the five functional regions accounted for 29.47%, 32.5%, 25.95%, 9.63% and 2.45% of the total area, respectively. This research method had some advantages over traditional methods. It was flexible and efficient, because it could accept any combination of parameters organized on a polygonal base map. The variables could be added, deleted, or updated to produce new thematic map products in a short period of time. Mapping procedures were quantitative and automated. With the incorporation of remote sensing data and global position system rapid positioning, the ecological and environmental changes could be detected by monitoring the changes of regional boundary patterns. Therefore, the ecological functional regionalization of Changsha City provided a fine way of integrating remote sensing data, global position system, and geographic information system.

Key words: Dolichomitriopsis diversiformis, Air temperature, Water content, Photosynthetic rate, Irradiation, Model