Faculty Opinions recommendation of Conefor Sensinode 2.2: A software package for quantifying the importance of habitat patches for landscape connectivity.

The Atlantic Forest in Brazil is a biodiversity hotspot, yet its diverse ecosystems and species are becoming increasingly threatened by habitat loss and extreme habitat fragmentation. Most habitat patches of Atlantic Forest are dispersed across agricultural landscapes (e.g., grazing and cropping) in relatively small and isolated fragments (80% < 50 ha). Forest fragments < 1 ha, scattered trees in pastures, tree lines on trenches and fences, and remnant riparian forest, collectively called here Small Landscape Elements (SLEs), are very common in this context. While these SLEs make up much of the Atlantic Forests footprint, very little is known about their role or impact on the persistence and conservation of species. In this study, we investigate the role of SLEs on landscape configuration, particularly their contribution toward landscape connectivity of individual species and the genetic flow of species between larger forest fragments. We randomly selected 20 buffers of 707 hectares within a 411,670 hectare area of the Atlantic Forest that was completely covered by forest in the past located in the south of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The forest cover randomly varied between these buffers. We used graph theory to measure landscape connectivity as the probability of connectivity for different disperser movement types between landscape knots (habitat patches). We used three estimated dispersal distances in the models: pollen disperser insect (50 m), low-mobility seed disperser bird (100 m) and high-mobility seed disperser bird (760 m). The SLEs together increased the probability of connection by roughly 50%, for all model dispersers, if compared to a theoretical baseline landscape containing no SLEs. Of all SLEs, riparian forests contribute the most toward enhancing landscape connectivity. In these highly fragmented landscapes, such as the Atlantic Forest (>70%), the position of SLEs within the landscapes was more important than their respective areas for connectivity. Although the landscapes were deeply fragmented, we showed that the presence of SLEs can increase connectivity and reduce further biodiversity loss in the Atlantic Forest.

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Characterizing the importance of habitat patches in maintaining landscape connectivity for Tibetan antelope in the Altun Mountain National Nature Reserve, China

Ecological Research ◽

10.1007/s11284-014-1193-7 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 29 (6) ◽

pp. 1065-1075 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Haidi Zhao ◽

Shiliang Liu ◽

Shikui Dong ◽

Xukun Su ◽

Qi Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nature Reserve ◽

Landscape Connectivity ◽

Habitat Patches ◽

National Nature Reserve ◽

Tibetan Antelope

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Landscape Connectivity Analysis and Optimization of Qianjiangyuan National Park, Zhejiang Province, China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13115944 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 5944

Author(s):

Yangjing Peng ◽

Minghao Meng ◽

Zhihao Huang ◽

Ruifeng Wang ◽

Guofa Cui

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

National Parks ◽

National Park ◽

Landscape Connectivity ◽

Gravity Modeling ◽

Natural Ecosystems ◽

Conservation Area ◽

Habitat Patches ◽

Functional Zoning ◽

Ecological Conservation

As natural ecosystems in most parts of the world come under increasing human influence, fragmentation is becoming the major driving factor of the global biodiversity crisis. Therefore, connectivity between habitat patches is becoming even more important. China began building national parks with the primary purpose of protecting nationally representative natural ecosystems and maintaining the integrity of their structure, processes and functions. Research is necessary to improve the internal connectivity of national parks and to propose suggestions for existing functional zoning and biological corridors. In this study, Qianjiangyuan National Park was selected as an example park, and landscape fragmentation was evaluated exponentially and simulated visually. The habitat characteristics of protected species in the region, morphological spatial pattern analysis and the delta of the probability of connectivity were used together to identify key habitat patches and their importance levels in the study area. Potential habitat corridors in the region were then obtained using least-cost path analysis and gravity modeling methods based on the distribution of key habitat and the migration costs of target species. The results of this study show that the disturbed landscape of the study area is dominated by tea plantations and drylands, with central roads being an important factor affecting the overall landscape connectivity. In terms of the distribution of key habitat patches, the mountains have a high value. In terms of area, their size is not directly proportional to their importance for maintaining landscape connectivity in the region, but large area patches are generally of higher importance. In terms of distance, key habitats that are closer to each other have a stronger correlation and a greater possibility for species migration. Combined with the functional zoning of Qianjiangyuan National Park, the setting of strictly protected areas and recreational areas is reasonable, and traditional use areas and ecological conservation areas could be appropriately adjusted according to the distribution of key habitats. The important corridor in the middle of the ecological conservation area is crucial for the overall connectivity of the national park, and the connectivity between strict protected areas will depend on successful protection of the ecological conservation area.

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Resistance-Based Connectivity Model to Construct Corridors of the Przewalski’s Gazelle (Procapra Przewalskii) in Fragmented Landscape

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13041656 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1656

Author(s):

Jingjie Zhang ◽

Feng Jiang ◽

Zhenyuan Cai ◽

Yunchuan Dai ◽

Daoxin Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Suitability ◽

Landscape Connectivity ◽

Qinghai Lake ◽

Fragmented Landscape ◽

Least Cost Path ◽

Habitat Patches ◽

Maxent Model ◽

Living Space ◽

Fundamental Goal ◽

Procapra Przewalskii

Habitat connectivity is indispensable for the survival of species that occupy a small habitat area and have isolated habitat patches from each other. At present, the development of human economy squeezes the living space of wildlife and interferes and hinders the dispersal of species. The Przewalski’s gazelle (Procapra przewalskii) is one of the most endangered ungulates, which has experienced a significant reduction in population and severe habitat shrinkage. Although the population of this species has recovered to a certain extent, human infrastructure severely hinders the gene flow between several patches of this species. Therefore, we used the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model to simulate the habitat suitability of the Przewalski’s gazelle. In addition, we combined habitat suitability and ecological characteristics of the species to obtain eight habitat patches. Finally, we used the least-cost path (LCP) and circuit theory based on the resistance model to simulate the landscape network of this species. The results showed that habitat patches and connectivity in the east of the Qinghai Lake were crucial to the communication between populations of the Przewalski gazelle, and our study provided important reference for the distribution of important habitats and the construction of corridor between patches. Our study aimed to provide habitat networks and maintain landscape connectivity for achieving the fundamental goal of protecting and revitalizing populations of the Przewalski’s gazelle.

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Modelling movement and landscape connectivity of New Zealand native birds in highly structured agroecosystem networks

10.1101/2020.06.24.170274 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jingjing Zhang ◽

Jennifer L. Pannell ◽

Bradley S. Case ◽

Graham Hinchliffe ◽

Margaret C. Stanley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Native Species ◽

Life Histories ◽

Landscape Connectivity ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Native Forest ◽

Least Cost Path ◽

Stepping Stones ◽

Habitat Patches ◽

Eastern Side

AbstractUnderstanding how spatial heterogeneity affects movement and dispersal is critical for maintaining functional connectivity in agroecosystems. Least-cost path models are popular conservation tools to quantify the cost of a species dispersing though the landscapes. However, the variability of species in life history traits and landscape configurations can affect their space-use patterns and should be considered in agroecosystem management aiming to improve functional biodiversity. In this study, we modelled the connectivity properties of native species on a real agroecosystem landscape dominated by sheep and beef farming in north Canterbury, New Zealand, where the recovery of native bird population is desired. We chose two species to act as case studies that were contrasting in their mobility: New Zealand pigeon/kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae; highly mobile) and southern brown kiwi/tokoeka (Apteryx australis; flightless). Networks of the least-cost paths of kererū and tokoeka were constructed based on their habitat preferences and movement capacities, and we compared and contrasted the connectivity properties and network topographies of their networks. We then compared the network metrics of western side (higher density of forest) with the eastern side (dominated by grazed grassland) of the study area where the vegetation composition was vastly different for both species. The results shown three variables were the most important contributors to the structure of the dispersal networks: the nature of the matrix, spatial structure of vegetation patches, and the gap-crossing ability of the study species. Tokoeka were able to utilise smaller habitat patches as stepping-stones for dispersal, while kererū can select more preferred habitat patches due to their high movement capacity. In contrast to the eastern side, we observed the western/forested side to have more, and stronger, links among habitat patches for both species, due to the presence of several large patches of native forest. Our work suggested that one size does not fit all, rather, conservation strategies that account for species’ life histories and movement traits are required to identify and preserve a connected ecological network.

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Multi-Scale Ecological Connectivity Dynamics Associated With Hydropower Station: A Case Study in the Lancang River Valley

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2020.616356 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Shiliang Liu ◽

FangFang Wang ◽

Li Deng ◽

Yuhong Dong ◽

Yixuan Liu

Keyword(s):

Landscape Connectivity ◽

Dispersal Distance ◽

Hydropower Station ◽

Dam Construction ◽

Forest Landscape ◽

Stepping Stones ◽

Ecological Processes ◽

Forest Patch ◽

Habitat Patches ◽

Forest Connectivity

Dam construction is a major threat to terrestrial ecological processes that exhibit spatial variation. As an effective indicator of species movements at large scales, the dynamics of forest landscape connectivity for the dispersal abilities of local species such as primates both upstream and downstream of the Manwan hydropower station were compared in three periods: before, during, and after dam construction (in 1974, 1988, and 2004, respectively). The equivalent connected area (ECA) index which was modified from the probability of connectivity (PC) index based on the graph theory was applied in this study. We used this method to analyze the spatial and temporal changes in the overall forest landscape connectivity due to dam construction. The results showed that forest connectivity decreased after dam construction. The forest connectivity upstream was much greater than that downstream in 1974 but was lower in 1988 and 2004. The importance of connectivity increased with increasing dispersal distance. Only 8, 12, and 18% of forest patches of small area exhibited changes in 1974, 1988, and 2004, respectively. Most of the large habitat patches (i.e., those with dECA values >50%) remained stable, and the greatest patch changes were found at a dispersal distance of 400 m in all three periods. These large forest patch changes often occurred near the boundary of the study area. The Betweenness Centrality indicator, which identifies patches as stepping stones while accounting for ecological processes and biological flows at a larger scale, indicated that some habitat patches near Manwan Dam acted as stepping stones in maintaining the forest connectivity. Furthermore, rank correlations between the forest patch area and the three dPC (intra, flux, connector) fractions indicated that the dPCflux indicator can be used to measure the prioritization of habitat patches.

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