Department of Patrimony Research, "Grigore Antipa" National Museum of Natural History, 011341, Bucharest, Romania.
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
Sci Rep. 2020 Nov 10;10(1):19464. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-76596-z.
Landscape heterogeneity and fragmentation are key challenges for biodiversity conservation. As Earth's landscape is increasingly dominated by anthropogenic land use, it is clear that broad-scale systems of nature reserves connected by corridors are needed to enable the dispersal of flora and fauna. The European Union currently supports a continent-wide network of protected areas, the Natura 2000 program, but this program lacks the necessary connectivity component. To examine whether a comprehensive network could be built in order to protect amphibians and reptiles, two taxonomic groups sensitive to environmental changes due to their physiological constrains and low dispersal capacity, we used species' distribution maps, the sites of community interest (SCIs) in Romania, and landscape resistance rasters. Except Vipera ursinii rakosiensis, all amphibians and reptiles had corridors mapped that, when assembled, provided linkages for up to 27 species. Natura 2000 species were not good candidates for umbrella species as these linkages covered only 17% of the corridors for all species. Important Areas for Connectivity were identified in the Carpathian Mountains and along the Danube River, further confirming these regions as hot spots for biodiversity in Europe, where successful linkages are most likely. In the end, while such corridors may not be created just for amphibians and reptiles, they can easily be incorporated into more complex linkages with corridors for more charismatic species, therefore enhancing the corridors' value in terms of quality and structure.
景观异质性和破碎化是生物多样性保护的关键挑战。随着地球景观越来越受到人为土地利用的主导，显然需要建立广泛的自然保护区系统，并通过走廊连接起来，以使动植物能够扩散。欧盟目前支持一个覆盖整个欧洲大陆的保护区网络，即 Natura 2000 计划，但该计划缺乏必要的连通性组成部分。为了研究是否可以建立一个全面的网络来保护由于生理限制和低扩散能力而对环境变化敏感的两栖动物和爬行动物这两个分类群，我们使用了物种分布地图、罗马尼亚的社区利益点（SCIs）和景观阻力栅格。除了 Vipera ursinii rakosiensis 外，所有的两栖动物和爬行动物都有被映射的走廊，如果将这些走廊组合起来，最多可以为 27 个物种提供连接。Natura 2000 物种不是很好的伞物种候选者，因为这些连接仅覆盖了所有物种的 17%的走廊。在喀尔巴阡山脉和多瑙河沿岸确定了重要的连通性区域，进一步证实了这些地区是欧洲生物多样性的热点地区，最有可能实现成功的连接。最终，虽然这些走廊可能不仅仅是为了两栖动物和爬行动物而建立的，但它们可以很容易地与更具魅力物种的走廊纳入更复杂的连接中，从而提高走廊在质量和结构方面的价值。
