Integrating circuit theory and landscape pattern index to identify and optimize ecological networks: a case study of the Sichuan Basin, China.

The notion of ecological networks (EN) and their identification can support approaches to nature conservation strategies aiming at biodiversity, landscape connectivity, and people's well-being. Integrating ecosystem services (ESs), morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA), circuit theory, and landscape pattern index analysis, we proposed a new framework for mapping EN that was expected to promote economic development and ecological protection. Specifically, source areas were extracted through a combination of ESs and MSPA that integrated functional and morphological spatial attributes. Resistance surfaces were determined based on habitat quality. A network linking ecological source areas was then identified using circuit theory, and landscape pattern index analysis was used to identify ecological strategy nodes in view of the heterogeneity within ecological corridors. The results showed that the Sichuan Basin involved 553 ecological sources, 641 ecological corridors, and 33 ecological nodes that altogether included 20 ecological strategy nodes. Constructing regional EN can promote the transformation of multiple, chaotic, and scattered ecological elements to systematic and networked ecological elements and ultimately promote harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. This study provided a methodology for the extraction of ecological source areas and strategy nodes and can provide a significant reference for the management and optimization of EN.