Cross Todd B, Tack Jason D, Naugle David E, Schwartz Michael K, Doherty Kevin E, Oyler-McCance Sara J, Pritchert Ronald D, Fedy Bradley C
School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Habitat and Population Evaluation Team, US Fish and Wildlife Service, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT, USA.
R Soc Open Sci. 2023 Feb 22;10(2):220437. doi: 10.1098/rsos.220437. eCollection 2023 Feb.
Conserving genetic connectivity is fundamental to species persistence, yet rarely is made actionable into spatial planning for imperilled species. Climate change and habitat degradation have added urgency to embrace connectivity into networks of protected areas. Our two-step process integrates a network model with a functional connectivity model, to identify population centres important to maintaining genetic connectivity then to delineate those pathways most likely to facilitate connectivity thereamong for the greater sage-grouse (), a species of conservation concern ranging across eleven western US states and into two Canadian provinces. This replicable process yielded spatial action maps, able to be prioritized by importance to maintaining range-wide genetic connectivity. We used these maps to investigate the efficacy of 3.2 million ha designated as priority areas for conservation (PACs) to encompass functional connectivity. We discovered that PACs encompassed 41.1% of cumulative functional connectivity-twice the amount of connectivity as random-and disproportionately encompassed the highest-connectivity landscapes. Comparing spatial action maps to impedances to connectivity such as cultivation and woodland expansion allows both planning for future management and tracking outcomes from past efforts.
保护遗传连通性是物种存续的基础，但在为濒危物种进行空间规划时，却很少将其转化为可操作的行动。气候变化和栖息地退化使得将连通性纳入保护区网络变得更加紧迫。我们的两步法将网络模型与功能连通性模型相结合，以确定对维持遗传连通性至关重要的种群中心，然后描绘出最有可能促进大沙锥（分布于美国西部11个州和加拿大两个省的一种受保护物种）种群间连通性的路径。这个可重复的过程生成了空间行动地图，这些地图能够根据对维持全范围遗传连通性的重要性进行优先级排序。我们利用这些地图来研究指定为保护优先区域（PACs）的320万公顷土地在涵盖功能连通性方面的成效。我们发现，PACs涵盖了累积功能连通性的41.1%，是随机情况下连通性的两倍，并且不成比例地涵盖了连通性最高的景观。将空间行动地图与诸如耕种和林地扩张等连通性障碍进行比较，既有助于规划未来的管理工作，也能追踪过去努力的成果。
