Schumaker Nathan H
Pacific Ecological Systems Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR, United States.
Front Conserv Sci. 2024 Jul 4;5:1412888. doi: 10.3389/fcosc.2024.1412888.
The number of publications that evaluate or use landscape connectivity has grown dramatically in recent years. But the biological realism of common connectivity assessments remains limited. To address this shortcoming, I introduce a flexible methodology for evaluating functional landscape connectivity that can be quick to implement, biologically nuanced, and straightforward to interpret.
I combined a US Fish and Wildlife Service land cover map with information from existing empirical studies to develop a movement simulator for the Fender's blue butterfly, an endangered species in Oregon, USA. I use the resulting butterfly model to explore the concepts and mechanics behind my novel connectivity assessment methodology.
My methods are able to identify clusters of connected resource patches, quantify and visualize movement rates between patches, and identify opportunities for enhancing connectivity through restoration and mitigation. My results include an emergent dispersal kernel that captures the influence of movement behavior on connectivity.
The methods I introduce are capable of generating detailed yet practical connectivity analyses that can incorporate considerable biological and behavioral realism. My approach is simple to implement, and the requisite data can be modest. The toolkit I developed has the potential to standardize connectivity assessments that use either real or simulated movement data.
近年来，评估或使用景观连通性的出版物数量急剧增加。但常见连通性评估的生物学真实性仍然有限。为弥补这一不足，我引入了一种灵活的方法来评估功能性景观连通性，该方法实施迅速、具有生物学细微差别且易于解释。
我将美国鱼类和野生动物管理局的土地覆盖图与现有实证研究的信息相结合，为美国俄勒冈州的濒危物种芬德氏蓝蝴蝶开发了一个移动模拟器。我使用由此产生的蝴蝶模型来探索我新颖的连通性评估方法背后的概念和机制。
我的方法能够识别相连资源斑块的集群，量化并可视化斑块之间的移动速率，并识别通过恢复和缓解来增强连通性的机会。我的结果包括一个新兴的扩散核，它捕捉了移动行为对连通性的影响。
我介绍的方法能够生成详细而实用的连通性分析，这些分析可以纳入相当多的生物学和行为真实性。我的方法易于实施，所需数据量不大。我开发的工具包有可能使使用真实或模拟移动数据的连通性评估标准化。
