Circuit theory to estimate natal dispersal routes and functional landscape connectivity for an endangered small mammal

Merrick, Melissa J.; Koprowski, John L.

doi:10.1007/s10980-017-0521-z

Cited by 25 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Protecting such areas may be strategic for the conservation of the Cabrera vole, as well other species in human-dominated landscapes with limited availability of suitable habitats. Also, given the spatially limited and scattered distribution of those habitats, proper identification of priority conservation areas to ensure vole' populations viability, can potentially rely on landscape connectivity assessments (e.g., [93]). Once those areas are identified, conservation actions should consider the implementation of agri-environmental schemes, namely in the context of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy, through which farmers are paid for restoring habitats, for instance by reducing the grazing pressure [11,15,94].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Microhabitat Suitability for an Endangered Small Mammal Using Sentinel-2 Data

et al. 2020

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Accurate mapping is a main challenge for endangered small-sized terrestrial species. Freely available spatio-temporal data at high resolution from multispectral satellite offer excellent opportunities for improving predictive distribution models of such species based on fine-scale habitat features, thus making it easier to achieve comprehensive biodiversity conservation goals. However, there are still few examples showing the utility of remote-sensing-based products in mapping microhabitat suitability for small species of conservation concern. Here, we address this issue using Sentinel-2 sensor-derived habitat variables, used in combination with more commonly used explanatory variables (e.g., topography), to predict the distribution of the endangered Cabrera vole (Microtus cabrerae) in agrosilvopastorial systems. Based on vole surveys conducted in two different seasons over a~176,000 ha landscape in Southern Portugal, we assessed the significance of each predictor in explaining Cabrera vole occurrence using the Boruta algorithm, a novel Random forest variant for dealing with high dimensionality of explanatory variables. Overall, results showed a strong contribution of Sentinel-2-derived variables for predicting microhabitat suitability of Cabrera voles. In particular, we found that photosynthetic activity (NDI45), specific spectral signal (SWIR1), and landscape heterogeneity (Rao's Q) were good proxies of Cabrera voles' microhabitat, mostly during temporally greener and wetter conditions. In addition to remote-sensing-based variables, the presence of road verges was also an important driver of voles' distribution, highlighting their potential role as refuges and/or corridors. Overall, our study supports the use of remote-sensing data to predict microhabitat suitability for endangered small-sized species in marginal areas that potentially hold most of the biodiversity found in human-dominated landscapes. We believe our approach can be widely applied to other species, for which detailed habitat mapping over large spatial extents is difficult to obtain using traditional descriptors. This would certainly contribute to improving conservation planning, thereby contributing to global conservation efforts in landscapes that are managed for multiple purposes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Microhabitat Suitability for an Endangered Small Mammal Using Sentinel-2 Data

et al. 2020

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“…On the other hand, when individual home ranges are scattered in the landscape, dispersers need to move long distances to locate potential mates. Unfortunately, we did not have data on squirrel densities or site occupancies within the dispersed landscapes, but earlier studies indicate that occupancy status of forest sites is important for settlement decisions of arboreal squirrels (Boutin, Tooze, & Price, 1993;Lurz, Garson, & Wauters, 1997;Wauters et al, 2010) and also canopy cover and forest structure affect habitat selection (Merrick & Koprowski, 2017b;Selonen & Hanski, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of landscape structure on dispersal distances of the Eurasian red squirrel

Hämäläinen

Fey

Selonen

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Landscape structure can affect dispersal and gene flow in a species. In urban areas, buildings, roads, and small habitat patches make the landscape highly fragmented and can inhibit movement and affect dispersal behavior. Similarly, in rural forested areas, large open areas, such as fields, may act as barriers to movement. We studied how landscape structure affects natal dispersal distances of Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in an urban area and a rural area in Finland, by monitoring juvenile red squirrels with radio telemetry. We observed extremely long dispersal distances—up to 16 km—in the rural study area, but shorter distances—on average only half a kilometer—in the urban study area. The landscape structure affected the eventual dispersal paths; in the rural landscape, dispersers favored spruce dominated areas and avoided fields along their dispersal route, although they occasionally even crossed wide fields. In the urban landscape, squirrels preferred areas with deciduous or coniferous trees. The movement steps made by dispersers were longer in the more hostile landscape compared to forested areas. Despite these effects on movement path, the landscape structure only had a minor effect on straight line dispersal distances moved from the natal nest. In other words, individuals moved longer distances and were likely to circumvent barriers in their path, but this did not affect how far they settled from their natal home. This result indicates that, although landscape structure has obvious effects on movement, it still may have only a small effect on other aspects of the population, for example, gene flow.

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“…(1) Connectivity assessments would profit from continuous 3D landscape data. The past decade has seen remote sensing advance, and three-dimensional (3D) landscape structure is now available [129,130], UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) and active remote sensors e.g., LiDAR, a laser detection system [131,132]. Compelling empirical evidence suggests that connectivity assessments could be supplemented with continuous 3D vegetation structure to provide functionally relevant landscape features in connectivity assessments.…”

Section: Avenues Towards Connectivity Assessments For Sustainable Futmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of Connectivity Assessments to Green Infrastructure (GI)

Bolliger

Silbernagel

2020

IJGI

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A major goal of green infrastructure (GI) is to provide functional networks of habitats and ecosystems to maintain biodiversity long-term, while at the same time optimizing landscape and ecosystem functions and services to meet human needs. Traditionally, connectivity studies are informed by movement ecology with species-specific attributes of the type and timing of movement (e.g., dispersal, foraging, mating) and movement distances, while spatial environmental data help delineate movement pathways across landscapes. To date, a range of methods and approaches are available that (a) are relevant across any organism and movement type independent of time and space scales, (b) are ready-to-use as standalone freeware or custom GIS implementation, and (c) produce appealing visual outputs that facilitate communication with land managers. However, to enhance the robustness of connectivity assessments and ensure that current trends in connectivity modeling contribute to GI with their full potential, common denominators on which to ground planning and design strategies are required. Likewise, comparable, repeatable connectivity assessments will be needed to put results of these scientific tools into practice for multi-functional GI plans and implementation. In this paper, we discuss use and limitations of state-of-the-art connectivity methods in contributing to GI implementation.

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Circuit theory to estimate natal dispersal routes and functional landscape connectivity for an endangered small mammal

Cited by 25 publications

References 54 publications

Predicting Microhabitat Suitability for an Endangered Small Mammal Using Sentinel-2 Data

Predicting Microhabitat Suitability for an Endangered Small Mammal Using Sentinel-2 Data

The effect of landscape structure on dispersal distances of the Eurasian red squirrel

Contribution of Connectivity Assessments to Green Infrastructure (GI)

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