Corridor Use by Diverse Taxa

Abstract

One of the most popular approaches for maintaining populations and conserving biodiversity in fragmented landscapes is to retain or create corridors that connect otherwise isolated habitat patches. Working in large‐scale, experimental landscapes in which open‐habitat patches and corridors were created by harvesting pine forest, we showed that corridors direct movements of different types of species, including butterflies, small mammals, and bird‐dispersed plants, causing higher movement between connected than between unconnected patches. Corridors directed the movement of all 10 species studied, with all corridor effect sizes >68%. However, this corridor effect was significant for five species, not significant for one species, and inconclusive for four species because of small sample sizes. Although we found no evidence that corridors increase emigration from a patch, our results show that movements of disparate taxa with broadly different life histories and functional roles are directed by corridors. Corresponding Editor: F. W. Davis

Does urbanization explain differences in interactions between an insect herbivore and its natural enemies and mutualists?

“…Log scale used on x axis of both panels structures like buildings and roads in cities may make insect dispersal problematic, and present an obstacle for breeding and foraging (Wratten et al 2003;Raupp et al 2010;Peralta et al 2011). On the other hand, vegetated areas bordering roads, pavements and streets may serve as biological corridors, particularly those that maintain higher plant diversity and density (Haddad et al 2003;Peralta et al 2011). …”

Rural avenues as dispersal corridors for the vulnerable saproxylic beetle Elater ferrugineus in a fragmented agricultural landscape

“…In contrast, some other studies did not provide evidence for a beneficial effect of corridors (Haddad et al 2003;Ö ckinger and Smith 2008;Å ström and Pärt 2013).…”

Evaluating the conceptual tools for forest biodiversity conservation and their implementation in the U.S.

“…The occurrence of taxa that are often measured (e.g., plants, mammals, birds) do not correspond well with the occurrence of less frequently measured taxa (e.g., bacteria, arthropods, fungi; Andelman and Fagan, 2000;Noon et al, 2003). Furthermore, different organisms operate at different scales (e.g., what is a corridor for the rodent Peromyscus polionotus is not a corridor for the rodent Sigmodon hispidus; Haddad et al, 2003). Thus, congruence among taxa is lacking and tests are never inclusive of all organisms.…”

“…Of all conservation concepts reviewed, reserves and networks have received the most rigorous and comprehensive attention, based on experimental testing and the number of taxa considered (Table 4). For example, an elegant test of corridors (i.e., networks) yielding much knowledge relevant to conservation is currently underway at the Savannah River Site National Environmental Research Park in South Carolina (Haddad et al, 2003). Haddad et al (2003) hypothesize that networks increase species movement between habitat fragments.…”

“…For example, an elegant test of corridors (i.e., networks) yielding much knowledge relevant to conservation is currently underway at the Savannah River Site National Environmental Research Park in South Carolina (Haddad et al, 2003). Haddad et al (2003) hypothesize that networks increase species movement between habitat fragments. Their large-scale, replicated experiment contains patches, connected or not, of early successional habitat within a pine forest matrix.…”