Effects of uncertain cost-surface specification on landscape connectivity measures

Simpkins, Craig; Dennis, Todd E.; Etherington, Thomas R.; Perry, George L.

doi:10.1016/j.ecoinf.2016.12.005

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…It is important to note that even a species-agnostic approach will be parameterized with a certain group of species in mind, in this case terrestrial organisms 20,33 .Because large water bodies, despite being natural features, may disrupt the movement of many terrestrial organisms, some authors have treated them as a barrier 34 . The hydrological connectivity of aquatic habitats, on the other hand, should be modelled separately as it has a linear network structure.More generally, focal-species and species-agnostic approaches both are known to be sensitive to resistance values, which are often based on expert opinion, and a rigorous assessment of the sensitivity to parameter settings is required [35][36][37] . For instance, Koen et al 28 successfully validated a species-agnostic model of landscape connectivity with road mortality data of reptiles and amphibians and with molecular genetic data for a mammalian species.…”

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“…More generally, focal-species and species-agnostic approaches both are known to be sensitive to resistance values, which are often based on expert opinion, and a rigorous assessment of the sensitivity to parameter settings is required [35][36][37] . For instance, Koen et al 28 successfully validated a species-agnostic model of landscape connectivity with road mortality data of reptiles and amphibians and with molecular genetic data for a mammalian species.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Conceptual framework and uncertainty analysis for large-scale, species-agnostic modelling of landscape connectivity across Alberta, Canada

Marrec

Moniem

Iravani

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Sustainable land-use planning should consider large-scale landscape connectivity. commonly-used species-specific connectivity models are difficult to generalize for a wide range of taxa. In the context of multi-functional land-use planning, there is growing interest in species-agnostic approaches, modelling connectivity as a function of human landscape modification. We propose a conceptual framework, apply it to model connectivity as current density across Alberta, canada, and assess map sensitivity to modelling decisions. We directly compared the uncertainty related to (1) the definition of the degree of human modification, (2) the decision whether water bodies are considered barriers to movement, and (3) the scaling function used to translate degree of human modification into resistance values. connectivity maps were most sensitive to the consideration of water as barrier to movement, followed by the choice of scaling function, whereas maps were more robust to different conceptualizations of the degree of human modification. We observed higher concordance among cells with high (standardized) current density values than among cells with low values, which supports the identification of cells contributing to larger-scale connectivity based on a cut-off value. We conclude that every parameter in species-agnostic connectivity modelling requires attention, not only the definition of often-criticized expert-based degrees of human modification.Land-use and land-cover changes have impacted many natural ecosystems to provide ecosystem goods and services for an ever-growing human population 1 . This often has unintended consequences that may threaten biodiversity and ecosystem health 2 . Such consequences include changes in local, regional, and global climate 3 , alteration of natural habitats 4 , pollution of land, air, and water 5-7 , and changes in landscape structure, i.e., the total area and spatial configuration of ecosystems 8 .Natural ecosystems offer habitat for many species, and human landscape modification typically involves habitat loss as well as the breaking up of continuous habitats into smaller remnant patches (fragmentation) 9,10 . Consequently, landscapes may lose connectivity, i.e., the degree to which they facilitate movement of organisms and their genes among patches 11,12 . Landscape connectivity can be quantified in three ways: structural landscape connectivity, potential functional connectivity, and actual functional connectivity 13 . Structural landscape connectivity can be determined from physical attributes, based on maps alone without reference to organismal movement behaviour. Potential functional connectivity relies on a set of assumptions on organismal movement behaviour to implement an organism perspective, e.g. by mapping a species' habitat and setting a dispersal threshold. In contrast, actual functional connectivity refers to observed data (e.g., patch occupancy, radio tracking, open Scientific RepoRtS | (2020) 10:6798 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63545-z www.nature.com/scientifi...

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Conceptual framework and uncertainty analysis for large-scale, species-agnostic modelling of landscape connectivity across Alberta, Canada

Marrec

Moniem

Iravani

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…This aligns with the movement suitability we found in these areas—the Stateline Pass corridor is a nearly continuous strip (700 m wide and 2 km long) of high movement quality habitat between the adjacent valleys, while the McCullough Pass corridor has no areas of contiguous high movement quality habitat, requiring tortoises to move through considerable low quality movement habitat to disperse across the landscape. This distinction reinforces the importance of using movement data and finer scale raster resolution rather than modeled habitat suitability values to create resistance surfaces [ 13 , 86 , 87 ]. Use of the habitat suitability models previously developed for the Mojave desert tortoise at coarser resolution (1-km 2 [ 25 ], 250-m 2 [ 58 ]) suggests that resistance across Stateline and McCullough passes is roughly equivalent, while our movement-based model at a finer resolution (30-m) better represents the level at which tortoises are making movement decisions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Using movement to inform conservation corridor design for Mojave desert tortoise

et al. 2020

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Background Preserving corridors for movement and gene flow among populations can assist in the recovery of threatened and endangered species. As human activity continues to fragment habitats, characterizing natural corridors is important in establishing and maintaining connectivity corridors within the anthropogenic development matrix. The Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is a threatened species occupying a variety of habitats in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. Desert tortoises have been referred to as corridor-dwellers, and understanding how they move within suitable habitat can be crucial to defining corridors that will sustain sufficient gene flow to maintain connections among populations amidst the increases in human development. Methods To elucidate how tortoises traverse available habitat and interact with potentially inhospitable terrain and human infrastructure, we used GPS dataloggers to document fine-scale movement of individuals and estimate home ranges at ten study sites along the California/Nevada border. Our sites encompass a variety of habitats, including mountain passes that serve as important natural corridors connecting neighboring valleys, and are impacted by a variety of linear anthropogenic features. We used path selection functions to quantify tortoise movements and develop resistance surfaces based on landscape characteristics including natural features, anthropogenic alterations, and estimated home ranges with autocorrelated kernel density methods. Using the best supported path selection models and estimated home ranges, we determined characteristics of known natural corridors and compared them to mitigation corridors (remnant habitat patches) that have been integrated into land management decisions in the Ivanpah Valley. Results Tortoises avoided areas of high slope and low perennial vegetation cover, avoided moving near low-density roads, and traveled along linear barriers (fences and flood control berms). Conclusions We found that mitigation corridors designated between solar facilities should be wide enough to retain home ranges and maintain function. Differences in home range size and movement resistance between our two natural mountain pass corridors align with differences in genetic connectivity, suggesting that not all natural corridors provide the same functionality. Furthermore, creation of mitigation corridors with fences may have unintended consequences and may function differently than natural corridors. Understanding characteristics of corridors with different functionality will help future managers ensure that connectivity is maintained among Mojave desert tortoise populations.

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“…However, another recent paper pointed out that connectivity estimates are rather robust to uncertainty in selected cost values, unlike other sources of error, i.e. number of land use represented, spatial resolution or misclassification of edges between landscape classes (Simpkins et al, 2017). Thus, it would be interesting to develop a collaborative database that identifies the elements of the landscape that facilitate species movement (ponds, low walls, wildlife crossings), or breaks in continuity (fences, obstacles) that cannot be detected by photo-interpretation.…”

Section: Limitations and Alternatives To The Methodological Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental impact assessment of development projects improved by merging species distribution and habitat connectivity modelling

Tarabon

Bergès

Dutoit

et al. 2019

Journal of Environmental Management

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Francis Isselin-Nondedeu. Environmental impact assessment of development projects improved by merging species distribution and habitat connectivity modelling. Journal of Environmental Management, Elsevier, 2019, 241, pp. AbstractEnvironmental impact assessment (EIA) is performed to limit potential impacts of development projects on species and ecosystem functions. However, the methods related to EIA actually pay little attention to the landscape-scale effects of development projects on biodiversity. In this study we proposed a methodological framework to more properly address the landscape-scale impacts of a new stadium project in Lyon (France) on two representative mammal species exemplary for the endemic fauna, the red squirrel and the Eurasian badger. Our approach combined species distribution model using Maxent and landscape functional connectivity model using Graphab at two spatial scales to assess habitat connectivity before and after development project implementation. The development project had a negative impact on landscape connectivity: overall habitat connectivity (PC index) decreased by -6.8% and -1.8% and the number of graph components increased by +60.0% and +17.6% for the red squirrel and the European badger respectively, because some links that formerly connected habitat patches were cut by the development project. Changes affecting landscape structure and composition emphasized the need to implement appropriate avoidance and reduction measures. Our methodology provides a useful tool both for EIA studies at each step of the way to support decision-making in landscape conservation planning. The method could be also developed in the design phase to compare the effectiveness of different avoidance or mitigation measures and resize them if necessary to maximize habitat connectivity.

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Effects of uncertain cost-surface specification on landscape connectivity measures

Cited by 11 publications

References 45 publications

Conceptual framework and uncertainty analysis for large-scale, species-agnostic modelling of landscape connectivity across Alberta, Canada

Conceptual framework and uncertainty analysis for large-scale, species-agnostic modelling of landscape connectivity across Alberta, Canada

Using movement to inform conservation corridor design for Mojave desert tortoise

Environmental impact assessment of development projects improved by merging species distribution and habitat connectivity modelling

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