Measuring Landscape Connectivity in a Urban Area for Biological Conservation

Yu, Deyong; Liu, Yu-Peng; Xun, Bin; Shao, Hongbo

doi:10.1002/clen.201200448

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 45 publications

(50 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Previous studies in urban areas have estimated connectivity for birds within and between public green spaces1617181920. These studies suggest that vegetation between green spaces preserves connectivity, while multiple barriers, such as roads and rivers, cumulatively decrease landscape permeability.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Movement of feeder-using songbirds: the influence of urban features

Cox

Inger

Hancock

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Private gardens provide vital opportunities for people to interact with nature. The most popular form of interaction is through garden bird feeding. Understanding how landscape features and seasons determine patterns of movement of feeder-using songbirds is key to maximising the well-being benefits they provide. To determine these patterns we established three networks of automated data loggers along a gradient of greenspace fragmentation. Over a 12-month period we tracked 452 tagged blue tits Cyantistes caeruleus and great tits Parus major moving between feeder pairs 9,848 times, to address two questions: (i) Do urban features within different forms, and season, influence structural (presence-absence of connections between feeders by birds) and functional (frequency of these connections) connectivity? (ii) Are there general patterns of structural and functional connectivity across forms? Vegetation cover increased connectivity in all three networks, whereas the presence of road gaps negatively affected functional but not structural connectivity. Across networks structural connectivity was lowest in the summer when birds maintain breeding territories, however patterns of functional connectivity appeared to vary with habitat fragmentation. Using empirical data this study shows how key urban features and season influence movement of feeder-using songbirds, and we provide evidence that this is related to greenspace fragmentation.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Movement of feeder-using songbirds: the influence of urban features

Cox

Inger

Hancock

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Studies of structural connectivity in urban settings have highlighted its importance and utility as an aid to planning (e.g. Marulli and Mallarach 2005;Yu et al 2015); however, the unique complexity and high heterogeneity of these environments renders them particularly difficult to study in this regard, and numerous gaps remain in our understanding of how urban form influences ecological function (LaPoint et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A bird’s eye view: using circuit theory to study urban landscape connectivity for birds

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Context Connectivity is fundamental to understanding how landscape form influences ecological function. However, uncertainties persist due to the difficulty and expense of gathering empirical data to drive or to validate connectivity models, especially in urban areas, where relationships are multifaceted and the habitat matrix cannot be considered to be binary. Objectives This research used circuit theory to model urban bird flows (i.e. 'current'), and compared results to observed abundance. The aims were to explore the ability of this approach to predict wildlife flows and to test relationships between modelled connectivity and variation in abundance. Methods Circuitscape was used to model functional connectivity in Bedford, Luton/Dunstable, and Milton Keynes, UK, for great tits (Parus major) and blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), drawing parameters from published studies of woodland bird flows in urban environments. Model performance was then tested against observed abundance data. Results Modelled current showed a weak yet positive agreement with combined abundance for P. major and C. caeruleus. Weaker correlations were found for other woodland species, suggesting the approach may be expandable if re-parameterised. Conclusions Trees provide suitable habitat for urban woodland bird species, but their location in large, contiguous patches and corridors along barriers also facilitates connectivity networks throughout the urban matrix. Urban connectivity studies are well-served by the advantages of circuit theory approaches, and benefit from the empirical study of wildlife flows in these landscapes to parameterise this type of modelling more explicitly. Such results can prove informative and beneficial in designing urban green space and new developments.

show abstract

“…The application of modelling techniques and connectivity indexes allow us detecting how meandering is influenced by other dynamic fluxes such as agricultural fields [91] or urban areas [92] and at which level. Therefore, undoubtedly, understanding connectivity processes in the Sajó river would help land plan managers and stakeholders to design correct and sustainable soil erosion control measures and water conservation practices, as other authors also confirmed in other degraded areas [93,94].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Issues of Meander Development: Land Degradation or Ecological Value? The Example of the Sajó River, Hungary

Bertalan

Novák

Németh

et al. 2018

Water

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The extensive destruction of arable lands by the process of lateral bank erosion is a major issue for the alluvial meandering type of rivers all around the world. Nowadays, land managers, stakeholders, and scientists are discussing how this process affects the surrounding landscapes. Usually, due to a land mismanagement of agroforestry activities or urbanization plans, river regulations are designed to reduce anthropogenic impacts such as bank erosion, but many of these regulations resulted in a degradation of habitat diversity. Regardless, there is a lack of information about the possible positive effects of meandering from the ecological point of view. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to investigate a 2.12 km long meandering sub-reach of Sajó River, Hungary, in order to evaluate whether the process of meander development can be evaluated as a land degradation processes or whether it can enhance ecological conservation and sustainability. To achieve this goal, an archive of aerial imagery and UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)-surveys was used to provide a consistent database for a landscape metrics-based analysis to reveal changes in landscape ecological dynamics. Moreover, an ornithological survey was also carried out to assess the composition and diversity of the avifauna. The forest cover was developed in a remarkable pattern, finding a linear relationship between its rate and channel sinuosity. An increase in forest areas did not enhance the rate of landscape diversity since only its distribution became more compact. Eroding riverbanks provided important nesting sites for colonies of protected and regionally declining migratory bird species such as the sand martin. We revealed that almost 70 years were enough to gain a new habitat system along the river as the linear channel formed to a meandering and more natural state.

show abstract

Measuring Landscape Connectivity in a Urban Area for Biological Conservation

Cited by 10 publications

References 45 publications

Movement of feeder-using songbirds: the influence of urban features

Movement of feeder-using songbirds: the influence of urban features

A bird’s eye view: using circuit theory to study urban landscape connectivity for birds

Issues of Meander Development: Land Degradation or Ecological Value? The Example of the Sajó River, Hungary

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About