The influence of landscape, patch, and within-patch factors on species presence and abundance: a review of focal patch studies

Thornton, Daniel H.; Branch, Lyn C.; Sunquist, Melvin E.

doi:10.1007/s10980-010-9549-z

Cited by 115 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Instead, our analyses revealed that the effects of explanatory variables are dependent on the interaction between spatial scale and time. This result verifies the assumption of Leblond et al (2011) and Thornton et al (2011) that habitat selection is controlled across multiple interacting spatiotemporal scales.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Ecological dynamics in habitat selection of reindeer: an interplay of spatial scale, time, and individual animal's choice

Pape

Löffler

2015

Polar Biol

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While striving for ''global'' species models of habitat selection, spatiotemporal variation in utilization patterns within a particular habitat and intraspecies variation in space use are still poorly understood. We addressed these challenges by exploring habitat use of domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus), focusing on factors that underlie ecological dynamics in habitat selection. We analyzed habitat selection of 15 (±2) female reindeer in southern Norway separately for (a) region and home range, (b) seasonality, and (c) each Global Positioning System (GPS)-collared reindeer. We explicitly evaluated spatiotemporal and intraspecies variability in habitat selection by applying multivariate ordination techniques based on the niche concept. In contrast to global assumptions, our results reveal a considerable and partly unpredictable amount of variation in habitat selection resulting from the interplay of spatial scale, time, and individual animal choice. Thus, we conclude that across-scale approaches describing animal space use facilitate better understanding of habitat selection instead of finding a single ''best'' model that indicates the strongest species-habitat relationships.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Ecological dynamics in habitat selection of reindeer: an interplay of spatial scale, time, and individual animal's choice

Pape

Löffler

2015

Polar Biol

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“…There is substantial literature showing that patch size, isolation and quality can play crucial roles in determining patch occupancy in fragmented landscapes (Fahrig 2003, Hanski and Gaggiotti 2004, Lindenmayer and Fischer 2006, Mortelliti et al 2010a, Thornton et al 2010). More mechanistic knowledge also has been gathered on the effects of patch variables on specific demographic parameters such as density and population size (e.g., Rabasa et al 2008, Vö geli et al 2010, Ö rvö ssy et al 2012, immigration (Hanski andGaggiotti 2004, Matter et al 2009) and breeding success (Hinsley et al 1999, Soga andKoike 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population and individual‐scale responses to patch size, isolation and quality in the hazel dormouse

et al. 2014

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Abstract. Patch size, isolation and quality are key factors influencing species persistence in fragmented landscapes. However, we still lack a detailed understanding of how these variables exert their effects on populations inhabiting fragmented landscapes. At which ecological scale do they have an effect (e.g., individuals versus populations) and, on which demographic parameters?Answering these questions will identify the mechanisms that underlie population turnover rather than solely predicting it based on proxies (e.g., presence/absence data).We report the results of a large-scale, three-year study focused on the relative effects of patch size, isolation and quality on individuals and populations of an arboreal rodent, the hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius). We examined 30 sites nested within three landscapes characterized by contrasting levels of habitat amount and habitat quality (food resources). We quantified the effects of patch size and quality on the response of individuals (survival and litter size) and populations (density and colonization/extinction dynamics). We identified demographic mechanisms which led to population turnover. Habitat quality positively affected survival (not litter size) and population density (measured through an index). We infer that the decline in survival due to patch quality reduced patch recolonization rather than increasing extinction, while extinction was mainly affected by patch size. Our findings suggest that the effect of patch quality on individual and population parameters was constrained by the physical structure of the surrounding landscapes. At the same time, our results highlight the importance of preserving habitat quality to help the persistence of entire systems of patches.

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“…An important principle of landscape ecology is that the spatial configuration of landscapes can have major effects on a wide variety of ecological processes (Wiens 2002), thus determining species and community structure (Knutson et al 1999;Froneman et al 2001;Mazerolle et al 2005; Thornton et al 2011). For example, some forest bird species show more sensitivity to the surrounding matrix than to the structure and composition of the habitat patch where they live (Hanowski et al 1997;Sisk et al 1997;Estades and Temple 1999;Vergara and Armesto 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of landscape configuration and habitat quality on the community structure of waterbirds using a man-made habitat

et al. 2014

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Species occurrence and community structure are strongly influenced by multiple factors like habitat selection, species movement capabilities, competition, or conspecific and heterospecific attractions. More specifically, in waterbird communities, previous studies have identified the importance of environmental and structural characteristics of wetlands for their occupation and use. However, the effect of the surrounding landscape configuration remains unknown. In this article, we use a large network of artificial irrigation ponds to evaluate the importance of pond features in comparison to the effect of landscape and spatial configuration on the community at three different spatial scales. Our results show that landscape configuration has relatively little influence on structure of the waterbird community. Pond features were by far the most important variables to describe waterbird abundance and richness. At the species level, we detected differences in habitat preferences relating to species-specific ecological requirements. Our results highlight the importance of using a multiscale approach to understand and predict richness and abundance in waterbird communities. Our findings emphasize the need to maintain high-quality ponds to enhance their suitability for use as breeding and foraging sites.

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The influence of landscape, patch, and within-patch factors on species presence and abundance: a review of focal patch studies

Cited by 115 publications

References 55 publications

Ecological dynamics in habitat selection of reindeer: an interplay of spatial scale, time, and individual animal's choice

Ecological dynamics in habitat selection of reindeer: an interplay of spatial scale, time, and individual animal's choice

Population and individual‐scale responses to patch size, isolation and quality in the hazel dormouse

Effect of landscape configuration and habitat quality on the community structure of waterbirds using a man-made habitat

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