Dynamic Landscape Connectivity Special Issue Editorial

Jennings, Megan K.; Zeller, Katherine A.; Lewison, Rebecca L.

doi:10.3390/land10060555

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 10 publications

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“…The concept of connectivity was integrated into metapopulation theory in the 1990s (Bascompte & Solé, 1996; Hanski, 1994a, 1994b; Hanski et al, 1994). Since then, authors have called for taking into account its temporal dynamics (Jennings et al, 2021; Kool et al, 2013; Uroy et al, 2021; Zeigler & Fagan, 2014). Indeed, gains or losses of landscape connectivity do not necessarily instantaneously affect plant assemblages in habitat patches but rather entail time‐lagged responses over years or even decades (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unveiling the ghosts of landscapes past: Changes in landscape connectivity over the last decades are still shaping current woodland plant assemblages

et al. 2023

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In ever‐changing landscapes, there is increasing evidence that current plant assemblages are shaped by the temporal dynamics of landscape connectivity. So far, attempts to take the temporal dynamics of connectivity into account have only focused on the degree of connectivity at one or several moments in time, but neglected the cumulative effects of temporal changes in connectivity. We investigated the effects of the temporal dynamics of landscape connectivity (i.e. the degree of connectivity, the magnitude and the variability of its temporal changes) over the last seven decades on current woodland plant herbaceous assemblages. The assemblages were described using a taxonomic approach combined with a functional approach based on four traits linked to the colonisation capacity of plant species. The taxonomic diversity of current woodland assemblages did not respond to the degree of connectivity nor to the magnitude and the variability of temporal changes, but the mean and/or the diversity of trait values linked to their colonisation capacity did. Responses, mainly driven by generalist species, were modulated by the type of connectivity trend experienced by woodlands. In woodlands experiencing an upward connectivity trend, high magnitude of temporal changes in connectivity increased the abundance of species that invest mostly in sexual reproduction at the expense of vegetative reproduction whereas the degree of connectivity and the variability of its temporal changes had no effect. In woodlands experiencing a downward connectivity trend, the diversity of seed mass values was independent on the magnitude but decreased with the variability of temporal changes, and increased with the degree of connectivity. Synthesis. Overall, we show that, besides the degree of connectivity, the cumulative effects of decades of changes in connectivity shape woodland plant community assembly by selecting for particular trait values in plant species. This study opens new perspectives for integrating the temporal dynamics of landscape connectivity in the theoretical framework of plant assembly rules. It should also be considered in the development of management strategies to restore and maintain landscape connectivity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unveiling the ghosts of landscapes past: Changes in landscape connectivity over the last decades are still shaping current woodland plant assemblages

et al. 2023

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A functional connectivity approach for exploring interactions of multiple ecosystem services in the context of agricultural landscapes in the Canadian prairies

Pashanejad,

Kharrazi,

Araujo-Gutierrez

et al. 2024

Ecosystem Services

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Protected Area Network Contributions to Landscape Connectivity under Global Change

Mozelewski

Scheller

2023

Preprint

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Context Both anthropogenic change and environmental variability cause spatiotemporal fluctuations in the availability of habitat on a landscape. Land acquisition and restoration for conservation also facilitates dynamic habitat accessibility. Accounting for these spatiotemporal dynamics is critical to the success of conservation planning to increase landscape connectivity. Objectives We aimed to forecast the individual and interactive effects of anthropogenic change, environmental variability, and conservation action on landscape connectivity over time. In doing so, we sought to evaluate the capacity of conservation actions intended to enhance connectivity to keep pace with global change. Methods We used a landscape change model to simulate strategies for the expansion of protected area networks on a ~1.5 million ha landscape in North Carolina. We forecasted spatiotemporal changes (2020-2100) to complex habitat networks across multiple scenarios of climate and land-use change, using graph theory to assess the variance in connectivity between conservation strategies and among global change futures. Results Both climate and land-use change reduced the influence of conservation on landscape connectivity, but through different mechanisms. Climate change increased available longleaf pine habitat, improving overall landscape connectivity and camouflaging connectivity improvements from conservation. Land-use change reduced the connectivity improvements facilitated by conservation as the cost of movement between habitat patches increased. Conclusion Rather than acting synergistically with land-use change, climate change negated the connectivity declines from land-use change in the study area. More broadly, our approach to forecast landscape-level responses to climate change, land-use change, and management can support the identification of conservation strategies that are more robust to global change, better enhancing landscape connectivity.

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Dynamic Landscape Connectivity Special Issue Editorial

Abstract: Until fairly recently, the majority of landscape connectivity analyses have considered connectivity as a static landscape feature, despite the widespread recognition that landscapes and the abiotic and biotic processes that influence them are dynamic [...]

Cited by 3 publications

References 10 publications

Unveiling the ghosts of landscapes past: Changes in landscape connectivity over the last decades are still shaping current woodland plant assemblages

Unveiling the ghosts of landscapes past: Changes in landscape connectivity over the last decades are still shaping current woodland plant assemblages

A functional connectivity approach for exploring interactions of multiple ecosystem services in the context of agricultural landscapes in the Canadian prairies

Protected Area Network Contributions to Landscape Connectivity under Global Change

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