How much can highway stormwater ponds contribute to amphibian ecological network connectivity?

Clevenot, Laura; Clauzel, Céline; Tourret, Karine; Pech, Pierre

doi:10.1080/14615517.2022.2119526

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…This partly stems from the current lack of methods and tools available to landscape managers for combining different networks and detecting areas with multiple-habitat connectivity issues (Savary et al, 2024). Multiple habitat graphs can also help analyze the respective contributions to connectivity of habitat types defined using administrative criteria, such as protected areas (Santini et al, 2016), private lands (Bargelt et al, 2020), or retention ponds (Clevenot et al, 2022).…”

Section: Perspectives For Future Applications and Improvementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple habitat graphs: how connectivity brings forth landscape ecological processes

Savary,

Clauzel,

Foltête

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Habitat connectivity is integral to current biodiversity science and conservation strategies. Originally, the connectivity concept stressed the role of individual movements for landscape-scale processes. Connectivity determines whether populations can survive in sub-optimal patches (i.e., source-sink effects), complete life cycles relying on different habitat types (i.e., landscape complementation), and benefit from supplementary resources distributed over the landscape (i.e., landscape supplementation). Although the past decades have witnessed major improvements in habitat connectivity modeling, most approaches have yet to consider the multiplicity of habitat types that a species can benefit from. Without doing so, connectivity analyses potentially fail to meet one of their fundamental purposes: revealing how complex individual movements lead to landscape-scale ecological processes. To bridge this conceptual and methodological gap, we propose to include multiple habitat types in spatial graph models of habitat connectivity, where nodes traditionally represent a single habitat type. Multiple habitat graphs will improve how we model connectivity and related landscape ecological processes, and how they are impacted by land cover changes. In three case studies, we use these graphs to model (i) source-sink effects, (ii) landscape supplementation, and (iii) complementation processes, in urban ecosystems, agricultural landscapes, and amphibian habitat networks, respectively. We show that multiple habitat graphs help addressing crucial conservation challenges (e.g., urban sprawl, biological control, climate change) by representing more accurately the dynamics of populations, communities, and their interactions. A new version of the Graphab open-source software implements the proposed approach, thereby extending the ecologist's toolbox and fostering the alignment between landscape ecology theory and practice.

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Section: Perspectives For Future Applications and Improvementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple habitat graphs: how connectivity brings forth landscape ecological processes

Savary,

Clauzel,

Foltête

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…In recent years, the potential for individual manmade ponds in urban environments to act as habitat to a variety of taxa has been proven (Le Viol et al 2012 ; Hassall 2014 ; Meland et al 2020 ; Perron and Pick 2020a ). Additionally, there is some evidence that stormwater ponds have the potential to facilitate connectivity among areas with disrupted ecosystems such as agricultural fields, highways, and cities (Minot et al 2021 ; Clevenot et al 2022 ; Šigutová et al 2022 ; Birch et al 2023 ; Liao et al 2022 ). Connectivity matters for various aquatic taxa within cities, such as diving beetles (Liao et al 2022 ), and invertebrates (Hyseni et al 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Connectivity of stormwater ponds impacts Odonata abundance and species richness

Richmond,

Perron,

Boyle

et al. 2024

Landsc Ecol

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Context The successful dispersal of an animal depends, partly, on landscape connectivity. Urbanization poses risks to dispersal activities by increasing hostile land cover types. Objectives We investigated how connectivity of urban ponds impacted Odonata communities (dragonflies and damselflies), an order of semi-aquatic insects that actively disperse. Methods We sampled 41 constructed stormwater ponds and 8 natural ponds in a metropolitan area. The effect of connectivity and the quantity of available adjacent habitats was tested at different scales for dragonflies (900 m) and damselflies (300 m), determined by a literature analysis, to account for differences in suborder dispersal capabilities. Results Lower levels of connectivity and fewer nearest neighbours negatively impacted abundance, species richness, and composition of dragonflies (p values < 0.01, R2 = 0.18–0.70). Adult dragonfly abundance had a stronger positive relationship with connectivity than species richness. In particular, the abundance of adult dragonfly Leucorrhinia frigida, found almost exclusively at natural ponds, had a positive relationship with connectivity. Connectivity and the number of nearest neighbours had no significant impact on damselflies apart from a slight negative relationship between connectivity and species richness (p value = 0.02, R2 = 0.11). Natural ponds had significantly higher levels of connectivity when compared to stormwater ponds. Conclusions Our results suggest that dragonflies are positively affected by increased connectivity in an urban landscape, with no benefit of connectivity to damselflies at the scale measured. We recommend intentional planning of urban stormwater pond networks, where individual ponds can act as stepping stones, incorporated with strategic inclusion of beneficial land cover types.

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Hydrodynamics and Aquatic Vegetation Drive Spatial Patterns of Environmental DNA in Ponds

Mayne,

Manning,

Henderson

et al. 2024

Environmental DNA

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Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling is a powerful method for detecting aquatic species at low densities. However, eDNA may remain close to the source in lentic systems, decreasing the effectiveness of eDNA surveys. We conducted cage experiments with salamanders and simultaneous detailed hydrologic and wind measurements to investigate the influence of the physical environment on detection patterns of eDNA in ponds. We found much higher detection rates in the surface layer than at depth, and that aquatic vegetation reduced detection of eDNA produced in open water by 80%–94%. Within the surface mixed layer, detection rates were highest close to the source in the direction of water flow in the bottom half of the layer, and detections farthest from the source occurred when velocities in this sublayer were high. Detections were near zero even close to the source when this sublayer was flowing fast and away from the sampling point. The direction of water flow in this lower half of the surface mixed layer was negatively correlated with wind direction for most of the study. These spatial and temporal dynamics indicate that eDNA transport processes in ponds are highly complex. Sampling away from aquatic vegetation, in the surface mixed layer, and upwind of potential sources, in addition to sampling at many locations within a pond and considering temporal patterns, may improve detection of rare pond species. This work contributes to a growing body of literature characterizing the variability of eDNA detection in lentic systems.

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How much can highway stormwater ponds contribute to amphibian ecological network connectivity?

Cited by 6 publications

References 65 publications

Multiple habitat graphs: how connectivity brings forth landscape ecological processes

Multiple habitat graphs: how connectivity brings forth landscape ecological processes

Connectivity of stormwater ponds impacts Odonata abundance and species richness

Hydrodynamics and Aquatic Vegetation Drive Spatial Patterns of Environmental DNA in Ponds

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