Single large AND several small habitat patches: A community perspective on their importance for biodiversity

Szangolies, Leonard; Rohwäder, Marie‐Sophie; Jeltsch, Florian

doi:10.1016/j.baae.2022.09.004

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…From a theoretical perspective, the framework builds on metapopulation theory, including more flexible assumptions and broadening its applicability. By integrating the effects of both habitat degradation and loss of connectivity or fragmentation into a quantitative metric (Rubio & Saura, 2012), the habitat functionality framework goes beyond simplistic dichotomies that might hinder conservation practice (whether to manage single large or several small habitat patches; Riva & Fahrig, 2023; Szangolies et al, 2022) and has great potential to guide sustainable land planning. This makes the framework ideally suitable for assessing the cumulative impacts of anthropogenic activities, including infrastructure development, land‐use changes and climatic changes (Dorber et al, 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat functionality: Integrating environmental and geographic space in niche modeling for conservation planning

Moorter

Kivimäki

Panzacchi

et al. 2023

Ecology

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Niche modeling is typically used to assess the effects of anthropogenic land use and climate change on species distributions and to inform spatial conservation planning. These models focus on the suitability of local biotic and abiotic conditions for a species in environmental space (E‐space). Although movements also affect species occurrence, efforts to formally integrate geographic space (G‐space) into niche modeling have been hindered by the lack of comprehensive theoretical frameworks. We propose the “functional habitat” framework to define areas that are simultaneously of high quality in E‐space, and functionally connected to other suitable habitats in G‐space. Originating in metapopulation ecology, approaches have been developed to assess the amount of suitable connected habitats, based on the proximity between pairs of locations. Using network theory, which operates in topological space (T‐space, defined by a network), we extended these metapopulation approaches to integrate movement constraints in G‐space with niche modeling in E‐space. We demonstrate the functional habitat framework using empirical data (GPS tracking and population monitoring) throughout the European wild mountain reindeer (Rangifer t. tarandus) distribution range. We show that functional habitat outperforms traditional suitability in explaining the species' distribution. This approach integrates effects from habitat loss and fragmentation for spatial conservation planning, and avoids overemphasizing small, inaccessible areas with locally suitable habitats. The functional habitat framework formally integrates biotic, abiotic, and movement constraints in niche modeling using network theory, thus opening a wide range of applications in spatial conservation planning.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat functionality: Integrating environmental and geographic space in niche modeling for conservation planning

Moorter

Kivimäki

Panzacchi

et al. 2023

Ecology

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“…However, since 97% of the fragments are <50 ha in AF, the general scenario is already well under the thresholds that are known to affect biodiversity composition. Then, approaches for conservation should be comprehensive and focus on single large and several small (SLASS) fragments (Szangolies et al, 2022). The SLASS approach can be more beneficial for conserving the AF biodiversity than choosing a unique type of conservation approach (SLOSS debate, see Fahrig et al 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Atlantic Forest of South America: spatiotemporal dynamics of remaining vegetation and implications for conservation

Vancine,

Muylaert,

Niebuhr

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The Atlantic Forest in South America (AF) is one of the world's most diverse and threatened biodiversity hotspots. We present a comprehensive spatiotemporal analysis of 34 years of AF landscape change between 1986-2020. We analyzed landscape metrics of forest vegetation only (FV), forest plus other natural vegetation (NV), and investigated the sensitivity of metrics to linear infrastructure. Currently, remnants comprise about 23% of FV and 40% of NV, and have decreased by 2.4% and 3.6% since 1986, respectively. Linear infrastructure negatively affected large fragments (>500,000 ha) by severely breaking them apart and amplifying fragmentation metrics. Our findings suggest that AF protection legislation adopted in mid-2005 has taken effect: between 1986-2005, there was a loss of FV and NV (3% and 3.45%) and a decrease in the number of FV and NV fragments (8.6% and 8.3%). Between 2005-2020, there was a relative recovery of FV (1 Mha; 0.6%), slight loss of NV (0.25 Mha; 0.15%), and increase in the number of FV and NV fragments (12% and 9%), with a connectivity increment. Still, 97% of the vegetation fragments are small (<50 ha), with an average fragment size between 16 and 26 ha. Furthermore, 50-60% of the vegetation is <90 m from its edges, and the isolation between fragments is high (250-830 m). Alarmingly, protected areas and indigenous territories cover only 10% of the AF and are very far from any fragments (>10 km). Our work highlights the importance of legislation and landscape dynamics analysis to help monitor and keep track of AF biodiversity conservation and restoration programs in the future.

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“…This in turn would facilitate dispersal and enhanced connectivity for some taxa through the stepping stone model (Baum et al 2004;Saura et al 2014). The relationships between increased habitat area and reduced isolation, together with levels of habitat heterogeneity and quality also drive biodiversity through other ecological dynamics (Gratwicke and Speight 2005;Szangolies et al 2022). For example, Halimeda spp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The relationships between increased habitat area and reduced isolation, together with levels of habitat heterogeneity and quality, also drive biodiversity through other ecological dynamics (Gratwicke and Speight 2005;Szangolies et al 2022). For example, Halimeda spp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tropical seamounts as stepping-stones for coral reef fishes: range extensions and new regional distributions from mesophotic ecosystems in the Coral Sea, Australia

Galbraith,

Cresswell,

McClure

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Seamounts and remote oceanic islands provide valuable natural laboratories in which to study patterns and processes in marine biodiversity. A central hypothesis arising from studies of these systems is the ecological function of seamounts as stepping stones for dispersal and population connectivity. Evidence of this mechanism exists for a range of taxa, including coral reef fishes, but is still lacking from many tropical seamounts in remote regions. In this study, we used remotely operated vehicles and baited remote underwater video systems to survey fish and benthic communities between 1 – 100m on seamounts in the Coral Sea Marine Park (CSMP), Australia. We found evidence to support the stepping stone model of ecological connectivity from new observations of sixteen coral reef fishes which have previously not been recorded by quantitative surveys in the region. The widespread distribution of many of these species throughout the full latitudinal extent of the CSMP suggests that the there is greater connectivity between mesophotic habitats in the Coral Sea and surrounding biogeographic regions than previously known. We also found a wide variety of mesophotic habitats and recorded significant depth range extensions for seventy-eight fishes in these habitats. This further highlights the potential role of increased habitat area and heterogeneity in a stepping stone effect throughout the region. Four of the fish occurrence records represent significant range extensions into the Coral Sea from adjacent biogeographic regions and thirteen fishes recorded by this study in the CSMP are not known from the neighbouring Great Barrier Reef, despite its close proximity. Although the Coral Sea remains relatively understudied, these findings suggest that larger-scale models of marine biogeography are relevant to communities in the region, particularly at mesophotic depths. Given the extent and the spatial arrangement of seamounts in the Coral Sea, our findings emphasise that the region is an important link between the centre of marine biodiversity in the Coral Triangle and the Southwest Pacific. Greater mesophotic sampling effort and genetic studies are necessary to understand the nature of connectivity and, to establish the role of regional seamount chains, like the Coral Sea reefs, in broader marine biogeographic processes.

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Single large AND several small habitat patches: A community perspective on their importance for biodiversity

Cited by 14 publications

References 58 publications

Habitat functionality: Integrating environmental and geographic space in niche modeling for conservation planning

Habitat functionality: Integrating environmental and geographic space in niche modeling for conservation planning

The Atlantic Forest of South America: spatiotemporal dynamics of remaining vegetation and implications for conservation

Tropical seamounts as stepping-stones for coral reef fishes: range extensions and new regional distributions from mesophotic ecosystems in the Coral Sea, Australia

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