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1.
Large-scale patterns of land use and fragmentation have been associatedwith the decline of many imperiled wildlife populations. Lesserprairie-chickens(Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) are restricted to thesouthernGreat Plains of North America, and their population and range have declined by> 90% over the past 100 years. Our objective was to examine scale-dependentrelationships between landscape structure and change and long-term populationtrends for lesser prairie-chicken populations in the southern Great Plains. Weused a geographic information system (GIS) to quantify landscape composition,pattern and change at multiple scales (extents) for fragmented agriculturallandscapes surrounding 10 lesser prairie-chicken leks. Trend analysis oflong-term population data was used to classify each population and landscape(declined, sustained). We analyzed metrics of landscape structure and changeusing a repeated measures analysis of variance to determine significant effects( = 0.10) between declining and sustained landscapes across multiplescales. Four metrics of landscape structure and change (landscape change index,percent cropland, increases in tree-dominated cover types, and changes in edgedensity) contained significant interactions between population status andscale,indicating different scaling effects on landscapes with declining and stablepopulations. Any single spatial scale that was evaluated would not have givencomplete results of the influences of landscape structure and change on lesserprairie-chicken populations. The smallest spatial scales (452, 905, and 1,810ha) predicted that changes in edge density and largest patch sizewere the only important variables, while large-scale analysis (7,238ha) suggested that the amount of cropland, increase in trees(mostly Juniperus virginiana), and general landscapechanges were most important. Changes in landscape structure over the pastseveral decades had stronger relationships with dynamics of lesserprairie-chicken populations than current landscape structure. Observed changessuggest that these local populations may be appropriately viewed from ametapopulation perspective and future conservation efforts should evaluateeffects of fragmentation on dispersal, colonization, and extinction patterns.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.  相似文献   

2.
Landscape connectivity is considered important for species persistence, but linkages among landscape populations (metalandscape connectivity) may be necessary to ensure the long-term viability of some migratory songbirds at a broader regional scale. Because of regional source-sink dynamics, these species can maintain steady populations within extensively fragmented landscapes (landscape sinks) owing to high levels of immigration from source landscapes. We undertook a modeling study to identify the conditions under which immigration, an index of metalandscape connectivity, could rescue declining populations of songbirds in heavily disturbed landscapes. In general, low to moderate levels of immigration (m = 0–20%) were sufficient to rescue species with low edge-sensitivity in landscapes where<70% habitat had been destroyed. At the other extreme, moderate to high levels of immigration (m = 11–40%) were usually required to rescue highly edge-sensitive species in these same landscapes. Very high levels of immigration (m>40%) were required to rescue highly edge-sensitive species in extensively fragmented landscapes that had lost >50% habitat, or when any landscape lost ≥50% habitat gradually over a period of 100 or more years (r = 0.5% habitat lost/year). Paradoxically higher levels of immigration were thus necessary to offset population declines when habitat was lost gradually than when it was lost quickly, where population response lagged behind landscape change. This implies that the importance of metalandscape connectivity for population viability may not be fully appreciated in landscapes undergoing rapid rates of change. Natural immigration rates for migratory songbirds match the very high levels (>40%) we found necessary to sustain populations in heavily disturbed landscapes, which underscores the importance of metalandscape connectivity for the continued persistence of many migratory songbirds in the face of widespread habitat loss and fragmentation.  相似文献   

3.
Cattle move to access patches that vary in forage quantity and quality. Fragmentation can prevent animals from reaching patches. I used an integrative ecosystem model applied to three African landscapes to explore the sensitivity of cattle populations to fragmentation (here, changes in populations as parcel areas decreased) under different precipitation patterns. I hypothesized that low and high precipitation would yield populations relatively insensitive to fragmentation, intermediate precipitation would yield more sensitive populations, and more variable inter-annual precipitation would reduce sensitivity to fragmentation. Precipitation data were altered to yield averages of 100–1,000 mm year−1 and inter-annual coefficients of variation of 0–60%. A 1,000 km2 landscape in each area was divided into progressively smaller parcels and simulations conducted for each parcel. Rainfall at 100 mm year−1 supported low populations that were insensitive to fragmentation. Populations peaked at rainfall levels similar to those observed, and declined under higher precipitation, due in-part to shrub expansion. Fragmenting landscapes caused up to a 62% decline in cattle. High inter-annual variation in precipitation reduced sensitivity to fragmentation when precipitation was above that observed. The pattern was opposite when precipitation was below what was observed. Cattle on the landscape with fine-scale heterogeneity were relatively insensitive to fragmentation, and those on the heterogeneous but coarse-grained landscape were extremely sensitive. Fragmentation in landscapes where populations are sensitive will require more intensive inputs to offset losses, and changes in the frequency of extreme weather associated with climate change will alter the sensitivity of some populations to fragmentation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.  相似文献   

4.
Genetic analysis of landscape connectivity in tree populations   总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1  
Genetic connectivity in plant populations is determined by gene movement within and among populations. When populations become genetically isolated, they are at risk of loss of genetic diversity that is critical to the long-term survival of populations. Anthropogenic landscape change and habitat fragmentation have become so pervasive that they may threaten the genetic connectivity of many plant species. The theoretical consequences of such changes are generally understood, but it is not immediately apparent how concerned we should be for real organisms, distributed across real landscapes. Our goals here are to describe how one can study gene movement of both pollen and seeds in the context of changing landscapes and to explain what we have learned so far. In the first part, we will cover methods of describing pollen movement and then review evidence for the impact of fragmentation in terms of both the level of pollen flow into populations and the genetic diversity of the resulting progeny. In the second part, we will describe methods for contemporary seed movement, and describe findings about gene flow and genetic diversity resulting from seed movement. Evidence for pollen flow suggests high connectivity, but it appears that seed dispersal into fragments may create genetic bottlenecks due to limited seed sources. Future work should address the interaction of pollen and seed flow and attention needs to be paid to both gene flow and the diversity of the incoming gene pool. Moreover, if future work is to model the impact of changing landscapes on propagule movement, with all of its ensuing consequences for genetic connectivity and demographic processes, we will need an effective integration of population genetics and landscape ecology.  相似文献   

5.
Modern landscape ecology is based on the patch mosaic paradigm, in which landscapes are conceptualized and analyzed as mosaics of discrete patches. While this model has been widely successful, there are many situations where it is more meaningful to model landscape structure based on continuous rather than discrete spatial heterogeneity. The growing field of surface metrology offers a variety of surface metrics for quantifying landscape gradients, yet these metrics are largely unknown and/or unused by landscape ecologists. In this paper, we describe a suite of surface metrics with potential for landscape ecological application. We assessed the redundancy among metrics and sought to find groups of similarly behaved metrics by examining metric performance across 264 sample landscapes in western Turkey. For comparative purposes and to evaluate the robustness of the observed patterns, we examined 16 different patch mosaic models and 18 different landscape gradient models of landscape structure. Surface metrics were highly redundant, but less so than patch metrics, and consistently aggregated into four cohesive clusters of similarly behaved metrics representing surface roughness, shape of the surface height distribution, and angular and radial surface texture. While the surface roughness metrics have strong analogs among the patch metrics, the other surface components are largely unique to landscape gradients. We contend that the surface properties we identified are nearly universal and have potential to offer new insights into landscape pattern–process relationships. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.  相似文献   

6.
Empirical studies of landscape connectivity are limited by the difficulty of directly measuring animal movement. ‘Indirect’ approaches involving genetic analyses provide a complementary tool to ‘direct’ methods such as capture–recapture or radio-tracking. Here the effect of landscape on dispersal was investigated in a forest-dwelling species, the American marten (Martes americana) using the genetic model of isolation by distance (IBD). This model assumes isotropic dispersal in a homogeneous environment and is characterized by increasing genetic differentiation among individuals separated by increasing geographic distances. The effect of landscape features on this genetic pattern was used to test for a departure from spatially homogeneous dispersal. This study was conducted on two populations in homogeneous vs. heterogeneous habitat in a harvested boreal forest in Ontario (Canada). A pattern of IBD was evidenced in the homogeneous landscape whereas no such pattern was found in the near-by harvested forest. To test whether landscape structure may be accountable for this difference, we used effective distances that take into account the effect of landscape features on marten movement instead of Euclidean distances in the model of isolation by distance. Effective distances computed using least-cost modeling were better correlated to genetic distances in both landscapes, thereby showing that the interaction between landscape features and dispersal in Martes americana may be detected through individual-based analyses of spatial genetic structure. However, the simplifying assumptions of genetic models and the low proportions in genetic differentiation explained by these models may limit their utility in quantifying the effect of landscape structure.  相似文献   

7.
Unlike rare or specialised species, widespread abundant species have often been neglected when studying effects of habitat fragmentation. However, recently, it was shown that in the widespread abundant bush cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera gene flow becomes restricted when the share of suitable habitat dropped below a threshold of 20% at the landscape scale. Here, using the same highly fragmented landscape, we studied the impact of habitat configuration and matrix quality on genetic variation and population differentiation of P. griseoaptera at a small spatial scale. We investigated four clusters of three populations that were either disconnected or connected and had either low quality (arable land) or high quality (grassland) matrix. The number of alleles was significantly lower in disconnected than in connected clusters, irrespective of matrix quality. Genetic differentiation was equally high in the two disconnected clusters and in the connected cluster with low quality matrix (G ST ≥ 0.030; D ≥ 0.082), whereas it was significantly reduced when connected habitats were embedded in a high quality grassland matrix (G ST = 0.004; D = 0.011). Analyses of least-cost paths showed that grassy landscape elements in fact represent high quality matrix, but that linear grassy margins are costly for dispersal. The effect of habitat configuration on genetic diversity may be explained by lower effective population sizes in disconnected habitats. The fact that only the connected populations in high quality matrix were not differentiated indicates that landscape management should simultaneously consider habitat configuration and matrix quality to effectively promote small and dispersal-limited species, also at small spatial scales.  相似文献   

8.
Semi-natural habitats provide essential resources for pollinators within agricultural landscapes and may help maintain pollination services in agroecosystems. Yet, whether or not pollinators disperse from semi-natural habitat elements into the adjacent agricultural matrix may to a large extent depend on the quality of this matrix and the corresponding pollinator-specific life history traits. To investigate the effects of matrix quality on the distance decay of wild bees and hoverflies, six transects along vegetated field tracks originating at a large semi-natural main habitat and leading into the adjacent agricultural matrix were established in the Wetterau Region, central Hesse, Germany. Species richness of wild bees did not change with distance from the main habitat in landscapes with sufficient grassland cover in the surrounding landscape, but significantly declined when semi-natural grasslands where scarce and isolated in the adjacent agricultural matrix. Abundance of wild bees declined with distance regardless of matrix quality. Species richness of hoverflies did not decline with increasing distance in any landscape. Abundance even increased with distance to the main habitat independently of matrix quality. Thus, our data show that taxa of the pollinator guild may perceive landscapes quite differently. Because of their differing dispersal modes and resource requirements as compared to wild bees, hoverflies may play an important role in maintaining pollination services in agricultural landscapes unsuitable for bee species. Our results highlight the need for considering these taxon-specific differences when predicting the effect of landscape structure on pollinators. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.  相似文献   

9.
Genetic diversity is important for the maintenance of the viability and the evolutionary or adaptive potential of populations and species. However, there are two principal types of genetic diversity: adaptive and neutral – a fact widely neglected by non-specialists. We introduce these two types of genetic diversity and critically point to their potential uses and misuses in population or landscape genetic studies. First, most molecular-genetic laboratory techniques analyse neutral genetic variation. This means that the gene variants detected do not have any direct effect on fitness. This type of genetic variation is thus selectively neutral and tells us nothing about the adaptive or evolutionary potential of a population or a species. Nevertheless, neutral genetic markers have great potential for investigating processes such as gene flow, migration or dispersal. Hence, they allow us to empirically test the functional relevance of spatial indices such as connectivity used in landscape ecology. Second, adaptive genetic variation, i.e. genetic variation under natural selection, is analysed in quantitative genetic experiments under controlled and uniform environmental conditions. Unfortunately, the genetic variation (i.e. heritability) and population differentiation at quantitative, adaptive traits is not directly linked with neutral genetic diversity or differentiation. Thus, neutral genetic data cannot serve as a surrogate of adaptive genetic data. In summary, neutral genetic diversity is well suited for the study of processes within landscapes such as gene flow, while the evolutionary or adaptive potential of populations or species has to be assessed in quantitative genetic experiments. Landscape ecologists have to mind these differences between neutral and adaptive genetic variation when interpreting the results of landscape genetic studies.  相似文献   

10.
Populations at the periphery of a species’ range often show reduced genetic variability within populations and increased genetic divergence among populations compared to those at the core, but the mechanisms that give rise to this core-periphery pattern in genetic structure can be multifaceted. Peripheral population characteristics may be a product of historical processes, such as founder effects or population expansion, or due to the contemporary influence of landscape context on gene flow. We sampled collared lizards (Crotaphytus collaris) at four locations within the northern Flint Hills of Kansas, which is at the northern periphery of their range, to determine the genetic variability and extent of genetic divergence among populations for ten microsatellite loci (n = 229). We found low genetic variability (average allelic richness = 3.37 ± 0.23 SE; average heterozygosity = 0.54 ± 0.05 SE) and moderate population divergence (average FST = 0.08 ± 0.01 SE) among our sample sites relative to estimates reported in the literature at the core of the species’ range in Texas. We also identified differences in dispersal rates among sampling locations. Gene flow within the Flint Hills was thus greater than for other peripheral populations of collared lizards, such as the Missouri glade system where most of the mesic grasslands have been converted to forest since the last glacial retreat, which appears to have greatly impeded gene flow among populations. Our findings signify the importance of considering landscape context when evaluating core-peripheral trends in genetic diversity and population structure.  相似文献   

11.
Habitat fragmentation is considered one of the major conservation issues of recent decades. We tested predictions of landscape patterns in a 352,253-ha managed forest area in southeast British Columbia. We did this by focussing on forest fragmentation concerns among old-growth, harvest, and wildfire patches in 44 delineated landscapes using patch indices as measures of landscape pattern. We found no significant association between amount of harvesting and 15 old-growth patch indices. Comparisons among patch types revealed that amounts and spatial patterns of harvest patches differed little from amounts and spatial patterns of old-growth patches in control landscapes. Variability indices revealed similar variability between harvest patches and old-growth patches, and more variability between harvest patches and wildfire patches. Little of the evidence gathered in this study supported predictions of fragmentation of old-growth spatial patterns, or predicted differences between harvest spatial patterns and more naturally occurring spatial patterns. We suggest these results could be due to the relatively small amounts of harvesting and old-growth forest in these landscapes, and therefore habitat amount may be a more important factor than spatial configuration of patches in these landscapes.  相似文献   

12.
Fragmentation of grasslands has been implicated in grassland bird population declines. Multi-scale models are being increasingly used to assess potential factors that influence grassland bird presence, abundance, and productivity. However, studies rarely assess fragmentation metrics, and seldom evaluate more than two scales or interactions among scales. We evaluated the relative importance of characteristics at multiple scales to patterns in relative abundance of Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna), and Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus). We surveyed birds in 74 southwestern Wisconsin pastures from 1997 to 1999 and compared models with explanatory variables from multiple scales: within-patch vegetation structure (microhabitat), patch (macrohabitat), and three landscape extents. We also examined interactions between macrohabitat and landscape factors. Core area of pastures was an important predictor of relative abundance, and composition of the landscape was more important than configuration. Relative abundance was frequently higher in pastures with more core area and in landscapes with more grassland and less wooded area. The direction and strength of the effect of core pasture size on relative abundance changed depending on amount of wooded area in the landscape. Relative abundance of grassland birds was associated with landscape variables more frequently at the 1200-m scale than at smaller scales. To develop better predictive models, parameters at multiple scales and their interactive effects should be included, and results should be evaluated in the context of microhabitat variability, landscape composition, and fragmentation in the study area.  相似文献   

13.
Metapopulation models are frequently used for analysing species–landscape interactions and their effect on structure and dynamic of populations in fragmented landscapes. They especially support a better understanding of the viability of metapopulations. In such models, the processes determining metapopulation viability are often modelled in a simple way. Animals’ dispersal between habitat fragments is mostly taken into account by using a simple dispersal function that assumes the underlying process of dispersal to be random movement. Species-specific dispersal behaviour such as a systematic search for habitat patches is likely to influence the viability of a metapopulation. Using a model for metapopulation viability analysis, we investigate whether such specific dispersal behaviour affects the predictions of ranking orders among alternative landscape configurations rated regarding their ability to carry viable metapopulations. To incorporate dispersal behaviour in the model, we use a submodel for the colonisation rates which allows different movement patterns to be considered (uncorrelated random walk, correlated random walk with various degrees of correlation, and loops). For each movement pattern, the landscape order is determined by comparing the resulting mean metapopulation lifetime Tm of different landscape configurations. Results show that landscape orders can change considerably between different movement patterns. We analyse whether and under what circumstances dispersal behaviour influences the ranking orders of landscapes. We find that the ‘competition between patches for migrants’ – i.e. the fact that dispersers immigrating into one patch are not longer available as colonisers for other patches – is an important factor driving the change in landscape ranks. The implications of our results for metapopulation modelling, planning and conservation are discussed.  相似文献   

14.
Landscape connectivity can have profound consequences for distribution and persistence of populations and metapopulations. Evaluating functional connectivity of a landscape for a species requires a measure of dispersal rates through landscape elements at a spatial scale sufficient to encompass movement capabilities of individuals over the entire landscape. We evaluated functional connectivity for a rock-dwelling mammal, the mountain vizcacha (Lagidium viscacia), in northern Patagonia. Because of the strict association of mountain vizcachas with rocks, we hypothesized that connectivity for this species would be influenced by geology. We used molecular genetic estimates of gene flow to test spatially explicit models of connectivity created with GIS cost-distance analysis of landscape resistance to movement. We analyzed the spatial arrangement of cliffs with join counts and local k-function analyses. We did not capture and genotype individuals, but sampled at the population level through non-invasive collection of feces of mountain vizcachas. The model of landscape connectivity for mountain vizcachas based on geology was corroborated by the pattern of genetic structure, supporting the hypothesis that functional connectivity for mountain vizcachas is influenced by geology, particularly by the distribution of appropriate volcanic rocks. Analysis of spatial arrangement of cliffs indicated that occupied cliffs are clustered and confirmed that rivers act as barriers to dispersal for mountain vizcachas. Our methods could be used, within certain constraints, to study functional landscape connectivity in other organisms, and may be particularly useful for cryptic or endangered species, or those that are difficult or expensive to capture.  相似文献   

15.

Context

Quantifying gene flow in natural populations is a key topic in both evolutionary and conservation biology. Understanding the extent to which the landscape matrix facilitates or impedes gene flow is becoming a high priority in a context of worldwide habitat loss and fragmentation.

Objectives

Unexpectedly, a lower genetic diversity and a higher genetic structure have been previously observed in the less fragmented and the most forested habitat across four pine marten (Martes martes) populations in France. Our aim was to quantify the effect of landscape on the spatial distribution of genetic diversity in two populations in contrasting habitats.

Methods

We conducted an individual-based landscape genetics analysis in a highly fragmented rural plain (Bresse, n = 126) and in a highly forested (50 %) mountainous area (Ariège, n = 88) in France. We tested for isolation-by-resistance using least-cost distances and used a causal modeling approach on 16,384 landscape and 104 elevation resistance scenarios.

Results

Landscape structure influenced the genetic differentiation in Bresse, with vegetation providing more genetic connectivity over the study area than open areas, while roads and human buildings showed unexpected low resistance to gene flow. In Ariège, genetic differentiation was mainly associated with changes in elevation, with an optimal elevation for gene flow of around 1700 m, likely associated with changes in vegetation structure.

Conclusions

The pine marten seems to be able to cope with human-dominated landscapes and with fragmented forest landscapes, whereas elevation is the major driver of genetic differentiation in our mountainous landscape. Additionally, we highlight the importance of spatial replication in landscape genetics for deriving reliable conservation and management measures over the species distribution.
  相似文献   

16.
Habitat loss and associated fragmentation effects are well-recognised threats to biodiversity. Loss of functional connectivity (mobility, gene flow and demographic continuity) could result in population decline in altered habitat, because smaller, isolated populations are more vulnerable to extinction. We tested whether substantial habitat reduction plus fragmentation is associated with reduced gene flow in three ??decliner?? woodland-dependent bird species (eastern yellow robin, weebill and spotted pardalote) identified in earlier work to have declined disproportionately in heavily fragmented landscapes in the Box-Ironbark forest region in north-central Victoria, Australia. For these three decliners, and one ??tolerant?? species (striated pardalote), we compared patterns of genetic diversity, relatedness, effective population size, sex-ratios and genic (allele frequency) differentiation among landscapes of different total tree cover, identified population subdivision at the regional scale, and explored fine-scale genotypic (individual-based genetic signature) structure. Unexpectedly high genetic connectivity across the study region was detected for ??decliner?? and ??tolerant?? species. Power analysis simulations suggest that moderate reductions in gene flow should have been detectable. However, there was evidence of local negative effects of reduced habitat extent and structural connectivity: slightly lower effective population sizes, lower genetic diversity, higher within-site relatedness and altered sex-ratios (for weebill and eastern yellow robin) in 10 × 10?km ??landscapes?? with low vegetation cover. We conclude that reduced structural connectivity in the Box-Ironbark ecosystem may still allow sufficient gene flow to avoid the harmful effects of inbreeding in our study species. Although there may still be negative consequences of fragmentation for demographic connectivity, the high genetic connectivity of mobile bird species in this system suggests that reconnecting isolated habitat patches may be less important than increasing habitat extent and/or quality if these need to be traded off.  相似文献   

17.
Developing alternative forest cutting patterns: A simulation approach   总被引:4,自引:0,他引:4  
This study examines effects of different forest cutting patterns on habitat fragmentation in managed forest landscapes. We use computer simulation to conduct experiments in which we examine effects of different cutting patterns, cutting-unit size, and special constraints (e.g., a forest reserve, a stream system, or a road system) on landscape patterns. Fragmentation indices are used to quantify structural changes over the cutting cycle and among different treatments of the experiments. Degree of fragmentation varies greatly among the five cutting patterns used; aggregation of cutting units results in low degree and gradual change of fragmentation. Cutting patterns with larger cutting units and additional landscape constraints also lead to lower degree of fragmentation. Moreover, differences in fragmentation among the treatments are not observed until 30% or 50% of the landscape is cut.  相似文献   

18.
Human land-use practices have dramatically altered the composition and configuration of native habitats throughout many ecosystems. Within heterogeneous landscapes generalist predators often thrive, causing cascading effects on local biological communities, yet there are few data to suggest how attributes of fragmentation influence local population dynamics of these species. We monitored 25 raccoon (Procyon lotor) populations from 2004 to 2009 in a fragmented agricultural landscape to evaluate the influence of local and landscape habitat attributes on spatial and temporal variation in demography. Our results indicate that agricultural ecosystems support increased densities of raccoons relative to many other rural landscapes, but that spatial and temporal variation in demography exists that is driven by non-agricultural habitat attributes rather than the availability of crops. At the landscape scale, both density and population stability were positively associated with the size and contiguity of forest patches, while at the local scale density was positively correlated with plant diversity and the density of tree cavities. In addition, populations occupying forest patches with greater levels of plant diversity and stable water resources exhibited less temporal variability than populations with limited plant species complexity or water availability. The proportion of populations comprised of females was most strongly influenced by the availability of tree cavities and soft mast. Despite the abundance of mesopredators in heterogeneous landscapes, our results indicate that all patches do not contribute equally to the regional abundance and persistence of these species. Thus, a clear understanding of how landscape attributes contribute to variation in demography is critical to the optimization of management strategies.  相似文献   

19.
We studied habitat selection and breeding success in marked populations of a protected seabird (family Alcidae), the marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus), in a relatively intact and a heavily logged old-growth forest landscape in south-western Canada. Murrelets used old-growth fragments either proportionately to their size frequency distribution (intact) or they tended to nest in disproportionately smaller fragments (logged). Multiple regression modelling showed that murrelet distribution could be explained by proximity of nests to landscape features producing biotic and abiotic edge effects. Streams, steeper slopes and lower elevations were selected in both landscapes, probably due to good nesting habitat conditions and easier access to nest sites. In the logged landscape, the murrelets nested closer to recent clearcuts than would be expected. Proximity to the ocean was favoured in the intact area. The models of habitat selection had satisfactory discriminatory ability in both landscapes. Breeding success (probability of nest survival to the middle of the chick rearing period), inferred from nest attendance patterns by radio-tagged parents, was modelled in the logged landscape. Survivorship was greater in areas with recent clearcuts and lower in areas with much regrowth, i.e. it was positively correlated with recent habitat fragmentation. We conclude that marbled murrelets can successfully breed in old-growth forests fragmented by logging.  相似文献   

20.
Mediterranean landscapes are dynamic systems that undergo temporal changes in composition and structure in response to disturbances, such as fire. Neither landscape patterns nor driving factors that affect them are evenly distributed in space. Accordingly, disturbances and biophysical factors interact in space through time. The aim of this paper is to assess the relative influence of topography and fire on the landscape patterns of a large forested area located in Sierra de Gredos (Central Spain) through time. A series of Landsat MSS images from 1975 to 1990, and a digital elevation model (DEM) were used to map fires, assess topographical complexity and evaluate changes in landscape composition and structure. Functional regions across the entire landscape were identified using different classification criteria (i.e., percentage burned area and topographic properties) to model topographic and fire impacts at regional scales. A canonical variance partition method, with a time series split-plot design, quantified the relative influence and co-variation of topography and fire on land cover patterns through time. Main results indicated that analyzing portions of the landscape under similar environmental conditions and fire histories, the effects of different fire regimes on the spatio-temporal dynamics of main land covers can be highlighted. However, the impact of fire on landscape patterns was high variable among regions due to the different regeneration abilities of main land covers, the topographic constraints and the fire histories of each region. Hence, broad patterns of fire related variance and co-variation with topography emerged across the entire area due to the different conditions of each landscape portion in which this large Mediterranean landscape was divided. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.  相似文献   

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