Effects of within-patch heterogeneity on connectivity in pond-breeding amphibians studied by means of an individual-based model
The metapopulation framework presumes the habitat of a local population to be continuous and homogenous, and patch area is often used as a proxy for population size. Many populations of pond-breeding amphibians are assumed to follow metapopulation dynamics, and connectivity is mostly measured betwee...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2013-06-01
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| Series: | Web Ecology |
| Online Access: | http://www.web-ecol.net/13/21/2013/we-13-21-2013.pdf |
| Summary: | The metapopulation framework presumes the habitat of a local population to
be continuous and homogenous, and patch area is often used as a proxy for
population size. Many populations of pond-breeding amphibians are assumed to
follow metapopulation dynamics, and connectivity is mostly measured between
breeding ponds. However, the habitat of pond-breeding amphibians is not only
defined by the pond but, typically, consists of a breeding pond surrounded
by clusters of disjoint summer-habitat patches interspersed with an
agricultural/semi-urban matrix. We hypothesise that the internal structure
of a habitat patch may change connectivity in two ways: (i) by affecting
animal movements and thereby emigration and immigration probabilities; and
(ii) by affecting habitat quality and population size. To test our hypotheses, we
apply a spatially explicit individual-based model of Moor frog dispersal. We
find that the realised connectivity depends on internal structure of both
the target and the source patch as well as on how habitat quality is
affected by patch structure. Although fragmentation is generally thought to
have negative effects on connectivity, our results suggest that, depending
on patch structure and habitat quality, positive effects on connectivity may
occur. |
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| ISSN: | 2193-3081 1399-1183 |