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Evaluating connectivity for tropical amphibians using empirically derived resistance surfaces
Summary
Experiments reveal that habitat changes due to agricultural expansion significantly impact species movement. Using experimental data to build connectivity models improves accuracy for conservation strategies, especially for amphibians in tropical forests.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Conservation Biology
- Landscape Ecology
Background:
- Agricultural expansion drives tropical forest loss, disrupting species movement and distributions.
- Habitat connectivity is crucial for species survival, depending on the contrast between natural forests and altered landscapes.
- Current connectivity models often rely on expert opinion for resistance values, potentially lacking ecological accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate resistance surfaces for connectivity modeling using experimental data for two Neotropical amphibian species.
- To assess the agreement between experimentally derived resistance surfaces and those based on field survey data.
- To compare different connectivity measures and their predictions for species movement pathways.
Main Methods:
- Conducted experiments to assess microclimate impacts and predator encounter rates on amphibian species.
- Calculated response ratios to translate experimental results into cost values for resistance surfaces.
- Generated resistance surfaces using experimental data and relative abundance data across land-cover types.
- Analyzed agreement among predicted movement pathways using Euclidean, least cost, and resistance distances.
Main Results:
- Extreme microclimates in altered habitats significantly increased desiccation and mortality risk for both amphibian species.
- Resistance values from microclimate experiments aligned with those from survey data for both species.
- For one species, resistance estimates from predator encounters correlated highly with abundance-derived resistances.
- Low agreement was found among Euclidean, least cost, and resistance distance measures.
Conclusions:
- Experimental data provide valuable insights for resistance modeling in connectivity studies.
- Species-specific responses and model differences must be considered for effective conservation strategies.
- Maintaining habitat connectivity requires understanding species' responses to landscape alterations and choosing appropriate modeling approaches.
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