Is There an Equivalence between Measures of Landscape Structural and Functional Connectivity for Plants in Conservation Assessments of the Cerrado?
Landscape connectivity can be assessed based on the physical connection (structural connectivity) or the maintenance of flow among habitats depending on the species (functional connectivity). The lack of empirical data on the dispersal capacity of species can lead to the use of simple structural mea...
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MDPI AG
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Land |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/11/459 |
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| author | Thais Martins Issii Erico Fernando Lopes Pereira-Silva Carlos Tomás López de Pablo Rozely Ferreira dos Santos Elisa Hardt |
| author_facet | Thais Martins Issii Erico Fernando Lopes Pereira-Silva Carlos Tomás López de Pablo Rozely Ferreira dos Santos Elisa Hardt |
| author_sort | Thais Martins Issii |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Landscape connectivity can be assessed based on the physical connection (structural connectivity) or the maintenance of flow among habitats depending on the species (functional connectivity). The lack of empirical data on the dispersal capacity of species can lead to the use of simple structural measures. Comparisons between these approaches can improve decision-making processes for the conservation or restoration of habitats in fragmented landscapes, such as the Cerrado biome. This study aimed to understand the correspondence between the measures of landscape structural and functional connectivity for Cerrado plants. Three landscapes with cerradão patches in a pasture matrix were selected for the application of these metrics based on the functional connectivity of four profiles of plant dispersal capacity. The results showed divergent interpretations between the measures of landscape structural and functional connectivity, indicating that the assessment of biodiversity conservation and landscape connectivity is dependent on the set of metrics chosen. Structurally, the studied landscapes had the same number of cerradão patches but varied in optimal resource availability, isolation, heterogeneity, and aggregation. Functional connectivity was low for all profiles (based on the integral index of connectivity—IIC) and null for species with a low dispersal capacity (based on the connectance index—CONNECT), indicating that species with a medium- to long-distance dispersal capacity may be less affected by the history of losses and fragmentation of the Cerrado in the pasture matrix. The functional connectivity metrics used allowed a more robust analysis and, apparently, better reflected reality, but the lack of empirical data on dispersal capacity and the difficulty in choosing an indicator organism can limit their use in the management and planning of conservation and restoration areas. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:46:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ed4197d1b9d94422a8feadb7416d2ecb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:46:18Z |
| publishDate | 2020-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj.art-ed4197d1b9d94422a8feadb7416d2ecb2023-11-20T21:26:00ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2020-11-0191145910.3390/land9110459Is There an Equivalence between Measures of Landscape Structural and Functional Connectivity for Plants in Conservation Assessments of the Cerrado?Thais Martins Issii0Erico Fernando Lopes Pereira-Silva1Carlos Tomás López de Pablo2Rozely Ferreira dos Santos3Elisa Hardt4Department of Environmental Sciences, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, São Paulo 09913-030, BrazilDepartment of Ecology, Universidade de São Paulo, USP, São Paulo 05508-090, BrazilDepartment of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, UCM, 28040 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Ecology, Universidade de São Paulo, USP, São Paulo 05508-090, BrazilDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, São Paulo 09913-030, BrazilLandscape connectivity can be assessed based on the physical connection (structural connectivity) or the maintenance of flow among habitats depending on the species (functional connectivity). The lack of empirical data on the dispersal capacity of species can lead to the use of simple structural measures. Comparisons between these approaches can improve decision-making processes for the conservation or restoration of habitats in fragmented landscapes, such as the Cerrado biome. This study aimed to understand the correspondence between the measures of landscape structural and functional connectivity for Cerrado plants. Three landscapes with cerradão patches in a pasture matrix were selected for the application of these metrics based on the functional connectivity of four profiles of plant dispersal capacity. The results showed divergent interpretations between the measures of landscape structural and functional connectivity, indicating that the assessment of biodiversity conservation and landscape connectivity is dependent on the set of metrics chosen. Structurally, the studied landscapes had the same number of cerradão patches but varied in optimal resource availability, isolation, heterogeneity, and aggregation. Functional connectivity was low for all profiles (based on the integral index of connectivity—IIC) and null for species with a low dispersal capacity (based on the connectance index—CONNECT), indicating that species with a medium- to long-distance dispersal capacity may be less affected by the history of losses and fragmentation of the Cerrado in the pasture matrix. The functional connectivity metrics used allowed a more robust analysis and, apparently, better reflected reality, but the lack of empirical data on dispersal capacity and the difficulty in choosing an indicator organism can limit their use in the management and planning of conservation and restoration areas.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/11/459plant dispersallandscape ecologylandscape metricsBrazilian savannalandscape planning |
| spellingShingle | Thais Martins Issii Erico Fernando Lopes Pereira-Silva Carlos Tomás López de Pablo Rozely Ferreira dos Santos Elisa Hardt Is There an Equivalence between Measures of Landscape Structural and Functional Connectivity for Plants in Conservation Assessments of the Cerrado? Land plant dispersal landscape ecology landscape metrics Brazilian savanna landscape planning |
| title | Is There an Equivalence between Measures of Landscape Structural and Functional Connectivity for Plants in Conservation Assessments of the Cerrado? |
| title_full | Is There an Equivalence between Measures of Landscape Structural and Functional Connectivity for Plants in Conservation Assessments of the Cerrado? |
| title_fullStr | Is There an Equivalence between Measures of Landscape Structural and Functional Connectivity for Plants in Conservation Assessments of the Cerrado? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is There an Equivalence between Measures of Landscape Structural and Functional Connectivity for Plants in Conservation Assessments of the Cerrado? |
| title_short | Is There an Equivalence between Measures of Landscape Structural and Functional Connectivity for Plants in Conservation Assessments of the Cerrado? |
| title_sort | is there an equivalence between measures of landscape structural and functional connectivity for plants in conservation assessments of the cerrado |
| topic | plant dispersal landscape ecology landscape metrics Brazilian savanna landscape planning |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/11/459 |
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