A Rapid Assessment Methodology for Quantifying and Visualizing Functional Landscape Connectivity

Context: The number of publications that evaluate or use landscape connectivity has grown dramatically in recent years. But the biological realism of common connectivity assessments remains limited. To address this shortcoming, I introduce a flexible methodology for evaluating functional landscape connectivity that can be quick to implement, biologically nuanced, and straightforward to interpret.

Methods: I combined a US Fish and Wildlife Service land cover map with information from existing empirical studies to develop a movement simulator for the Fender's blue butterfly, an endangered species in Oregon, USA. I use the resulting butterfly model to explore the concepts and mechanics behind my novel connectivity assessment methodology.

Results: My methods are able to identify clusters of connected resource patches, quantify and visualize movement rates between patches, and identify opportunities for enhancing connectivity through restoration and mitigation. My results include an emergent dispersal kernel that captures the influence of movement behavior on connectivity.

Discussion: The methods I introduce are capable of generating detailed yet practical connectivity analyses that can incorporate considerable biological and behavioral realism. My approach is simple to implement, and the requisite data can be modest. The toolkit I developed has the potential to standardize connectivity assessments that use either real or simulated movement data.