Landscape connectivity

Landscape connectivity is the degree to which a landscape enables organisms, genes, materials, or ecological processes to move between habitat areas. It depends on both landscape structure and the movement abilities of the organisms or processes considered.

Structural connectivity: The physical arrangement of habitat patches and corridors across a landscape. It describes connectivity inferred from mapped landscape features, without measuring organism movement.
Habitat fragmentation: The breaking apart of continuous habitat into smaller, more isolated patches. Fragmentation alters the arrangement and separation of habitats that connectivity describes.
Circuit theory in ecology: A method that models movement across landscapes using electrical-current analogies. It estimates multiple possible routes and identifies areas carrying concentrated movement.
Gene flow: The transfer of genetic variants between populations through the movement and reproduction of individuals. Movement between habitats can connect populations genetically.
Landscape genetics: The study of how landscape features influence genetic variation and gene flow among populations. Genetic patterns can test whether modeled landscape connections reflect realized exchange.
Functional connectivity: The degree to which landscape structure facilitates or impedes movement by organisms or ecological processes. It captures actual movement, which can differ from what habitat maps suggest.
Habitat corridor: A strip or sequence of habitat that links otherwise separated habitat areas. Corridors are a recognizable landscape feature that can facilitate movement between patches.
Connectivity conservation: Conservation planning that maintains or restores movement among habitats and ecological regions. It applies connectivity principles to the design and management of protected landscapes.
Rescue effect: The reduction in extinction risk when immigrants replenish a declining local population. Connected habitats can supply individuals to populations at risk of disappearing.
Telemetry: The remote measurement of an object's location or movement over time. Tracking data can reveal movement routes that spatial models may miss.

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