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Title: Corridor use by diverse taxa.

Journal Article · · Ecology

Haddad, N.M., D.R. Browne, A. Cunningham, B.J. Danielson, D.J. Levey, S. Sargent, and T. Spira. 2003. Corridor use by diverse taxa. Ecology, 84(3):609-615. One of the most popular approaches for maintaining populations and conserving biodiversity in fragmented landscapes is to retain or create corridors that connect otherwise isolated habitat patches. Working in large-scale, experimental landscapes in which open-habitat patches and corridors were created by harvesting pine forest, we showed that corridors direct movements of different types of species, including butterflies, small mammals, and bird dispersed plants, causing higher movement between connected than between unconnected patches. Corridors directed the movement of all 10 species studied, with all corridor effect sizes >68%. However, this corridor effect was significant for five species, not significant for one species, and inconclusive for four species because of small sample sizes. Although we found no evidence that corridors increase emigration from a patch, our results show that movements of disparate taxa with broadly different life histories and functional roles are directed by corridors.

Research Organization:
USDA Forest Service, Savannah River, New Ellenton, SC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)
DOE Contract Number:
AI09-00SR22188
OSTI ID:
835130
Report Number(s):
na; 03-02-P; TRN: US201103%%146
Journal Information:
Ecology, Vol. 84, Issue 3
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English