Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States). Dept. of Integrative Biology; Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States). W. K. Kellogg Biological Station; Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)
Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States). Dept. of Integrative Biology; Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States). W. K. Kellogg Biological Station
Though landscape corridors increase dispersal of many animals and plants, it remains unknown whether these positive effects extend to the process of colonization and establishment of new populations in fragments. Working in experimentally fragmented landscapes, we tested how two aspects of habitat fragments altered by corridors – connectivity and edge-to-area ratio – determine patterns of colonization by a solitary, cavity-nesting bee Megachile rotundata. We found that though connectivity initially affected rates of nest-site occupation, edge-to-area ratio ultimately determined the final patterns of patch occupation and nest building, likely due to habitat selection by our focal species. Bee colonization was also higher in patches with higher abundances of their preferred food resources, flowers from the Fabaceae family. Our results show the importance of considering the effects of both connectivity and edge on population dynamics in habitat-based conservation.
Griffin, Sean R. and Haddad, Nick M.. "Connectivity and edge effects increase bee colonization in an experimentally fragmented landscape." Ecography, vol. 44, no. 6, Feb. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.05299
Griffin, Sean R., & Haddad, Nick M. (2021). Connectivity and edge effects increase bee colonization in an experimentally fragmented landscape. Ecography, 44(6). https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.05299
Griffin, Sean R., and Haddad, Nick M., "Connectivity and edge effects increase bee colonization in an experimentally fragmented landscape," Ecography 44, no. 6 (2021), https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.05299
@article{osti_1848955,
author = {Griffin, Sean R. and Haddad, Nick M.},
title = {Connectivity and edge effects increase bee colonization in an experimentally fragmented landscape},
annote = {Though landscape corridors increase dispersal of many animals and plants, it remains unknown whether these positive effects extend to the process of colonization and establishment of new populations in fragments. Working in experimentally fragmented landscapes, we tested how two aspects of habitat fragments altered by corridors – connectivity and edge-to-area ratio – determine patterns of colonization by a solitary, cavity-nesting bee Megachile rotundata. We found that though connectivity initially affected rates of nest-site occupation, edge-to-area ratio ultimately determined the final patterns of patch occupation and nest building, likely due to habitat selection by our focal species. Bee colonization was also higher in patches with higher abundances of their preferred food resources, flowers from the Fabaceae family. Our results show the importance of considering the effects of both connectivity and edge on population dynamics in habitat-based conservation.},
doi = {10.1111/ecog.05299},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1848955},
journal = {Ecography},
issn = {ISSN 0906-7590},
number = {6},
volume = {44},
place = {United States},
publisher = {Nordic Society Oikos, Wiley},
year = {2021},
month = {02}}